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February 16, 2026

European tech sovereignty creates fintech opportunities

Young startups may offer a clearer path to independence than older industry players

John Thornhill

4 min read

It is a sign of how much the world has changed over the past year that credit cards could be considered a strategic vulnerability for Europe. But when a US president threatens to annex the territory of a EU member state — as Donald Trump did last month with Greenland — Europeans have to start thinking about worst case scenarios.

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John Thornhill

John Thornhill is Sifted’s founder and innovation editor of the Financial Times. He tweets from @johnthornhillft

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