How can startups and scale-ups successfully work with financial institutions beyond the buzzwords?

How banks cooperate with FinTechs in practice

Drawing on concrete ecosystem experience, Andrey Martovoy, Senior Adviser Innovation and Digital at ABBL, shared insights into how banks structure innovation, what they expect from FinTech partners and why understanding banking constraints is critical for successful collaboration.

Beyond technology and speed, banks operate within a highly regulated environment, with strict requirements in terms of ICT security, risk management and operational resilience. FinTechs that understand these constraints from the outset are better positioned to integrate effectively and to build sustainable, long-term partnerships.

In this context, ABBL plays an active role as a facilitator between banks and innovators. Through initiatives such as FinTech Circle, ABBL provides a dedicated affiliation programme that connects solution providers with banks in Luxembourg, helping to align expectations and support concrete cooperation.

Why NIS2 and DORA already matter for startups and scale-ups

The regulatory dimension was addressed in a pragmatic intervention by Luc Maquil (MAQIT), who explored the implications of DORA and NIS2 for startups and scale-ups working with regulated financial institutions.

The message was clear. If a startup provides critical ICT services to regulated financial institutions, DORA already applies indirectly, but very concretely.

Banks will increasingly expect their providers to demonstrate robust ICT risk management and security by design, effective incident detection, reporting and remediation, tested business continuity and operational resilience, as well as strong third-party and subcontractor risk management.

Beyond regulatory compliance, a key takeaway emerged from the discussion. Operational resilience is becoming a market expectation. FinTechs that embed these principles early do more than meet regulatory requirements. They build trust, accelerate onboarding with banks and strengthen their credibility as long-term partners.

A broader ABBL-driven continuum of dialogue

This event is part of a broader, ongoing effort by ABBL to move bank and FinTech cooperation from dialogue to execution.

Earlier this year, ABBL hosted the Bank CEOs and FinTechs Speed Meeting 2026, a flagship event bringing together around 100 decision-makers in a structured and time-efficient format. The speed meeting demonstrated how focused exchanges can quickly identify concrete collaboration opportunities and has since given rise to Bank FinTech Dialogues, a dedicated interview series showcasing real-life cooperation between banks and FinTechs.

Together, these initiatives reflect ABBL’s role as a neutral platform and trusted facilitator, supporting its members and the wider ecosystem in aligning innovation ambitions with regulatory, operational and business realities.