The 3rd annual DC Fintech Summit takes place on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM at STATION DC in the Union Market District. It is free but by application only, and it is built for fintech founders who want regulators, investors and practical resources in the same room for one morning.
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What the DC Fintech Summit is
Photo via Magnific
The summit is hosted by the DC Tech & Venture Coalition (DCTAV) in partnership with the DISB Office of Innovation, part of the DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. This year's theme is The New Rules of Money. The organizers describe the audience as entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, policymakers, lawyers and global institutions, and the session is closed door with no media, which usually makes for more candid conversation than a typical conference panel.
This is the third edition. The 2025 summit drew more than 250 people to International Square on October 14, 2025, with digital assets, AI and regulation at the center of the program. This year it moves to STATION DC, the tech and policy hub at 1323 4th St NE.
Agenda and speakers
The program runs in a single track, with resource tables open for the whole morning. Here is the schedule DCTAV has published:
| Time | Session | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 to 9:00 AM | Resource marketplace and networking | 15 to 20 resource tables open |
| 9:00 to 9:10 AM | Welcome | DISB Commissioner Karima M. Woods |
| 9:10 to 9:25 AM | Opening keynote: Who Writes the Rules for Money in 2026? | Chloé Dolsenhe, Executive Chair, DC Fintech Club |
| 9:25 to 10:00 AM | Stablecoins and the New Money Rails | Dan Spuller (Blockchain Association), Ian P. Moloney (American Fintech Council), Kevin Wysocki (Anchorage Digital) |
| 10:00 to 10:35 AM | AI Agents in Finance | John Delalio (EisnerAmper), David O'Brien (DISB) |
| 10:35 to 11:00 AM | Marketplace break | Resource tables |
| 11:00 to 11:35 AM | Why Build Fintech in DC | Tamara Zeidan (DISB Office of Innovation), Aaron Fenwick (DISB), Adam Lattimore and Anthony Andrews (Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development), Ousmane Conde (WODI Money), Sean Rybus (Plug and Play) |
| 11:35 AM to 12:00 PM | Fintech company demos | Five founders, four minutes each |
| 12:00 to 12:40 PM | Investor reverse pitch: Why Take Our Money? | Investors make their case to founders |
| 12:40 to 1:00 PM | Marketplace networking | Curated introductions and investor office hours |
DCTAV says more speakers will be added as they confirm, so check the official agenda before you go.
Why it is worth a fintech founder's morning
The regulators are on stage, not across town
For most fintech startups the hardest early question is which license you need, and who to ask. DISB staff appear in three sessions. The Office of Innovation gives fintech, insurtech and regtech companies regulatory guidance, connections to stakeholders and research, and it publishes plain-language guides on securities and banking licensing for fintech companies, including an explainer on a bank charter versus a money transmitter license. Read those before November 4 and you can ask a sharper question in the hallway.
The investor reverse pitch flips the usual dynamic
Instead of founders pitching, investors explain what they back, what they bring beyond capital and why they invest in or near DC. If you are raising, that is a quick way to sort which funds fit your stage before you spend weeks on meetings. Pair it with our guide to venture capital firms in Washington, DC.
Public capital programs are in the room
Aaron Fenwick manages DC BizCAP, which DISB runs with funding from the U.S. Treasury's State Small Business Credit Initiative. DC BizCAP does not lend directly; it works through partner lenders. Its loan participation program can fund up to 50 percent of a loan, capped at $500,000, according to DISB, and it also runs an Innovation Finance Program for DC startups and emerging companies looking for alternatives to traditional commercial financing.
The resource tables cover the unglamorous work
The resource marketplace lists the DISB Office of Innovation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, the Office of Tax and Revenue, the DC Small Business Development Center, the DC APEX Accelerator, WACIF, the Washington DC Economic Partnership, the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and blockchain industry groups. Several are in the StartDMV directory, including the DC Small Business Development Center, WACIF, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection and the Washington DC Economic Partnership.
How to apply
- To attend: fill in the attendee application at dctav.co/fintech-summit/apply. Attendance is free but approved case by case, priority goes to active leaders across tech, policy and innovation, and there are no walk-ins. DCTAV says it replies within two working days and confirms selected attendees through Luma.
- To demo: use the same attendee application and say you want to demo. Five founders get four minutes on stage and one ask to the room. In a recent email to its list, DCTAV said two demo slots remained. Founders who are not selected but attend in person still get curated introductions to investors.
- To host a resource table: organizations offering legal, banking, capital, talent, office space or accelerator support can apply on the summit page. Tables are chosen by fit and are not guaranteed.
How to get the most out of the morning
- Bring one ask. Demo founders end with one ask to the room. Do the same in every conversation: an intro, a pilot, a licensing question.
- Use the 10:35 break for the tables. It is the main marketplace window, and the tables run a stamp-card raffle.
- Do the licensing homework first. Know roughly which category your product falls into so a conversation with DISB can go a level deeper. If you have not formed your company yet, start with our guide to forming an LLC in DC and the DC business license guide.
- Plan the rest of the day. November 4 is crowded. The Accelerate Investor Conference in Arlington is the same day, and the summit's StartDMV event page and the StartDMV events calendar show what else is on.
Getting to STATION DC
STATION DC is at 1323 4th St NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20002. The closest Metro is NoMa-Gallaudet U on the Red Line, about a 10-minute walk from the Florida Avenue exit. By car, The MO Garage at 440 Penn St NE and La Cosecha / The Batley Garage at 1270 4th St NE are both a short walk away. Dress is business casual, and coffee and light refreshments are provided.
Is your organization on StartDMV?
If you run a fintech startup, invest in DMV companies, or offer a program, space or service founders use, list yourself free at https://startdmv.org/submit-organization so founders and partners can find you. Organizing an event? Submit it at https://startdmv.org/submit-event.
Get the weekly list of DMV startup events, grants and deadlines. Join the StartDMV list at https://startdmv.org.