6th Nordic Fintech Research Symposium 2025
Europe Reimagined: Digital Sovereignty Meets the Wellbeing Economy
In 2025, the Nordic Fintech Symposium explored one of the most pressing questions facing Europe today: how to build a future-ready digital and economic ecosystem that serves people and planet, not just growth. The full-day forum brought together leading thinkers from academia, policy, finance, and technology to debate and design frameworks for a Europe where digital sovereignty and wellbeing go hand in hand
The Nordic Fintech Symposium is supported by Copenhagen Fintech as part of the "National Position of Strength Programme for Finance and Fintech" funded by The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science and co-funded by The Danish Data Science Academy (DDSA).
A New Vision for Europe
Under the theme Europe Reimagined, the symposium examined how Europe’s pursuit of a sovereign “EuroStack” — a resilient and interoperable digital infrastructure — can be aligned with the principles of a wellbeing economy: an economic paradigm that prioritises human and planetary flourishing over traditional GDP growth.
Symposium Chair Laust Leth Gregersen opened the day by setting the stage for discussions that bridged policy advocacy, academic insight, and industry innovation aimed at rethinking digital governance, economic value, and societal resilience.
World-Class Keynotes
The programme featured a series of keynote presentations on topics reshaping the fintech and broader economic landscape:
- Wellbeing for Future Generations — Mads Falkenfleth Jensen highlighted the importance of embedding intergenerational fairness into governance.
- Redesigning Capitalism — Dr Catherine Mulligan outlined a mission-oriented vision for digital infrastructures as public goods.
- Next Democracy — Tech entrepreneur Erdem Ovacik explored participatory governance and democratic innovation.
- Corporate Sustainability Reimagined — Prof Morten Bennedsen discussed how corporate governance can drive societal impact.
- Hacking Finance for Inclusion — Dr Omri Ross showcased blockchain-driven approaches to financial inclusion.
- The Great Wealth Transfer — Emma Helbo examined generational shifts in capital and values.
- Investing Where It Matters — Emil Fuglsang presented ESG intelligence as a tool for directing meaningful capital.
- The Digital Economy at Work — Prof Anna Ilsøe investigated digital labour and equitable work structures.
- Finfluence & Financial Literacy — Prof Jacob Ørmen analysed the impact of digital media on financial behaviour.
- Open Digital Infrastructure — Prof Yvonne Dittrich made the case for inclusive, interoperable digital systems.
Deep-Dive Panels
The symposium also hosted three thematic panels that unpacked key challenges and opportunities:
- Rethinking the Architecture of Value – exploring institutions, platforms, and power in a wellbeing economy.
- From Capital to Labour – redefining value through finance, ESG data, and the future of work.
- Capital with Consequence – mobilising finance for strategic autonomy, regeneration, and resilience.
Why It Mattered
Attendees gained insights into how finance, technology, and governance models must evolve to support an equitable and sovereign European digital future. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, the symposium served as a platform for advancing actionable strategies in policy, investment, and innovation — all rooted in Nordic values of inclusivity, sustainability, and systemic resilience.
