How can Europe turn its scientific lead into real technological clout? The third edition of Nexus Luxembourg opened its doors on Wednesday at Luxexpo The Box with an energy and a packed programme that cement the event’s place in the European tech calendar.

The day began with an opening ceremony that set the tone: the Prime Minister Luc FriedenLuc Frieden, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Octave Klaba, founder of OVHcloud, and the mayor Lydie PolferLydie Polfer on the same stage, in front of a packed audience. The political message was clear: Luxembourg is positioning itself as a European AI hub, “pro-business, pro-tech and pro-AI”, in the Prime Minister’s words, but without over-regulation or naivety. The Minister for Finance Gilles RothGilles Roth took the opportunity to announce two concrete measures: a future bond issue via blockchain and the reform of the taxation of share options, which has been promised since Nexus 2025.

As the panels and keynote speeches unfolded, one conviction emerged: Europe has the talent, the research and the regulators. What it still lacks is the ability to scale up. Whether it was Octave Klaba on the second wave of AI investment, Jason Lynch of Equal1 on the quantum race, or Guillaume de la Brosse on the convergence of deep tech and defence, the speakers unanimously highlighted the same challenge: turning promise into industry. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm, summed up the issue with welcome candour: “It is up to Luxembourg to seize this opportunity or let it slip by.”

The finance sector was not to be outdone. Between Gilles Roth’s announcements on the bond blockchain, the debate on the tokenisation of private markets led by Robinhood, and the panel discussions on AI in asset management, the Fintech Sphere confirmed that Luxembourg’s financial centre is closely following — and sometimes leading — the transformations currently underway. A packed first day, with the second part taking place on Thursday 11 June.