The Nordic financial system is among the most advanced in the world. Instant payments through Swish and Vipps, deep digital integration, and high trust in public infrastructure have created an efficient and user-friendly ecosystem.
But while the Nordics have advanced through steady, incremental improvements, fundamental changes are on the horizon elsewhere.
After years of trying—and failing—to create a common European capital market through gradual reform, the European Central Bank has committed to building one on entirely new rails: a blockchain-based capital market for Europe.
Tokenized assets and digital payments are becoming the foundation of Europe’s future financial infrastructure. Meanwhile, the United States is using stablecoins to extend dollar dominance into the digital era, aiming to anchor the USD as the default currency of programmable money.
Could the Nordics, confident in their existing systems, risk missing the next wave?
How are our central banks positioned? Are Nordic banks preparing for tokenized finance? And what steps can already be taken to now remain competitive in this rapidly evolving landscape?
These questions are at the heart of the Stockholm Forum on Digital Assets and Applications—a new platform for central banks, financial institutions, policy makers, asset managers, and fintechs to explore the blockchain-based future of finance.
Agenda
| Time | Content | Speaker | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:30 | Registration & welcome | ||
| 14:00 | Welcome | Dr. Markus Seifert, Dr. Matthias Hirtschulz | d-fine |
| 14:10 | Introduction: Towards a more integrated European capital market through DLT | Dr. Matthias Hirtschulz | d-fine |
| 14:40 | From copper coins to stable coins – a central bank perspective on the continuous evolvement of money | Prof. Dr. Claire Ingram Bogusz, Johan Schmalholz | Sveriges Riksbank |
| 15:10 | Break & fika | ||
| 15:40 | The digital Euro as a global frontrunner: Momentum to lead in future digital capital markets | Prof. Dr. Joachim Wuermeling | ESMT Berlin, Former Board Member Bundesbank |
| 16:10 | Exploration of CBDC at Norges Bank – where we are and the way forward | Kjetil Watne | Norges Bank |
| 16:40 | A financial ecosystem for digital assets | Michael Cyrus | DekaBank |
| 17:10 | Discussion forum with food & drinks | ||
| 19:00 | Closing |
Speaker
Michael Cyrus, Head Short Term Products, Equity Finance & FX and Digital Assets
DekaBank
Prof. Dr. Claire Ingram Bogusz, Docent and Senior Economist
Sveriges Riksbank
Johan Schmalholz, Advisor Payment Infrastructure
Sveriges Riksbank
Kjetil Watne, Special Adviser
Norges Bank
Prof. Dr. Joachim Wuermeling, Executive in Residence
ESMT Berlin
Dr. Matthias Hirtschulz, Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets, Managing Partner
d-fine
Dr. Markus Seifert, Chairman of the Board
d-fine
