Financial Services Dealmakers Summit

Under the theme "Navigating Future Growth", DACH and CEE's leading event for financial services (FS) dealmakers is returning this year for another great edition!

Building on 8 successful editions, we will re-unite the region’s key players leading the market across banking, insurance, asset management, real estate, debt and equity investing!

In 2025, financial services M&A is poised for a cautiously optimistic rebound, building on the strategic momentum of 2024, which, despite low deal volumes, saw a rise in megadeals and deal values. While macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and competitive margin pressures continue to weigh on the sector, some headwinds have eased—opening the door for selective, forward-looking transactions.

Dealmaking remains a vital lever for FS players to reshape their models, pursue growth, and respond to shifting client expectations and technological disruption. In this environment, acquisitions will likely focus on boosting revenue and margins, with particular interest in fintech partnerships to enable innovation and embedded finance capabilities.

Simultaneously, divestitures are expected to accelerate, helping firms streamline portfolios and reallocate capital to more profitable, future-oriented segments.

With a mix of panel discussions and keynote presentations attended by selected industry representatives, we will explore leading themes shaping the financial services industry today.

Financial Services M&A

• Latest deals shaping the region competitive landscape

• Trends and drivers of M&A in financial services industry: scale and leverage, business model reinvention and adaptation, competition from non-traditional players

• Role of Private Equity in Financial Services M&A

• Post-M&A Integration

• Outlook, i.e. expectations and predictions for M&A in the industry

Asset quality

• Latest state of banks’ asset quality

• Geopolitics impact on credit risk steering: how to account for major uncertainty

• Regulatory developments and their impact on asset quality

Real Estate market

• Causes and consequences of recent (C)RE market downturn

• Impact of macro-economic (e.g. interest rate development) and geopolitical factors on RE demand

• Strategies for managing distressed real estates

• Opportunities in the current RE landscape

Capital management

• How can banks use 3rd party investors to manage more efficiently their capital, given also the expected regulatory driven changes, such as CRR 3 or ESG buffers?

• Is the significant risk transfer (SRT) market a solution for organic capital growth?

• Are “green” bonds the way to address both MREL requirements and grow sustainably? 

Alternative investments

• The transformation of the NPL market, between hopes of re-ignition and the threat of irrelevance

• The remarkable rise of private credit as a challenger to traditional bank lending 

• Is credit servicing outsourcing ready to go mainstream or will it remain a niche business?

Highlights from the last edition

Last year's edition, 'Turning the Tide', brought together over 130 senior financial services professionals from the region and across Europe. It was a full day packed with insightful panels and keynote speeches. Take a look at the highlights from this impactful event: