Future Banking Summit 2025

☕ Registration & Welcome Coffee

🎆 Opening words

• Toader Păun
  Toader Păun
  Journalist & Presenter of the event @
  

🎤 Keynote Speech

• Panagiotis Kriaris
  Panagiotis Kriaris
  Fintech, Payments and Banking Leader / Head of Corporate & Business Development @ Unzer
  Panagiotis has built his career at the intersection of business and technology, with a strong track record of leadership on an international scale. He brings senior-level expertise across financial services, banking, payments, fintech, retail, and e-commerce - shaped by years of driving innovation and strategic growth in complex, fast-moving environments. His work has consistently focused on innovation, strategy, business development, and building products and businesses from the ground up.  As a recognized voice in the financial services industry, Panagiotis regularly contributes to publications and podcasts, and is frequently invited to speak at leading industry events around the world.

âš¡Panel powered by GFT Technologies: Overcoming Legacy Challenges with AI, Automation and Cloud

• Adam GÅ‚odek
  Adam GÅ‚odek
  Head of Banking, Head of CEE @ GFT Technologies
  
• Răzvan Enache
  Răzvan Enache
  Moderator | BizDev @ Future Banking
  
• Florian Teleaba
  Florian Teleaba
  Partner @ Kearney
  
• Teun van der Veeken
  Teun van der Veeken
  Regional Lead CEE @ Mambu
  

🎤 Keynote speech

• Valentina Dragomir
  Valentina Dragomir
  Country Manager @ Evrotrust
  Valentina Dragomir is a highly skilled professional with extensive experience in the banking sector, specializing in digital transformation, identity attestation, and compliance with both Romanian and EU regulations on digital identity. Currently, Valentina is advancing Evrotrust's mission to enhance trust and user experience in the digital world by driving the adoption of secure and compliant digital identity solutions. With a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape, she is committed to pioneering innovative approaches that align with the latest standards in financial services. Experience: • Banking and Digitalization: Over a decade of experience in the banking industry, with a strong focus on digital transformation and the integration of advanced digital identity solutions. • Identity Attestation: Expertise in developing and implementing identity attestation processes that comply with rigorous regulatory standards. • Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of both Romanian and EU legislation concerning digital identity, ensuring full compliance and alignment with evolving regulatory requirements.

🧩 Building AI Infrastructure for Banks – The Real Cost of Entering the AI World

• Adrian Dinculescu
  Adrian Dinculescu
  Managing Director @ Namirial
  
• Aleksandar Milutinoviă‡
  Aleksandar Milutinoviă‡
  Product Manager for Digital Channels @ ASEE
  Aleksandar Milutinovi㇠is Product Manager for Digital Channels at ASEE, leading the strategy and development of mobile, internet, and AI-enabled banking platforms across South-Eastern Europe. With a track record in designing and delivering complex digital sales and onboarding systems for banks, he has helped financial institutions redefine how customers interact and contract online. Aleksandar combines hands-on product management expertise with a forward-looking approach to innovation, bringing practical insights into how artificial intelligence is reshaping banking services.
• Alex Cociu
  Alex Cociu
  Executive Partner @ IT Smart Systems
  Alexandru Cociu is an experienced executive partner at IT Smart Systems and co-founder of Smart Fintech, with over 18 years of experience assisting global enterprise clients across various industries, including finance, telecommunications, retail, and utilities. He specializes in streamlining technological processes and driving innovative digital transformations. Passionate about technology and digital advancements, Alex recognizes the immense potential for innovation in the open banking ecosystem and is dedicated to helping businesses leverage AI to enhance their operations.
• Răzvan Enache
  Răzvan Enache
  Moderator | BizDev @ Future Banking
  
• Tania Georgia Vasile
  Tania Georgia Vasile
  Head of Digital Integrated Solutions Department @ BCR
  

🔥 Fireside chat, powered by Onfido: The Two Sides of AI in the Fight Against Digital Fraud

• Michael Van Gestel
  Michael Van Gestel
  Director of Expert Services @ Entrust
  A leading expert in ID Document security and fraud, Michael is Director of Entrusts (Onfido's) expert services and has also headed up the Global Document and Fraud Strategy Team. Prior to Entrust (Onfido), Michael worked as a Document Expert and international trainer at several global document checking and referencing companies. Michael has also served as a ID Document Authentication trainer at the Expertise Centre Identity Fraud and Documents (ECID), sharing his knowledge with embassies, consulates, airlines, security agencies, immigration offices and police departments all over the world. Currently he is still providing combined training sessions together with Interpol. Michael started his career in the security sector at the Dutch Immigration Office and the Forgery Department at Schiphol Airport.
• Răzvan Enache
  Răzvan Enache
  Moderator | BizDev @ Future Banking
  

🔥 Fireside chat, powered by Adastra: From Chaos to Confidence - A Bank's Path to Data-Driven Success

• Shivendra Rai
  Shivendra Rai
  Data Governance Competence Leader @ Adastra
  Shivendra (Shiv) Rai is the Data Governance Competence Leader at Adastra, Global Data & AI Consultancy and President of DAMA Czech Republic, bringing over eight years of expertise in data management. Based in Prague, he specializes in designing comprehensive data governance programs, metadata management, master data management (MDM), and data quality frameworks across industries including financial services, retail, manufacturing, and gaming. With experience spanning Europe, Latin America, and Asia, Shiv advises organizations on building effective data governance capabilities.
• Cosmin Tudor
  Cosmin Tudor
  Country Lead @ Adastra
  Cosmin Tudor is Country Lead at Adastra, with over 25 years of experience in IT and digital transformation. He has led strategic initiatives in AI, data analytics, and cloud computing, delivering complex transformation projects for enterprise and public sector clients across Europe. One of his key achievements includes driving one of the largest governmental cloud initiatives in Eastern Europe. His expertise spans sectors such as energy, healthcare, public services, and finance—always with a focus on turning technology into tangible business value. 
• Răzvan Enache
  Răzvan Enache
  Moderator | BizDev @ Future Banking
  

🧠 Brains, Bots and Banks: Who Really Decides?

• Tolga Banyocu
  Tolga Banyocu
  Deputy General Manager, Client Solutions Area @ Garanti BBVA Romania
  Tolga Banyocu is an accomplished banking professional with 25 years of experience, primarily focused on leveraging digital solutions to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. As Deputy General Manager at Garanti BBVA Romania, he has been responsible for leading client solutions, with a key focus on digital landscape, in particular digital implementations in finance since June 2023. Prior to this role, Tolga served as General Manager of Garanti BBVA Consumer Finance, where he successfully managed the development and implementation of lending solutions for over two years. With a solid track record at Garanti BBVA Romania, Tolga has held various leadership positions, including Strategic Planning Director and Retail Credit Director, playing pivotal roles in shaping the bank’s strategic direction and credit management. His career began at Garanti BBVA in Türkiye as an auditor and risk analyst, where he gained valuable insights into risk management and payment systems.  Tolga's extensive experience spans multiple areas of retail banking, from consumer finance and loans to credit and strategic planning. 
• Alexandru Ana
  Alexandru Ana
  CEO @ Optimizor
  Alexandru Ana, CEO Optimizor, și-a înnceput parcursul profesional înn 2007, la doar 18 ani, acumulânnd experiență înn tehnologiile Cisco Collaboration și Microsoft. Astăzi este expert Microsoft Azure, iar obiectivul său înn business este de a ajuta a oferi clienților soluții de ultimă generație și de a stabili noi standarde înn industria IT. La Optimizor, angajamentul său pentru excelență motivează echipa să depășească așteptările clienților și să înmpingă limitele inovației.
• Lucia Stoicescu
  Lucia Stoicescu
  General Manager @ Wonderful Romania
  
• Luminița Mînndrilă
  Luminița Mînndrilă
  Moderator | Project Manager @ Future Banking
  
• Petruț Lixandru
  Petruț Lixandru
  Director Executiv Adjunct Distribuție Retail @ BCR
  

🛡️ The Cost of Protection: National, Cyber, and Social Security

• Nicu Stefanuță
  Nicu Stefanuță
  Vicepreședinte @ Parlamentul European
  Europarlamentar din 2019, Nicu Ștefanuță s-a remarcat prin implicarea sa înn dosare care rar ajung pe prima paginą, dar care ating direct viața reală: sănątate, mediu, drepturile celor marginalizați, finanțarea justă a programelor sociale. ÃŽn Parlamentul European, a fost negociator-șef al bugetului UE pentru mediu și sănątate, și a susținut constant direcționarea fondurilor europene către cauze ignorate prea des: sănątate mintală, educație, comunități defavorizate. ÃŽn prezent, ocupă funcția de Vice-președinte înn cadrul Parlamanentului European și este membru înn Biroul Parlamentului, Comisia pentru bugete și Comisia pentru industrie, cercetare și energie.
• Luminița Mînndrilă
  Luminița Mînndrilă
  Moderator | Project Manager @ Future Banking
  

🍛 Lunch Break

📈 Panel powered by FintechOS: Scaling Trust and Innovation – Inside ProCredit’s Transformation Journey

• Lidia Cînrstei
  Lidia Cînrstei
  SVP Product & Operations @ FintechOS
  
• Cristian Mustață
  Cristian Mustață
  Head of Group Retail @ ProCredit Holding
  

🎤 The Future of Digital Payments – Innovation & Security in an AI-Driven World

• Alexandru Mihalache
  Alexandru Mihalache
  GTM Products Director, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria @ Visa
  Alexandru Mihalache joined Visa in 2021 where he leads the Product Go to market team for Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, managing both Digital and Core card products. His focus is on delivering innovative new ways to pay, that resonate with contemporary consumer needs, setting new standards in convenience, security, and user experience. With 20 years experience in banking, digital, card payments and business development, Alex combines deep technical expertise with strategic business insight. Throughout his career, Alex has led both technical and business teams, being involved in developing and maintaining complex cards infrastructures as well as driving the innovation and development of digital payments. He has been instrumental in introducing innovative banking products and services, leveraging his profound understanding of the financial landscape to navigate complex regulatory environments and emerging market trends.
• Luminița Mînndrilă
  Luminița Mînndrilă
  Moderator | Project Manager @ Future Banking
  

🤖 AI Banking vs. Human Banking – Can Human–AI Collaboration Offer Empathetic Support?

• Hunor Kovacs
  Hunor Kovacs
  Managing Director @ Graia
  Hunor Kovacs is the Managing Director of Graia, with 20 years of experience delivering innovative solutions for contact centers and customer experience departments. Having worked with customers from over 20 countries, Hunor brings a rich multicultural perspective to his work. A fast learner and tech enthusiast, he continuously explores new technologies, including AI, to enhance customer service and CX strategies.
• Cristian Herghelegiu
  Cristian Herghelegiu
  CEO @ Dendrio
  RO : Cristian are peste 20 de ani de experiență înn industria IT&C, cu accent pe aplicații enterprise, software ca servicii și modele de business bazate pe cloud. La capitolul performanțe profesionale, menționąm lansarea diviziei de aplicații business a Microsoft Românnia (Microsoft Business Solutions). De asemenea, înn perioada 2013 – 2017, Cristian a fost directorul general al Gecad Net și, după fuziunea cu Bittnet Group, a devenit CEO al Dendrio, unul din ce mai mari integratori de soluții IT din Românnia. Prin acest rol, Cristian continuă să înși folosească expertiza pentru a promova transformarea digitală și pentru a consolida poziția grupului pe piața de IT din Românnia.   ENG: Cristian has over 20 years of experience in the IT&C industry, with a strong focus on enterprise applications, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and cloud-based business models. Among his professional achievements is the launch of the Microsoft Business Solutions division at Microsoft Romania. Between 2013 and 2017, Cristian served as the General Manager of Gecad Net. Following its merger with Bittnet Group, he became the CEO of Dendrio, one of the largest IT solution integrators in Romania. In this role, Cristian continues to leverage his expertise to drive digital transformation and strengthen the group’s position in the Romanian IT market.
• Corina Cristescu
  Corina Cristescu
  Tribe Lead Digital & Assisted Channels @ ING Bank Romania
  
• Luminița Mînndrilă
  Luminița Mînndrilă
  Moderator | Project Manager @ Future Banking
  
• Cosmin Curticăpean
  Cosmin Curticăpean
  CEO @ Lendox
  

🎤 Keynote speech

• Ioan Negrea
  Ioan Negrea
  Managing Director @ fme România
  With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Ioan Negrea has worked with companies in both Romania and Germany. He was primarily active in the field of ERP and later ECM systems as a software developer, project manager and currently as managing director. In 2004 and 2005, after successfully leading several projects with fme AG, Ioan Negrea played a key role in establishing fme Romania in July 2005. Since then, he has been managing the company in Cluj-Napoca, steering it toward success in the local IT market. As part of the fme Group, fme Romania specializes in delivering tailored digital transformation solutions. These include Enterprise Content Management, Content and Data Migration, Application Modernization, Cloud and Custom Software Development and serve industries like banking, life sciences, automotive and more.

🔋 Leveraging Technology to Support SMEs in the Current Business Cycle by Token

• Raluca Micu
  Raluca Micu
  Deputy CEO @ Token Payment Services
  Raluca Micu is the  Deputy CEO at Token Payment Services. She has 15 years of experience in payments, regulation and fintech innovation, of which 7 years being the Head of Payments Oversight Division in NBR. Main objective in Token is to push financial inclusion forward for SMEs using our platform/payments infrastructure and provide access to different financial services to them. Token Payment Services - first payment institution authorized by National Bank of Romania for online and offline payment acceptance services. Our activity aims to support financial inclusions of SMEs by promoting the digitalization of the merchants and the cash, enhancing efficiency and security in their activities.  Token Payment Services brings the concept all in one with advanced technology supporting daily payments of our merchants.
• Marius Lepădatu
  Marius Lepădatu
  Director și asociat @ Ecoflam
  
• Andrei Stoian
  Andrei Stoian
  Director for Payments & Cash Management @ BRD - Groupe Societe Generale
  Andrei Stoian is the Director for Payments & Cash Management at BRD – Groupe Societe Generale in Romania. He has over 19 years of experience in the financial sector, with product management and sales expertise in Digitization, Cash Management and Working Capital solutions. Throughout his career, Andrei has built strong relationships with top clients in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe, providing customized solutions for the complex requirements of companies. Andrei holds a PhD in Economics and International Affairs from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest.

🔥 Fireside chat: From Hype to Impact: Agentic AI and the Future of Credit Decisioning

• Alida Popescu
  Alida Popescu
  Customer Advisory Sr Manager - Risk Practice CEE Region @ SAS
  Leading the Risk Practice across Central East Europe at SAS, I help financial institutions navigate complex regulatory environments and drive risk transformation. With over 15 years of experience in Risk Management, I deliver tailored, innovative solutions that address strategic and operational challenges across banking and insurance sectors.
• Răzvan Enache
  Răzvan Enache
  Moderator | BizDev @ Future Banking
  

☕ Coffee Break

💱 New Payment Methods – From Europe to the Local Landscape

• Alexandra Manciulea
  Alexandra Manciulea
  Partner @ Filip & Company
  
• Bogdan Hristescu
  Bogdan Hristescu
  Chief Commercial Officer @ Blik
  Bogdan Hristescu este un manager cu peste 26 de ani de experiență înn poziții de conducere înn sectorul serviciilor financiare, telecomunicații. A gestionat proiecte înn organizații internaționale precum Cambrist, Euronet Worldwide, Rev Worldwide și Orange. A fost responsabil pentru atingerea obiectivelor financiare (P&L), conducerea negocierilor strategice B2B și gestionarea echipelor din Europa Centrală și de Est. Bogdan Hristescu este specializat înn conducerea proceselor complexe de vânnzări înn mediile fintech și de plăți digitale. A absolvit programe de management la Harvard Business School și Strayer University. A jucat un rol activ ca mentor și membru al consiliului de administrație al organizațiilor de sprijinire a antreprenoriatului. Consiliul de Supraveghere al BLIK Romania l-a numit pe Bogdan Hristescu înn funcția de membru al Consiliului de Administrație și Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). 
• Laura Enache
  Laura Enache
  Executive Lead - Fiat @ xMoney.com
  
• Răzvan Enache
  Răzvan Enache
  Moderator | BizDev @ Future Banking
  

⚙️ Workshop: Adaptive Leadership in the AI Era

• Gabriel Sînrbu
  Gabriel Sînrbu
  Formator, Coach, Fondator @ Toogle
  Cu peste 15 ani de experiență înn leadership de vânnzări și management la nivel internațional, Gabriel aduce o înnțelegere profundă a mediilor de afaceri complexe și a provocărilor cu care se confruntă liderii înn diverse contexte. ÃŽn coaching și training înncurajează claritatea înn gânndire, autonomia și reziliența – sprijinind clienții să-și dezvolte un stil autentic de leadership, adaptat realităților lor.
• Cristina Sînrbu
  Cristina Sînrbu
  Formator, Coach, Fondator @ Toogle
  

🎤 Closing Remarks

• Toader Păun
  Toader Păun
  Journalist & Presenter of the event @
  

🍸 Networking cocktail @ Kasho Mosaico Urbano