The topics are converging – and this is giving rise to new solutions.
Digital Finance Day 2025 brought together over 150 experts and executives from banks, fintech companies, government agencies, technology companies, and academia at the Kraftwerk in Zurich. The event, organized by the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) together with its partners Swiss Fintech Innovations (SFTI) and the Zurich Banking Association, was held under the motto “How technology and regulation empower client-centric solutions.” In an interview, Stephanie Wickihalder, President of SFTI, looks back on the event and explains why her association is committed to this exchange.
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Stephanie, Digital Finance Day 2025 is already history. What stands out in your memory?
I was impressed by the diversity of topics. From artificial intelligence and stablecoins to open finance and fraud prevention, it became clear how broad the digital agenda of our financial center is. I particularly enjoyed the interdisciplinary exchange. Experts from very different fields worked together to find solutions and were not afraid to ask critical questions and courageously challenge the status quo. It is this openness in dialogue that I greatly appreciate.
SFTI supported the event as a partner. Why was it important for you to get involved?
SFTI sees itself as an innovation association for the financial sector. We build bridges between banks, fintechs, technology companies, and authorities. Our aim is to bring the ecosystem together, develop solutions jointly, and open the doors to new areas of the financial world. Associations are much more than event coordinators. We see ourselves in a technical, solution-oriented role. Digital Finance Day is the ideal platform for this: it shows how to tackle issues not in isolation, but as a network.
This year's motto was “How technology and regulation empower client-centric solutions.” What does that mean for you specifically?
Technology and regulation are often seen as opposites, but they are mutually dependent. Innovation needs guidelines so that trust can develop. I think we all agree that this is essential, especially in the financial sector.
...is the industry on the right track?
It is important that we continually question ourselves critically and have the courage to seek outside perspectives. Digital Finance Day is deliberately designed to promote this outside-in view and seek dialogue with international experts.
The attitude of the authorities is also interesting here. Michael Manz from the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) said at the event that space is being deliberately created for innovation to flourish, but that the industry must also make use of this leeway. That sums it up perfectly.
When you think back to the discussions at Kraftwerk Zurich, which topics will be of particular concern to the financial center in the future?
Complexity is increasing. Technology, banking expertise, and regulation are becoming increasingly intertwined. We must not treat topics such as digital identity, stablecoins, data management, genetic AI, and agentic AI in isolation. These topics are converging. This is giving rise to exciting business models, and processes must be consistently rethought. Joint solutions that take these perspectives into account are needed.
Digital Finance Day brings together a wide variety of players. What distinguishes this exchange from other specialist events?
Digital Finance Day is not purely a networking event. It's about depth of content. In the sessions on AI that I attended, there was open discussion, including about the obstacles to implementation. Who is driving innovation, and who or what is slowing it down? How does the interaction with management and the board of directors work, and what influence does culture have? I rarely experience such openness at a conference.
How can SFTI continue the discussions initiated at Digital Finance Day?
Together with the Bankers Association and the Zurich Banking Association, we are taking away many ideas, for example on open finance, AI, digital identities, and the current consultation on stablecoins and crypto institutions. As an association, we want to help ensure that the industry actively addresses these issues. Digital Finance Day is an important starting point, but it is crucial that we continue the discussions in our everyday work and jointly derive concrete steps from them.
Stephanie Wickihalder has been President of SFTI since 2017 and, together with the SFTI team, is shaping the future of the Swiss financial center by promoting innovation and collaboration with a thoughtful and technology-neutral approach.