29/01/2025

A. Žigman: Fostering innovation with a stable regulatory framework is key to the resilience of the economy

President of Hanfa Board Ante Žigman participated in the round table "Challenges of Modern Entrepreneurs" as part of the business forum "Planning economic success in times of polycrisis and demographic challenges", organised by the SLO CRO Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In his presentation, Žigman emphasized that the key priorities of regulators are creating a stable framework for business, adapting to demographic changes and encouraging innovation that enables companies to be resilient and grow in the long term.

Supporting innovation and digitalisation

Speaking about digital transformation and the rapid development of technologies, Žigman highlighted the challenges in the harmonisation of regulatory requirements: “Artificial intelligence, blockchain and fintech models are developed according to market demands and needs, which is challenging for all stakeholders who regulate and supervise that market. But our goal remains the same – to foster innovation while protecting consumers and the stability of the financial system.”

He particularly praised initiatives such as regulatory sandboxes, which allow companies to test innovation in a controlled environment. “This is the key to finding a balance between rapid technological progress and system sustainability,” he added.

Demographic challenges and economic growth

Žigman also addressed the challenges of population ageing and migration, highlighting the need to adapt the pension and insurance environment in order to preserve financial stability in the long term. “Given the decline in the working-age population and the increase in the number of pensioners, the regulatory framework must enable the sustainability of the system to ensure stability for future generations. In this sense, solutions are sought by strengthening citizens' awareness of the possibilities of investing in the third pension pillar and optimising the system that will be able to withstand the pressures associated with changes in the population structure."

Finally, Žigman had a message for entrepreneurs: “The modern-day market requires flexibility, innovation and long-term planning. Croatia and Slovenia are already showing synergy potentials, especially in the capital market, and additional cooperation between the two countries can greatly strengthen joint resilience in uncertain times."

Apart from Žigman, the other panelists were Gorazd Čibej, Director of the Slovenian Insurance Supervision Agency (AZN) and Stjepan Orešković, scientist and entrepreneur from Bosqar Invest, who shared their insights into the regulatory challenges and perspectives of entrepreneurs in the region.

SHARE THE ARTICLE

Other news items

All News
COOKIES

We need the necessary cookies in order for the site to function properly and in order to maintain security standards as much as possible by complying with all applicable regulations.

This category of cookies can also be called so-called. third-party cookies. Statistical cookies also belong to the group of functional cookies that allow us to store previously entered information (such as username or language) on the web service and to improve the possibility of providing a better service by tracking analytics or visit statistics. We must inform you that when using this category of cookies, data is transferred to third countries.