This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Fintech Germany Award (FTGA), a milestone not just for the event but for the entire German fintech ecosystem. A decade sounds long, yet in startup time, it’s a sprint. It’s a moment to reflect: what have we built, and where do we boldly go next?
A Look Back: What Has Happened in the Last Ten Years
Since its inception in 2016, the FTGA has become the touchstone for fintech innovation in Germany. Many of the companies that have stood on that stage didn’t just win an award; they established themselves as mature companies in the ecosystem and reshaped financial services. According to the organisers: “70 % of winners have at least doubled their valuation after FTGA”. Over 30 of them have already achieved unicorn status
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In the meantime, Berlin has emerged as the European startup capital and creative hub, as noted by Kai Wegner, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, citing that “Berlin is the city of creativity”.
Over time, we’ve seen the evolution: from early days where fintech meant digital banking, peer-to-peer lending, and payment rails to a far more complex terrain of embedded finance, open banking, sustainability, regulatory technology, tokenisation, identity, and yes, AI.
2025: Announcing the Winners
The 10th-anniversary edition of the FTGA attracted 117 fintechs from across Germany and Europe. 42 made it to the shortlist, reflecting the diversity and maturity of today’s fintech scene.
The categories for 2025 include Seed Stage, Early Stage, Growth & Later Stage, Most Promising International Startup, plus Special Awards for Sustainable Finance, Web3, and (surprise surprise) AI in Finance.
Here is what has been announced so far:
- Seed Stage — Winner: Regpit (Second Place: Steuerboard, Third Place: Beatvest)
- Most Promising International Startup in Germany — Winner: Blockpit (Second Place: Brite, Third Place: GenTwo)
- Special Award – Female Founder— Winner: Lena Hackelöer of Brite Payments
- Special Award – Sustainable Finance — Winner: 3rd-Eyes Analytics
- Special Award – Web3 — Winner: Tokenize.it
This year, the AI in Finance award has been halted due to uncertainties about the future of the winning start-up: a warning about the risks of the entrepreneurial life, indeed.
But Now: What’s Next?
As Achim Oelgarth, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of the Berlin Finance Initiative, put it perfectly: “We need more than capital, we need courage to create the new European Revolut.”
Because here’s the truth: more funding is always welcome, but what Europe truly needs is courageous founders; the kind who build category-breakers, not just incremental solutions.
Next year’s launch of the Finance Sandbox will be a step in that direction, providing a safe space for experimentation, iteration, and scaling. It’s a clear signal that Germany is finally backing innovation with the freedom to test and fail fast. A regulatory sandbox for finance means founders can (finally) experiment, fail fast, iterate, and scale more boldly. It’s a sign that Germany is getting serious about backing experimentation, not just incremental compliance, as the regulators’ recent attitude has been driving founders away from Germany.
Yet the founder’s path remains complex. As Nektarios Liolios, Co-Founder of Foundology, reminded the audience: “You might be stressed, but fulfilled, driven by something to prove.”
His advice? Do something about it. Exercise. Work on your mental health. Eat better. Because while investors provide capital, they are a part of the problem, often seeing founders as assets, not as people.
At the same time, we have to acknowledge that the ecosystems are complex and founder life is not easy. The suspension of the AI category is a telling metaphor: one day you’re celebrated, the next day your future is uncertain. That’s the paradox of startup life: everything can change overnight. So perhaps, as Liolios implied, the best way forward is to breathe, adapt, and stay grounded.
Why This Award Matters
This 10th edition was more than a party; it was a signal. A signal that the German fintech scene has matured, that Germany and Berlin are credible globally, and that the next phase is not just growth but transformation. The fact that the event is hosted in Berlin (with the Mayor’s doors always open) underscores the message: this is a community. For mentorship, for partnership, for investment, for growth.
To investors: your job is not only to provide money. Your job is to see the person behind the pitch. To support resilience, to enable experimentation, to build infrastructure, to provide the courage that matches the capital.
To founders: celebrate your wins, lean into the award as a milestone, not the finish line. Use it as fuel to double down on your mission. We need business models with staying power. Build for longevity.
Final Word: A Decade of the FTGA
Here’s to the next ten years. Here’s to the companies that doubled, the unicorns born, the risk-takers, the shut-door nights, the white-board sessions, the regulatory tussles, the sandbox experiments, the bootstrap months, the pivots, the breakthroughs. Berlin remains the creative city, Europe’s startup capital.
If you’ve been on stage, or if you’re still coding in your basement, remember: courage trumps capital when you’re shaping the future of finance. The 10th Fintech Germany Award is the proof.
Image Rights: Christian Kruppa, Sebnem Elif Kocaoglu Ulbrich
