Event-Partnership: Bridging Borders Session in Paris
On November 21st, 2025, Karsten Wenzlaff participated in the Bridging Borders session in Paris, organized by France FinTech and the European Digital Finance Association (EDFA). The session took place alongside the European Forum for Financial Innovators and brought together regulators and industry representatives from across Europe to exchange on cross-border challenges in digital finance.
The Bridging Borders initiative aims to foster structured dialogue between fintech companies, national associations, and supervisory authorities. The objective is to better understand practical obstacles in cross-border activities, identify differences in regulatory interpretation, and contribute to a more coherent European financial market.
A central topic of the session was the gap between the theoretical framework of cross-border licensing and its practical implementation. While the European passporting regime provides a foundation for operating across Member States, participants highlighted that procedures, timelines, and documentation requirements still vary significantly between jurisdictions.
These divergences were also observed in areas such as anti-money laundering and customer due diligence. Differences in onboarding processes, data requirements, and KYC cycles often require companies to adapt their operations to multiple national frameworks. Supervisory authorities noted that such variations are often linked to national legislation and local risk assessments.
In addition to regulatory aspects, discussions addressed infrastructure and technical fragmentation across Europe. Variations in PSD2 API performance, as well as differences in access to credit data across national systems, continue to create operational challenges for fintech companies operating across borders.
Throughout the session, both regulators and industry participants emphasised the importance of enhanced cooperation, clearer guidance, and increased transparency. The dialogue highlighted that continued exchanges of this kind are essential to reduce fragmentation and improve the practical functioning of the European Single Market.
Participants expressed strong interest in continuing the Bridging Borders initiative with further sessions focused on concrete operational topics. Ongoing collaboration between stakeholders will remain key to aligning regulatory practices and supporting innovation across Europe’s digital finance ecosystem.
