For a long time, a bank account was seen primarily as a tool for receiving a salary, paying bills, and building savings. However, a new generation of financial apps is trying to convince clients that by choosing a bank, they are also deciding which projects their money supports. So-called green neobanks therefore combine mobile banking with tree planting, financing renewable energy sources, or excluding the fossil fuel industry.

Summer is in full swing, but the world doesn't stop, and there is still plenty happening in our industry. You can find the most interesting developments from our perspective in this edition of our newsletter.

Sustainable investing has evolved from a niche trend into a mainstream product. Yet, as the volume of capital in green funds grows, so does the pressure to answer a question that has long remained in the background: how do we actually know if an investment is truly sustainable? ESG ratings were supposed to provide the answer. However, recent years have shown that they are one of the weakest links in the entire system. The European Union is responding with a series of regulatory measures, the latest of which—direct oversight of ESG rating providers—came into effect on July 2, 2026.

The cryptocurrency segment has reached the most important crossroads of its existence, and the narrative of an imminent "future of finance" is showing serious cracks. The current deep price drop and prolonged investor apathy in 2026 are no longer just a manifestation of the typical cyclicality this volatile market was used to. This is a deep structural crisis of legitimacy and an exhaustion of previous narratives. The era of cheap money and zero interest rates has definitively ended.

Whether this newsletter finds you at the office or on vacation, we believe there is always room for interesting content and hope you can spare a few minutes to catch up on the latest industry news from the past month. The holiday season also marks the slow end of the conference season. We managed to attend a few, and we are sharing our key takeaways with you here.

From June 16–18, our representative, Ondřej Mikulčík, attended the iFX EXPO International 2026 conference, which took place in Limassol, Cyprus. This is one of the most significant conferences focusing on online trading, fintech, brokerage, and related technological solutions.