What it is

DC Fintech Week is an annual forum in Washington, DC where nonprofits, technologists, entrepreneurs, investors and regulators discuss the future of finance. Since 2017 its stated mission has been to make these conversations accessible, and the event is free and open to the public. It operates under The Fintech Foundation, and organizers say it is growing into a broader program called Finchella with deep-dive sessions, curated venues and year-round engagement.

Format and topics

The week combines mainstage keynotes, breakout sessions, curated networking and smaller salon-style events. The 2025 edition ran over four days, with a day at the World Bank, a conference day at Amazon HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia, and salon-style sessions at other venues, including the Milken Institute and FINRA headquarters, plus a kickoff happy hour. Topics covered include crowdfunding, online lending, crypto, cybersecurity, generative AI and open banking. Co-hosts listed on the site include AWS, Visa, Citi, Zelle, the World Bank Group and The Fintech Foundation, with BIS listed as a regulatory co-host. The organizers report 2,321 in-person attendees.

What it offers founders

  • A free way to hear directly from regulators, central bankers and large financial institutions on where fintech policy is heading.
  • Networking with investors, technologists and policymakers in one place.
  • A chance to speak: the Apply to Speak page has forms to apply as a speaker or submit a session. Past lineups have included CEOs and founders.
  • Visibility through sponsorship or by hosting a side event via the Partner With Us page, which is currently recruiting 2027 sponsors.
  • Replays of past sessions, useful if you cannot attend in person.

Call for papers

DC Fintech Week runs an annual call for papers open to experts from governments, central banks, academia, nonprofits, international organizations and industry. Papers of up to 10,000 words on emerging financial technologies or their policy issues are accepted. The 2026 deadline was August 30, 2026. Three papers receive gold, silver or bronze recognition, and selected papers are shared on the conference website.

Why it matters in the DMV ecosystem

Washington is where much of US financial regulation is written, and DC Fintech Week is one of the few free settings where founders can sit in the same rooms as regulators and policymakers. For a fintech founder new to the DMV, it is a practical place to learn the policy landscape and meet people working on it. Agenda and registration details for each year are posted on the DC Fintech Week site.