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European Digital Finance Conference

March 5

Modernising Mainframe, Core Banking Transformation and Data, Integration & AI-Readiness

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Agenda

From Legacy to Leading Edge: Reinventing Banking Technology.

The European Digital Finance Conference (EDFC) returns in March 2026 with a bold new theme: From Legacy to Leading Edge: Reinventing Banking Technology. This edition focuses on one of the most pressing challenges in financial services today; modernizing decades-old core systems to enable real innovation, agility, and AI adoption.

Across three in-depth sessions, industry leaders, transformation experts, and senior architects from Europe’s leading banks will explore how to evolve the mainframe backbone, decouple monolithic cores, and unlock the hidden value in legacy data and integration layers. Expect real-world case studies, candid discussions, and practical insights into the technology strategies shaping the next decade of banking. Banks that have registered speakers and/or delegates so far include ABN AMRO Bank, ING, Rabobank, Crédit Agricole, mBank, Deutsche Bank, Handelsbanken and others.

Session 1 — Modernizing the Mainframe: From Core Backbone to Innovation Platform

Evolving mainframe and legacy core environments into API-driven, AI-enabled, innovation-ready foundations

09:00 – 11:00

Session focus:
This session concentrates fully on mainframe modernization, while the panel shifts to broader innovation in banking, drawing lessons from large-scale legacy transformation and the growing role of AI in accelerating and de-risking change across traditional core environments.

Yorick Naeff

Head of Innovation

ABN AMRO Bank

Ohad Kotler

CEO and Co-Founder

Tweezr

Michał Niedźwiecki

IT Director

mBank

Aleksandra Brdar Turk

Chief Transformation Officer

OTP Bank

Mac Mahalingam

AWS Global Financial Services

Amazon

Henk van Dasler

VP, Manager Generic Infra Services, Retail NL

Rabobank

Presentation topics

  • AI-assisted modernization of legacy codebases and mainframe DevOps practices
  • Transforming mainframe estates into API-accessible digital platforms
  • Hybrid modernization strategies: replatforming vs selective cloud migration
  • Integrating mainframe workloads with cloud-native and real-time services
  • Real-world case studies of large-scale mainframe modernization


Panel discussion: Innovation in Banking Built on Legacy Foundations

Panel topics

  • Innovating without replacing the core: pragmatism vs ambition
  • How legacy platforms can still enable digital products and speed
  • The role of AI in modernizing, operating, and extending legacy systems
  • Lessons learned from large-scale legacy transformation programs

Confirmed Panels

  • Yorick Naeff (ABN AMRO
  • Aleksandra Brdar Turk (OTP Bank)

Session Chair and Moderator:

  • Mac Mahalingam (AWS)
ATTEND

Session 2 — From Monolith to Microservices: Core Banking Transformation

Decoupling legacy cores and enabling composable, edge-ready banking for payments and identification

12:00 – 14:00

Session focus:
The presentation track remains focused on core banking transformation, while the panel pivots to Edge Banking, including payments and digital identification, offline capabilities, and resilience at the perimeter. Confirmed speakers in this session

Paolo Sironi

Global Research Leader in Banking

IBM

Sandhya Garapati

IT Chapter Lead & Product Lead

ING

Niclas Storz

Founder & CEO

Tidely

Alessandro Vozza

Solution Engineer Cloud & AI (Apps)

Microsoft

Damir Vodenicarevic

CEO & Co-Founder

Clehance

Bruno Sanglé-Ferrière

CEO

Carrousel Digital

Matias Tesolin

CPTO

GoDutch

Vladimira Tomasek

Head of Core Banking Systems

VUB Bank

Presentation topics

  • Why most core banking modernization programs fail — and how to avoid it
  • Strangler patterns and domain-driven extraction from monolithic cores
  • Composable banking and core-as-a-service models
  • Cloud migration pitfalls and hybrid-core architectures
  • Supporting modern payments and digital identification services on top of decoupled cores


Panel discussion: Edge Banking: Resilient Services Beyond the Core

Panel topics

  • Offline banking capabilities: payments, KYC, and customer identification
  • Designing edge architectures for resilience and regulatory continuity
  • Synchronizing edge services with central cores and data platforms
  • Edge banking as an enabler for financial inclusion and new markets


Confirmed Panels

  • Damir Vodenicarevic (Clehance)
  • Bruno Sanglé-Ferrière (Carrousel Digital)
  • Matias Tesolin (GoDutch)


Session Chair and Moderator:

  • Alessandro Vozza (Microsoft)
APPLY TO SPEAK

Session 3 — Data Governance, Quality & Analytics: The Control Plane of Transformation

Making data trustworthy, compliant, and decision-ready for risk, financial crime, and regulatory resilience

15:00 – 17:00

Session focus:
This session covers data, middleware, and analytics, with a strong emphasis on data governance, data quality, financial crime, and compliance, including BCBS239, DORA, and related regulatory frameworks. Confirmed speakers in this session

Krista Luijten

Chief Data Officer Finance & Risk

ABN AMRO Bank

Jérôme Léger

Chief Architect & Head of Architecture & Design Authorities

Groupe Crédit Agricole

Rheta du Preez

Managing Partner

Monocle UK and Europe

Presentation topics

  • Data governance and quality as enablers of transformation, not constraints
  • Building regulatory-grade data foundations for risk and financial crime
  • Modernizing ETL and integration layers to support real-time risk and compliance reporting
  • Aligning enterprise data architecture with BCBS239, DORA, and supervisory expectations
  • The evolving role of data and analytics in compliance, AML, and fraud prevention

 

Panel discussion: Data, Analytics & Compliance in the Age of Regulation

 

Panel topics

  • Operationalizing BCBS239 across fragmented data estates
  • Using analytics and data quality controls to strengthen financial crime prevention
  • DORA, AI Act, and the future of regulatory data architectures
  • Edge banking as an enabler for financial inclusion and new markets
  • Balancing innovation with control in highly regulated banking environments


Confirmed Panels

  • Krista Luijten (ABN AMRO) – BCBS239 & data governance
  • Jérôme Léger (Crédit Agricole) – Architecture & analytics governance

Session Chair and Moderator:

  • Rheta du Preez (Monocle)

17:30 – 21:00 Money Party

Networking with The Banking 50 and EDFC
Join us at the Money Party, the official networking reception of the European Digital Finance Conference. Powered by The Banking 50, this is where meaningful connections are made, ideas are exchanged, and business opportunities come to life. An unmissable chance to expand and strengthen your professional network in banking and financial services.