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Technology alone isn’t enough; it’s the people who bring it to life. The third edition of the Ailleron Innovation Forum brought together around 250 visionaries, creators, leaders, and innovators eager for actionable insights and meaningful impact in the banking, leasing, and technology sectors. On June 12, 2025, at the Manggha Museum in Cracow, they gathered to discuss the roles of AI, GenAI, accessibility, and automation in the future of financial services. Our special guest? None other than Chris Skinner, recognized by The Financial Brand as “one of the brightest minds in banking”.
AIF25: A Rapidly Growing FinTech Conference
Building on the success of previous Ailleron Innovation Forum editions, we set out to exceed expectations. Through impactful keynote speeches, open dialogue on the industry’s most urgent challenges, and the sharing of forward-thinking solutions, we continued our mission to redefine the way financial services are experienced – working hand in hand with industry leaders to make them more innovative, inclusive, and accessible.
AIF25 attendees had the opportunity to hear presentations and connect with experts from esteemed institutions like Alior Bank S.A., Bank Millennium, Bank Ochrony Środowiska S.A., BNP Paribas Bank Polska, Credit Agricole Bank Polska S.A., Enterprise Investors, Gartner, George Labs, Hope Tech Insights, ING Poland, KWKR, mBank S.A., mLeasing Sp. z o.o., @mZakupy Sp. z o.o., Nest Leasing S.A., PEKAO LEASING Sp. z o.o., Revolut, Santander Consumer Bank SA, SGB-Bank S.A., Stelarator, and ZBP (Banking Technologies Forum).
What’s new this year? For the first time, AIF25 featured an online broadcast, providing broader access to its internationally oriented agenda. The vibe? Unique, inspiring – and almost festival-like, yet grounded in solving real-world financial challenges. Given the complex macroeconomic and global situation, especially within the financial and technology industries, it is quite challenging to keep pace with all these dynamic changes, so solution-oriented content during the forum was truly priceless.
Thank you to Ailleron Clients, Partners, and all Technology Enthusiasts for joining us at the Ailleron Innovation Forum 2025! Your presence turned this event into a space for meaningful exchange, inspiring discussions, and a bold look into the future of technology. Your engagement is not only our motivation – it’s a powerful sign that we can achieve more together. We’re proud to be building an ecosystem of innovation with you.
Four Parallel Streams, One Shared Purpose
This year, to help our guests navigate the agenda easily and tailor their conference experience, we introduced several themed tracks: The Engagement Shift, Smarter Than Ever, Designed for All, The Autonomous Bank, and, of course, Final Spark, featuring the keynote that wrapped up the official part of the event.
The AIF25 conference kicked off with a full house as CEO Sławomir Soszyński delivered his opening remarks. The audience’s enthusiastic response set the tone for the day. During his speech, he emphasized that he was drawing on his own experience rather than industry reports, highlighting 10 global trends, including social media banking, open banking, robo-advisors, and access to wealth management. Sławomir has also challenged the banking sector by pointing out that traditional banking or banking apps will no longer exist sooner than we think.
The joint opening keynote “Future-Ready Finance: Designing the Next Digital Decade”, was delivered excellently by Paweł Jakubik, Chairman of the ZBP Banking Technology Forum, and Aleksandra Gren, Independent Member of the Supervisory Board at mBank S.A. There were inevitable references to the current geopolitical dynamics, the Generation Z approach to technology, and its close ties to the financial landscape. This context calls for a cross-border dialogue on ensuring data integrity and holding technology providers accountable for their actions. The speakers also introduced a compelling term – “de-westernization” – which is likely to gain increasing prominence in global financial discussions.
Engagement Shift: How Data Drives Growth
The “Accelerating Sales with Data” debate featuring Damian Ragan (Credit Agricole), Luke Wiktor (KWKR), Jakub Kuberski (Enterprise Investors), and Aleksandra Gren, moderated by Pawel Jakubik, opened the conversation on how banks are moving from static touchpoints to intuitive, always-on engagement that anticipates customer needs.
Very inspiring were also the following presentations:
- Katarzyna Rodak (Gartner) – “2025 CIO Agenda for Banking”
- Bogna Antosiak (mZakupy) – “When Banking Meets Shopping”
In turn, the panel “Leasing Apps – Unnecessary Luxury or a Breakthrough?” examines how the leasing industry must rethink engagement. It featured Robert Urban (mLeasing), Lech Stabiszewski (Nest Leasing), Malgorzata Lipska (Pekao Leasing), and was smoothly moderated by Kamil Portke (Ailleron).
Smarter Than Ever: AI Changes the Game
Beyond automation lies intelligence — not only artificial but human. This stream explored how AI, predictive analytics, and organizational design are creating not just smarter systems but smarter institutions. The focus was on the expert panel “Real-Time Banking: Smarter Decisions, Better Experience” moderated by Artur Krzystek (Ailleron), who has discussed with Katarzyna Tomczyk-Czykier (Credit Agricole Bank Polska) and Michal Walerowski (Ailleron) the future of banking.
The sessions were preceded by 2 presentations, which aroused very high interest in the audience:
- “From Interface to Intelligence” Łukasz Samborski (Alior Bank)
- “AI that Understands, Summarizes, and Supports”- Iga Stępień (Santander Cosnumer Bank) and Michal Pomykała (Ailleron)
Designed For All: Tech with Human Vibe
The in-depth presentation, “How Inclusive Thinking Drives Innovation at Revolut” by Nic O’Brien, Senior Product Designer at Revolut, opened the next themed track. Nic offers valuable insights into building modern, flexible systems and developing applications that, like Revolut’s broad portfolio of services, must adapt to location-specific plans and benefits.
An unexpected tip? It may come as a surprise that introducing a concept like an eSIM posed a real challenge. This highlights how business and usability concerns can intersect at various stages of the design journey. As Nic O’Brien emphasized, simplicity and maintaining a continuous feedback loop are essential to the Revolut team’s design process.
The highly anticipated keynote “Inclusive by Intelligence: How AI Adapts to Every Customer” by Daniel de la Fuente, Service Design Lead at George Labs, introduced another engaging, interactive element to AIF25. Using a QR code and their smartphones, attendees joined a live dialogue and responded to a series of thought-provoking questions about the role of AI in our daily lives. The responses appeared instantly on the main screen, sparking real-time conversation and drawing the audience deeper into the discussion.
A key takeaway? Just a decade ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine that not using AI might someday feel as outdated as not owning a smartphone. Daniel also highlighted that teams leveraging AI-supported tools report a 16% increase in productivity, but it’s essential to acknowledge the emotional implications that come with widespread AI adoption.
Finally, the keynote “Beyond Compliance: Inclusion as a Catalyst for Innovation” by Laura Wissiak, Chief Research Officer at Hope Tech Insights, once again filled the conference hall. Her visually impactful slides became some of the most photographed moments of AIF25, as attendees sought to capture key takeaways and insights shared during her talk.
The presentation was rich in perspective, filled with robust statistics and inclusive design principles relevant not only to finance and technology professionals but also those engaged in social sciences and accessibility advocacy. As Laura noted at the beginning, accessible technology is something far easier to experience than to describe. Her message was clear: true inclusion challenges us to rethink much of what we’ve previously taken for granted.
Autonomous Bank: Technology That Serves
As financial systems adopt self-operating models and open ecosystems, the question is no longer whether autonomy is possible but rather how quickly institutions can adapt. During this topic track, participants explored the world of banking process automation, open ecosystems, and innovative services that have the potential to transform the entire banking industry.
The discussion opened with 2 presentations:
- “Legal Development in Financial Services”- Łukasz Wieczorek (KWKR) and Gabriela Kocurek (KWKR)
- “Remote, Digital, Successful” – Jaroslaw Scigala (mBank SA) and Pawel Witek (Ailleron)
The concluding panel discussion “How AI Enhances Personal Finance & Daily Banking” was moderated by Zbigniew Glinka (Ailleron), who invited Artur Józefowski (SGB Bank S.A.), Karolina Kenig-Guetat (BOŚ Bank) and Ernest Lachowski (Millennium Bank) to discuss the real limits of automation – both technological and ethical – and the role of humans in the design and supervision of self-operating financial systems.
The Final Spark with Chris Skinner
As the grand finale, Chris Skinner, Chairperson at Stelarator, took the stage with a compelling message: “We can’t be passive observers while technology rewrites the rules of finance.”
He offered forward-thinking reflections on today’s financial services ecosystem and spotlighted a new wave of innovators who are already reaching broader audiences than many traditional banks. He also emphasized the importance of keeping a close eye on these disruptors, whose influence extends far beyond technology, shaping how we interact with finance in our daily lives.
His final message will stay with AIF25 participants for a long time. While we cannot control geopolitical challenges, we can and should control the development of new technology.
Innovation. Inspiration. Integration
As every year, the Ailleron team took care of the unique atmosphere – from the terrace of the Manggha overlooking Wawel Castle, participants moved to the evening after-party. This evening was filled with good vibes and discussions on the topics presented at the conference, revolving around questions such as: What do Blockbuster and Netflix have in common? Why was Generation Z mentioned so often during the numerous speeches? Why is ESG so crucial in the context of AI technology development? Google vs. ChatGPT: Who owns the future of information?
The third edition of the Ailleron Innovation Forum is now behind us, following months of preparation and vibrant social media buzz. Together with a wonderful host – Aleksandra Szczepaniak, speakers, participants, business and media partners (My Company Polska, Gazeta Ubezpieczeniowa, Fintek.pl, Business Insider, Bank.pl), we’re proud to build an active and inspired #AIFCommunity. A community where financial leaders, cutting-edge technology, and ingenuity come together to generate big ideas and foster strong relationships, navigating all revolutionary shifts.
It’s no surprise that this edition of the Ailleron Innovation Forum is being hailed as one of the top AI conferences of 2025. Networking by sunset, inspiring talks, and space for less formal interactions meant that many guests had already announced their presence at the next edition.
