10th edition — November 12th 2026 — Bucharest
Financial Services Dealmakers Summit
Participation is free of charge and subject to confirmed registration.
Under the theme “Shaping the next wave of Financial Services transactions”, FS Dealmakers Summit – the leading event for DACH & CEE FS dealmakers – returns in 2026 for a landmark 10th anniversary edition.
Building on a decade of successful convenings, this flagship senior forum continues to bring together the region’s leading decision-makers across banking, insurance, asset and wealth management, real estate, private credit, servicing, restructuring, debt and equity investing. This year marks an important evolution of the franchise: for the first time in its history, the Summit will be hosted outside Vienna and will take place in Bucharest, underscoring the growing strategic importance of CEE financial centres in the regional deal landscape. We hope to continue this path in the years ahead, further reflecting the rising relevance of CEE markets and hubs within the broader DACH–CEE financial services ecosystem.
The 2026 market backdrop is defined by contrast. Global financial services M&A remains active, but increasingly selective: while headline deal values continue to be supported by large strategic transactions, overall volumes remain subdued as macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical volatility, capital constraints and execution discipline shape boardroom decisions. Across the industry, firms are under continued pressure to adapt — by building scale, sharpening strategic focus, improving capital efficiency, and responding to intensifying competition, including from private credit and other alternative capital providers.
Against this backdrop, transactions remain one of the most powerful strategic tools available to financial institutions. Whether through acquisitions, divestitures, partnerships, capital optimisation, portfolio disposals or alternative financing solutions, FS players across DACH and CEE are rethinking how to position themselves for resilience and growth. At the same time, asset quality, regulatory change, commercial real estate stress and the rise of private credit are creating new challenges — and new opportunities — across the market.
This year’s edition will explore the themes that matter most to senior regional dealmakers: FS M&A, asset quality, capital management or real estate market dislocation, and alternative credit investments including private debt. With a curated mix of high-level keynote presentations and debate-driven panel discussions, and with participation reserved for selected senior market participants, the Summit is designed to offer not only insight, but access: the right conversations, with the right people, at the right moment.
As the FS Dealmakers Summit enters its tenth edition, it does so with a clear ambition: to remain the premier forum for those shaping the future of financial services transactions across DACH and CEE.
M&A in Financial -Services
Challenges and opportunities in the Austrian & CEE Market
- The outlook for FS M&A in DACH and CEE amid a more selective and uneven deal environment.
- The strategic drivers of transactions, including scale, cost efficiency, technology and portfolio reshaping.
- The impact of macroeconomic volatility, geopolitics and funding conditions on deal appetite and execution.
- Evolving valuation dynamics and buyer-seller expectations across the region.
- Attractive opportunity pockets across banking, insurance, asset and wealth management, servicing and fintech.
- The role of local and regional champions versus international players in shaping deal activity.
- Key success factors and common challenges in cross-border FS transactions.
Asset Quality
Navigating Economic & Regulatory Shifts
- The current state of asset quality across banks and financial institutions in DACH and CEE.
- Emerging pressure points across key portfolios, including CRE, SME, consumer and leveraged exposures.
- The likelihood and shape of a new cycle of restructurings, NPL disposals and non-core transactions.
- The effect of regulatory, supervisory and ESG requirements on risk management and portfolio strategy.
- Lessons from recent market stress and their implications for lenders and investors.
- How asset quality challenges can translate into transaction and restructuring opportunities.
- Areas where investors see value in distressed, dislocated and under-managed assets.
Capital Management
Driving growth via market solutions
- Why capital management is becoming a strategic priority for bank CFOs and senior management teams.
- The impact of Basel IV, output floor rules and balance sheet pressure on capital allocation decisions.
- The growing relevance of SRT, securitisation and other market-based capital management tools.
- How banks can use third-party capital to improve flexibility, returns and growth capacity.
- Investor expectations and market appetite for capital management transactions.
- The development of capital management activity across DACH and CEE, including the potential for broader market expansion.
- The role of green and sustainable issuance within capital and funding strategies.
Real Estate Market
Driving growth in turbulent times
- The current state of the real estate market across DACH and CEE, with a focus on commercial real estate stress.
- The main drivers of market disruption, including higher rates, valuation resets, refinancing pressure and shifting demand.
- Differences in resilience and risk across office, retail, logistics, residential and hospitality segments.
- How banks and borrowers are managing refinancing risk, restructurings and distressed situations.
- The role of loan sales, recapitalisations, enforcement and workout strategies in the next phase of the market.
- Where investors are finding opportunity in CRE debt, distressed assets and special situations.
- How current market dislocation may translate into increased transaction activity.
Alternative Investments
Trends and potential of the private debt market in CEE & wider Europe
- The rise of private credit as a structural force in European and regional capital markets.
- The most attractive opportunity areas across corporate, consumer, specialty finance, CRE and distressed credit.
- The evolving relationship between banks and private credit investors, including partnership and funding models.
- The use of forward flows, bespoke financings and AIF platforms in alternative credit strategies.
- Shifts in the NPL market, including lower primary supply and stronger relevance of secondary trades.
- The growing importance of UTPs, re-performing loans and adjacent special situations strategies.
- Risk, transparency and discipline as the private credit market matures.
Confirmed Speakers
Highlights 2025 on video
9th Dealmakers Summit
The Dealmakers Summit 2025 in pictures
When: Tuesday, 12. November 2025
Where: Bucharest
