Italy’s fintech sector is moving into a period of renewed momentum. Trade commissioner Giorgio Calveri, Italian Trade Agency, Singapore, explained that innovation has become “one of the most important topics” in the country’s internationalisation strategy, driven by the steering committee that sets foreign-economic policy.

He highlighted that 2025 marks the fourth consecutive year that the Italian Trade Agency has coordinated a national presence at the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF), signalling continuity rather than experimentation. The decision to expand beyond an exhibition booth into a programme of pitching sessions, panels and ecosystem events reflects a more structured national approach to showcasing and scaling Italian fintech innovation.

Calveri emphasised that Italy has deliberately broadened the scope of activities to include multiple programmes, such as lessons on the Italian fintech landscape, panels featuring industry associations and pitching sessions for startups that had completed acceleration initiatives.

These initiatives serve a dual purpose: providing visibility for Italian innovators and embedding them into Singapore’s investment and regulatory environment. For Italy, where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the industrial base, fintech internationalisation is intertwined with broader competitiveness objectives.

The presence of different actors, including YesMilano, which promotes Milan’s attractiveness for talent and investment, reinforces this multi-layered approach. Calveri noted that promoting Milan’s position within global innovation networks is increasingly part of Italy’s international economic strategy, and fintech is one of the verticals used to elevate that positioning.

By integrating municipal, industrial and financial stakeholders, Italy is constructing a wider institutional framework rather than relying solely on startup-level initiatives.

The commissioner also underscored the importance of connecting fintech to Italy’s industrial footprint. The presentation of an industrial park in Batam, backed by Indonesia and Singapore, was introduced as a potential platform for Italian SMEs exploring regional opportunities.

This reflects a recognition that fintech adoption intersects with manufacturing, supply chains and cross-border operations. The message from Italy’s trade leadership is clear: fintech is now embedded in the country’s external economic strategy, backed by government direction, industry coordination and targeted programmes designed to accelerate entry into Asia’s most connected financial hub.

Connecting national ecosystems through Singapore

Dante Brandi, Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei, framed Singapore as “the most vibrant ecosystem” for fintech, a position that shapes Italy’s decision to anchor its regional initiatives in the city-state.

He explained that the embassy, together with the Italian Trade Agency, aims to help startups and innovative SMEs penetrate the Singapore market by connecting them with venture capital, angel investors and the broader innovation landscape. The SFF serves as a focal point because it attracts stakeholders from across Asia and increasingly from global markets.

Ambassador Brandi highlighted the Global Startup Program as one of the key mechanisms enabling Italian innovators to gain exposure to Singapore and ASEAN. The programme, run by the Italian Trade Agency, offers several weeks of acceleration focused on fintech, insurtech and blockchain, hosted this year by Plug and Play Italian.

For Italy, where domestic accelerators are often oriented toward European markets, situating founders in Singapore introduces them to a different scale of competition and regulatory diversity. He noted that Italy’s representation at the festival has also broadened to include business associations such as AssoFintech and Italia Fintech, the two largest representative bodies for the sector in Italy.

Their support signals a shift in how Italy views fintech internationalisation: it is no longer only startup-driven but institutionally supported across both private and public sectors.

Brandi also stressed the role of regulatory diplomacy. He recalled the participation of the Bank of Italy in joint engagements with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Bank for International Settlements, including visits by the Italian governor who chairs a relevant international working group. This form of engagement helps to align regulatory perspectives at a time when cross-border fintech activity raises complex supervisory issues relating to settlement, digital assets and operational resilience.

Taken together, these efforts establish Singapore not as a one-off event location but as Italy’s strategic anchor point in Asia. The approach seeks to integrate Italian innovation into a broader ecosystem where regulatory frameworks, market access and capital formation converge.

The domestic fintech renaissance and Italy’s outward turn

Massimo Ruffolo, vice-president at Italia Fintech, described a shift underway within Italy’s domestic fintech community. He noted that the sector “went through a difficult period during the pandemic” but is now in a phase of renaissance. This recovery is not only visible in startup formation but in the growing alignment between industry associations and government initiatives.

Ruffolo explained that Italia Fintech, which represents more than 50 Italian fintechs, has intensified its internationalisation agenda to ensure that Italian companies are visible and competitive in global markets. The association’s decision to participate actively in Singapore reflects a recognition that global presence is necessary if Italian fintechs are to scale beyond Europe.

He emphasised that Italy remains a bank-centric financial system, but this structure can accelerate fintech adoption rather than slow it. Banks serve as established channels for payments, credit and compliance, and their interest in innovation can create pathways for newer firms to deploy solutions at scale. Ruffolo’s remarks suggest that banks are increasingly acting as partners rather than barriers in Italy’s fintech development.

He also highlighted the role of associations, including AssoFintech and other groups, in strengthening Italy’s presence at international events. These associations now see themselves as actors in Italy’s international economic diplomacy, aligning their objectives with those of the embassy and the trade agency. This shift reflects a maturing ecosystem in which industry bodies move beyond advocacy to coordinated action.

For Italian founders, the renewed participation in global platforms, especially those in Asia, is part of a broader mindset change. Exposure to the SFF allows them to benchmark against regional leaders, engage in cross-border collaboration and understand the standards expected in markets where digital adoption is rapid and regulatory frameworks evolve quickly.

Integrating innovation, investment and regulatory alignment

A recurring theme across the Italian delegation’s remarks was the need for coherent alignment between innovation programmes, investment flows and supervisory discussions. Brandi noted that alongside startups, a “club of investors”, comprising angel investors and venture capital managers, was visiting Singapore to study the ecosystem and meet potential partners. Their involvement suggests that Italy is attempting to match technological ambition with capital readiness.

This approach extends beyond funding. Discussions involving Fiera Milano and YesMilano on whether elements of the SFF could be replicated in Italy illustrate a desire to import best practices in convening stakeholders, fostering public–private dialogue and highlighting emerging technologies. Such exchanges may influence how Italy structures its own innovation platforms in future.

Calveri’s reference to the Batam Industrial Park underscored how fintech collaboration intersects with industrial and logistics policy. For SMEs, regional expansion often depends on integrating payment, identity and supply-chain technologies into physical operations. By linking fintech discussions to industrial infrastructure, Italy is broadening the lens through which innovation is viewed.

Regulatory collaboration remains a critical pillar. Brandi’s emphasis on the role of the Bank of Italy and MAS in international working groups demonstrates an understanding that fintech expansion requires regulatory clarity and trust. In the context of SFF 2025’s technology blueprint, which includes themes such as tokenisation, secure digital infrastructure and responsible AI, Italy’s engagement in supervisory dialogues positions it to align with emerging global standards.

Across these elements, the Italian delegation presented a portrait of ecosystem thinking: startups, regulators, investors, municipal agencies and trade bodies coordinating to build a coherent international presence rather than isolated activities.

Translating engagement into durable partnerships

The conversation reflects an Italy that is taking a more structured and outward-looking approach to fintech. Their remarks point to a framework built on acceleration programmes, regulatory cooperation, capital engagement and multi-stakeholder alignment. Yet the sustainability of this framework will depend on whether Italian startups secure long-term partnerships in Singapore and ASEAN, whether domestic institutions maintain their reform momentum and whether regulators deepen their operational collaboration.

As Italy positions itself within the landscape defined by SFF 2025’s technology blueprint, the opportunity lies in transforming presence into partnership. The themes articulated by the speakers emphasise the need for consistent engagement, continuous regulatory dialogue and practical pathways for commercial scaling. Italy’s fintech future in Asia will hinge not on visibility at events but on the durability of the bridges it is building across markets, regulators and innovation ecosystems.