Frankfurt and Toronto
Frankfurt and Toronto are the financial centers of Germany and Canada, and the two cities have been partner cities since 26 September 1989. Frankfurt is the seat of the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank and Deutsche Börse. Toronto has the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Ontario Securities Commission and the head offices of TD Bank Group, CIBC and Scotiabank.
For a Canadian fintech or bank, Frankfurt is a route into Germany and the other member states of the European Union. The trade agreement CETA has applied between the EU and Canada since 21 September 2017, yet it gives Canadian firms no EU passport. A Canadian firm therefore needs an EU license, and a German license from BaFin reaches every other member state.
A city partnership since 1989
Frankfurt and Toronto signed their city partnership on 26 September 1989, and Toronto is one of the 17 partner cities of Frankfurt. In 2005 a report to Toronto City Council recommended Chicago, Chongqing, Frankfurt and Milan as the partnership cities of its International Alliance Program.
Experts from both cities have visited each other to compare smart city concepts and the greening of buildings, and partner schools ran a student exchange on urban planning. For the 30th anniversary in 2019, the Frankfurt artist Justus Becker painted a mural in Toronto together with local artists.
Toronto Tech Week
Toronto Tech Week is a nonprofit community initiative that runs technology events across Toronto for one week each year. The first edition in June 2025 drew more than 15,000 attendees to 315 events with 500 speakers in 27 neighborhoods of the city.
The 2026 edition ran from 25 to 29 May 2026, and its main stage event Homecoming took place at the venue History on 27 May. Speakers included Tobi Lütke of Shopify and Nick Frosst of Cohere. The City of Toronto is a presenting sponsor of the week and renewed its support for two more years in January 2026.
From a Canadian license to an EU license
CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, covers trade in financial services between the EU and Canada, and parts of its financial services chapter apply provisionally. The agreement does not let a firm licensed in Canada serve EU customers from Toronto. A payment or e-money institution needs an authorization under the PSD2 rules, and a crypto firm needs a CASP license under MiCA.
In Germany the license comes from BaFin, and a BaFin license can be used across the EU through EU passporting. Canadian banks that take deposits, lend or give guarantees to EU clients need an authorized EU branch from 11 January 2027 under Article 21c of Directive (EU) 2024/1619. The other steps of a market entry in Germany follow from the license.
Upcoming finance and fintech events in Frankfurt and Europe
Which supervisors does a Canadian bank meet in Frankfurt?
A large bank in the euro area answers to ECB Banking Supervision in Frankfurt, while smaller institutions in Germany are supervised by BaFin together with the Deutsche Bundesbank. The EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority also has its seat in Frankfurt and will supervise selected financial groups directly from 2028.
When is Toronto Tech Week 2027?
Toronto Tech Week 2027 is planned from 31 May to 4 June 2027, according to the organizers of the week.
Frankfurt contacts for teams from Toronto
Finance Loop is a professional network for emerging technologies in finance with more than 4,000 members, built in collaboration with Frankfurt Main Finance and TechQuartier. Finance Loop events in Frankfurt bring Canadian visitors together with banks, asset managers, supervisors and fintechs of the partner city.
A team from Toronto can join a Finance Loop delegation to events such as Frankfurt Digital Finance and get personal introductions from the Finance Loop team. Anyone working in finance, IT or AI can sign up for the free Network Membership.
Frankfurt, Toronto and Finance Loop
Finance Loop runs its events in Frankfurt, the partner city of Toronto, and brings teams from Canada together with the banks, supervisors and fintechs there. Teams from Toronto can meet Finance Loop members at events in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the institutional use of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, tokenization, stablecoins, and DeFi. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.