CATAPULT: BankTech
CATAPULT: BankTech
Luxembourg: October 20 – 24, 2025
The LHoFT —
Luxembourg
House of Financial
Technology
Applications Open
Depositary Banking Edition
Apply by August 13, 2025
The Program
Catapult: BankTech – Depositary Banking Edition – is a dynamic one-week bootcamp tailored for Fintech firms active in the banking sector. Its depositary Banking edition, running next October 20-24, 2025 , is your gateway to Luxembourg’s Depositary Banking Industry.
Powered by the LHoFT and co-sponsored by ABBL, the first edition of Catapult: BankTech will give fintech companies operating in the depositary banking space the opportunity to fast-track their commercial presence in Luxembourg, one of the world’s premier financial centres and a global leader in the banking sector.
Tailored for Seed and Post-Seed fintech companies aiming to accelerate digital transformation in the banking sector, Catapult: BankTech special edition on depositary activities will offer you the opportunity to:
- Accelerate your growth trajectory, achieving new milestones at lightning speed.
- Expand your network in Luxembourg and beyond, unlocking new doors to funding and collaboration.
Key Pillars
The 10 selected participants will present their innovative solutions addressing these key focus areas. At the conclusion of the program, they will deliver their final pitch to an esteemed panel of experts from the banking and finance sectors.
Regulatory Compliance & Governance (RegTech)
Solution Focus: Automating regulatory processes, ensuring compliance, data governance, risk assessment and tailored controls implementation.
Data acquisition & Process Automation Platforms
Solution Focus: Leveraging AI and automation to streamline data acquisition, processing, integration, and document handling across financial workflows.
Secure Communication & Asset Servicing Ecosystem Integration
Solution Focus: Enabling seamless, secure, and standardised communication (data acquisition, integration and processing) between financial institutions and stakeholders, especially in asset servicing and fund management.
Nasir Zubairi
CEO, LHoFT
Hélène Lange
Head of Business Coordination, ABBL
Insights
❝In partnership with the ABBL, this program connects startups to key players in depository banking—helping them shape solutions around real industry needs, not assumptions.❞
❝This innovation bootcamp for depositary banking and custodian is not just another initiative, it’s a strategic accelerator! It aims to transform operational challenges into growth opportunities, boost institutional agility, and generate new value across Luxembourg’s financial ecosystem. Our ABBL members look forward to engaging with LHoFT and the selected FinTechs to shape the future of operational excellence.❞
Why Luxembourg?
- Luxembourg’s expertise in cross-border financial services gives it a competitive edge as a European hub for international private banking activities.
- Luxembourg offers a one-stop hub for private banking and global wealth management, covering all of a client’s assets and business interests across multiple jurisdictions.
- Luxembourg is: 126% growth in asset management since 2008 / €585 billion in assets under management in private banking and 82% of client assets originate from non-European countries.
- Luxembourg is recognised as one of the most innovative countries in the EU and its economy is the most open in Europe, and one of the most open in the world.
- Luxembourg has built up a very supportive and strong startup ecosystem including easy access to public and private decision makers, incubation facilities, a balanced mix of public and private funds, the presence of major international players as key potential partners.
- Luxembourg is the gateway to the EU for international Fintechs, the home to major e-payment and e-commerce companies, hosting over 185 innovative Fintech companies, active in Mobile payments, RegTech (compliance and regulatory solutions), Big Data analytics, DLT technologies, InsurTech, Automated investment services or Alternative lending, among others.
With Luxembourg’s ambitions related to the technology sector and creating a robust startup nation, the LHoFT and ABBL believe that Catapult: BankTech will help catalyse more Fintech entrepreneurship.
Your Key Questions
What?
Catapult: BankTech is a one-week acceleration program, open to Fintech firms from across the globe. The program seeks innovators aiming to provide essential tools to facilitate the digital transformation of the financial sector, with a focus on banking.
When?
Gear up for a transformative one-week program, the inaugural edition of Catapult:BankTech is taking place from Monday October 20th to 24th, 2025. Participants will be integrated into the Luxembourg Venture Days.
Who?
10 Fintech companies will be selected for the Catapult: BankTech. We are particularly interested in B2B Fintechs that specialise in innovative solutions related to the banking sector.
How?
Catapult: BankTech is structured to optimise learning and development, encompassing classroom tutorials, expert talks, customer discovery sessions, challenges, personalised one-to-one meetings, pitching sessions, mentorship engagements, and networking events.
Why?
Aligning with the LHoFT’s mission to ensure the future competitiveness of Luxembourg’s financial services sector, as well as the national strategic focus on fostering a thriving startup ecosystem, the Catapult: FundTech 360° program aims to resolve key challenges for Luxembourg’s largest sector of financial services, the fund industry.
Eligibility Criteria
Business fields: Companies must be active in the banking sector related to Depositary Banking activities – Custody & Safekeeping Services, Securities Settlement & Clearing, Corporate Actions Management, Fund Administration & NAV Services, Collateral Management, Regulatory Compliance & Reporting, Risk Management & Analytics, Investor Onboarding & KYC Solutions, Treasury & Cash Management, Digital Asset Custody & Tokenization, Proxy Voting & Shareholder Communications, Trade Lifecycle & Reconciliation, Automation & Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Secure Communication & Data Integration, Cybersecurity for Depositary Services
Business location: Africa, Asia, Australia/NZ, Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America.
Be: Incorporated or Registered.
Business stage: Generating revenues, Paying Users, Users.
Funding: Seed to Series A.
Selected companies will have a product market fit and some paying clients or/and partnered with professional services.
Companies will likely be in the post-seed stage of funding.
Companies will submit all necessary information to the LHoFT in order to assess the viability of the project, company, background of owners and key shareholders to limit the risks of non-compliance or doubtful application of the program.
Companies must agree and shall provide on-going performance metrics and business status for a period of three years post program completion to the LHoFT for the purpose of program evaluation.
The selected companies must guarantee that a founding team member, typically the CEO, will attend the program for the duration of the two weeks.
Applications Open
Depositary Banking Edition
Apply by August 13, 2025
Program Partners
