In a world that is increasingly driven by technology, it's almost natural that financial systems, government policies, and global infrastructure are being rethought. After all, the question isn't whether these systems will adapt but how far these adaptations can push the boundaries of innovation while staying resilient. That's what "PREDICT 2026: New financial fabric – Digital assets, smart infrastructure, global resilience" is setting out to explore.
The way finances interact across borders, the technology enabling smarter systems, and the resilience required to safeguard all these innovations are converging into a future that feels urgent but promising. As a serial entrepreneur based in Europe, my perspective often leans toward the practical, how this impacts startups, freelancers, and the small-scale operators who are more agile but also more resource-constrained compared to major institutions.
Let’s start with what’s reshaping core financial dynamics.
Core Shifts in Finance: Digital Assets as the New Cornerstone
We’ve seen digital currency discussions finally move out of speculative forums and into regulatory offices. Global financial instruments are no longer competing solely in a space of fiat currencies but integrating tokens such as Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). According to Finextra's PREDICT 2026 event coverage, banks and payment processors are heavily investing in blockchain and smart contract protocols. The immediate focus seems to be solving inefficiencies in cross-border payments.
From a business owner's perspective, this opens opportunities but also raises risks. For instance, will smart contracts be legally enforceable across jurisdictions, or will blockchain create bureaucratic overlap? As of now, startups looking to adopt tokenized payment models or peer-to-peer lending need clear frameworks. Without these, you risk being too ahead of the curve while regulatory clarity lags behind.
The upside? Competitive differentiation. If your company can successfully integrate tokenized assets or programmable money into workflows early, your infrastructure positions you as an industry leader. Start small: integrate blockchain for traceability in supply chains or explore CBDCs for payment transparency.
Investments in Smart Infrastructure: Is the Tech or the Design Smarter?
Governments and companies are throwing money at smart infrastructure. The UNDP-CDRI biennial report on Global Infrastructure Resilience emphasizes how networks, whether electrical grids, transport logistics, or data systems, need upgrades to accommodate both planned and unforeseen challenges like economic shifts or extreme weather.
With smart grids and IoT setups becoming more entrenched, this is an opportunity for startups that cater to sustainability, urban planning, or IoT monitoring. Whether you're building retrofit solutions for existing infrastructure or scaling new-age prototyping for edge ops, businesses willing to collaborate with public entities on infrastructure can stand to win big in the coming decade.
What’s practical here? Anticipate the type of automation or data management your customers, not just governments but small private actors, would use. Offering long-term maintainable solutions rather than high-tech systems that are expensive to update will sell better.
Balancing Innovation and Resilience: Preparing for Geopolitical Uncertainty
One of the areas most often undervalued in tech discussions? Resilience planning. At PREDICT 2026, one core idea shared across central banks and financial institutions is how to balance global integration with sovereignty. Initiatives like Europe’s digital euro project or blockchain-for-regulation networks point toward growing national assertiveness within digital finance.
Startups in Europe looking to benefit should stay mindful of compliance while scaling. Imagine launching in different regions but ensuring alignment with EU’s cross-border payment norms, privacy mandates, and ensuring a backup strategy to mitigate currency fluctuation risks since digital asset volatility is likely to influence how markets react. Risk planning before execution becomes your USP.
Three Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Era of Digital Assets and Infrastructure
- Going too fast with untested tech. Early adoption is alluring but risky. Ensure blockchain, AI, or payment technologies are first vetted internally before scaling those solutions.
- Ignoring regulatory sandboxes. These exist specifically to help businesses safely test disruptive financial models, and the opportunity to iterate directly with oversight reduces compliance headaches later.
- Weak scalability forecasting. Many SMEs fail post-scale simply from underestimating operational workflows in both smart and legacy financial systems.
How Can Entrepreneurs Respond Strategically?
Here are actionable steps that small businesses, freelancers, and independent startups can take as these financial shifts settle in:
Educate Yourself Early.
Platforms offering open courses on blockchain integration or CBDC operations are a good starting point. If you're curious, Deloitte’s latest TMT Predictions suggest heavy 2026 investments in platform-based finance and systems modeling; learn what's ahead.
Invest in Governance Tools.
By 2026, smart contracts will require accessible governance tools that translate legal specifics into code. Right now, this area is emerging, but once these technologies reach maturity, they’ll structure everything from supply chains to investor reporting.
Diversify Payment Methods.
Accept digital currencies amid traditional ones. PayPal's crypto wallet and Visa’s push for crypto-backed debit cards are trends that any small-scale businesses should be tracking.
Plan for Global Cyber Defence.
Traditional hacking exploits may pale compared to blockchain safeguard bypasses or quantum-power attacks. This level of resiliency is often ignored in early-stage ventures but becomes essential when competing internationally.
Final Thoughts
2026 looks less like a typical next chapter and more like a re-editing of financial systems. For me, this means working on projects that don’t just incorporate emerging market tools but actively shape them.
Though some of these shifts appear complex, CBDCs, tokenized integrations, blockchain trust guarantees, they’ve simplified once-small problems that global startups couldn’t think to solve on their own. So as financial infrastructure integrates, startups must prepare to evolve alongside it.
FAQ
1. What is the PREDICT 2026 event about?
PREDICT 2026 explores the future of financial systems, with a focus on digital assets, smart infrastructure, and global resilience. The event discusses the integration of blockchain, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and innovations in global finance. Learn more about PREDICT 2026
2. What are CBDCs, and why do they matter?
Central Bank Digital Currencies are digital versions of fiat money issued by central banks. CBDCs aim to improve transparency, cross-border payment efficiency, and financial inclusion while reducing transaction costs. Discover the role of CBDCs
3. How are governments investing in smart infrastructure?
Governments and companies are investing significantly in upgrading systems such as electrical grids, data systems, and transport infrastructure for resilience against economic and climate challenges. Explore the CDRI’s report on infrastructure resilience
4. What role does blockchain play in reshaping financial systems?
Blockchain is central to reducing inefficiencies in cross-border payments and increasing the trustworthiness of smart contracts and transactional records. Learn about blockchain’s integration in finance
5. How can startups leverage these financial shifts?
Startups can benefit by adopting tokenized payment models, exploring CBDCs, and developing solutions for supply chain traceability using blockchain while staying compliant. See insights on startup strategies for digital assets
6. What are the risks of early adoption of digital financial technologies?
Risks include regulatory uncertainty, scalability issues, and the lack of tested frameworks for blockchain and tokenized assets. Businesses should engage with regulatory sandboxes for safe testing.
7. Why is global resilience emphasized in these innovations?
Global resilience ensures that innovation can withstand challenges like geopolitical tensions and climate disturbances, making systems robust and adaptable. Read more about resilience in infrastructure
8. What’s the connection between AI and digital assets?
AI technologies are being used to optimize blockchain infrastructure, enhance fraud detection, and predict market behaviors, enabling more secure and efficient systems. Discover Deloitte's TMT Predictions for AI
9. How are institutions balancing sovereignty and global interoperability in finance?
The digital euro project exemplifies efforts to maintain sovereignty while ensuring digital systems can interact globally, demonstrating a growing tension between national and international priorities.
10. How can small businesses prepare for the shift to digital and smart infrastructure?
They should prioritize scalability, adopt governance tools for smart contracts, diversify payment methods (including cryptocurrencies), and invest in cybersecurity. Explore practical steps for small businesses
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
