Between data power and courage for the future: The SCHUFA Congress 2025

The financial world looks to Mainz

On May 14 and 15, 2025 Mainz the meeting place for key voices in the financial sector: At the SCHUFA Congress „Trends & Insights 2025“ around 450 experts discussed new technologies, digital trends and changing customer needs and expectations. 

The range of topics was broad, the discussions intense: from Compliance topics up to Buy Now Pay Later and smart developments in fraud prevention. The industry is undergoing change and is collectively looking for ways forward, Innovation and responsibility reconnect. 

A network with a future

The congress proved to be a melting pot between tradition and a digital spirit of optimism.
The keynotes, panels and talks focused on the topics currently affecting the industry: 

• How artificial intelligence as an accelerator for Sustainability initiatives can have an effect. 

• Which Challenges in financial education and why it plays such a crucial role in social participation. 

• And which digital technologies help to extract the relevant information from the constantly growing data streams to filter out. 

Digitization pioneer Sascha Lobo shook things up in his keynote speech with wit and vision: „Algorithm, acceptance, attention“! These are three key words that characterized the central theme of the event. 

The SCHUFA itself presented itself transparently: CEO Tanja Birkholz showed that corporate customers and private individuals are not two pillars, but that a consumer-oriented transformation benefits all customers equally. 

Network, understand, change

What made the SCHUFA Congress so special was the atmosphere of open exchange:
Banks, fintechs, supervisory authorities and technology providers discussed ways and means of overcoming hurdles as equals. There was networking at a high level here and you could feel that Future cooperations are created. 

Our impulse: A strategic approach to innovation

Our managing director Dominik Baumann was invited as a speaker and presented the concept of the „Innovation House“. It shows that innovation is not just about using any new technology. Being innovative means thinking holistically, linking systems and taking the entire company and team with you. Innovation must be a journey with a plan.
We at TeleskopEffekt have often been able to accompany this journey and can support you with our expertise. If you are interested, please get in touch! 

Key learnings

1. Transparency is the new trust.
   Whether scoring, open banking or AI: without traceability, technology loses its legitimacy.
2. Innovation needs structure.
   Ideas are born everywhere, but without a framework they often get stuck. The Innovation House addresses precisely this point.
3. Regulation is not an enemy, but a partner.
   The congress showed that sustainable innovation is created when technology and governance go hand in hand.
4. Sustainability & data: two sides of the same coin.
   ESG criteria are no longer just an obligation, but a driver of trust and competitiveness.

Conclusion: Shaping the future - together

The SCHUFA Congress 2025 once again made it clear that new technologies are here and being used and how important it is to benefit from these developments with a plan and strategy.
Between keynote speeches, panels and networking, there was a feeling of new beginnings, supported by people who do not see responsibility and progress as opposites. We look forward to the next time!