Hi there!
We selected Berlin as our festival location not only because we love operating from here, but also due to the strong startup network, deep expertise, and promising breeding ground for the fintech ecosystem. Our choice has been somewhat validated by the latest IFZ FinTech Study which ranked Berlin among the top 10 cities with the best surrounding factors for fintech companies. The second most significant improvement in this ranking reflects Berlin's rise in the technological dimension.
We also consulted experts such as Carsten Höltkemeyer (CEO at Solaris) or Dr. Feiyu Xu (Co-Founder at nyonic) to understand what Berlin means to them. Check out these 95 seconds of Berlin vibes that illustrate why we love the city so much! More festival news below - enjoy!
We’ve just announced 29 new speakers, and the bunch could not be more diverse, so this is just a fraction. Jan Sell is the Managing Director at Coinbase Germany, who obtainined the first crypto custody license from BaFin. Rotimi Thomas is not only the CEO of SunFi.co but also co-founded a solar powerhouse in Nigeria and worked at Siemens. Dr. Friederike Ernst doesn't just handle a wallet with an incredible $29 billion; she's conjuring the future with the Gnosis Chain, steering epic podcasts, and co-founding blockchain associations.
Julian Bürklein, Senior Investment Manager at neosfer, shapes Commerzbank's early-stage investments in Fintech, B2B SaaS, and ClimateTech. Managing a diverse portfolio, including Grover and Pliant, he navigates deal flow, research, and project support. Minsung Cho, Head of Innovation Design at SAP Fioneer, leads the design team, specializing in early-stage innovation. Formerly a Senior Innovation Strategist at RCKT, she drives digital transformation across sectors like Banking, FMCG, Fashion, and Government. Nancy Plaßmann, board member of Berliner Sparkasse, oversees retail and corporate banking for nearly 2 million customers. With 25 years in Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, she champions the synergy of digital channels and a robust physical presence.
Our fintech festival enhances networking opportunities through various specially designed formats. The current networking offerings include:
A Colour Happy Hour: You will receive colour-coded festival wristbands, enabling you to join "Colour Happy Hour" sessions with others wearing the same colour.
The FIBE Späti: Curious about what a 'Späti' is? It's a Berlin-style convenience store that provides a laid-back environment for socializing. At our FIBE Späti, notable speakers will also be making appearances, adding extra value to your visit.
Minigolf is also incorporated into the event, combining business and fun.
The FIBE App, launching on April 8th, facilitates networking by providing programme details, speaker information, and the ability to connect with others and book networking activities.
Embedded Finance Review is hosting its third event on April 24th (registration starts at 18:30) at Freifläche Berlin.
We invite brands, banks, infrastructure providers, and anybody else with an interest in embedded finance to join us for short and insightful presentations with plenty of time to network and engage with industry experts. Get your free ticket here.
Dr. Carolin Gabor is an experienced CEO & fintech entrepreneur and Co-Founder & General Partner of Caesar Ventures
Fintech is a highly regulated market. No one is keen to buy financial products, and it is super hard to compete, especially if you are a no-name startup. That said, a fintech has to be 100x better in customer centricity and ease of use than offerings from established players.
As a VC firm, we have offices in Berlin and Munich, the two cities with the most exciting startup teams.
Her favourite spot is even more attractive at sunset. Head over to our newsroom to see what she told us.
It's no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily reshaping payment security, profoundly transforming what we used to know and setting the basis for a new era in fintech. Now that digital transactions become the norm, the role of AI in safeguarding these exchanges has evolved into something increasingly essential.
Envisioning a world where every payment transaction, regardless of size, is protected by an intelligent force capable of outsmarting even the most sophisticated cybercriminals is no longer the plot of a futuristic novel but the reality of today's digital payment landscape, profoundly transformed by AI.
Despite being relatively new, GenAI's rapid adoption, high market expectations, and demonstrable productivity improvements highlight its transformative potential and growing influence as a technological game-changer.
The integration of AI in payments, and particularly of GenAI, marks a notable shift towards increased productivity and cost efficiency. BCG reported some significant data in that sense, highlighting AI's potential to elevate gross productivity by up to 30%, alongside potential savings reaching 15%. These figures reflect AI's broader role in revolutionizing the financial landscape, streamlining operations, and setting new benchmarks for efficiency in payment systems.
We're immensely grateful for our outstanding partners thus far, including the likes of ZEBRA, Plaudertaschen, PCN, WAA, T3N, The Fintech Marketing Hub, Berlin Risk and ICOholder. Your presence on this wild ride means a lot to us!
Did we mention that FIBE is a festival? I'd say so... Jokes aside.
We've got three fantastic DJs who'll be holding it down at their decks every day for you. Among them is djPoppyDownes!
djPoppyDownes, a Berlin-based maestro, is all about the groove, infusing DiscoTechHouse with love and passion.
From rocking the CSD in Berlin in 2022 and 2023 to setting the stage on fire at the Tajikistan Fashion Week 2023 and Sydney World Pride, he's left his mark in cities like Chicago and Brooklyn, NY. And now, he's about to bring his electrifying beats to FIBE!
On a final note: If you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, here’s a special one-time offer: Tell me why you should attend FIBE and which networking format interests you the most, and Santa Claus might arrive early for you this year. For those who don’t believe in Santa, head over to our ticket shop!
Cheers,
Madeline