CEO of Fintech Week London & Fintech Belgium Advocates for Global Connections and Inclusive Innovation
Dubai, UAE – In a strong showing of transcontinental collaboration at the Dubai FinTech Summit 2025, Raf De Kimpe, CEO of Fintech Week London and Fintech Belgium, took the stage to share a vision of globally connected fintech ecosystems. With a focus on innovation, inclusion, and international cooperation, De Kimpe’s message was clear: the future of fintech lies in thoughtful integration and open collaboration across regions.
Fintech Week London and Fintech Belgium: Empowering Global Finance Hubs
De Kimpe’s leadership spans two influential platforms:
- Fintech Week London, a premier week-long event scheduled for October 2025, aims to gather global fintech leaders in one of the world’s oldest financial centers. It will focus on core topics including evolving payments, digital assets, tokenization, and fintech for good—with direct links to major fintech hubs like Dubai, Brussels, and New York.
- Fintech Belgium, meanwhile, is an association representing 115+ Belgian fintechs, working tirelessly to connect them with regulators, policymakers, clients, and funding opportunities. The organization advocates for local fintech growth while creating international bridges to drive innovation and market expansion.
Top Trends: Agentic AI, Tokenization & Stablecoins
As a speaker at DFS 2025, De Kimpe dove into future-facing trends reshaping finance:
1. Agentic AI
De Kimpe emphasized the game-changing potential of Agentic AI, particularly in automation and intelligence augmentation within financial institutions.
“If you say AI too much, people switch off—but Agentic AI is different. It’s going to change how banks operate,” he noted, referencing recent innovation initiatives with one of Belgium’s major banks to explore practical AI use cases.
2. Digital Assets & Tokenization
De Kimpe believes that tokenization will democratize finance, enabling fractional ownership, round-the-clock trading, and broad public access to investment opportunities.
“Tokenization allows us to split assets into smaller pieces, making them accessible and tradeable 24/7,” he explained.
3. Stablecoins over CBDCs
While skeptical of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) becoming mainstream due to their centralized nature, De Kimpe expressed optimism about stablecoins as a middle-ground solution.
“Stablecoins are pegged to real-world assets or fiat values, yet they’re digital, tradeable, and decentralized enough to align with the original crypto ethos,” he said.
Why Dubai Matters: Innovation, Capital, and Regulation
Discussing the summit’s strategic importance, De Kimpe praised Dubai’s fintech momentum:
“This region is booming. There’s not just the will to innovate—the regulators are involved, the industry is ready, and the capital is available.”
He stressed the mutual learning opportunity between Europe and the Middle East, advocating for deeper bilateral ties. “Dubai can learn from European frameworks, and Europe can definitely learn from Dubai’s speed, ambition, and openness.”
Looking Forward: Global Growth Without Losing Intimacy
As for the future of his own organizations:
- Fintech Belgium aims to expand globally, forming partnerships across continents while still preserving close-knit connections. “We don’t want it too big,” De Kimpe explained. “We want to keep it meaningful.”
- His goal for 2025 is to deepen connections between Belgian fintechs and venture capital, enhancing opportunities for growth, scaling, and international exposure.
“Connecting our members to capital is key. That’s my mission this year,” he stated.
Conclusion: Connecting Fintech Ecosystems, Empowering Innovation
Raf De Kimpe’s insights at the Dubai FinTech Summit reflect a maturing industry that’s not only innovating at pace, but also focusing on collaboration and community. With Fintech Week London and Fintech Belgium as his platforms, De Kimpe is creating bridges across borders, fostering a fintech future that is smarter, more inclusive, and truly global.
