The conference started on Thursday, 21 November, at the ceremonial hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in the Propylaea and concluded on Friday, 22 November, at the iconic premises of the National Bank of Greece at the Karatzas Mansion. Its purpose was to bring together European and international stakeholders with initiatives from the fintech sector, facilitating and encouraging dialogue, interaction and networking. Emphasis was placed on initiatives from Southeast Europe and the Middle East, as well as in the areas of ESG, tourism, research, arts and creative industries.

Mr. Gerasimos Siasos, the Rector of the University of Athens, opened the event on the first day, and Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, the Minister of Digital Governance, also delivered a speech. At the National Bank of Greece, Chairman of the Board of Directors Gikas Hardouvelis stressed the importance of Fintech in strategic planning and the economy.

The second day of the conference was welcomed by Mr. Ernestos Panayiotou, General Manager of Transformation, Strategy and International Activities of the National Bank of Greece. Mr. Panagiotou stressed that Fintech is at the core of the bank's operations, in the products it offers and in its strategic planning, as the areas of innovation, digital Transformation and sustainable development are key elements of the bank's continuous transformation. Mr. Nikolaos Thomaidis, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE National Bank of Greece, Mr. Emmanuel Givanakis, CEO, ADGM, Financial Services Regulatory Authority UAE, Mr. Yannis Tsakiris, Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, and Mr. Haris Lambropoulos, President of HDBI and Board Member of EIF, EIB and Mr. Harris Lambropoulos, Chairman of HDBI and Board Member of EIF, EIB also addressed the meeting. 

The annual Fintech Athens conference is an action of Smart Attica EDIH and was co-funded by the European Union. It was organized by the National Bank of Greece and the Greek Fintech Hub. 

The Greek Fintech Hub is an initiative in the Fintech sector in Greece and developed economies.
Aiming to strengthen entrepreneurship in the Fintech sector, to finance innovative companies in the sector, to connect Fintech with research produced in universities and research centres, to promote knowledge and to network with other similar initiatives abroad, the entities participating in the Greek Fintech Hub initiative plan and implement a series of actions, such as:

• Fundraising events
• Cooperation with Italian and Spanish banks active in similar startup funding programmes
• Collaboration with Italian and Italian Italian banks and Italian and Italian banks with Italian and Italian partner institutions
• Organising monthly Fintech Talks with European partners in the field of European cooperation with European partners in the field of financial services
• We are organising annual Fintech conferences in specific sectors, such as creative industries and tourism.

The Business Seeds Innovative Entrepreneurship Programme of the National Bank of Greece, which has been participating in the Greek Fintech Hub initiative since its inception, has been steadily supporting domestic innovation, technology and entrepreneurship for 15 years. The commitment to strengthen the domestic ecosystem and the practical support of new entrepreneurs and startups is an important part of the National Bank's strategy, today and throughout time.