CV Summit 2025 confirmed its position as Switzerland’s premier business event for frontier technologies driving the future of finance and other critical industries.
Over two high-energy days in Zurich, thousands of delegates, including investors, founders, finance professionals, bankers, wealth managers, asset managers, and technologists, gathered to examine the empowering utility of blockchain, AI, tokenization, and digital assets across global industries. With 190 speakers, CV Summit underscored its role as a catalyst event for defining and benchmarking the new era of finance and technology.
“Innovation has never been as fast as today, but will never be as slow ever again,” said Olaf Hannemann, Co-Founder of CV VC, capturing the Summit’s future-focused spirit.
Finance Meets Technology
A central theme of the Summit was how blockchain and AI are reshaping wealth, asset management, banking, and payments. Conversations confirmed these technologies as the infrastructure of a new “Wealth3” era, where programmable money, tokenized assets, and AI-powered agents are transforming financial systems.
Franklin Templeton’s Sandy Kaul and Roger Bayston shared how wealth management is shifting from account-based models to wallet-based digital systems. Unblock’s Oscar Flores highlighted new global payment systems built on blockchain, while PostFinance’s Dr. Alexander Thoma emphasized the role of digital assets in modern portfolios. Luzerner Kantonal Bank’s Serge Kaulitz showcased how traditional banks are integrating digital assets, including how his own bank is now offering Bitcoin and Ethereum as collateral for loans. A tech megatrend session co-hosted with Citi examined how banks and VCs are preparing for a decentralized future, going beyond to discuss quantum computing.
Across all stages, main, AI, digital assets, and technology, panelists explored the rise of autonomous financial agents – AI-driven systems capable of transacting, investing, and paying on behalf of humans – sparking debate on governance and accountability and underscoring blockchain’s essential role in the new AI era.
Institutions were strongly in attendance: 80+ banks, financial and asset managers from Switzerland and international regions. There was a bolstered presence from wealth managers, family offices, private and institutional investors, with many directly investigating the future of wealth & asset management. Drivers from major blockchain technology platforms such as Ethereum, Internet Computer, Canton Network, and VeChain were joined by key drivers in the AI space, such as Google, Microsoft, and Palantir.
Switzerland’s Leadership and Global Perspective
The Summit reaffirmed Switzerland’s leadership as a trusted hub for blockchain innovation, home to more than 1,700 blockchain-focused entities. Leaders, including Heinz Tännler (Government Councillor, Canton Zug & President, Swiss Blockchain Federation) and Philipp Rickenbacher (Chairman, CV VC), called for bold steps in stablecoin adoption, tokenization, and regulatory clarity to maintain Switzerland’s edge.
“Innovation does not happen incrementally. It only happens in big steps. We must become a country that celebrates wins as well as failures and the lessons they bring,” said Rickenbacher.
Continued Swiss banking innovation was evident throughout the Summit. The Swiss Bankers Association, UBS, PostFinance, and Sygnum Bank completed a feasibility study for blockchain-based deposit tokens and payments infrastructure – the first time banks executed a legally binding cross-institutional payment using deposits and a public blockchain.
Beyond Switzerland, leaders from Dubai to the USA shared perspectives on shaping digital asset frameworks. Ahmed Bin Sulayem of DMCC noted, “To unlock the future of blockchain, we must build the ecosystems that allow it to thrive.” Jonas Jünger of Binance pointed to the challenge of balancing regulatory expectations with fast-paced innovation.
Founders from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East further highlighted blockchain’s role in unlocking financial inclusion and economic growth across emerging markets.
Startups, Scale-ups, and Next-Gen Tech
The CV VC Startup Spotlight placed innovators center stage, showcasing portfolio companies tackling real-world challenges – from open-verifiable data to secure cross-border aid transfers.
Fireside chats with Sygnum Bank and Animoca Brands demonstrated the maturation of tokenized value exchange, while a Citi-led megatrend session explored how banks and VCs are preparing for decentralized futures and incoming technologies such as quantum computing.
Collaboration Driving Momentum
This year’s CV Summit was made possible by over 100 strategic partners, including Franklin Templeton, Unblock, Internet Computer, Canton Network, ICB Labs, MME Legal, SCRYPT, The Kingdom Bank, Google, Binance, Microsoft, and Palantir. Their involvement reflects the accelerating convergence of traditional finance with frontier technologies.
“Our vision was to bring bankers into the same room as builders. Five years ago, that was a bold bet. Today, it’s the most natural conversation in the industry,” said Mathias Ruch, Founder & CEO of CV VC.
The Road Ahead
As CV Summit 2025 closed, the message was clear:
- The future of money is borderless and programmable.
- Autonomous agents and machine-native infrastructure will shape finance.
- Switzerland will continue to serve as a bridge between institutional trust and decentralized innovation.
The 12th edition of CV Summit, scheduled for 2026, promises to be even bigger as AI, blockchain, and digital assets continue to redefine global markets.
