Berlin's internationalisation programme for fintechs entering new European markets. Regulatory intelligence, structured founder exchanges and institutional access on the ground.
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The Fintech Immersion Programme (Berlin FinTech Connect) prepares Berlin-based fintechs for market entry into specific European regions. Each edition combines a delegation trip to a leading fintech conference with regulatory briefings, investor sessions, bank scouting formats and structured founder exchanges. Preparation and follow-up sessions in Berlin turn introductions into working relationships.
The programme is co-financed by the European Union and the State of Berlin under the Programme for the Promotion of Internationalisation and Network Building.
Programme onboarding and a high-level introduction to the target market. Participants arrive with context, not cold.
Day one: HoFT Immersion Day with insight briefings, regulatory landscape overviews and a working contact base for the target region. Days two and three: access to a leading local fintech conference.
Key insights, presentation materials and contacts are shared with participants. The format is designed for relationships that outlast the trip.
Two Markets. One Format.
Each delegation is built around the specific regulatory, capital and partnership landscape of the target region.
1Regulatory routes and costs
FCA licensing, Appointed Representative models and the real cost of UK market entry for Berlin fintechs.
2Investor expectations
How UK Series A diligence has shifted on ARR thresholds, growth expectations and AI defensibility.
3Bank partnerships
How tier-one UK banks scout fintech partners and why vendor onboarding is a compliance event, not a procurement decision.
4Founder exchange
Structured peer sessions with founders who have already scaled in the UK market.
1Open Banking and Open Finance
Nordic institutions moved on PSD2 earlier and more thoroughly than Germany. With FIDA on the EU horizon, the operational lessons are directly relevant.
2Digital identity
MitID in Denmark, BankID in Sweden and Norway and the EU's eIDAS 2.0 framework converge here.
3Sustainable and green finance
Copenhagen and Stockholm as centres of gravity for taxonomy-aligned product, transition finance and climate-risk reporting.
4RegTech and digital payments
The Nordic financial sector has consolidated around shared infrastructure, creating a market that rewards interoperable, compliance-native product.
The April delegation surfaced five findings about UK market entry that most Berlin founders do not encounter until they are already on the ground. Regulatory costs, investor expectations, bank partnerships and the real timeline of selling into UK financial services.
Read Full Analysis"One highlight was the founder-to-founder conversations. Sitting across from someone who has navigated similar challenges. You skip the surface-level stuff and get straight to what actually matters."
Sophie Turner
Co-CEO, beatvest
"Together with House of Finance & Tech Berlin, we spent a few days in the UK getting a closer look at how the market actually works on the ground. One thing that stood out to me: In the UK, regulation feels less like a constraint and more like a lever. At the same time, it became clear that success here is not defined by product alone. It’s about how well you navigate partnerships, regulation, and operational complexity together."
Mandya Aziz
CCO, Banxware
"London, as the FinTech epicenter, is ahead of Germany in terms of funding, talent, global reach, and political support. The good news: Germany can catch up and is not lacking innovative ideas. What we need is a more harmonized European capital market."
Fabian Mohr
CEO, UnitPlus
Berlin-based fintech exploring Nordic expansion? The Copenhagen delegation runs 22-25 September 2026. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
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