Insights from The Central & Eastern European Forum 2025

The Central & Eastern European Forum 2025, hosted by Invisso (formerly Euromoney Conferences) at the Hilton Vienna on 14-15 January, was a landmark event for the financial industry. With over 2,000 participants, including leading issuers, investors, banks, intermediaries, and policymakers from more than 45 countries, the forum set the stage for a year of strategic growth and collaboration in the CEE financial markets.

As one of the sponsors, we were honored to contribute to two panels and one workshop. Find the key insights in this exclusive look back!

The forum kicked off with a comprehensive regional overview, addressing the post-pandemic recovery, inflation, and interest rate dynamics. The discussions highlighted the resilience and growth potential of CEE economies, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. 

After the first conference day, we welcomed around 500 attendees to a Drinks Reception at Raiffeisensaal, offering networking opportunities and a warm welcome by hosts and RBI board members Valerie Brunner (Corporate and Investment Banking Customer Coverage) and Łukasz Januszewski (Corporate and Investment Banking Products & Solutions).

Moderated by Toby Fildes, Managing Director at GlobalCapital, this panel featured Valerie Brunner from Raiffeisen Bank International, Geoff Gottlieb from the IMF, Charlotte Ruhe from the EBRD and Debora Revoltella from the EIB. Key topics included:

• Economic recovery: The panelists shared an optimistic view on the growth perspectives of the CEE region. Valerie Brunner highlighted the significant investments in renewable energy and digital transformation under the NextGeneration EU program. The upcoming energy transition is expected to increase lending demand.
  
• EU enlargement: The panel discussed the prospects of EU enlargement, agreeing that this topic is very high on the EU’s agenda. In the current geopolitical environment, European defence was identified as another Brussels priority. While in the past, Europe benefitted from a “peace dividend”, the EU countries would need to find a new balance between social spending and defence spending going forward.
• Financial sector stability: The panelists pointed out that the financial sector in the region is in a very good shape and willing to expand lending activity.

The panelists concluded that the currently subdued sentiment towards the European economy appears overstated, and there is good reason to be optimistic about the year ahead.

Moderated by Richard Kemmish, this panel included Łukasz Januszewski from RBI, Stefan Dörfler from Erste Group, Stanislas Lecat from Société Générale, Paola Papanicolaou from Intesa Sanpaolo, Teodora Petkova from UniCredit and Stanislava Taneva from Citi. Discussions focused on:

• CEE regional dynamics: The panelists observed that CEE markets are not moving in parallel any longer and local business momentum is significantly influenced by country specifics, such as major industries. Still, events such as the war in Ukraine and the new US administration will have strong implications.
  
• Ongoing war in Ukraine and prospects to start rebuilding: The financing needs for reconstruction were estimated to be about 500 million euros. Resolving the conflict was seen as a prerequisite for starting the rebuilding process and increasing the engagement of commercial banks.
• Digitalization and innovation: Łukasz Januszewski highlighted the importance of digitalization in enhancing customer engagement and efficiency. He acknowledged the changes in the competitive landscape triggered by the emergence of neo-banks and fintechs. At the same time, heemphasized the potential for collaboration and technological adoption, constituting a sizeable opportunity for banks taking an active role.

Hosted by RBI and moderated by Martin Blum, Head of Capital Markets Strategy, the workshop delved into the impact of AI on policymaking and investing. The depth of discussion was facilitated by a leading panel of policy experts (National Bank of Hungary Deputy Governor Virag and IMF CEE Representative Gottlieb), a leading investor; Vanguard's Co-Head of EM Fixed Income Eisinger and a leading data scientist; RBI Advanced Analytics Pfann.

• Real-time data analysis: AI enables more informed decision-making by analyzing real-time data and providing early warning systems for emerging financial risks.
  
• AI applications: The National Bank of Hungary showcased AI applications in outlier detection, development of alternative data sets, and monetary policy decision support. These tools enhance data quality and provide timely insights for policymakers.
• Central Bank Sentiment Analysis: RBI's proprietary GenAI sentiment indicator offers detailed insights into central bank statements, aiding market analysis of monetary policy decisions and allowing quantitative time series analysis. The indicator processes central bank statements and provides sentiment analysis within 30 minutes of publication.

The workshop discussion was surprisingly vivid, with policymakers keen to find out more about RBI's indicator on the one hand, but a lack of consensus on the expansion of GenAI role in the investment process on the other. In short, a lot of food for thought in our future GenAI capital markets tool development.

The Central & Eastern European Forum 2025 underscored the dynamic and evolving nature of the CEE financial markets. With a focus on digitalization, innovation, and strategic growth, the forum provided valuable insights for financial professionals navigating the region's opportunities and challenges. As we move forward, the collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives discussed at the forum will play a crucial role in shaping the future of CEE's banking sector.