BAFT is soliciting dynamic and engaging speakers to be a part of the 2027 BAFT Europe Forum to be held from March 9 – 11 March, 2027 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Speaker submissions are due by 16 October 2026.
The BAFT Europe Forum brings together executives and innovators from across international trade and payments to explore the forces transforming the European market—and their global impact. This is more than a conference: it is a platform for bold ideas, practical insight and meaningful dialogue. We want every attendee to leave with fresh knowledge, new perspectives and renewed energy inspired by their peers.
BAFT is committed to diverse and inclusive programming, and we warmly welcome speaker nominations that reflect a broad range of voices, experiences and viewpoints.
Could your voice shape the conversation? We are seeking compelling speakers across the session themes below. The topics are intentionally broad, giving selected contributors the opportunity to help influence each session’s direction. Nominate speakers with relevant expertise, practical experience or a distinctive perspective—and help us create conversations that inform, challenge and inspire.
| Session Title | Session Brief |
| AI Pilots to AI-Powered: Industrializing Intelligence Across Transaction Banking | Exploring how transaction banks can move beyond AI experimentation and pilots to industrialize artificial intelligence across products, processes and client experiences. |
| Global Corporate View: Payment Data in the Age of AI: Hype or Goldmine? | Examining the growing value of payment data, how corporates and banks can turn data into actionable intelligence, and whether AI can unlock meaningful commercial and operational value. |
| Workforce of Tomorrow: Defining an AI-Led Workforce Strategy | How AI will reshape roles, skills and operating models across transaction banking, and what financial institutions need to do to prepare their workforce for an increasingly AI-led environment. |
| Session Title | Session Brief |
| Macroeconomic and Geopolitical Environment – Trends and Tensions Driving Global Change | Exploring the economic and geopolitical forces shaping global markets, from economic headwinds and shifting trade relationships to breakthrough innovation, changing alliances and their implications for transaction banking. |
| Compliance: Are Sanctions, and the Constant Changes Therein, the Biggest Workhorse in Compliance? | Examining the growing complexity of sanctions requirements, the operational burden they create and how financial institutions can respond effectively as regulatory expectations and geopolitical conditions continue to evolve. |
| Instant Payments: EU Instant Payments in Europe – Where Market Adoption Is Today and How Can This Be Scaled? | Assessing the current state of instant payments adoption across Europe, the barriers to wider use and what banks, payment providers and market infrastructures need to do to achieve greater scale. |
| New Payments Infrastructure: What Will It Look Like and Will It Facilitate Global Trade? | The next monetary order will be shaped not only by who issues trusted money, but by who designs and governs the infrastructure through which that money moves. This session will explore the emerging payments infrastructure and its implications for global trade. |
| Global Trade: Understanding Structural Patterns in Global Trade Flows | Understanding structural patterns in global trade flows and forecasting where trade is likely to go in the future. Are we currently in a trade finance bubble, and what could changing trade patterns mean for financial institutions? |
| Cash Management & Payments: The Future of SWIFT and ISO 20022 | Exploring future developments in cash management and payments as SWIFT and ISO 20022 continue to evolve, with a focus on data quality, interoperability and improving straight-through processing. |
| People Management: Can AI Bridge the Knowledge Gap as Today’s Transaction Banking Experts Retire? | As experienced transaction banking professionals retire, can AI help preserve institutional knowledge, accelerate learning and close emerging skills gaps? This session will examine the opportunities and challenges of using AI to support the next generation of transaction banking talent. |
| EU Regulatory Way Forward: What Will Be the Next Regulatory Battleground? | In the wake of Basel 3.1 and CRD VI, what will be the next regulatory priorities for Europe? This session will explore the evolving regulatory landscape and its potential implications for EU competitiveness and financial institutions. |
| Cyber-Crime: Risk in the Digital Banking System Utilizing the Technology of Today and Tomorrow | Examining emerging cyber risks across digital banking and transaction infrastructure, including how new technologies are changing the threat landscape and what financial institutions can do to strengthen resilience. |
| Virtual Asset Service Providers: Digital Assets in Practice | Are digital assets delivering real-term cost savings or creating additional expense as assets are “on- and off-ramped”? This session will examine practical applications, economics and the evolving role of virtual asset service providers. |
| Business Development: Who Is Driving Growth in the Market Today? | Exploring where growth is coming from across transaction banking, who is driving disruption and how financial institutions can turn market disruption into commercial opportunity. |
| Session Title | Session Brief |
| Non-Bank Financial Institutions: Moving the NBFI Project from Theory to Execution (FL Project 2026) | A practical discussion focused on moving the NBFI project from conceptual development toward execution, including the opportunities, challenges and actions required to deliver meaningful outcomes. |
| Proof of Concepts: Innovation in Practice, Not Theory | Focused sessions exploring innovation in practice across Cash Management, Payments and Trade, with an emphasis on real-world proof of concepts, lessons learned and what it takes to move innovation from experimentation to implementation. |
| AI Hallucinations: Standards Required to Ensure Information Can Be Trusted as Usage Increases | As AI adoption accelerates across financial services, how can institutions ensure that AI-generated information is accurate, reliable and fit for purpose? This session will explore standards, controls and governance approaches needed to build trust in AI outputs. |
The sessions above may not reflect the final conference program. The BAFT program planning committee reserves the right to make session changes to best align with the overall conference theme and its objectives.
Before submitting a speaker, please review the following guidelines and requirements:
Please do not submit a speaker if you cannot comply with the above speaker guidelines.
Due to the anticipated volume of submissions, only selected speakers will be contacted. Notifications will be sent by the end of November 2026. We appreciate your patience as the program planning committee carefully reviews each submission and evaluates its fit with the overall program.