On Monday, September 21, the Capsule^T Travel & Hospitality Accelerator of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels hosted the anniversary 30th in-person Fintech Talks event at its premises, under the theme “Fintech in Banking, Tourism, Culture and Education.”

The event brought together representatives of the founding members of the Greek Fintech Hub, creating a space for discussion around the applications and potential of Fintech across different sectors.

The Greek Fintech Hub is an initiative of the National Bank of Greece, together with Endeavor Greece, the Onassis Foundation, the HellenicChamber of Hotels, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Athens University of Economics and Business, and PanteionUniversity, while Amazon Web Services GR/CY/MA and Mastercard GR/CY/MA have now also joined its community. Through the collaboration of these organisations, it is also supported by the European initiative CrowdDialog.

Two Discussions, Different Perspectives on Fintech

In the first panel, titled “Fintech in Banking, Tourism, Culture and Education,” representatives from different sectors and organisations discussed the applications and potential of Fintech from their respective perspectives.

The discussion featured Mr. Haris Vlatakis, Director of Business Strategy, Startups, and Partnerships at the National Bank of Greece, Prof. Aristidis Samitas, Vice Rector of Finance and Development at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Prof. Katerina Pramatari at the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Mr. Prodromos Tsiavos, Head of Digital Development and Innovation at the Onassis Foundation, and Mr. Charalampos Voulgaris, Member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Katerina Saridaki, Director of Capsule^T, and Dr. Spyros Arsenis, Head of Innovative Entrepreneurship Development and Support at the National Bank of Greece.

The discussion touched on different aspects of Fintech in each sector, from the new model of banking services and partnerships with startups to applications in education and culture. Particular reference was also made to the needs of the hotel industry in relation to payments, liquidity, revenue monitoring, and the challenges involved in adopting new Fintech solutions.

In the second part of the discussion, the focus turned to the two new members of the Greek Fintech Hub, Amazon Web Services GR/CY/MA and Mastercard GR/CY/MA. Mr. Thanasis Patsakas, AWS Country Manager GR/CY/MA, and Mr. Panagiotis Polydoros, Mastercard Country Manager GR/CY/MA, presented the activities of the two companies and referred to their support for the Greek Fintech Hub’s initiatives to date. Their official entry into the community comes as the next step in this collaboration, further strengthening the Hub’s network.

Fintech Beyond the Financial Sector

For Capsule^T, hosting this discussion was of particular interest, as technology and new financial solutions are becoming increasingly connected to the evolution of the travel & hospitality ecosystem and the needs of modern businesses in the sector.

The evening also provided an opportunity for networking and new connections among participants, continuing the discussions and exchange of ideas that began during the two parts of the event.

The 30th Fintech Talks at Capsule^T once again highlighted the value of gatherings that bring together different sectors, people and ideas, opening up the discussion around the opportunities that technology creates for entrepreneurship and innovation.

We would like to thank all the speakers and participants who joined us and contributed to an evening filled with engaging discussions, knowledge exchange and new connections.