BAFT, a leading international transaction banking association, is going to hold 2017 BAFT Europe Bank to Bank Forum on January 16 – 18, 2017, at Hotel Ritz Madrid, Spain.

Financial technology or ‘FinTech’ is one of the major topics to be discussed during the event. The themes include ‘Blurred Lines: How FinTech is Shaping Financial Services and How to Make Sense of it All’, ‘Banks and FinTechs: Best Friends or Worst of Enemies? Surviving and Thriving in the Digital Jungle’, ‘Fintech in Trade and Working Capital’, and ‘So What’s Next? Applying FinTech Learnings in Your Own Business’.

Leading experts in the fintech space will be speaking at the event, including Steve Davis, Head of FinTech EMEA, PwC; Julio Faura, Head of Innovation, R&D, Santander; Matt Lucas; Global Blockchain Labs Enablement, CTO Office Europe, IBM; and others.

Also, representatives from blockchain startups have also been listed as speakers on the event website. This includes Daniel Aranda, Managing Director Europe at Ripple; and Tomasz Mloduchowski, CTO of Zerado.

In November 2016, BAFT announced that the BAFT tracker of Government Authority Pronouncements on Innovation, Blockchain Technology, and Virtual Currencies. The tracker was created to inform members about its government advocacy efforts. It provides a summary of each government action and pronouncement regarding FinTech innovation, blockchain technology, and virtual currency that is relevant to transaction banking. The resource covers legislation, regulation, guidance, reports, and speeches over recent years for five critical jurisdictions: the EU, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, and the US.