The 2024 Fintech Compliance Conference Guide
The conferences you actually should attend.
As the year winds down, I’m sure everyone has a lot of things to take care of. Maybe wrapping up projects at work, getting ready for the holidays with family and friends, traveling, relaxing, and/or reflecting. If you’re like me, you’re already thinking of next year, and specifically which fintech conferences might be worth attending. In my case, the primary motivational factor is pretty straightforward - does it have anything to do with compliance, regulations, audit, or risk? Then things like cost, speakers, etc come into play.
In that vein, as the year has pretty much wound down, rather than dedicate this edition of the Fintech Compliance Events roundup to any straggler meetups/webinars/events that might still be happening this week, instead I want to focus on helping everyone plan ahead. If I’m planning to be there as of right now or endorse the conference, you’ll see a comment indicating as such (just because I haven’t added a comment doesn’t mean I might not eventually end up going!) We’ll also likely refresh this halfway through the year (and in our weekly newsletters). Without further ado:
JANUARY
The 2024 Fintech Risk & Compliance Forum, Wednesday January 17 - Thursday January 18, Chicago, IL - $745-$1295 - [Register for in-person] - This event is being organized by longtime friend of the newsletter Dan Carmody, who also puts on another conference (more on that in a moment). SPECIAL NOTE: I WILL BE THERE AND FULLY ENDORSE THIS CONFERENCE.
2024 Regulatory Updates and Compliance Challenges - Part 1, Wednesday January 17, 2-3:30 PM EST - $235 - $365 - [Register for online webinar] - The ABA puts on this quarterly update, focused on the banking space specifically.
Best Practices for Stress Testing in Financial Institutions, Wednesday January 24 - Friday January 26, New York, NY - [Click here to enquire] - For anyone who is aware of or working in the regulatory stress testing/capital planning/CCAR space, and how it will likely have taken on new significance in the wake of this past year’s bank failures, this is a good conference to attend (with some degree of exclusivity).
FEBRUARY
Fintech Retreat North America, Tuesday February 6, San Francisco, CA - $899 - [Register for in-person] - A one day extravaganza hitting the critical topics in the space. There are two sessions that are right up our alley, one on financial crime and one on regulation. Speakers are still being finalized, but less than 50 tickets left - these are deliberately limited to create a more intimate experience.
AI Fraud & AML Summit World Series, London, Thursday, February 15, London, UK - $499 - $1199 - [Register for in-person] - The first of six events focused on this unique combination of topics.
AI Fraud & AML Summit World Series, Singapore, Tuesday, February 20, Singapore - $499 - $1199 - [Register for in-person] - The second of six events focused on this unique combination of topics.
Finovate Europe, Tuesday February 26 - Thursday February 28, London, England - $1799 - [Register for in-person] - One of the stalwarts of the fintech conference scene, from a compliance/regulatory perspective although there is only one dedicated session we could find, there is an entire Future of Open Banking “stream” which we think is good enough to qualify this as being a part of our list.
MARCH
Fintech Meetup, Sunday March 3 - Wednesday March 6, Las Vegas, NV - $0 - $2795 - [Register for in-person] - The premiere fintech networking/matchmaking event, with a decent slate of actual sessions as well as an with the added bonus that this year they have absorbed the Fintech Nexus conference. Two full tracks with focus on identity/risk and another on regulatory compliance.
MoneyLive, Wednesday March 6 - Thursday March 7, London, England - $2049 - $2399 - [Register for in-person] - A diverse arrangement with equal focus on keynotes and breakouts, with a highlight I noticed being a wise focus on ESG as a regulatory focus area. Going to get a recommendation from me given the first keynote is on regulatory compliance!
Fintech Festival India, Wednesday March 6 - Friday March 8, New Delhi, India - ₹10,400 - ₹20,000 - [Register for in-person] - With a full day dedicated to regulatory compliance at this three day conference, worth attending especially if you are in India/can make it to India and have involvement with anything RBI/UPI and beyond.
17th NextGen Payments & RegTech Forum, Thursday March 7 - Friday March 8, Zurich, Switzerland - €495 - €995 - [Register for in-person] - Self-explanatory. If you’re looking for a compliance-heavy conference with specific focus on RegTech, and you’re in or able to get to Europe, check this out.
Merchant Payments Ecosystem, Tuesday March 12 - Thursday March 14, Berlin, Germany - €0 - €2925 - [Register for in-person] - A multi-faceted conference with two compliance-related tracks, entitled “Regulatory Vigilance” and “CBDCs, Digital Euro & Stablecoins”.
Financial Crime USA, Tuesday March 12 - Wednesday March 13, New York, NY - $799 - $1499 - [Register for in-person] - “Reviewing the financial crime landscape and leveraging technology to stay ahead.”
AI Fraud & AML Summit World Series, Sydney, Friday, March 15, Sydney, Australia - $499 - $1199 - [Register for in-person] - The third of six events focused on this unique combination of topics.
ABA Washington Summit, Monday March 18 - Wednesday March 20, Washington, D.C. - Free(?) - [Register for in-person] - A Washington-based conference that is location-influenced, with a focus on compliance, regulatory agendas, and more.
Pay360, Tuesday March 19 - Wednesday March 30, London, England - £1,050 - [Register for in-person] - Another event with a lot of focus on the usual suspects/topics - CBDCs, open banking, embedded finance in a compliance context, ISO20022, digital identity, etc.
AI Fraud & AML Summit World Series, Vienna, Wednesday March 20, Vienna, Austria - $499 - $1199 - [Register for in-person] - The fourth of six events focused on this unique combination of topics.
APRIL
New York Fintech Week, Monday April 8 - Friday April 12, New York, NY - $1095 - [Register for in-person] - Friend of the newsletter Jon Zanoff of Empire Startups is the mastermind behind this annual extravaganza. A combination of pitch events, hackathons, boat parties and a conference, this is a diverse and multi-channel show like no other. There are tracks in this show as well, with the most regulatory coverage in the “WIP” track. SPECIAL NOTE: I WILL BE THERE AND FULLY ENDORSE THIS CONFERENCE/SERIES OF EVENTS.
The Assembly Hollywood, Monday April 8 - Wednesday April 10, Hollywood, FL - $1395 - $2495 - [Register for hybrid event] - The premiere conference for ACAMS aka certified financial crime specialists, with this being the American version. Some time-specific topics as well like election-related risks.
24th National Forum on Prepaid Accounts Compliance, Monday April 8, New York, NY - $1195 - $1395 - [Register for in-person] - A delightfully specifically focused compliance event, with the subtitle “Minimizing Legal & Compliance Risks with Cards, Checkless DDA Accounts and Digital Wallets.”
8th Annual Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Forum on FinTech & Emerging Payment Systems, Tuesday April 9 - Wednesday April 10, New York, NY - $2095 - $2395 - [Register for in-person] - Organized by the same folks who brought you the Prepaid Accounts Compliance conference, this two-day event follows immediately from that, with focus on federal and state developments.
TRANSACT, Wednesday April 17 - Friday April 19, Las Vegas, NV - $550 - $2,495 - [Register for in-person] - This conference has a whole dedicated track entitled “Security, Risk, and Compliance” with a bunch of Payments-specific topics (PCI compliance, chargebacks, CFPB priorities, etc).
Risk Evolve, Wednesday April 17 - Thursday April 18, London, UK - £499 - £1199 - [Register for in-person] - “Europe’s premier risk, regulation & innovation Convention 2024.”
2024 Regulatory Updates and Compliance Challenges - Part 2, Wednesday April 17, 2-3:30 PM EST - $235 - $365 - [Register for online webinar] - The ABA puts on this quarterly update, focused on the banking space specifically.
The Assembly APAC, Monday April 22 - Tuesday April 23, Hong Kong - $1595 - [Register for in-person] - The premiere conference for ACAMS aka certified financial crime specialists, with this being the Asian version. A highlight is the Executive Director for Enforcement and AML of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
Money 20/20 Asia, Tuesday April 23 - Thursday April 25, Bangkok, Thailand - $650-$5280 - [Register for in-person] - The premier global name in fintech conferences, this is their first Asian edition of the event. Having just attended my first conference in the US, there was plenty of regulatory compliance discussion that happened in Vegas a few months ago. SPECIAL NOTE: I WILL BE THERE AND FULLY ENDORSE THIS CONFERENCE.
Mexico Finance and Fintech Summit, Wednesday April 24 - Thursday April 25, Mexico City, Mexico - MX$10,500 - $14,500 - [Register for hybrid event] - Part of the Mexico Business Forum, one of the key topics is “how will Mexico’s regulatory developments influence Fintech’s future.” Mexico has had an emerging regulatory scene as of late, so a unique opportunity to understand some of the latest developments.
AI Fraud & AML Summit World Series, Chicago, Thursday April 25, Chicago, IL - $499 - $1199 - [Register for in-person] - The fifth of six events focused on this unique combination of topics.
AI Fraud & AML Summit World Series, Dubai, Friday April 26, Dubai, UAE - $499 - $1199 - [Register for in-person] - The last of six events focused on this unique combination of topics.
MAY
Innovative Payments Conference, Sunday May 5 - Tuesday May 7, Washington, D.C. - $995 - $1195 - [Register for in-person] - Although it doesn’t reveal it in the title, the tagline for this conference per the folks at Airmeet reveals the focus of this conference includes hearing from experts in “compliance, law, regulation and innovation.”
Dubai Fintech Summit, Monday May 6 - Tuesday May 7, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - $0 - $999 - [Register for in-person] - Some really heavy focus on regulations and compliance throughout the agenda. There’s an expo as well here, but I’m very impressed at the price and the attention given to my/our area of interest.
Smarter Faster Payments 2024, Monday May 6 - Thursday May 9, Miami Beach, FL - $1,095 - $2,659 - [Register for either in-person or remote] - A rare hybrid conference, with a really heavy emphasis on risk and compliance as evidenced by two separate tracks - one entitled “Compliance & Regulatory” and another “Cybersecurity & Risk”.
The Assembly Europe, Tuesday May 7 - Wednesday May 8, Amsterdam, Netherlands - $1945 - [Register for in-person] - The premiere conference for ACAMS aka certified financial crime specialists, with this being the European version. There will be heavy focus on the EU’s planned focus on AML in the near future, with plenty of regulators in the speaker lineup.
Global Trade Finance Expo, Thursday May 9 - Friday May 10, Dubai, UAE - $495 - $1395 - [Register for in-person] - Not a particularly expansive conference agenda with any dedicated tracks, but some great focus on compliance, risk, and security, with a great deal of focus in the sessions spread across both days.
Global RegTech Summit, Thursday May 16, London, UK - £395 - £1190 - [Register for in-person] - Advertised as the “world’s largest RegTech event.” A combination of sessions, networking, demos and exhibits.
Finovate Spring, Thursday May 23 - Saturday May 25, San Francisco, California - $799 - $1498 (option for 1, 2 or 3 day passes) - [Register for in-person] - The agenda for this conference isn’t out yet, but based on last year’s agenda it’s a safe bet that there will be plenty of Compliance happenings to keep you buys at this event. One highlight of all the Finovate events, no matter where or when, is the demos that are scattered throughout the program.
3rd ICPAC Mediterranean Finance Summit, Thursday May 23 - Friday May 24, Limassol, Cyprus - €395 - [Register for in-person] - The agenda for this event has a heavy focus on risk, compliance, regulatory areas on Day 1, and then Day 2 focuses on more “soft” topics i.e. resilience, succession planning, DEI. A great mix of topics.
Consensus, Wednesday May 29 - Friday May 31, Austin, TX - $899 - $9000 - [Register for in-person] - This crypto/blockchain conference has a dedicated track focused on “Finance and Policy,” and the conference appears to have been running for quite some time.
JUNE
Money 20/20 Europe, Tuesday June 4 - Thursday June 6, Amsterdam, Netherlands - €945-€2895 - [Register for in-person] - The theme of this year’s edition is “Human X Machine,” and special guest speaker is François Hollande, ex President of France.
The U.S. Fintech Symposium, Tuesday June 4 - Thursday June 6, Oakbrook, IL - $795 - $1995 - [Register for in-person] - As promised, the second of two events put on by the same folks (Dan Carmody) that brought you the US Fintech Risk and Compliance forum. This is the 6th year of the conference, and I fully endorse this event.
ABA Risk and Compliance Conference, Tuesday June 11 - Friday June 14, Seattle, WA - $1395 - $2495 - [Register for hybrid event] - If you’re a compliance professional this is almost an essential event (even more so if you’re a CRCM). The emphasis is on bringing folks together from banks of all sizes. Seattle is also not a typical location for conferences which makes this even more intriguing.
Fintech Retreat Europe, Wednesday June 12, Paris, France - TBD - [Sign up for updates] - As the US version has a decent focus on regulatory compliance, although it hasn’t been finalized you can expect the same for the European version of the Retreat.
American Banker Digital Banking 2024, Monday June 24 - Wednesday June 26, Boca Raton, FL - $695 - $2995 - [Register for in person] - “American Banker’s DIGITAL BANKING is where the most knowledgeable experts dive deep into regulation…” While there are other topics that follow after this promotional quote, love that they kick the topical coverage off with regulation.
JULY
2024 Regulatory Updates and Compliance Challenges - Part 3, Wednesday July 17, 2-3:30 PM EST - $235 - $365 - [Register for online webinar] - The ABA puts on this quarterly update, focused on the banking space specifically.
AUGUST
Africa Payments & RegTech Forum, Thursday August 8 - Friday August 9, Johannesburg, South Africa - [Register for in-person] €495 - €995 - A track-based conference, with two of the three tracks focused on compliance and risk and a particular focus on international payments.
SEPTEMBER
Finovate Fall, Monday September 9 - Wednesday September 11, New York, NY - $1099 - $2698 (option for 1, 2 or 3 day passes) - [Register for in-person] - The third of Finovate’s conferences in the year. More demos, an open banking dedicated track, but unlike the Spring session they divide the conference day into focusing on payments, future of banking, lending, CX, open banking and AI. There’s also an invite-only session on the Sunday night. SPECIAL NOTE: I WILL BE THERE ON DAY 3 AND FULLY ENDORSE THIS CONFERENCE.
OCTOBER
RegTech Summit London, Thursday October 3, London, UK - €0 - €995 - [Register for in-person] - Another regtech centered event in its 8th year.
18th NextGen Payments & RegTech Forum, Thursday October 10 - Friday October 11, Athens, Greece - €495 - €995 - [Register for in-person] - Another fully dedicated conference on the topic of regulatory compliance, with the nice thing being that the topics are global enough to appeal to all jurisdictions.
3rd Financial Innovation Forum, Saturday October 19, London, UK - €595 - [Register for in-person] - The title is somewhat misleading, as the focus is actually quite heavy with regulatory compliance/financial crime focus, packed into one day. It’s a stereotype that innovators have not taken kindly to regulations, but it looks like the trend is starting to be bucked.
Sibos, Sunday October 20 - Thursday October 24, Beijing, China - TBD - [Sign up for updates] - A well-known conference put on by the folks at SWIFT. Last year there was a massive focus on ISO 20002, which was the new standard put out by SWIFT themselves. It’ll be interesting to see the focus this year, particularly given the location of the event; perhaps deep diving on CBDCs since this is something China is particularly focused on.
Money 20/20 USA, Sunday October 27 - Wednesday October 30, Las Vegas, Nevada - $1395-$2645 - [Register for in-person] - I was really impressed with the conference last year. The one suggestion is to be prepared and plan well. There’s no day by day registration option, but it’s well worth noting that Sunday has some great panels/sessions/talks, and Wednesday should only be worth attending for any meetings that couldn’t get scheduled any of the other days. Most of the action happens on Monday and Tuesday.
NOVEMBER
19th NextGen Payments & RegTech Forum, Wednesday November 6 - Thursday November 7, Limassol, Cyprus - €495 - €995 - [Register for in-person] - If you missed the Greek version in October, this is a good “make-up” session with much of the same focus.
DECEMBER
15th NextGen Payments & RegTech Forum, Tuesday December 10 - Wednesday December 11, Austin, TX - $295 - $395 - [Register for in-person] - For those who couldn’t get into the Greek or Cypriot versions of this conference, there’s a US version as well.
As we find out about more events in the new year, we’ll come back and edit this page. Feel free to bookmark it. Also, come back later this week for a year-end review post!