Michio Kaku
Co-Founder of String Field Theory | NYT Bestselling Author of Quantum Supremacy | Henry Semat Professor, CUNY | Futurist & Science Communicator
Spiros Margaris
Founder, Margaris Ventures | No. 1 Global Fintech & Finance Influencer | 2024 Swiss Derivative Award Winner | Venture Partner, SparkLabs | Board, Reuss Private (€35B AUM)
Spiros Margaris is the world's top-ranked fintech and finance thought leader — the only person to achieve Onalytica's Triple Crown as No. 1 in Fintech, AI, and Blockchain simultaneously. Founder of Margaris Ventures, winner of the 2024 Swiss Derivative Award, and board member of companies managing or processing billions globally, he translates complex AI and fintech futures into clear strategic direction for senior financial audiences.
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Spiros Margaris biography
Spiros Margaris is the world’s most influential voice in fintech and financial AI — the founder of Margaris Ventures, a prolific venture capitalist and board member, and the only person ever to achieve Onalytica’s “Triple Crown”: simultaneously ranked No. 1 globally in FinTech, Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence. He has since been ranked No. 1 Global FinTech Influencer multiple additional times by Onalytica, No. 1 Global Finance Influencer by Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters), and in 2025 was named No. 2 among the Top Ten Global Thought Leaders in Venture Capital by Thinkers360. Born and raised in Switzerland, Margaris holds an MBA in Strategy from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and an Executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), and brings over 25 years of experience in investment management, technology, and innovation to every engagement.
AI speaker Spiros Margaris is best known for combining genuine investment authority with extraordinary public reach — a rare combination in the fintech world. As fund manager, his publicly listed Margaris No. 1 AI Basket won the 2024 Swiss Derivative Award for Best Active Managed AMC, recognizing it as one of the most outstanding AI investment products in the Swiss financial market. As an operator, he has guided two fintech startups to unicorn status — STC Pay, where he contributed as a board member to securing a full digital banking license from Saudi Arabia’s central bank, and Snappi, which received a banking license from the European Central Bank. He also serves on the board of Reuss Private Holding, a Swiss multi-family office managing approximately €35 billion in assets under management.
His portfolio of active board and advisory roles reflects both the depth and global breadth of his network. Margaris serves on the board of Barq, the Saudi fintech that reached 7 million customers and 6.5 million cards issued in its first year, processing nearly $20 billion globally. He advised QUALCO through its successful May 2025 IPO. He is a Venture Partner at SparkLabs Group — a global accelerator and VC network with over 14 funds and more than 550 startup investments — where he co-leads the AIM-X AI accelerator in Riyadh, backed by KAUST and SDAIA, Saudi Arabia’s national AI authority. SparkLabs’ Nasdaq SPAC featured Margaris on the Times Square billboard. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally invited him to the 2024 Global Business Summit in New Delhi to contribute to high-level discussions on fintech and AI policy.
Thought Leadership at the Intersection of Finance, AI, and Innovation
Margaris has authored influential white papers, including “Machine Learning in Financial Services: Changing the Rules of the Game” for SAP, and contributed to The FINTECH Book. He was the first non-IBM keynote speaker at Europe’s largest IBM event, the 2019 IBM Systems Technical University, and has given a TEDxAcademy talk on how fintech can positively impact the world. His commentary is a regular fixture on financial media and is cited across TechCrunch, Forbes, the Financial Times, and Bloomberg. Steve McLaughlin, founder of FT Partners and described by the Financial Times as the “$5 Billion Dealmaker,” has publicly stated of Margaris: “You are picking the winners.”
As a speaker, Spiros Margaris translates the most complex and consequential developments in financial technology, artificial intelligence, and venture capital into clear, authoritative strategic insight for senior audiences. He speaks on the future of fintech and banking, AI’s transformation of financial services, the rise of embedded finance and digital wallets, the global investment landscape for AI startups, and what it takes for incumbents and challengers alike to win in the next era of financial services. His talks are grounded in real deals, real data, and the kind of pattern recognition that only comes from being at the epicentre of global fintech for over two decades.
Spiros Margaris Speaking Videos
Spiros Margaris about Financial technology
Spiros Margaris - How Fintech can positively impact the world
Spiros Margaris Keynote Topics
Artificial intelligence is not just a new tool for financial services — it is the most disruptive force to reshape banking, insurance, and investment management in a generation. In this keynote, Spiros Margaris draws on his experience as a venture capitalist, fund manager, and board member across the global fintech ecosystem to map the AI transformation underway: from machine learning in credit decisioning and fraud detection, to generative AI in customer service and compliance, to the emerging world of agentic AI that may soon operate entire financial workflows autonomously. He distinguishes the hype from the genuine breakthroughs, identifies the companies getting it right, and gives senior leaders a clear framework for where to invest, where to wait, and where the real competitive advantage lies.
Fintech has moved from disrupting incumbents to becoming the infrastructure of the global financial system — and the next wave is already forming. In this forward-looking keynote, Spiros Margaris shares his perspective as one of the world's most active fintech investors and advisors on what the next decade holds: the expansion of embedded finance into every industry, the rise of digital banking in emerging markets, the evolution of stablecoins and digital assets from niche to mainstream, and the role of AI in creating personalized financial experiences at unprecedented scale. Through real examples from his portfolio and advisory work — including companies that reached a million customers in their first weeks — Margaris gives audiences a vivid and actionable picture of where financial services is going, and who will win.
How do the world's most successful fintech and AI investors separate transformative companies from expensive experiments? In this keynote, Spiros Margaris shares the investment philosophy and pattern recognition that earned him the 2024 Swiss Derivative Award and recognition from FT Partners' founder as someone who consistently picks winners. He covers what early signals distinguish category-defining AI companies from the rest, how to evaluate the intersection of regulation and technology opportunity in different markets, and what the global venture capital landscape for AI and fintech looks like from the vantage point of someone who sees deal flow across Europe, the Middle East, and North America. A rare and highly practical insight into how the best minds in fintech investment actually make decisions.
The single greatest opportunity in financial technology is also its most important moral imperative: bringing financial services to the billions of people who have been excluded from them. In this keynote, Spiros Margaris argues that inclusion is not just a social good but a massive commercial opportunity — and that the companies and investors who pursue it will generate the most durable value over the long term. Drawing on his work with fintech companies across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia that are actively expanding access to credit, payments, and savings for underserved populations, he shows how technology is collapsing the cost and friction that historically kept financial services out of reach — and what regulators, incumbents, and startups all need to do to make this transformation happen faster.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Spiros Margaris
Why Spiros Margaris?
Booking Spiros Margaris means giving your audience access to the most credentialed fintech and financial AI voice in the world — the only person ever to hold Onalytica's Triple Crown as No. 1 simultaneously in FinTech, Blockchain, and AI, ranked No. 1 Finance Influencer by Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters), and named No. 2 Global VC Thought Leader by Thinkers360 in 2025. His authority is not just analytical — it is operational: he has guided two fintech companies to unicorn status, managed a Swiss Derivative Award-winning AI investment fund, and sits on the boards of companies collectively processing tens of billions of dollars in transactions. For financial services organizations, technology firms, and any senior audience navigating the AI and fintech transformation, Margaris offers a perspective that is impossible to replicate. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to inquire about his availability and speaking fees.
What is the Margaris No. 1 AI Basket and the Swiss Derivative Award?
The Margaris No. 1 AI Basket is an actively managed, publicly listed investment product co-launched by Spiros Margaris with Maverix Securities AG that invests in leading AI and fintech companies. In April 2024, it won the Swiss Derivative Award for Best Active Managed AMC — one of the most prestigious recognitions in the Swiss structured products and derivatives industry, which evaluated thousands of investment products across multiple categories. The award validates both Margaris's stock-picking acumen and his ability to identify AI companies with genuine long-term value — the same judgment he applies in his advisory and board roles across the global fintech ecosystem.
What does it mean to be the No. 1 Global Fintech Influencer?
Spiros Margaris has been ranked the No. 1 global FinTech influencer multiple times by Onalytica, the leading influencer relationship management platform recognized by Gartner and Forrester, and No. 1 Global Finance Influencer by Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters), the world's largest financial data company. These rankings evaluate reach, engagement, authority, and the quality of thought leadership across global industry conversations. For Margaris, these rankings reflect a consistent track record of identifying important trends early, translating them for broad audiences, and engaging meaningfully with the companies, founders, and institutions at the heart of the financial technology revolution — not just as a commentator, but as an active investor and board member.
What topics does fintech and AI speaker Spiros Margaris cover?
Spiros Margaris speaks on the future of fintech and financial services, AI's transformation of banking and investment, the rise of digital wallets and embedded finance, the global venture capital landscape for AI and fintech startups, regulatory challenges for technology-driven financial innovation in Europe and beyond, and what both incumbents and challengers must do to compete in the next era of financial services. His keynotes are regularly booked for banking and financial services conferences, insurtech and fintech summits, investment forums, and corporate innovation events where senior executives need to understand the real direction of the industry from someone who is shaping it. To book Spiros Margaris for your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Spiros Margaris as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Spiros Margaris as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Spiros Margaris's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Spiros Margaris or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Spiros Margaris speaking fee?
Spiros Margaris speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Spiros Margaris to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Spiros Margaris.
How can I contact Spiros Margaris?
We only work with Spiros Margaris on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Spiros Margaris and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Spiros Margaris speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Spiros Margaris for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Spiros Margaris for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Spiros Margaris is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Spiros Margaris for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
