What remains of the financial system when we erase paperwork, counters, and replace everything with algorithms? Artificial intelligence has been transforming banks’ back-end processes for years, but now it is entering the very core. Who gets access to capital, how are risk decisions made, and who will even survive in the financial market of the future?
These very questions are at the heart of AI.Weekend and Investment.Weekend, festivals within the jubilee Weekend.18, which will once again bring together global leaders from technology, finance, and entrepreneurship in Rovinj from September 18 to 21.
One of the most anticipated conversations at AI.Weekend is the panel “Code, Cash & Collapse? AI’s Great Rewrite of the Finance Industry”, which focuses on the fundamental transformation of the financial sector under the influence of artificial intelligence — from the rise of fintech solutions to the struggle of legacy systems lagging behind technology. The discussion will explore who is building, who is buying, and who is falling behind. Answers to these and other questions raised by the panel will be offered by Sheel Mohnot, co-founder and General Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, and Victor Dodig, President and CEO of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).
Mohnot’s $300 million fund is focused on early-stage fintech startups that are redefining customer experience and access to financial services. As an investor and former founder, Mohnot knows what it means to build under pressure and what separates market-changing ideas from those destined to be forgotten.
On the other side of the spectrum, from the heart of the traditional banking industry, comes Victor Dodig, President and CEO of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Dodig leads more than 48,000 employees while steering the strategic transformation of one of North America’s largest banks. He also brings an insider’s perspective, understanding how large institutions collaborate with innovators, where they see threats, where they see opportunities, and how they balance between tradition and the future. His position offers a unique insight into how major institutions envision their own future and how they cooperate — or clash — with new players in fintech.
The conversation between these two global representatives of the fintech and banking sectors will be moderated by Božidar Pavlović, Partner at Aymo Ventures, who will guide the discussion toward concrete insights from practice. Who will survive in the new AI-driven financial ecosystem — the builders, the buyers, or those who manage to adapt?
But Dodig is not only bringing institutional knowledge — he also comes with a global vision of investment. In addition to AI.Weekend, Dodig will also appear at Investment.Weekend, organized in cooperation with the Zagreb School of Economics and Management. There, in conversation with Krešimir Marušić of Corient Private Wealth on the panel “The Future of Investing”, he will open key questions about where capital is flowing today, how investment behavior is changing under the pressures of artificial intelligence, the energy transition, and demographic shifts, and what it means to lead a financial institution in times of uncertainty.
Don’t miss the key weekend in September
AI.Weekend aims to bring together leading experts and enthusiasts from the world of artificial intelligence to demystify this revolutionary technology, unlock its full potential, and showcase the exciting and practical opportunities it offers. The festival will take place as part of Weekend.18 in Rovinj from September 18 to 21, with more information about the program and speakers available on the official website as well as the festival’s Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn channels.
