How fintechs can scale in Europe: barriers and tech

Finextra and Visa Direct are convening industry leaders in a webinar tied to Finextra’s upcoming 2026 State of Fintech in Europe report to discuss how neobanks and fintechs can scale across Europe. The online event will include Olga Ovchinnikova, VP and Head of Visa Direct Europe, with Scott Hamilton, Global Payments and Liquidity expert, as moderator.

Panelists will address the principal barriers to cross-border expansion: fragmented national markets, differing licensing regimes, uneven payments and banking infrastructure, and the operational burden of complying with multiple supervisory frameworks. The discussion will separate the experiences of neobanks from those of firms focused on payments, wealth and lending, noting that each sector faces distinct regulatory and go-to-market choices for licensing, product rollout and customer acquisition.

Speakers will examine how new technologies affect scale. Topics include the use of artificial intelligence in product design and risk management, upgrades to payments rails, and growing adoption of digital assets. The panel will question whether technical advances can move beyond single-jurisdiction pilots and become repeatable across borders.

Partnership strategies will be considered, including cooperation with incumbent banks, payment networks, local service providers and compliance specialists. The panel will review when third-party relationships can accelerate market entry, support compliance and simplify operations, and when dependence on partners can create concentration or integration risks while challenging firms to preserve product differentiation.

Discussion will compare expansion playbooks: pursuing pan‑European licences, entering markets one country at a time, or building via partnerships and third‑party infrastructure. Liquidity management and payments distribution are identified as operational priorities that influence which routes to market are viable for different fintech segments.

Background material for the webinar cites Finch Capital projections that the European fintech market will grow from $85.52 billion in 2025 to $94.14 billion in 2026. The event aims to surface practical approaches to the regulatory and operational steps needed to convert recent product and infrastructure developments into wider regional reach.

Speakers listed for the session include Olga Ovchinnikova, VP and Head of Visa Direct Europe, and Scott Hamilton, Global Payments & Liquidity Expert, serving as moderator.