English translation from the original article in Het Financieel Dagblad 19.06.2026:
The financial sector is in a phase of profound change. Artificial intelligence, embedded finance and digital currencies are redefining how money moves and how consumers and businesses settle payments with one another. At the same time, many players are struggling with outdated systems, cross-border regulation and the question of how innovation can be embraced responsibly without losing the trust of users.
Holland Fintech Association (HFA), the Dutch non-profit that drives innovation in the financial sector, stands at the heart of this transformation. Annemieke Roobeek, President of HFA, sees a sector that has fundamentally changed. “The challenger that started out as a startup has taken on a different role. In part, the innovative expertise has been incorporated into larger companies; in part, the challengers themselves have grown large.” Adyen is long past being a startup, and players like Buckaroo and Bizcuit now work closely with major banks. The result is a fusion of expertise that will take an even greater leap forward with AI.
The open economy, early adoption of digital payment methods and a strong concentration of talent make the Netherlands an attractive starting point. Peter Strikwerda, HFA board member and representative in the European Digital Finance Association (EDFA), points to a third factor: “You have to think in terms of networks and collaboration if you want to innovate quickly. In the Netherlands, we’re simply able to do that.”
HFA connects not only fintech companies large and small, but also the private sector with regulators. “We make sure that when new developments emerge, there isn’t a hard stop, but that we’re already looking at how to regulate it in the right way,” says Roobeek. For example, HFA organised ‘Fintech meets the Regulators’ at DNB, and on 1 June, European Commissioner Albuquerque was in Amsterdam to discuss international collaboration.
“People need to know that European payments are safe”
AI — and agentic AI in particular — is the most talked-about theme. Roobeek warns against acting too hastily. During a recent HFA gathering, Adyen emphasised that it has invested years in building trust with customers and merchants. “Test first. Don’t come out with some ridiculously big story. Earn trust. That’s how Adyen establishes a typically European proposition,” she says. At the same time, sitting still is not an option: Rabobank recently made the first AI-driven agentic payment in the Netherlands, a milestone that shows large institutions are moving too.
Strikwerda adds a structural dilemma: what is technically possible is not always desirable or sustainable from a regulatory standpoint. Traditional institutions are focused on risk management, which makes radical innovation from within difficult. Erik van der Mars, HFA board member and working at Mastercard, sees that a tipping point is approaching on the consumer side as well. “You have to be able to explain it to society. Go too far into it, and it becomes more complex.”
The HFA board members foresee a financial system in which cross-border payments become faster, cheaper and safer. Embedded finance weaves itself further into retail and B2B. But the precondition remains: robust systems, strong cybersecurity and a society that understands and trusts the change. “The ultimate guarantee we should be able to offer in Europe,” says Roobeek, “is that people know it is safe.”
English translation from the original article in Het Financieel Dagblad 19.06.2026:
The financial sector is in a phase of profound change. Artificial intelligence, embedded finance and digital currencies are redefining how money moves and how consumers and businesses settle payments with one another. At the same time, many players are struggling with outdated systems, cross-border regulation and the question of how innovation can be embraced responsibly without losing the trust of users.
Holland Fintech Association (HFA), the Dutch non-profit that drives innovation in the financial sector, stands at the heart of this transformation. Annemieke Roobeek, President of HFA, sees a sector that has fundamentally changed. “The challenger that started out as a startup has taken on a different role. In part, the innovative expertise has been incorporated into larger companies; in part, the challengers themselves have grown large.” Adyen is long past being a startup, and players like Buckaroo and Bizcuit now work closely with major banks. The result is a fusion of expertise that will take an even greater leap forward with AI.
The open economy, early adoption of digital payment methods and a strong concentration of talent make the Netherlands an attractive starting point. Peter Strikwerda, HFA board member and representative in the European Digital Finance Association (EDFA), points to a third factor: “You have to think in terms of networks and collaboration if you want to innovate quickly. In the Netherlands, we’re simply able to do that.”
HFA connects not only fintech companies large and small, but also the private sector with regulators. “We make sure that when new developments emerge, there isn’t a hard stop, but that we’re already looking at how to regulate it in the right way,” says Roobeek. For example, HFA organised ‘Fintech meets the Regulators’ at DNB, and on 1 June, European Commissioner Albuquerque was in Amsterdam to discuss international collaboration.
“People need to know that European payments are safe”
AI — and agentic AI in particular — is the most talked-about theme. Roobeek warns against acting too hastily. During a recent HFA gathering, Adyen emphasised that it has invested years in building trust with customers and merchants. “Test first. Don’t come out with some ridiculously big story. Earn trust. That’s how Adyen establishes a typically European proposition,” she says. At the same time, sitting still is not an option: Rabobank recently made the first AI-driven agentic payment in the Netherlands, a milestone that shows large institutions are moving too.
Strikwerda adds a structural dilemma: what is technically possible is not always desirable or sustainable from a regulatory standpoint. Traditional institutions are focused on risk management, which makes radical innovation from within difficult. Erik van der Mars, HFA board member and working at Mastercard, sees that a tipping point is approaching on the consumer side as well. “You have to be able to explain it to society. Go too far into it, and it becomes more complex.”
The HFA board members foresee a financial system in which cross-border payments become faster, cheaper and safer. Embedded finance weaves itself further into retail and B2B. But the precondition remains: robust systems, strong cybersecurity and a society that understands and trusts the change. “The ultimate guarantee we should be able to offer in Europe,” says Roobeek, “is that people know it is safe.”