Europe has the talent and technology to reshape financial services. What will it take to turn that potential into lasting value? As fintech enters a new phase, the challenge is to build businesses that can scale, attract investment, and sustain growth. This book explores the strategic choices that will determine the competitiveness of Italian and European fintech—and the future of its relationship with traditional finance. Combining a comparison of ten European ecosystems with interviews and surveys of fintech firms and established financial institutions, the analysis examines how governance, managerial capabilities, regulation, access to capital, and collaboration shape the conditions for innovation to thrive. Generative AI, tokenization, and the rise of super apps also come under scrutiny, revealing their implications for business models, customer relationships, and economic growth. A central argument runs throughout: technological progress delivers lasting value when firms, investors, regulators, and institutions create the conditions to bring it to market. For financial executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers, these findings offer an informed perspective on Europe’s fintech ambitions—and the decisions needed to make them a reality.