2026 AI Barometer Release Event
FinTech Belgium, Sailpeak and Vlerick Business School came together on June 18th for the unveiling of the 2026 AI Barometer. This third edition highlighted how the Belgian sector had moved beyond "chatbot" experiments toward the realities of autonomous, enterprise-wide deployment.
The event examined the key challenges shaping 2026: the search for accountability in AI-driven decision-making, the definition of success in a post-pilot world, and the "Deployment Gap" that was preventing large-scale rollout. Speakers and participants explored why, despite 85% of firms having dedicated AI units in 2025, integrating AI into legacy infrastructure and securing business readiness remained the final hurdles to achieving true transformation.
Programme:
18:00 | Doors Open & Welcome Drinks
18:30 | Opening Remarks | Raf De Kimpe (CEO, Fintech Belgium)
18:35 | Exclusive Insights: The FinTech Barometer | Nico Vincent (Founding Partner, Sailpeak)
18:45 | Panel Discussion: AI in Financial Institutions - How are Belgium’s banking and insurance giants scaling AI?
Barak Chizi (Chief Data & Analytics Officer, KBC Group)
Ariane Berckmoes (Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Ethias)
Kristof Meganck (Chief Data Officer, BNP Paribas Fortis)
Moderated by Prof. Bjorn Cumps (Professor & Partner, Vlerick Business School)
19:25 | Fireside Chat: The Fintech Frontier An intimate conversation with two trailblazing fintechs.
Geert Van Kerckhoven (CEO & Co-Founder, Oper Credits)
Zoé van Ysseldijk (Business Development Manager Benelux, PAIR Finance)
Moderated by Alessandra Guion (Chair of the BOD, Isabel nv & EDFA)
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