BANCEE25 | BANCEE

BANKING CEE EXPO

November 6-7, 2025 | Sofia, Bulgaria

AGENDA

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08:30

Registration Opens, Morning Coffee

09:00

Opening remarks

Petr Tsoy | Connectiva

09:10

09:35

10:00

Thematic module:

Reinventing Banking’s Value

Sponsored by

Banking 4.0

Keynote

Christof De Mil

Chief Executive Officer

United Bulgarian Bank | Bulgaria

Beyond Banking: Becoming the Netflix for SMEs

Robert Błaszczyk

CEE Business Banking Consultant

Comarch | Poland

Is Banking Still Special? Trust, Loyalty & Growth in the CEE Market

Panel Discussion

How consumer trust is evolving post-digitization
Competing with fintechs on loyalty and service
Building emotional connection across multiple CEE cultures

Krzysztof Uchman | Moderator

Business Banking and Loans Development Manager

Comarch | Poland

Danijela Vuksanovic

Member of Management Board, CMO

Addiko Bank | Montenegro

Anton Petrov

CCO, Member of the Management Board

Fibank | Bulgaria

Tatyana Ivanova

Board Member, Executive Director Digital Channels, Data and Operations

United Bulgarian Bank | Bulgaria

10:45

Coffee Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

11:20

11:45

12:10

Thematic module:

Infrastructure, Resilience & Regulation

Sponsored by

Strangled by Legacy and Regulation – Can CEE Banks Keep Up?

Keynote

Maja Mikic

Chief Operating Officer

AikBank | Serbia

When Eurozone countries switch on VOP, fraud looks East: How VOP can protect

David-Jan Janse

Chief Executive Officer

SurePay | Netherlands

Compliance Fatigue or Strategic Advantage? Rethinking Regulation in CEE

Panel Discussion

How can CEE banks comply without killing innovation?
Are compliance teams set up for modern risk?
What’s missing in the relationship between banks and supervisors?
Local vs. EU regulatory contradictions
What are the biggest challenges in payments and fraud prevention today?

Bridget Meijer | Moderator

Manager New Markets

SurePay | Netherlands

Danijela Vuksanovic

Member of Management Board, CMO

Addiko Bank | Montenegro

Kadi Raudsepp

Chief Legal & Compliance Officer

Iute Group | Estonia

Magdalena Batinkova Ali

SVP, Compliance and Anti-Financial Crime

tbi bank | Bulgaria

12:55

Lunch Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

MAIN STAGE Q&A

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08:30

Registration Opens, Morning Coffee

09:00

Opening remarks

Petr Tsoy | Connectiva

09:10

09:35

10:00

Thematic module:

The Human Bank

Building Future Leaders – Talent, Skills & Resilience in 2025

Keynote

Borislav Genov

Member of the Management Board and Head of Retail banking

Unicredit Bulbank | Bulgaria

Digital transformation - moving beyond legacy systems

Keynote

David Švejda

Digital Transformation Lead & Head of Agile CoE

Komerční Banka | Czech Republic

What Does Leadership Look Like in an AI-Driven Bank?

Panel Discussion

How do you retrain leadership instincts in a fast-moving world?
The AI-native workforce: what skills are missing in CEE?
Culture as an asset or a blocker: real stories from transformation programs

Vladyslav Sytnikov | Moderator

Vice President, Treasury and Wealth Management QA Senior Manager

Global US Bank | Poland

Ivan Ivanov

Director Retail Banking

Bulgarian American Credit Bank | Bulgaria

Sava Dalbokov

Member of The Supervisory Board

Addiko Bank | Austria

Sonja Vucic

Chief Data Officer

NLB Banka a.d. Banja Luka | Bosnia & Herzegovina

10:45

Coffee Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

MAIN STAGE Q&A

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14:00

14:25

14:50

Thematic module:

Identity & Compliance

Sponsored by

Digital Transformation in Banking

Keynote

Kameliya Mineva

Chairperson of the Management Board and Executive Director

ProCredit Bank | Bulgaria

What does the identity toolbox of tomorrow look like?

This session will explore how evolving identification methods, EUDI wallet adoption, and electronic attributes are transforming banks' roles, impacting KYC, fraud prevention, and user experience.

Lyubomir Tankishev

Director of Sales & Business Development

Evrotrust | Bulgaria

Meeting customer expectations through a modernized identity stack

Panel Discussion

Choosing the right identification approach
Regulatory and operational blind Spots
Unlocking value and managing risk

Valentina Dragomir | Moderator

Country Manager

Evrotrust | Romania

Sevastiyan Vassilev

Mobile Banking Manager

UniCredit Bulbank | Bulgaria

Elena Nasalevska

General Manager Digital Channels

United Bulgarian Bank | Bulgaria

Desislava Kalinkova

Head of Product and Project Management Department

ProCredit Bank | Bulgaria

15:35

Coffee Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

16:10

16:35

17:00

Thematic module:

Payments, Platforms & Progress

Sponsored by

The Role of Technology as a Strategic Driver in Modern Banking

Keynote

Zarija Milic

COO, Board Member

NLB Bank | Montenegro

Where is future profit for banking after Euro implementation?

Toms Jansons

Strategic Product Manager

Tietoevry Banking | Latvia

Modernization Isn’t One Big Project – It’s 50 Small Ones

Panel Discussion

Scaling innovation without overwhelming the bank
How to measure meaningful change in banking tech initiatives
What does a good 6-month roadmap look like?

Edgars Bremze | Moderator

Lead Strategic Product Manager

Tietoevry Banking | Latvia

Nermina Alić

Director of Retail Risk Management

Raiffeisen Bank | Bosnia & Herzegovina

Branimira Milusheva

Founder & CEO

Women in Banking and Finance | Bulgaria

Giuseppe Castelbuono

Chief Information Officer

ING Italia | Italy

17:45

End of Day 1

19:00

Gala dinner & cocktail reception

DIGITAL STAGE Q&A

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11:20

11:45

12:10

Thematic module:

Payments & Transactions

Sponsored by

Rip & Replace vs. Adaptive Modernization: Building Resilient Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Keynote

Davor Gašparac

Senior Program Manager Corporates & Markets

Erste Digital | Austria

Beyond speed: The human side of Instant Payments

Amela Ajazaj

Product Owner Payment Systems

valantic FSA | Germany

Payments Disruption in CEE - Fast, Cheap and Still Fragmented

Panel Discussion

Instant payments: where is adoption working best in CEE?
Who’s winning the customer in new payment flows?
How do banks reclaim ground from wallets, telcos and Big Tech?
How are innovation and new PSD3/PSR measures shaping fraud prevention in payments?

Amela Ajazaj | Moderator

Product Owner Payment Systems

valantic FSA | Germany

Giuseppe Castelbuono

Chief Information Officer

ING Italia | Italy

Davor Gašparac

Senior Program Manager Corporates & Markets

Erste Digital | Austria

Vassil Klaklov

Director of IT Applications and Payment Systems

Fibank | Bulgaria

Giorgiana Ene

Expert

National Bank of Romania | Romania

12:55

Coffee Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

14:00

14:25

14:50

Thematic module:

Credit & Profitability in CEE

Sponsored by

Rethinking Credit Risk in 2025: Data, Defaults, and Direction

Keynote

Davorin Okorn

Director Credit Risk Management

OTP Bank | Slovenia

The future of credit origination begins now – AI agents that deliver measurable ROI in banking

Balint Kis

Chief Business Development Officer

Intuitech | Hungary

Lending Transformation in the CEE – Balancing Profit, Risk, and SME Value

Panel Discussion

How can banks make lending faster, safer, and more predictable?
Best practices in credit decision automation SME lending in focus – how are banks adapting strategies for small businesses in a changing risk environment?
What’s shifting in Bulgaria and the wider CEE region, and how should lenders respond?

Balint Kis | Moderator

Chief Business Development Officer

Intuitech | Hungary

Kaspars Lukačovs

Head of Retail Business Development

Luminor Group | Latvia

Nermina Alić

Director of Retail Risk Management

Raiffeisen Bank | Bosnia & Herzegovina

Maja Arsin

Director of Business Development and Digital Transformation Division

Halkbank | Serbia

15:35

End of BANCEE25

DIGITAL STAGE Q&A

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14:00

14:25

14:50

Thematic module:

Platform Banking

Sponsored by

Reclaiming Customer Ownership in Platform Ecosystems

Keynote

Andrei Iacșișer

Head of Digital- IT Unit

EXIM Banca Romaneasca | Romania

Turning Data into Value: How AI and Customer Engineering Power the Future of Banking

John Mason

SVP, Customer Engineering

Zafin | Czech Republic

Platform Thinking in a Fragmented Region

Panel Discussion

What does platform banking look like in CEE today?
Open banking readiness: Is CEE catching up or taking a different route?
Cross-border strategies for scaling platform services

John Mason | Moderator

SVP, Customer Engineering

Zafin | Czech Republic

Maja Arsin

Executive Director for Retail Digital Transformation

Halkbank | Serbia

Lirka Bibezic

Global Head of Product Management

BNP Paribas | France

Andrei Iacșișer

Head of Digital- IT Unit

EXIM Banca Romaneasca | Romania

15:35

Coffee Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

16:10

16:35

17:00

Thematic module:

Rebuilding CX

Sponsored by

CX 2.0 – Rebuilding Banking With Empathy

Keynote

Ivan Ivanov

Director Retail Banking

Bulgarian American Credit Bank | Bulgaria

Inception Point: Re-imagining CX in the Digital Open Financial Services World

This session will explore how digital technologies and the rise of AI are reshaping customer expectations, enabling a faster, more cost-efficient path to delivering hyper-personalised customer experiences in the open financial services world.

Alan Goodrich

Regional Sales Manager, Benelux, Nordics, Baltics & SEE

ERI | Luxembourg

Strategies to successfully navigate the digital journey?

Panel Discussion

Retaining customers while attracting a new generation of digitally-enabled customers
Legacy system digital transformation as a prerequisite and catalyst to achieve cultural transformation
Converting compliance and risk management into opportunities, rather than threats

Alan Goodrich | Moderator

Regional Sales Manager, Benelux, Nordics, Baltics & SEE

ERI | Luxembourg

Ivan Ivanov

Director Retail Banking

Bulgarian American Credit Bank | Bulgaria

Calin Rangu

Vice President

CIO Council Romania | Romania

Rostislav Rusinov

Head of Bulgarian Branch

Bigbank | Bulgaria

17:45

End of Day 1

19:00

Gala dinner & cocktail reception

IMPACT STAGE Q&A

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11:20

11:45

12:10

Thematic module:

AI & Transformation

Sponsored by

Six Months to Scale: A Value-Driven Journey in Lending Reinvention

Keynote

Kaspars Lukačovs

Head of Retail Business Development

Luminor Group | Latvia

AI in Practice - Vision or Reality?

Josephin Galla

Regional Sales Director

Opentext | Romania

Making AI Work – Beyond Buzzwords and Into Results

Panel Discussion

Turning AI vision into measurable business value and building a data-driven foundation for smarter decision-making
Balancing innovation, regulation, and customer trust in AI adoption
Scaling automation and intelligence across core banking operations
Exploring the future of generative AI in financial services across CEE

Josephin Galla | Moderator

Regional Sales Director

Opentext | Romania

Sonja Vucic

Chief Data Officer

NLB Banka a.d. Banja Luka | Bosnia & Herzegovina

Viktor Tkatsenko

Head of AML & Security Department

Citadele banka | Estonia

Zarija Milic

COO, Board Member

NLB Bank | Montenegro

12:55

Coffee Break, Networking, 1-to-1 Meetings

14:00

14:25

14:50

Thematic module:

Banking for Good

Sponsored by

ESG journey beyond financing

Keynote

Biliana Mladenova-Mileva

Manager ESG Strategy

Unicredit Bulbank | Bulgaria

Longevity as a Service: A New Way to Connect, Retain, and Grow

Michaela Šišková

Co-CEO

Diagnose.me | Slovakia

Kevin Karabin

Head of Partnerships

Diagnose.me | Slovakia

Responsible Growth in the Digital Age – Balancing Compliance, Security & Innovation in CEE Banking

Panel Discussion

What ESG means on the ground in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania
Cross-border compliance challenges for CEE banks operating in multiple jurisdictions
How upcoming EU and local regulatory changes are shaping compliance priorities
Best practices for integrating compliance into product development without slowing innovation

Sava Dalbokov | Moderator

Member of The Supervisory Board

Addiko Bank | Austria

Brana Nikolajevic

Territory Sales Manager

OneSpan | Austria

Calin Rangu

Vice President

CIO Council Romania | Romania

Branimira Milusheva

Founder & CEO

Women in Banking and Finance | Bulgaria

15:35

End of BANCEE25

IMPACT STAGE Q&A

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ACCESS SLIDO

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SPEAKERS

COCKTAIL RECEPTION

After a long day of presentations and meetings, the delegates are invited for a Gala dinner & Cocktail reception. Great food, music, and drinks in a relaxing atmosphere are awaiting our delegates for a great evening full of fun activities.

DELEGATE LIST

FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	JOB TITLE	COMPANY	COUNTRY
Sava	Dalbokov	Member of The Supervisory Board	Addiko Bank	Austria
Danijela	Vuksanovic	Member of Management Board, CMO	Addiko Bank	Montenegro
Maja	Mikic	Chief Operating Officer	AikBank	Serbia
Jiří	Truhlář	Member of the BOD, CIO	Akcenta	Czech Republic
Andrius	Kamarauskas	Director of Strategic Technologies Development Department	Artea Bank	Lithuania
Alexandra	Constantinescu	Head of State Owned Enterprises	BCR	Romania
Sergiu	Matei	Executive Director Public Sector	BCR - Erste Group	Romania
Dima	Velyakova	Risk Manager	Big Bank	Bulgaria
Rostislav	Rusinov	Head of Bulgarian Branch	Bigbank	Bulgaria
Slaveya	Bozhilova	Marketing Manager	Bigbank	Bulgaria