Baltic Fintech Days 2025 in Vilnius will focus on key themes such as cognitive finance, compliance technology, money and payments, and embedded finance. A highlight of the event will be a fireside chat featuring Payhawk's Saulius Zlabys and Vinted's Modestas Tursa, offering valuable insights into the latest fintech innovations.
As the European fintech community gathers in Vilnius for Baltic Fintech Days on 2-3 April 2025, industry leaders and innovators from across the Baltic region are set to discuss the transformative trends shaping the future of financial technology. Vilnius, known for its thriving fintech ecosystem and evolving regulatory environment, has become a key hub for fintech innovation in Europe. Lithuania's rapid growth in the sector, accelerated by strong government initiatives, a high emphasis on employee well-being, and a favourable business environment, makes it an ideal location for this event. At the same time, Estonia and Latvia also boast impressive fintech landscapes supported by local institutions. The timing of the event is ideal, with Estonia recently digitising 100% of government services and the EU AI Act coming into force in February 2025.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionise financial management, offering smarter, faster, and more personalised solutions. During Baltic Fintech Days 2025, experts will delve into how AI is enhancing efficiency and decision-making in financial services. From automated wealth and business spend management to hyper-personalised financial experiences, AI's potential to transform the industry is immense.
Our recent CFO Tech Stack report reveals that a significant majority of businesses (87%) trust AI to handle at least some of their professional duties. Many companies have already integrated AI, particularly in their accounts payable (48%) and receivable (45%) processes. AI is expected to serve as an assistant, aiding with tasks such as data extraction from documents, error identification, and workflow automation, rather than completely taking over these responsibilities. Additionally, AI will play a strategic role by ensuring data consistency and cleanliness, performing analyses, and conducting scenario modelling. Consequently, the finance team's role will evolve to focus on leveraging these AI-generated insights to drive meaningful business improvements.
For many, investing in new technologies can seem like a leap of faith until the return on investment (ROI) becomes evident. Given the significant costs associated with tech adoption, businesses often face barriers to investment. It's crucial to calculate the expected ROI, discuss implementation timelines, and clearly communicate the additional benefits to stakeholders before pitching for investment. For instance, our average customer achieves ROI for spend management within just ten months, according to G2 data. Additionally, they can save anywhere from two hours a day to four days a week through automation and improved efficiency.
One of the most anticipated discussions during Baltic Fintech Days 2025 will focus on regulatory compliance, a critical area for fintech companies. The issuance of an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence to Payhawk by the Bank of Lithuania highlights the importance of navigating regulatory landscapes effectively. An EMI licence allows institutions to issue electronic money and provide digital payment solutions, ensuring that monetary value is equal to the amount issued.
Obtaining an EMI licence involves a rigorous process, including meeting capital requirements, implementing robust security measures, and adhering to anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) regulations. This licence not only enhances trust and security but also enables fintech companies to expand their services across the European Union through passporting rights. The discussions at Baltic Fintech Days 2025 will provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with regulatory compliance in the fintech sector.
Embedded finance is creating new opportunities for seamless integration of financial services into non-financial platforms. This trend is empowering consumers with greater control over their financial lives and driving innovation in the fintech space.
In the transportation and logistics industry, for example, companies like Discordia, an established European transport and logistics company, and Baton, a progressive leader in the European line haul transportation market, are already reaping the benefits of embedded finance. Discordia, for instance, has seen a remarkable boost in employee productivity, with automation cutting processing time and reducing errors associated with manual expense handling. "We've boosted employee productivity by over four times and expect even greater impact as our fleet grows. Payhawk's automation has significantly cut processing time and reduced the errors that came with manual expense handling," says Tsvetomir Uzunov, CFO at Discordia.
Similarly, Baton has leveraged embedded finance to gain better visibility and control over drivers' expenses. Traditional bank cards often lacked the transparency needed to manage expenses effectively. Nelly Dobreva, Lead of Process & Technology Center of Excellence at Baton explains, "With traditional bank cards, we lacked visibility on drivers’ expenses and their needs for additional funds. In the past, we had to transfer money to our employees’ debit cards, but now we allow them to spend up to a certain limit from our company funds pool. With Payhawk cards, you can instantly see who spent what, when, and why, and adjust spending policies as needed."
These use cases highlight how embedded finance can streamline operations, enhance financial control, and improve overall efficiency in the transportation sector. By integrating financial services directly into their workflows, companies can achieve greater agility and responsiveness to their financial needs, no matter their line of business.
During Baltic Fintech Days 2025, Saulius Zlabys, Payhawk VP Payments and Lithuania Country Manager, will take the stage alongside Modestas Tursa, VP of Payments at Vinted, Lithuania’s first unicorn, and CEO of Vinted Pay for an insightful fireside chat. They will delve into how the latest fintech solutions are not only empowering businesses and consumers but also driving sustainable growth and responsible consumption. This session promises to be a highlight of the event, offering attendees a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights from industry leaders who are at the forefront of fintech innovation.
As the first unicorns from Lithuania and Bulgaria, Vinted and Payhawk have both navigated the challenges of scaling fintech innovation across Europe. At Baltic Fintech Days 2025, Modestas and I will dive into how payments and financial technology are evolving to empower businesses and consumers alike. From AI-driven automation to embedded finance, we’ll explore what’s next for the industry and how fintech can drive smarter, more efficient financial management. Looking forward to an insightful discussion!", commented Saulius Zlabys.
The Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - are emerging as formidable players in the global fintech landscape. Despite their relatively small size, these countries have leveraged their unique positions to foster vibrant fintech ecosystems.
“Opening an office in Lithuania back in 2023 aligned with Payhawk's strategic goals to bring the benefits of our spend management platform to more businesses in the Baltics region. Lithuania's supportive regulatory environment, strong government initiatives, and thriving fintech ecosystem make it an ideal location for expansion. Our Vilnius office is helping Payhawk tap into excellent local talent, accelerate product development, and better serve businesses in the Baltic region”, said Saulius Zlabys.
The local community is growing and becoming more mature, with organisations like the Unicorns Lithuania association being instrumental in fostering collaboration, providing support, and driving growth within the tech sector. According to Unicorns Lithuania, which is expected to join the Baltic Fintech Days 2025, they bring together over 120 technology companies employing more than half of the sector's workforce. These statistics are impressive proof of the value added by the sector.
“In cooperation with Unicorns Lithuania, Payhawk will seek to strengthen ties with local start-ups and businesses so that we can contribute to their growth and success. We see this partnership as an opportunity to actively participate in the Lithuanian startup ecosystem, sharing our experience and insights as a global unicorn. One of the challenges we want to help overcome is ensuring that Lithuanian companies have access to the most advanced cost management tools to operate more efficiently and grow faster. For Lithuania to become the best country for unicorns to grow, talent is the most important factor. At Payhawk, we understand this perfectly well, so one of our main goals is to attract, retain, and develop the best talent. If Lithuania focuses on the education of top-class specialists, it will not only strengthen its startup ecosystem but also become a global centre of innovation and entrepreneurship,” commented Saulius Zlabys.
Baltic Fintech Days 2025 is more than just an event; it is a platform for visionary thought leadership and collaboration. As industry leaders gather to explore cutting-edge innovations and strategic insights, the future of fintech looks promising. Stay tuned for updates and insights from this dynamic event, including how Payhawk will contribute valuable industry perspectives before, during, and after the event.
And before we go, would you like to see how Payhawk is helping forward-thinking finance leaders save time and money? Explore our customer success stories here.
Emilia Tzekova is a Senior Marketing Manager at Payhawk, where she works on the growth of several markets within the EU. With over 15 years of experience in technology services and products, she has in-depth strategic planning and marketing communications expertise. The dynamic field where finance and technology intersect motivates Emilia to create campaigns that leave a real mark.
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