23-25 June 2026 | Zurich, Switzerland
Rewiring Trust in an Era of a Financial Tech Stack Upgrade
Digital Assets
Artificial Intelligence
ESG
Global finance is being rewired. AI agents are executing transactions autonomously. Stablecoins are scaling toward a trillion-dollar market. New regulations and frameworks are moving from drafting to enforcement. And as technology advances, so does the need for a new foundation of trust. Now in its 5th edition, the Global Finance & Technology Network's (GFTN) annual global policy gathering, the Point Zero Forum brings together over 2,000 policymakers, central bankers, regulators, and industry leaders in Zurich for three days of dialogue at the intersection of finance, technology, and policy, where those shaping the rules and those implementing them meet to build what comes next.
Event Highlights
The 2026 Dialogue
Five forces are converging to reshape how global finance operates: a new technology stack moving into production, the push for digital sovereignty, always-on markets, sweeping new regulation, and shifting capital corridors. This year, we are translating these forces into seven areas where the conversation is focused.
Intelligence
at Scale
Deploying AI in regulated financial services, from large language models to autonomous agents executing transactions
Assets
On-Chain
Scaling stablecoins, tokenised assets, and institutional-grade infrastructure from proof-of-concept to production.
The Modern Treasury Stack
Modernising payments, FX, and risk management for markets that operate around the clock.
Digital Sovereignty and Resilience
Building, funding, and scaling European technology as the race for technological independence accelerates.
Quantum
Readiness
Simulating quantum use cases with current technology while preparing for what comes next.
Capital
Corridors
Unlocking cross-border trade, investment, and startup scaling through emerging corridors in a realigning world
Wealth and
Risk Reimagined
Reimagining insurance and private wealth management as AI and digital assets reshape how trust is governed.
Tokenisation & Digital Assets
Scaling stablecoins, tokenised assets, and institutional-grade infrastructure from proof-of-concept to production. Stablecoins, tokenised assets, and the rails that make them institutional-grade
AI in Financial Services
Deploying AI in regulated financial services
Agentic Commerce & the Future of Payments
Payments rebuilt for markets that never close and AI agents that never sleep.
Digital Sovereignty and Resilience
Building, funding, and scaling European technology as the race for technological independence accelerates.
Wealth & Private Capital
Reimagining private wealth management as AI and digital assets reshape how capital is deployed.
Quantum Readiness
Simulating quantum use cases with current technology while preparing for what comes next.
Global Corridors & New Finance Hubs
New corridors, new hubs, and a new geography of global finance.
Programme Overview
Forum Stage
Innovation Tours
Deep Dive Workshops
1 - 1 Meetings
GFTN Insights
Public-private Roundtables
Networking Drinks
Wind down, debrief, and connect. Watch this space for more updates.
Point Zero Forum Dinner
(By Invite Only)
Latest Updates

Watch Forum Sessions
Access three months of replays from the Forum and Insights stages via our app. Hear global leaders' perspectives on AI, ESG, and Digital Money at your convenience.
Programme Overview


2024 Featured Speakers
2026 Featured Speakers
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Agustín Carstens
Former General Manager
Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
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Dr. Alexandra Hachmeister
Director General Digital Euro
Deutsche Bundesbank
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Dr. Axel Weber
International Advisory Board Member, Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) & President, Center for Financial Studies
Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)
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Brian Quintenz
Former Head of Policy, Crypto
Andreessen Horowitz
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Dr. Jochen Papenbrock
EMEA Head of Financial Technology
NVIDIA
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Justin Slaughter
VP, Regulatory Affairs
Paradigm
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Stefan Klestil
General Partner
Speedinvest
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Steven Maijoor
Executive Board Member
De Nederlandsche Bank
Agustín Carstens
Former General Manager
Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
Agustín Carstens served as General Manager of the BIS from 1 December 2017 to 30 June 2025. Under his tenure, the BIS Innovation Hub was created.
Mr Carstens was Governor of the Bank of Mexico from 2010 to 2017. A member of the BIS Board from 2011 to 2017, he was chair of the Global Economy Meeting and the Economic Consultative Council from 2013 until 2017. He also chaired the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the IMF's policy advisory committee from 2015 to 2017.
Mr Carstens began his career in 1980 at the Bank of Mexico. From 1999 to 2000, he was Executive Director at the IMF. He later served as Mexico’s deputy finance minister (2000–03) and as Deputy Managing Director at the IMF (2003–06). He was Mexico's finance minister from 2006 to 2009.Mr Carstens was member of the Financial Stability Board from 2010 to 2025 .
Mr Carstens is a member of the Group of Thirty and recently joined the GFTN International Advisory Board.
Mr Carstens holds an MA and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.
Dr. Alexandra Hachmeister
Director General Digital Euro
Deutsche Bundesbank
Dr Alexandra Hachmeister is currently heading the General Directorate for the Digital Euro at Deutsche Bundesbank. She joined Bundesbank in 2022 where she headed up the Directorate General for Economic Education, University and International Central Bank Dialogue. Alexandra held various top management positions at Deutsche Börse AG, including Chief Regulatory Officer and Managing Director for Market Data & Services. Alexandra Hachmeister holds a doctorate in Market Microstructure.
Dr. Axel Weber
International Advisory Board Member, Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) & President, Center for Financial Studies
Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)
Prof. Dr. Axel A. Weber is President of the Center for Financial Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of RAISIN SE, Chairman of the VISA Economic Empowerment Institute, Chairman of the Trilateral Commission Europe and a Member of the Group of Thirty. He also is a Member of the TEMASEK International Advisory Council and Senior Advisor to CVC Advisors Limited and Boston Consulting Group. He previously was Chairman of the Board of Directors of UBS Group AG.
From 2004 to 2011 Weber was President of the Deutsche Bundesbank and a member of the governing council of the European Central Bank. In recent years he has also acted as a member of the steering committee of the European Systemic Risk Board and as a member of the steering committee of the Financial Stability Board. Dr. Weber served as German Governor at the International Monetary Fund. He was a member of the German Council of Economic Experts (2002-2004), of the expert advisory panel to the Deutsche Bundesbank, of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements, of the G7 and the G20 Ministers and Governors, and a member on the Grant Commissioning Panel of the Economic and Social Science Research Council of the United Kingdom.
Dr. Jochen Papenbrock
EMEA Head of Financial Technology
NVIDIA
Jochen is EMEA Head of Financial Technology at NVIDIA, the globally leading accelerated computing and AI platform company. He has spent the last 25 years in various roles on the topic of AI in financial services. He works with executives, data scientists, developers, and partners in the global NVIDIA ecosystem. Jochen is a financial data scientist and received his degree and Ph.D. from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Before NVIDIA he worked as a consultant, entrepreneur, and researcher with asset managers, banks, insurance companies, and central banks.
Justin Slaughter
VP, Regulatory Affairs
Paradigm
Justin Slaughter is the VP of Regulatory Affairs at Paradigm. Prior to joining Paradigm, Justin was Director of the office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs and Senior Advisor to Acting Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Allison Herren Lee. Justin has also served as Chief Policy Advisor and Special Counsel to former Commissioner Sharon Bowen at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and General Counsel to Senator Edward J. Markey. Justin has also served as a consultant in private practice focusing on fintech and smaller technology companies, and he began his career as a law clerk to Judge Jerome Farris on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Justin has a B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Stefan Klestil
General Partner
Speedinvest
Stefan has more than 25 years of experience in the international payments and banking technology space as Advisor, Operator and Investor. He is an early investor and advisor to founders of N26, Wefox, Billie, Moove, Curve, Wayflyer, Bitpanda, Khazna, Shopup, and Abhi amongst others. Also, Stefan has successfully exited payworks (to Visa), iyzico (to payU/Naspers) and Holvi (to BBVA). His main focus and interest currently are scale ups in Africa, MENA and other Growth Markets.
Previously, he was President of Central and Southern Europe at First Data, Partner at Roland Berger, and Principal at A.T. Kearney, based in New York and Vienna. He holds Master’s degrees from Columbia University and Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
Steven Maijoor
Executive Board Member
De Nederlandsche Bank
Steven Maijoor joined the Executive Board of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) on 1 April 2021. As of 1 February 2024 he is also Chair of Supervision. Steven's remit includes supervision of banks, supervison policy and legal services. Furthermore, he is a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority. He is also a member of the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation.
Before joining DNB's Executive Board, Steven was Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), from 2011-2021. Between 2004 and 2011 he was a managing director at the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). Prior to that he was Professor (1994-2004) and Dean (2001-2004) at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University.
Steven graduated from the University of Groningen with a degree in business economics and obtained a PhD in the same subject from Maastricht University in 1991.
Steven was born in Hong Kong (1964).
See What Others Have Said About the Forum
"These forums can only be the tipping point or starting point of further collaborations, so it’s a good way to start something new, starting new endeavours, and to find new partners to discuss things first."
Karmela Holtgreve
Deputy Head of the BIS Innovation Hub & Head of Operations,
BIS Innovation Hub
"These forums can only be the tipping point or starting point of further collaborations, so it’s a good way to start something new, starting new endeavours, and to find new partners to discuss things first."
Karmela Holtgreve
Deputy Head of the BIS Innovation Hub & Head of Operations,
BIS Innovation Hub
"I am not aware of any other conference where the right people can competently discuss in a dedicated circle the importance of the use of technology and innovation in the financial sector against the backdrop of geopolitical challenges. The Point Zero Forum is unique."
Christoph König
Deputy State Secretary for international finance,
Switzerland
"The topics that are chosen for discussion, are things that will be done in the future, and thats very important to us as policymakers because it helps us keep our eyes on what there is to come, and to prepare ourselves for that future."
Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli
Head of the BIS Innovation Hub,
BIS Innovation Hub
"I am not aware of any other conference where the right people can competently discuss in a dedicated circle the importance of the use of technology and innovation in the financial sector against the backdrop of geopolitical challenges. The Point Zero Forum is unique."
Christoph König
Deputy State Secretary for international finance,
Switzerland
"The topics that are chosen for discussion, are things that will be done in the future, and thats very important to us as policymakers because it helps us keep our eyes on what there is to come, and to prepare ourselves for that future."
Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli
Head of the BIS Innovation Hub,
BIS Innovation Hub
Forum Highlights
FutureMatters Magazine:
Europe Edition
*This publication features articles, interviews and analysis that capture the essence of Point Zero Forum 2024.
- July 2024 - A Beacon for Thought Leadership in Finance
Welcome to the first European edition of Future Matters Magazine, focused on thought leadership in finance related to the Point Zero Forum 2024 in Zürich. This publication offers insights on the future of finance from a European policy perspective and shares global insights from Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) 's initiatives.
GFTN brings together a diverse community of regulators, tech experts, and industry leaders to drive innovation and sustainable growth in finance. Their goal is to bridge knowledge gaps and harmonise regulatory frameworks with technological advancements.
The Forum promotes global policy alignment, leveraging Europe’s regulatory expertise, and connects to events like the Singapore FinTech Festival. The Point Zero Forum 2024 gathered over 2, 000 key stakeholders to discuss and influence industry trends.
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