The 2026 story: what we heard in Skopje

Banking, insurance, fintech, technology and public institutions came together to examine what progress really takes: digital identity, better payments, modern infrastructure, cyber resilience and AI that earns trust.

More than 300 people followed 15 sessions, 3 panel conversations and 24 speakers. Stefan Andonovski, Minister of Digital Transformation, opened the day. Dimitris Dimitriadis of TheFutureCats Advisory gave the closing keynote, on why governed AI decides who wins in finance.

Three ideas, one direction

Trust is infrastructure. Digital identity, interoperability and cyber resilience are the foundations of better financial services. The morning panel, moderated by Vasko Kronevski of Nextsense, looked at eID, trust services and interoperability with speakers from government, KIBS and the Central Register.

Make complexity disappear. Instant payments and connected banking only matter when they make life simpler for real people. KIBS presented STRELA instant payments, and the Digital First, Human Always panel looked at customer-centric financial services.

Turn ambition into value. The next chapter of data and AI in finance needs practical thinking and clear accountability. Mastercard gave a keynote on the age of AI, IBM spoke on agentic AI, and the Trust Layer panel covered AI, cybersecurity, fraud risk and data governance.

See you in 2027

Finelevate Digital Summit began as a conversation. The first edition made space for the connections that move those ideas into practice. The second edition is set for 22 September 2027.