Oradea, June 22, 2026
For the fourth consequent year SME Banking Club partners UNCHAIN Festival in Oradea. This year’s fifth edition brought together more than 1,000 leaders from over 40 countries, including representatives of central banks, financial institutions, fintechs, and technology providers, confirming its role as a leading platform for shaping the future of financial services in Central and Eastern Europe.
Held on June 17–18 at Oradea Fortress, the event featured 170 international speakers and focused on key industry developments, including artificial intelligence, digital payments, the Digital Euro, tokenization, fraud prevention, and new regulatory landscapes.
Discussions throughout the festival highlighted how AI, automation, and digital infrastructure are transforming the way both consumers and businesses interact with financial services, reinforcing the need for deeper collaboration across the ecosystem.
Spotlight: The Future of SME Banking
Among the sessions, a dedicated discussion on the future of digital SME banking and lending brought together industry practitioners to explore how banks can better serve small and medium-sized enterprises.
Moderated by Olena Gryniuk (SME Banking Club), the panel featured Alexandru Calin (BRD Groupe Société Générale) and Maciej Sałata (Comarch Financial Services).
The discussion focused on several key themes:
- Faster SME lending processes
A major highlight was the implementation of Comarch’s digital lending platform at BRD, enabling significantly faster and more seamless credit decisions for SMEs. - AI-driven transformation
Banks across the region are increasingly experimenting with AI-powered decisioning and automation, accelerating lending processes and improving operational efficiency. - Next phase: conversational banking
The panel pointed to AI-driven, conversational interfaces as the next step, enabling personalized, proactive, and context-aware banking experiences for SMEs. - Speed of innovation
Emerging approaches such as rapid deployment cycles (e.g., 24-hour sprints) are reshaping how quickly digital banking solutions can be delivered and adapted.
A Platform for Collaboration and Innovation
UNCHAIN Festival 2026 also welcomed 250 new organizations and showcased innovative fintech and insurtech solutions through its Innovation Showcase, fostering partnerships across the region.
The event reaffirmed that collaboration between banks, fintechs, regulators, and technology providers is essential to accelerate innovation and build a more connected, secure, and customer-centric financial ecosystem.
About UNCHAIN Festival
UNCHAIN Festival is the leading finance and technology summit in Central and Eastern Europe, connecting industry leaders to turn emerging trends into actionable strategies for growth and resilience.
