FIND at the Point Zero Forum 2025 - Connecting Innovation, Policy and People

Opening the Doors to Innovation: The Innovation Tours

Given its role as the central public hub for financial innovation in Switzerland, it was natural for the Swiss Financial Innovation Desk (FIND) to be present and active at the Point Zero Forum. FIND opened the week with the Innovation Tours, curated visits designed to give participants a direct look at financial innovation where it actually happens. Coordinated by FIND and organized in collaboration with GFTN, the ten tours offered access to cutting-edge research labs, fintech hubs and infrastructure players.

The tours included:

• Quantum Center at ETH Zurich: Experiencing state-of-the-art quantum technologies

• ETH FinsureTech Hub: Exploring digital identity as the cornerstone of digital trust

• Alpine Tech Forum, Home of Blockchain.Swiss & Blockchain Center at the University of Zurich: Disruption and Resilience

• IBM and the Linux Foundation: Turning regulated digital assets from vision to reality

• Swisscom and e.foresight: Innovation in the Swiss banking sector

• BIS Innovation Hub: Rethinking the future of central banking

• BX Digital: Building bridges between chains to unlock digital asset liquidity

• CV Labs: From Crypto Valley to global relevance

• DIGITAL REALTY: Touring the backbone of sustainable digital infrastructure

• Tenity: Scaling AI-driven fintech innovation

These Innovation Tours didn't just showcase technologies - they opened real dialogue between the research community, the private sector and visiting experts, highlighting major trends such as generative AI, quantum computing, decentralized systems and next-generation digital trust infrastructure.

Innovation Tours

Rethinking Policy: FIND on the Main Stage

FIND's Head, Eva Selamlar, took part in a panel discussion titled "The Startup Meets Policy Dialogue: Rethinking Policymaking to Propel Startup Growth in Europe". The discussion addressed one of Europe's persistent challenges: building a regulatory environment that enables startups to scale across borders without being held back by market entry barriers, inconsistent rules or compliance burdens.

Eva Selamlar outlined the steps Switzerland is taking to create such an environment. She further spoke about the progress of the eID project, which has already been approved by Swiss parliament and which is now subject to public vote in September 2025. If approved, it is moving forward toward implementation, with a public launch projected for 2026. She also presented the Public Beta phase, currently underway, where citizens can test the swiyu wallet app - part of the country's digital trust infrastructure. This participatory approach allows policy makers to be informed by real-world user experience and feedback.

She also announced a pilot project initiated by FIND, inter alia in collaboration with the Federal Chancelleryand MROS, aimed at mapping existing data flows between supervisory and law enforcement bodies. The goal is to assess stakeholder needs and develop smart, AI-ready infrastructure that serves both innovation and compliance.

Panel "The Startup Meets Policy Dialogue: Rethinking Policymaking to Propel Startup Growth in Europe"

SwissHacks: Real Prototypes for Real Problems

One of the most dynamic moments of PZF came when the winners of SwissHacks took the stage. Conceptualized by FIND, powered by Tenity and officially endorsed by GFTN, SwissHacks is the leading and unique government-driven hackathon in Switzerland focused on financial innovation. For its second edition, SwissHacks welcomed 220 hackers and 54 projects across five challenges, all developed in just 48 hours (more about it here). The winning teams addressed real-world problems proposed by Julius Baer, Ripple, Raiffeisen, Arch Re, and Innosuisse & Startupticker.ch. Moderated by journalist Tanya König, the on-stage pitches weren't just impressive – they showed what's possible when innovation is given the right frame, the right pressure, and the right visibility. As Eva Selamlar reminded the audience, “SwissHacks isn't a PowerPoint competition. It's a prototype sprint, designed to create usable, testable solutions to real challenges from the world of finance”.

SwissHacks on PZF Stage

Celebration Night: Trust, Technology and Togetherness

The week concluded with the SwissHacks Celebration Night, a networking side event hosted by FIND, AMINA Bank, Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law and Tenity in collaboration with Nordic Fintech Week. Set against the backdrop of Lake Zurich, the evening brought together winning hackers teams, industry leaders and public officials.

The event featured a panel on digital trust with speakers including Chris Kenner, Sabrina Wollenschläger, Jeff Schiemann, Dr. Firas Nadim Habach and Jessica Renier. The discussion moderated by journalist Tanya König highlighted emerging risks such as fake identities and scam websites and explored how trust can be preserved in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. Key themes included the power of blockchain to return data control to users, the need for interoperable systems and the critical role of human relationships - even in a digital age. The evening ended with a lakeside networking-dinner, sharing momentum of innovation and connection.

SwissHacks Celebration Night

A Strong Signal for the Future

FIND’s active role at the Point Zero Forum reflected one pillar of its core mission: to facilitate innovation, support dialogue and connect the dots between public purpose and private creativity. Through the Innovation Tours, enlightening panel discussions and a financial innovation hackathon, FIND helped move the conversation forward: not through abstraction, but through action. As Europe works to redefine its position in the global financial landscape, national initiatives like FIND will be crucial in ensuring that innovation happens, fast, meaningfully, human-centered and anchored in public trust.