22 OCTOBER 2025 

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08:30-09:00

 REGISTRATION AND WELCOME COFFEE

Participants arrive, register, and enjoy welcome coffee

Sponsored by Futurae

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09:00-09:05

 WELCOME ADDRESS

Lilly Pavlou, Executive Director at QUBE Events

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09:05-09:10

 CHAIRMEN  WELCOME ADDRESS

Welcome from the Chairmen: Setting the stage for the day's discussions​

• Overview of key challenges and opportunities in the payments and RegTech space

• Introduction of the event's goals and expected outcomes for attendees

​Robert Courtneidge, Payment Industry Expert
Andrew Doukanaris, Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd

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09:10-09:40

 PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

The Future of Payments and Banking: Embracing Digital Transformation

• Exploring transformative trends, digital innovation, customer-centric solutions, regulatory evolution, and strategies for an inclusive financial ecosystem

• Discuss the impact of digital currencies and emerging payment technologies

Moderator: Andrew Doukanaris, Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd

Konstantinos Maragkakis, EEA CEO at Paysafe Payment Solutions Ltd
Tasos Michas, Product Manager, Payments at Novibet

Constantinos Frydakis, Managing Partner at ConFryd Business Consultants

Lefteris Economides, Product Director at Plum Fintech

 

09:40-10:05

KEYNOTE SESSION + Q&A

Operational Resilience by Design in the Age of
DORA Regulation

Thomas Barkias, Team Lead, Banking Supervision at the European Central Bank  (ECB)

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10:05-10:35

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

Mastering Regulatory Changes in the EU: How Businesses Can Prepare

• Overview of the latest EU regulatory landscape impacting payments, including the current EU regulatory framework, which comprises PSD2 and AMLD6, and the proposed updates to PSD3 and AMLR. Anticipating future regulations, consumer rights, data protection, and anti-money laundering measures

• Provide practical insights on how to prepare for and comply with evolving regulatory requirements

• Highlight the implications of non-compliance and the importance of proactive risk management

Moderator: George Mintzas, Former Head of FC AML, ABC, Tax and Functions, Europe at HSBC
Peri Katana, Head of Compliance & Regulatory at COSMOTE Payments
Hartwig Gerhartinger, Global Head of Compliance Regulatory Enterprise Risk Government Affairs at Paysafe
Eleni Panagiotopoulou, Head of AML at SOFTSWISS
Elena Niki Karletidi, Director and General Secretary at ENAH Services Ltd and Cyprus Compliance Association

Thibaud Catry, Group Chief Compliance Officer at Payhawk

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10:35-10:55

 FIRESEIDE CHAT + Q&A

Moderator: Andrew Doukanaris, Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd

Vassiliki Lazarakou, Chair of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission

George Theocharides, Chairman of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)

 

10:55-11:25

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

Building a Future-Ready Finance Function​

This panel explores how CFOs overseeing payment functions are adapting to the rapidly evolving payments ecosystem to ensure financial stability and foster innovation.

• Developing agile budgeting and forecasting processes to manage the uncertainties of payment flows and transaction volumes

• Evaluating and prioritizing investments in new payment technologies and infrastructure

• Managing liquidity, capital, and risk effectively in a fast-paced, digital payments environment

Moderator: Marianna Polykrati, Group Treasurer of Avramar Group

Marios Noutsos, Co-Founder & CFO at finloup

Kostas Apostolidis, Incoming & Outgoing Payments Manager, Treasury at OTE Group of Companies (HTO)

Manos Valsamakis, Treasury Manager at Stoiximan

Kostas Kontogiannis, Chief Financial Officer at Skroutz Group

 

11:25-11:55

NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK + ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS

Opportunity for attendees to connect and discuss insights from the morning sessions

Sponsored by Infocredit Group

 

11:55-12:25

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

Driving Innovation in Cross-Border Payments:

Enhancing Efficiency, Security, and Compliance​

• Exploring new technologies and partnerships to streamline cross-border payment processes, including blockchain solutions, fintech collaborations, and AI for fraud detection and compliance

• Examine the role of blockchain technology in reducing costs and increasing transparency in cross-border payments

• Discuss strategies for mitigating fraud and ensuring compliance in international transactions

Moderator: ​Robert Courtneidge, Payment Industry Expert

Dimitris Poutouris, Cloud Transformation Lead at VeraCloud

Athanasios Zoidis, Chief Information Officer at DirectPay - Payment Institution

Yannis Dinapoyias, Founder & CEO at Travelr

Evangelos Markopoulos, Head of Information Security at Snappi

Panos Papagiannakopoulos, Partner - Technology Consulting at EY

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12:25-12:50

KEYNOTE SESSION + Q&A

The Changing Fintech and Payments Landscape:

Trends, Challenges & Opportunities

Panagiotis Kriaris, Commercial Director - Business Development at Unzer

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12:50-13:15

KEYNOTE SESSION + Q&A 

How to do Money Laundering and Sanctions Evasion in 2025

Yiannis Pettemerides, Forensic Investigations, Sanctions Compliance, Anti Money Laundering Compliance

​13:15-14:15

 NETWORKING LUNCH

Attendees network over lunch, fostering connections and discussions

Sponsored by Mastercard

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14:15-14:45

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A 

Stablecoins: Risks, Regulation & Real-World Use Cases​

• Assessing the growing role of stablecoins in global payments and remittances

• Regulatory perspectives: balancing innovation, systemic risk, and financial stability

• Opportunities for financial institutions and merchants in adopting stablecoin solutions

Moderator: ​Robert Courtneidge, Payment Industry Expert

Chrysovalantis Koutsoumpos, Chief Technology Officer at xMoney

Sophia Bantanidis, Future of Finance, Citi Global Insights at Citi

Andreas Koidis, Founder at Merklebaum

Panagiotis Kriaris, Commercial Director - Business Development at
Unzer

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14:45-15:15

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

From Agentic AI to Agentic Commerce:
Redefining Finance & Customer Experience

• Understanding the leap from generative AI to agentic AI in compliance, payments, and financial operations

• Real-time decisioning, fraud prevention, and liquidity management through autonomous agents

• The rise of agentic commerce: AI-powered customer journeys, loyalty, and personalisation

• Risks & governance: how should regulators and financial institutions respond to autonomous financial agents?

​Moderator: Andrew Doukanaris, Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd

​Dimitris Petrilis, Sales Director Central Eastern Europe at Backbase​
Ali el Hassouni, Founder & CEO at MarvelX

Sophia Bantanidis, Future of Finance, Citi Global Insights at Citi

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15:15-15:45

NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK + ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS

Take a moment to connect with fellow attendees and discuss key insights

Sponsored by Veracloud

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15:45-16:15

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

Navigating Risk and Compliance Challenges:

A Strategic View for Finance Departments​

• Integrating risk management into core financial processes

• Utilising data analytics and AI to enhance fraud detection and prevention

• Collaborating with compliance teams to ensure adherence to regulations

​Moderator: Theo Skagias, President & CEO at TH.C. SKAGIAS S.A.

Dimitris Anastassiou, Chief Financial Officer at Matrix Pack Group

Ioannis Arampatzis, Head of Finance GMCI (Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Israel) at BAT

Sotiris Papakonstantinou, Head of Risk Management at Optima bank

Sakis Theologis, Chief Risk Officer at Cooperative Bank of Karditsa LLC

Maria Tsiliakou, Head of Payments & Digital Services Compliance Sub-Division within the Group Compliance Function at the National Bank of Greece (NBG)

 

16:15-16:50

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

The Current Payments Landscape:
The Surge of Instant Payments, Integration with A2A Transactions, and Their Impact on Industry Dynamics

• Instant Payments Standardisation: By 2025, instant payments are now the norm, enhancing real-time transactions and transforming consumer experiences

• Explore the shift towards instant payments and its impact on consumer behavior

• Analyse the growing synergy between A2A payments and traditional payment methods

​Moderator: Andrew Doukanaris, Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd

Daniel Jonas, Head of Research & Insight at Pay.UK

Georgios Syntelis, CEO at EveryPay

Eftychia Chatziantoniou, Chief Operating Officer at Snappi

Andreas Mantis, Head of Business Development & Innovation at Interbanking Systems DIAS S.A.

 

​16:50-17:15

KEYNOTE SESSION 

The Digital Euro: Bridging Policy, Payments, and Innovation

• Where we are today: ECB’s roadmap and design choices

• What it means for the market: impacts on banks, PSPs, merchants, and corporations

• What it means for people: consumer trust, convenience, and privacy

• What’s next: could the digital euro transform cross-border settlement in Europe?

Nikos Polymenakos, Director Group Treasury and Subsidiaries Finance at DELTA FOODS SA

 

17:15-17:45

PANEL DISCUSSION + Q&A

Artificial Intelligence in Payments: Enhancements and Opportunities​

• Utilising AI for risk assessment and fraud detection in the payments sector

• Innovations in payment systems driven by machine learning technologies

​Moderator: Robert Courtneidge, Payment Industry Expert

Yannis Larios, Payments & Applied AI Strategist — ex SVP Strategy & Business Dev, Viva.com Bank

Giorgos Haralabopoulos, Senior Head of Product, Payments at Kaizen Gaming

Angelina Simoudi, Head of Digital Solutions and Business Development at National Bank of Greece

Josip Tolić, Head of Regulatory and Government Affairs at Aircash

Alessio Alfonsi, Account Manager | South East Europe at Swift

Evangelos Tzolos, Card Senior Business Specialist at TORA WALLET S.A. (Member of OPAP Group)

 

 

17:45-18:00

KEYNOTE SESSION 

Mastercard Agent Pay – Powering the Next Frontier of Commerc

Sotiris Prokopiou, Product Strategy Manager at Mastercard

 

18:00-18:05

CHAIRMEN CLOSING COMMENTS 

Summarising the key takeaways from the conference and addressing final questions from attendees

Robert Courtneidge, Payment Industry Expert

Andrew Doukanaris, Chief Executive Officer at Flotta Consulting Ltd

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18:05-19:30

NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION

A closing networking reception to foster connections among attendees and speakers,

featuring local drinks & snacks

Sponsored by Payhawk

 

20:00-22:30

CLOSING NETWORKING DINNER

Local Tavern Experience

Participants of the 21st Nextgen Payments & Regtech Forum are invited to join us at the Networking dinner at the amazing Taverna (Τα Μεζεκλίκια της Λαχαναγοράς) for an evening of authentic cuisine and warm connections, fostering networking in a relaxed and culturally rich atmosphere! There will be drinks, lots of food and music!

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