Money Motion 2025: The future of cash payments and digital transformation – Europe must develop an alternative payment system within the next five years

As cash usage continues to decline and instant payments become the new norm, experts are warning that Europe must soon adopt an alternative payment system—such as QR code-based platforms. The future of retail payments, the rollout of digital identity across EU countries, and cybersecurity are the main challenges facing the continent in the coming years, according to specialists speaking at Money Motion 2025, the largest FinTech event in Central and Eastern Europe.

With over 2,500 participants and a packed agenda spread across multiple stages, the conference brought together leaders from the FinTech, retail, public administration, and banking sectors for an open dialogue on the trends transforming the way Europeans interact with money.

Digital Euro, AI, and Regulation – the hot topics of the moment
One of the most anticipated sessions focused on the future of payments, presented by Milan Gauder, co-founder of frēda. Gauder emphasized the accelerated decline of cash usage following the pandemic and the rapid adoption of instant payments, especially in developing countries like India and Brazil.

“By comparison, it took Western countries 50–60 years to reach a similar adoption level. The key to success in the East has been QR codes. These countries skipped card payments altogether and adopted QR codes directly, achieving in five years what the West did in 50. I believe that in the next five years, Europe must develop an alternative payment system. The time is now – you need to start working on it,” Gauder said.

At the same time, FinTech specialists pointed out the lack of a broad public dialogue regarding the introduction of the digital euro and warned that Europe tends to prioritize speed over actual value for the user.
“Functionality and user experience should be the foundation of payment solution development, not just the speed of the transaction,” Panagiotis Kriaris, Director at Unzer, a platform for international transactions, emphasized.

Cards aren’t disappearing, they’re evolving
Christian Rau, SVP of Global Partnerships for Digital Assets, Blockchain, and FinTech Enablement at Mastercard, contributed to the broader picture, discussing the decline of physical card use in favor of virtual cards, the need for cryptocurrency regulation, and the growing collaboration between the private sector and central banks in the development of digital currencies.

Regarding payment methods, experts were clear: cards are not going away, they’re evolving. Krzysztof Sobala from Mastercard revealed that 80% of the company’s processed transactions are now instant payments, a testament to the market’s rapid transformation.

When it comes to consumer behavior around digital payments, experts identified a shared need: unified solutions.
“Consumer behavior is remarkably similar across Europe. Users don’t want to install separate apps for every small service. Our data shows that when offered a unified solution that integrates multiple services, usage and engagement rates increase significantly,” Borko Buturac, Chief Operating Officer at Aircash, said.

Berislav Marszalek, CEO of Entrio, noted that although his company was ahead of the digitalization curve, the market demanded patience.
“Today, cash payments represent only a fraction of the total and will soon fall below 10%,” he pointed out.
Retail leaders such as Nina Mimica (Studenac), Daniel Šturm (Kaufland), Alexandros Kosenas (Neptun Albania), and Bogdan Meica (Glovo Romania) discussed in depth how they are leveraging automation and AI to increase efficiency and improve customer relations.

A standout example came from Kaufland, which is currently testing the use of chatbots in supplier negotiations.

“We realized that traditional methods don’t always deliver the best results, so we decided to innovate even in this area,” Šturm explained.
Digital identity and Cybersecurity: the challenges of the coming years
Digital identity was another hot topic, especially in the context of the EU’s 2026 deadline requiring all citizens to possess digital documents. While Belgium is currently leading in implementation, major challenges remain, particularly in countries like Germany. Sebastian Theisen (Entrust) and Valentina Dragomir (Evrotrust) emphasized the need for secure, legally compliant, and accessible digital wallets. Meanwhile, Ingo Rübe (KILT Protocol) warned about the risks of excessive surveillance and the growing dominance of Big Tech.

Given the rapid evolution in the payments sector, cybersecurity must become a top priority, experts said. They stressed the need for a “zero-trust” approach and behavioral monitoring systems tailored to new threats brought on by AI.

“All cyberattacks and fraud typically start with a simple act of social engineering. We need to shift our mindset around security. We can’t rely on a single layer of protection. When it comes to identity, we often assume that if something looks and sounds like us, it must be us. That mindset has to change,” said Pavel Kaminsky, Founder & CEO of 7Security GmbH.
Zagreb – a model for the digital city

The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, who supports Money Motion and the FinTech community, showcased the city’s digital transformation initiatives. From modernizing outdated administrative systems to launching an app to monitor the use of public spaces, the Croatian capital is reinforcing its position as a regional leader in digitalization. Over 100,000 government transactions are tracked in real-time, while partnerships with FinTech companies like Keks Pay and support for ZICER—recognized as the best innovation center in Europe—demonstrate the city’s strong commitment to technological progress.

Money Motion 2025 attracted over 2,500 attendees, with 720 meetings arranged through the official event app. The second day of the conference was opened by the Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, who expressed the city’s pride in hosting the leading regional FinTech conference. The event brought together 120 speakers across four stages, featured a startup competition with 20 teams from 14 countries and concluded with the announcement of the winners. Following this year’s strong results, tickets for Money Motion 2026 are already available for purchase.

The organization of the third edition of the Money Motion event is made possible with the support of several innovative companies, including ASEE, Monri, Mastercard, OTP banka, A1 Hrvatska, Croatia osiguranje, and LAQO.

Detailed information about the Money Motion 2026 conference program and tickets for next year’s edition can be found on the official website: https://www.money-motion.eu.