Day 1 · 25 November 2026

Programme · Day 1

Wednesday 25 November 2026

1. 08:55–09:00
   Opening Words from the Chairperson

   Davor GašparacDigital/AI Transformation Leader | Executive Advisor | Keynote, Former Erste Digital Bank
2. 09:00–09:40
   Re-architecting the Bank Around AI

   • Moving from AI pilots to enterprise-wide transformation
   • Embedding AI into strategic decision-making at board level
   • Aligning data, talent and technology for AI-driven banking
   • Redefining leadership in an AI-native financial institution

   Frans Van BruggenIndependent Expert (Ex Senior Policy Officer Fintech and AI at DNB)
3. 09:40–10:20
   GPTs Before AI: Tackling Cultural Lag Before the Next Crisis

   • A strategic lens on the speed gap between technology and organisations.
   • Why regulation, strategy and risk management are one conversation.
   • Culture as the most underrated risk instrument in the age of AI.

   Fabio TurelInformation Technology Strategy Manager, Generali Switzerland
4. 10:20–11:00
   Break Time and Networking Session
5. 11:00–11:40
   Ambition to Architecture, what vision really demands

   • Ambition creates direction, but architecture determines whether transformation can scale securely, sustainably, and at speed.
   • Vision in banking demands more than innovation, it requires resilient data, technology, governance, and operating models working as one ecosystem.
   • The institutions that win will be those that simplify complexity, build adaptable platforms, and turn strategy into repeatable execution.

   Ashtha BajajData, Analytics & AI Leader, Bank of Ireland, UK
6. 11:40–12:20
   Unlocking the Business Potential of Generative AI in Banking

   • Advancing beyond basic AI tools toward high-impact business applications
   • Enhancing financial advisory services and operational decision-making with generative AI
   • Ensuring secure and responsible AI adoption across the organization
   • Evaluating performance, efficiency, and long-term return on AI investments

   Jules Ferdinand Pagna DissoDirector, Head Cyber Risk Intelligence, Head of Quantum Risk, BNP Paribas, UK
7. 12:20–13:30
   Lunch Break
8. 13:30–14:10
   Generative AI in Banking: From Experiments to Core Business Value

   • Moving beyond chatbots toward strategic applications
   • Integrating generative AI in a supportive role for business operations
   • Scaling AI capabilities safely across business lines
   • Strategic directions for AI implementation aimed at business value generation
   • A focus on AI Platforms

   Jan SedlaříkAI Product Owner, Former Česká spořitelna bank, Czechia
9. 14:10–14:40
   From AI Governance to AI Assurance: Building the Decision Record Banks Can Defend

   • Moving from principles to proof: What it takes to translate AI governance commitments into evidence that can withstand scrutiny.
   • Defining the decision record: Connecting data, models, prompts, rules, system versions and human interventions to explain how an AI-influenced outcome was reached
   • Responding to challenge: Exploring what a bank should be able to reconstruct and explain when a customer, auditor or regulator questions a decision.
   • Making accountability practical: Clarifying responsibilities across business, technology and control functions—not just who approved the AI, but who remains accountable for its use.
   • Embedding assurance across the lifecycle: Building proportionate traceability, oversight and monitoring into AI design and operation, rather than assembling evidence after something goes wrong.

   Anish ShahDirector - Model Risk, Internal Audit, NatWest, UK
10. 14:40–15:20
    Coffee Break
11. 15:20–16:00
    Case study: Agile banking transformation

    • Explain how agile delivery changes bank transformation execution.
    • Align product, technology, compliance and operations around shared outcomes.
    • Reduce friction between innovation teams and legacy enterprise processes

    Davor GašparacDigital/AI Transformation Leader | Executive Advisor | Keynote, Former Erste Digital Bank
12. 16:00–16:40
    Future of digital wallets Bank readiness and customer expectations

    • Assess how digital wallets are changing product strategy and customer engagement
    • Identify governance, compliance and approval steps banks need before scaling.

    Sadık BaşEVP, Marketing Portfolio Management & Digital Products, Garanti BBVA Payment Systems, Turkey
13. 16:40–17:30
    Panel Discussion: Leading the AI-Powered Bank: How Executive Leadership Is Redefining Strategy in the Age of Intelligent Banking

    • How executive teams are aligning technology, business strategy and organizational culture around AI-driven transformation
    • Balancing innovation ambitions with operational complexity in large financial institutions
    • Lessons learned from scaling AI initiatives across multiple markets and business units
    • What successful AI-driven banks will look like by the end of the decade
    • Moderator: Davor Gašparac | Panellists: Jan Sedlařík, Lucian Daia, Fabio Turel, Anish Shah

    Davor GašparacDigital/AI Transformation Leader | Executive Advisor | Keynote, Former Erste Digital Bank
14. 17:30–18:00
    Closing words, end of the day 1

Agenda subject to change. All times Central European Time (CET).