The Finticipate – SEE FinTech Forum 2025 was held in Belgrade at the end of May, bringing together around 150 participants and more than 40 speakers from across the region. As one of Southeast Europe’s leading fintech events, it gathered experts from the fields of finance, technology, regulation and investment to explore how innovation is reshaping financial markets.

A particularly dynamic discussion took place during the panel “The Future is Tokenized? Harnessing Regional Capital Markets Development & Investor Opportunities.” Moderated by Milica Andrić, the session examined the growing role of tokenization of real-world assets and its potential to transform capital markets. The debate focused on how tokenization can improve efficiency, transparency and security in financial transactions, while also underlining the importance of legal clarity, regulatory frameworks and investor education.

Speakers highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of integrating tokenized models into existing systems. While technology opens new possibilities for alternative financing, the lack of mature secondary markets and questions about liquidity remain significant barriers. The panel also pointed out that legal frameworks in many jurisdictions are still catching up with technological advances, making regulatory certainty a key condition for further development.

Despite these challenges, the message was clear, tokenization is steadily moving toward the mainstream of financial markets. If developed responsibly, it could unlock access to traditionally illiquid assets, enable fractional ownership and accelerate settlement processes. At the same time, success will depend on ensuring investor protection, building reliable infrastructure and aligning regulation with innovation.

The discussions at Finticipate confirmed that Southeast Europe has both the ambition and the expertise to engage with these global trends, but also faces unique challenges in terms of market maturity and regulatory readiness. By creating a platform where stakeholders from across the region can exchange ideas, the forum once again proved to be an important catalyst for dialogue on the future of finance.