From 26 to 28 April 2026, the Association for Banking Law held its first professional forum, “Challenges in the Application of Banking Law,” at the Izvor Hotel in Arađelovac, under the patronage of OTP Banka Srbija a.d. Novi Sad.
The Forum was conceived as a new format of professional gathering, designed to bring together representatives of the National Bank of Serbia, commercial banks, the judiciary, and academia in one place, enabling direct and open discussion of current issues faced by practitioners applying banking law.
Unlike a classic conference format, the Forum was built around active exchange of opinions. Each thematic session opened with rapporteurs presenting the legal framework, different approaches, and points of contention from practice, followed by contributions from other registered participants, comments, questions, and discussion. This approach allowed the same issues to be examined from different professional perspectives and theoretical positions to be tested directly against practical experience.
The professional programme ran over two working days, 27 and 28 April, and covered five thematic sessions the Association identified as particularly significant for current banking and legal practice: potential new mass litigation against banks, reimbursement of funds in cases of fraud involving an authorized payment transaction, banking secrecy, a bank’s conduct in the event of a customer’s death, and the application of strong customer authentication.
Potential New Mass Litigation Against Banks
The first working day opened with introductory remarks by Bojan Terzić, member of the Association for Banking Law, on “Why Do We Need a Professional Forum?”, followed by the first thematic session — “Potential New Mass Litigation Against Banks.”
The rapporteurs were Miloš Živković, full professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, and Nikola Lapčević, Director of the Legal Affairs Sector at OTP Banka. Their opening presentations were followed by contributions from other registered participants, comments, and questions, opening space to examine the legal and practical aspects of potential new disputes in the banking sector.
Reimbursement of Funds in Cases of Authorized Payment Fraud
The second thematic session addressed reimbursement of funds in cases of fraud involving an authorized payment transaction — an issue sitting at the intersection of payment law, consumer protection in financial services, and modern forms of fraud.
The rapporteurs were Mirjana Živanović Opačić, Team Leader for Fraud Prevention at Banca Intesa, and Bojan Terzić, Director of the Financial Services Consumer Protection Sector at the National Bank of Serbia. Their presentations were followed by discussion with other registered Forum participants.
Banking Secrecy
Later on the first working day, the Forum addressed banking secrecy — one of the traditional issues in banking law that raises a number of practical dilemmas in the modern legal and business environment.
The rapporteur was Mirjana Radović, full professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade. Her introductory presentation was followed by contributions from other registered participants, comments, and questions.
A Bank’s Conduct in the Event of a Customer’s Death
The final thematic session of the first working day addressed a bank’s conduct in the event of a customer’s death, with a review of the legal and practical issues that arise in various contractual relationships in such situations.
The rapporteur was Zoran Blagojević, Director of the Legal Affairs Sector at Banca Intesa. This session likewise continued with contributions, comments, and questions from other participants, in keeping with the Forum’s concept of direct professional exchange.
Application of Strong Customer Authentication
The second working day, 28 April, was devoted to the application of strong customer authentication — an issue of particular importance for the modern provision of payment services, payment security, and consumer protection.
The rapporteurs were Radmila Ristić, Director of the Information Systems Supervision Centre at the National Bank of Serbia, and Bojan Terzić, Director of the Financial Services Consumer Protection Sector at the National Bank of Serbia. Their opening presentations were followed by contributions from other registered participants, comments, and questions.
The working part of the Forum concluded with a discussion on future gatherings, opening the question of continuing this format among the Association’s future activities.
The Forum as a Place for Open Professional Dialogue
The particular value of the first Forum lay precisely in its format. Rather than one-directional transfer of knowledge, the emphasis was on reasoned discussion, the confrontation of different legal positions, and the exchange of experience among professionals approaching the same issues from different professional roles.
The participation of representatives from the National Bank of Serbia, commercial banks, the judiciary, and academia made it possible, over two working days, to discuss concrete issues arising in the application of regulations and banking practice. This direct exchange of experience was one of the Forum’s core ideas — that contentious issues should be discussed not only from the standpoint of the normative framework, but also through the experience of those who apply these rules on a daily basis.
The content and intensity of the discussions demonstrated the value of this form of professional gathering. The exchange of knowledge, positions, and practical experience allowed participants to view certain issues from perspectives different from those they encounter within their own institutions and professional roles. In this way, the Forum opened space for continued professional dialogue on matters of shared interest and for the further development of practice in the field of banking law.
The experience of the first Forum provides a solid basis for its further development as a regular meeting place for representatives of the banking sector, regulatory institutions, the judiciary, and academia. Continued, reasoned exchange of views can contribute not only to a better understanding and application of the existing legal framework, but also to identifying issues where there is room for further development of practice and, where necessary, improvement of domestic regulation.
Following the professional programme, interested participants took part in an excursion to Topola, including a visit to the church at Oplenac and a local winery, concluding the programme of the first professional forum “Challenges in the Application of Banking Law.”
The Association for Banking Law thanks OTP Banka Srbija a.d. Novi Sad for its patronage and support in organizing the first professional forum, as well as all rapporteurs and participants whose knowledge, experience, and active contribution to the discussions made the Forum a success.
