We open this track with a special welcome to our founders, investors, and partners – the people building the future of financial technology, despite some of the toughest times in recent memory.

Over the past 20 months, Israeli startups have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of war, uncertainty, and global market shifts. In this session, we’ll highlight the themes of 2025 and celebrate the strength and creativity of our ecosystem.

What does it take to grow a FinTech company amid war, political uncertainty, and constrained capital? A founder shares lessons from scaling a business in Israel and abroad — from fundraising and hiring to building customer trust during crisis.

While the headlines may focus on layoffs and down rounds, some of the most enduring companies are born in times of crisis. Learn why the current climate — including shifts in regulation, consumer behavior, and AI adoption — creates opportunity for mission-driven founders ready to solve hard problems.

Join us as we kick off the track with insights into the themes and what’s ahead, and welcome speakers, sponsors, and guests.

Discover how leading financial organizations turn raw data into actionable AI-powered insights that drive smarter customer experiences, underwriting, and fraud detection.

Learn why small, high-quality datasets are critical for fine-tuning AI models for financial applications — and how institutions are curating strategic data assets.

Explore frameworks and best practices to ensure transparency, fairness, and trustworthiness in AI solutions deployed across banking and financial institutions.