iFX EXPO International 2026, held at the City of Dreams Mediterranean, enters its final day as attendees return for a second round of conference sessions and the closing stretch of meetings across the exhibition floor.
The event continues to bring together brokers, fintech firms, liquidity providers, payment providers, technology vendors, and other participants from across the online trading industry.
iFX EXPO 2026 Final Day Sessions Continue
Following a busy opening day marked by discussions, networking, and deal-making, activity has resumed across both the Speaker Hall and the Mastery Hub.
Today’s programme features a full schedule of sessions spanning trading technology, regulation, payments, digital assets, client acquisition, and broader operational trends shaping the sector.
Technology and AI are transforming the investment landscape. Speaking at iFX EXPO International 2026, CySEC Chairman highlighted the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of financial services, with a focus on innovation, investor protection and market integrity. pic.twitter.com/Jw7UWV8nYR
— CySEC - Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (@CySEC_official) June 17, 2026
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Finance Magnates is on-site providing live coverage from across the venue, with updates throughout the day highlighting key insights, speaker remarks, and developments as the 2026 edition draws to a close.
Tokenized Assets Open New Broker Revenue
The fireside chat titled “How Brokers Can Unlock New Revenue Through Tokenized RWAs” featured Tajinder Virk, Co-founder and CEO of Finvasia, and Panagiotis Tanampasidis, Managing Director at Blockmaze Greece.
The discussion focused on the growing role of tokenized real-world assets as a potential revenue stream for brokers and trading platforms.
The conversation examined how tokenisation could expand product offerings, enhance client engagement, and support new business models in a competitive market increasingly influenced by crypto-native firms.
It also highlighted the importance of regulated infrastructure and the key considerations brokers must address before integrating tokenized assets into their product suites.
Market Data Reveals Broker Growth Shifts
The presentation titled “Where the Market Is Actually Moving – Data, Regulation, and the Next Broker Playbook” featured Ramzi Ahmad, Director of Intelligence at Finance Magnates Intelligence. The session focused on data-led insights into current trading activity and how market dynamics are shifting across regions and asset classes.
Drawing on internal market intelligence, the discussion examined volume trends, emerging growth markets, and areas showing signs of slowdown. It also highlighted how ongoing regulatory developments may influence broker expansion strategies and operational planning.
The session further explored the importance of aligning business decisions with real-time market data, including regional opportunities in LATAM and APAC, as well as broader industry feedback from regulatory discussions.
Global Payments Infrastructure Faces Transformation Debate
The panel “Who Will Power the Future of Global Payments?” featured Nikolett Palinkas, Group Chief Growth Officer (Acquiring) at payabl., Martynas Bieliauskas, Founder and CEO of Bivial AG, Tim Ferland, CEO of LetKnow Pay, Fotini Tsikkou of ECOMMBX, Ayodeji Osisami, Chief Financial Officer at Kora, and José Martí, CEO of PayPaga.
The discussion focused on the evolving global payments landscape as fintech firms, payment providers, and digital asset companies seek to shape the next generation of payment infrastructure. Panelists examined the growing integration between blockchain-based systems and traditional payment networks, particularly in areas such as cross-border transfers, business payments, and global payouts.
The session also explored the role of partnerships between financial institutions, fintech companies, and crypto firms, alongside the regulatory and infrastructure challenges associated with scaling new payment models. Speakers considered how these developments could influence the future structure and operation of global payment networks.
Market Risks Expose Operational Blind Spots
The session “F*&K UPS – Real Failure Cases: Lessons From Leaders Who Learned The Hard Way”* featured Gil Ben Hur, Founder of 5% Group, Ruben Abitbol, Founder and CEO of RUBIK Prop Firm Consulting, and Albina Zhdanova, CCO at TFB.
The discussion focused on operational and risk management challenges facing firms in fast-moving financial markets. Drawing on real-world examples, the speakers examined how issues such as toxic flow, latency arbitrage, liquidity disruptions, and unexpected client behaviour can affect business performance and resilience.
The session also explored common blind spots in risk management frameworks, along with the technologies, processes, and mitigation strategies firms use to navigate volatile market conditions. Particular attention was given to lessons learned from past failures and how these experiences can inform stronger operational practices going forward.
Who Owns the Customer in Fintech
The panel “Your Customer Isn’t Yours Anymore” featured Stanislav Galandzovskyi, Acquisition & Growth Marketing Consultant at finforceone.com, Anthony Migui, Group Chief Commercial Officer at Virtual Pay International, Vince De Castro, Head of Marketing at Acuity Trading, Angelos Gregoriou, Co-Founder and CEO of Dynamic Works, and Lihi Notea, Director of Client Engagement & Marketing at Nuvei.
The discussion focused on how evolving platform ecosystems are reshaping customer acquisition, distribution, and retention across payments, trading, and fintech. Panelists examined how product, marketing, and transaction flows are increasingly influenced by platforms, intermediaries, and algorithm-driven systems rather than direct brand control.
The session also explored the impact of AI on user discovery, personalisation, and fraud prevention, and how firms are adapting to changing customer expectations while competing for visibility and transaction flow in environments where traditional ownership of the customer journey is becoming less defined.
Next Era of Digital Checkout Begins
The Masterclass by Visa titled “The Next Era of Checkout Starts with Click to Pay” featured Michael Ioannides, Visa Country Manager Cyprus at Visa Europe.
The session focused on the Click to Pay solution, a digital card payment experience designed to streamline the online checkout process. It examined how reducing friction at checkout can improve authorisation rates, enhance security, and create a faster payment journey for customers.
Day 1 at iFX EXPO showed exactly why the industry comes together here 🚀
— Leverate (@leveratelive) June 18, 2026
Day 2 is underway, come find us 👋
📍 Booth 70–71#iFXEXPO2026 #Leverate #Fintech #FX #Brokers pic.twitter.com/qcKYiVkqeC
The discussion also highlighted the broader impact of frictionless payment design on merchant performance, including its influence on conversion rates, customer trust, and overall payment efficiency in a digital-first environment.
Bullion Debate Focuses on Market Resilience
The panel “The Great Bullion Debate: Rally or Retreat?” featured Yam Yehoshua, Editor-in-Chief at Finance Magnates, Stuart Brock, Business Development Manager at B2PRIME, Rauan Khassan, Chief Growth Officer at TradingView, Emanuel Georgouras, Head of Precious Metals Trading at Swiss Finance Corporation, and Liam Smith, Chief Operating Officer – UK at 26 Degrees Global Markets.
The discussion focused on recent volatility in bullion markets, including sharp price movements that have placed pressure on broker balance sheets and trading infrastructure.
Panelists examined how gold has become a dominant instrument for many brokers, and the operational challenges created by concentrated positioning and rapid market swings.
The session also explored broader structural issues in bullion trading, including liquidity strain, margin adjustments, shifts between B-book and A-book models, and whether gold is increasingly behaving like a digital asset in terms of volatility and flow dynamics.
Speakers considered what these developments mean for market resilience and whether current trading infrastructure is prepared for future volatility spikes.
Execution Matters More Than AI
The Masterclass by Microsoft titled “AI Isn’t the Advantage, Execution Is” featured George Georgiades, CEMA Azure Tech Lead at Microsoft, and Valentinos Georgiades, Azure Business Lead, CEMA SMB at Microsoft.
The session focused on how financial firms are shifting from AI adoption as an innovation goal toward execution at scale as the key differentiator. It explored how cloud infrastructure, AI, and automation are being used to improve operational efficiency, decision-making, compliance, and resilience across organisations.
The discussion also highlighted the move from incremental modernisation to broader transformation, with emphasis on cloud-native architectures, secure system design, and scalable platforms. It further examined how firms are operationalising AI to support productivity, faster innovation cycles, and real-time performance while maintaining regulatory and cost efficiency requirements.
Brokers Face Crypto Trading Competition Shift
The panel “Blurred Lines: When Crypto Platforms Trade Wall Street” brought together Badea Alexandru Gabriel, Senior Regional Director at Naga, Lior Aizik, Co-Founder and COO of XBO.com, Andrew Theodosiou, Sales Director EMEA at Talos, Dr. Demetrios Zamboglou, Group CEO of BitDelta Group, and Steven J. Hatzakis, Global Director of Research at ForexBrokers.com.
The discussion focused on the convergence between crypto-native platforms and traditional financial services, as both expand into overlapping asset classes and trading models. Panelists examined how crypto firms are moving into equities and commodities, while traditional brokers are integrating digital assets and upgrading infrastructure to remain competitive.
Key themes included the growing demand for 24/7 multi-asset trading, the role of regulation in shaping competitiveness, and whether the future market structure will be led by crypto-native platforms or legacy brokers as the industry shifts toward hybrid trading models.
Tokenization Debate: Who Will Own Markets
The session “The Tokenization Revolution: Who Will Own the Markets of Tomorrow?” brought together Jonathan Fine of Ultimate Group, Louis Hawila, VP Capital Markets – Europe at Crypto.com, Stavros Vassiliades, COO and Executive Director at Kraken Cyprus, and Oren Danziger, Managing Director at Finvasia Wealth.
The discussion focused on the evolving landscape of tokenized assets and the question of which market participants are best positioned to shape future financial infrastructure.
Panelists examined whether traditional financial institutions or blockchain-native platforms are more likely to lead the transition toward tokenized markets, along with the technological and regulatory challenges involved in scaling adoption.
Key themes included interoperability, liquidity, and infrastructure readiness, as well as the potential impact of regulatory frameworks such as the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. The session also considered the longer-term outlook for tokenization, including whether it could reshape capital markets within the next five years or require a longer transition period.
Simplicity Drives Leadership High Performance
The Leadership Workshop titled “High Performance Is About Doing Less, Not More” featured Hassan M. Al-Shohaty, Executive Performance Coach at HMS Coaching.
The session focused on leadership performance and the idea that higher effectiveness is often achieved through prioritisation and refinement rather than increased workload.
The discussion explored how leaders can improve outcomes by identifying key behavioural and strategic adjustments that deliver disproportionate results. It also examined the role of habits, mindset, and decision-making in sustaining high performance, with an emphasis on simplifying processes to enhance clarity and efficiency in leadership practice.
Athlete Mindset Drives Business Success Growth
The session titled “Built Like an Athlete: Surviving Dubai’s Business Rollercoaster on the Road to the Top 1%” featured Tarik Chebib, MENA CEO at Capital.com.
The discussion focused on the demands of building and scaling a business in Dubai’s highly competitive environment, where continuous performance and adaptability are key to sustaining growth.
Chebib reflected on how principles drawn from sport — including discipline, preparation, and consistency — have shaped his approach to leadership and decision-making.
The session drew parallels between elite athletic performance and business resilience, highlighting how structured training and mindset can translate into navigating competitive markets and sustained professional development.
Day 2 at iFX EXPO Cyprus! Proud to connect with financial institutions & fintechs shaping payment futures. We build partnerships, simplify infrastructure, and ensure compliance.
— VirtualPay (@virtual_pay) June 18, 2026
Visit us at City of Dreams Mediterranean Resort | Booth 176 + 177. pic.twitter.com/yOy1qCERqk
Geopolitics, Inflation Drive Economic Outlook Discussion
The Executive Interview titled “The Macro Shock Era: What’s Next For The Global Economy” brought together Darius Anucauskas, Chief Market Analyst at Markets.com, and Michalis Persianis, Chairman of the Fiscal Council of Cyprus.
The discussion focused on how ongoing geopolitical tensions are reshaping the global economic outlook, with particular attention to implications for growth, inflation, and international trade.
The conversation also examined how major central banks could respond over the upcoming policy cycle, alongside potential risks to global trade flows and consumer stability.
The speakers further considered how these macroeconomic pressures may transmit to smaller open economies, before turning to Cyprus and assessing its economic resilience, structural strengths, and key vulnerabilities in the current global environment.
