Presenting the first Nordic Fintech Ecosystem “Across and Beyond” Award
Love Dager — Stockholm Fintech
The Nordic fintech ecosystem, encompassing Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the Baltics, thrives on high-tech innovation and collaborative competition that enables global market impact. Stockholm Fintech and Helsinki Fintech Farm co-host major events like Stockholm Fintech Week, fostering regional synergy despite seasonal contrasts. The Nordic Fintech Ecosystem Across and Beyond Award, presented jointly by Stockholm Fintech, Helsinki Fintech Farm, and Finance Estonia, honors key contributors promoting cross-border fintech collaboration. In 2025, Annelie Sundstrom of Citi received recognition for a decade of exceptional ecosystem strengthening efforts.
"The collaboration we have where we can create innovation in each country and then both compete with each other, but then also gather and unite and compete truly on the global market – that's really the Nordic secret sauce."
Summary
- Stockholm Fintech and Helsinki Fintech run sister events promoting Nordic fintech collaboration. - Nordic countries focus on tech innovation, competing locally but uniting globally. - Collaboration spans Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and increasingly the Baltics. - The Nordic fintech Ecosystem award honors contributions to regional and global fintech collaboration. - Annelie Sundstrom from Citi received the 2025 award for decade-long support and promotion of Nordic fintech hubs.
Article
Nordic fintech leaders celebrate decade of regional collaboration with inaugural ecosystem award
Citi's Annelie Sundstrom honoured for pioneering cross-border innovation support
The Nordic fintech community marked a significant milestone at the 2025 Nordic Fintech Summit in Helsinki as industry leaders presented the first-ever Nordic Fintech Ecosystem "Across and Beyond" Award, celebrating a decade of collaborative innovation that has positioned the region as a global fintech powerhouse.
Love Dager, co-founder of Stockholm Fintech, presented the inaugural award on Wednesday to Annelie Sundstrom of Citi, recognising her ten years of exceptional contributions to strengthening collaboration across Nordic and Baltic fintech ecosystems.
The 'Nordic secret sauce': competing locally, uniting globally
The award ceremony highlighted what Dager described as the "Nordic secret sauce" – the region's unique ability to foster both competition and collaboration among its small but technologically advanced countries.
"Nordics are such an absolutely interesting market – high technology focused but very small countries, creating innovation and competing globally," Dager told attendees during the presentation. "The collaboration we have, where we can create innovation in each country and then both compete with each other but also gather and unite and compete truly on the global market, I think that's really the Nordic secret sauce."
This collaborative spirit spans across Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and increasingly, the Baltic states – all represented at the summit. Organisations such as Stockholm Fintech, Helsinki Fintech Farm, and Finance Estonia have been instrumental in fostering these cross-border connections through events like Stockholm Fintech Week and the Nordic Fintech Summit.
Recognition for ecosystem builders
The "Nordic Fintech Ecosystem Across and Beyond" Award, jointly presented by Stockholm Fintech, Helsinki Fintech Farm, and Finance Estonia, was created to honour individuals and organisations making exceptional contributions to strengthening collaboration across Nordic and Baltic fintech ecosystems while extending these connections globally.
"We wanted to celebrate this decade and push the next by handing out the Nordic Fintech Ecosystem Across and Beyond Award," Dager explained during the ceremony.
A decade of support and promotion
The selection of Sundstrom as the first recipient acknowledged her long-standing commitment to promoting Nordic fintech innovation through her position at Citi. Visibly moved by the recognition, Sundstrom expressed surprise and gratitude when accepting the award.
"I'm very honored and pleased to promote, highlight, and provide content supporting my colleagues and the Nordic fintech community for ten years," Sundstrom said. "Starting work with you guys in the fintech hubs in the Nordics has been one of my best things working with Citi, actually."
Building bridges in a competitive landscape
The award comes at a time when the Nordic region continues to punch above its weight in global fintech innovation, with companies from Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Oslo, Reykjavik, and Baltic capitals increasingly making their mark on international markets.
Industry observers note that the region's success stems from this balance of healthy competition with strategic collaboration – allowing companies to develop innovative solutions locally while presenting a united front in global markets.
The Nordic Fintech Summit continues through May 15, featuring discussions on emerging technologies, regulatory challenges, and opportunities for further cross-border collaboration in financial technology.
Part of Nordic Fintech Summit