As the world’s leading fintech figures end day two at Money20/20 USA, Financial Promoter sat down with Oliver Smith, Head of Content at Money20/20 Europe, to discuss the themes driving this year’s event, the global trends shaping finance, and how the show continues to redefine what a financial conference can be.
“My role is to make sure our agenda, and our speakers are truly cutting-edge,” Smith said.
“We want to push the conversation forward, not follow it. The way we do that is by setting four key content pillars, broad themes that guide every session and help us focus on what really matters to the industry.”
With editions of Money20/20 across the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, each show is designed to reflect its own market while contributing to a shared global conversation.
“When we talk about stablecoins, for instance, the US is really setting the tone,” he said.
“Since the GENIUS Act was passed, there’s been an earthquake of change. In Europe, the conversation is more about competitiveness – are we keeping up with the US? If not, what needs to change to ensure the next generation of crypto companies build in Europe rather than relocating across the Atlantic?”
For Smith, what sets Money20/20 apart is its distinctive energy and attitude.
“Money20/20 has attitude, we bring our own perspective. This isn’t your traditional finance conference with hundreds of people in suits having slow conversations. We ask interesting and sometimes difficult questions, and we get to the heart of the story.
“Whether it’s the Head of Apple Pay or the CEO of a major US bank, our moderators are there to dig deeper. We want to be the place where the conversation happens and to be the ones setting the agenda, not following it.”
Early sessions in Las Vegas have already revealed the topics capturing most attention, with fraud and artificial intelligence emerging as the major talking points. “The Fraud Summit was packed,” Smith said.
“People are fascinated by how AI is changing the fraud landscape – impersonation, voice cloning, identity theft. These are real issues developing fast. When we come to Europe, that will be part of our focus – how financial institutions can strengthen defences against these new threats.”
Balancing innovation with real-world business needs is another constant challenge, and one that Money20/20 tackles through its varied stage formats. “Every year people tell us they want two things – the big headline sessions and the deeper dives,” Smith explained.
“We’re lucky to have the space to deliver both. For example, our ‘Off the Record’ stage bans press and locks away phones, allowing for much more open, transparent discussions. That mix of bold vision and practical substance is important.”
Storytelling sits at the heart of Money20/20’s approach, and for next year’s European edition, Smith outlines the four content pillars that will drive the agenda: AI and the Agentic Age, exploring how agentic AI is transforming businesses; The Great Rebundling, looking at how financial institutions are evolving through mergers, acquisitions and tokenised assets; Money Stack Rewired, examining the shifting technology foundations of finance from identity to fraud prevention; and Regulation in the Fast Lane, reflecting the pace of regulatory change worldwide.
“Each pillar is a story in itself,” he said. “Together they offer delegates a window into what’s happening now and what’s coming next.”
Looking ahead, Smith believes a major shift is coming in how people interact with financial services.
“With the rise of large language models and chatbot interfaces, there’s a real question about whether our relationship with financial services will remain direct,” he said.
“If customers stop using a bank’s website or app and instead engage through a third-party AI interface, that completely changes the dynamic. Every financial institution needs to think about what that means for its brand, its customer relationships and its business model. If this shift happens, it will dominate the conversation at Money20/20 for years.”
For Smith, one of the highlights of this year’s event came early on. “Hearing from Jennifer Bailey, Apple Pay’s Vice President, at Sunday Night Live was fantastic,” he said.
“Her insights into Apple’s strategy around identity and how it’s merging into Apple Wallet open up big questions for Europe. In the US, Big Tech is already part of the digital identity conversation, but in Europe that story is still being written.”
As Money20/20 USA sets the tone for another year of change in global finance, Smith and his team are already turning their focus to Europe. The conversation, he said, will continue – faster, bolder and more forward-looking than ever.