Itera at UTmessan 2026: From technology trends to tangible customer value
Written by Simen Aasen Engebretsen, Head of Financial Services & Insurance in Itera
What is UTmessan?
UTmessan is one of Iceland’s largest and most influential technology conferences, held annually in Reykjavík. Since 2011, the event has gathered technology leaders, innovators, companies, public institutions and students to explore how technology shapes industries and society.
The conference combines a professional program of talks and panel discussions with a large-scale technology expo. Topics typically span artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, software development, data, and emerging technologies. UTmessan has become an important arena for sharing knowledge, showcasing innovation and strengthening collaboration across the Icelandic and Nordic tech ecosystems.
Why Itera participated
For Itera, participating in UTmessan is a natural extension of our ambition to stay at the forefront of digital transformation across the Nordics. As a company working closely with clients in financial services, public sector and other regulated industries, we see firsthand how rapidly the technology landscape is evolving.
Many of the themes discussed at UTmessan strongly resonate with the conversations we are having with clients, including differentiation and customer experience in a digital age, the need for robust local infrastructure for payment processing, and the increasing importance of digital resilience.
Artificial intelligence was, unsurprisingly, a central topic. Not only as a technological capability, but as a strategic driver that will reshape how organisations design services, optimise operations and create new business models. For us, UTmessan offered an opportunity to exchange perspectives, challenge assumptions and strengthen our understanding of how these trends are unfolding in practice.
What we learned at UTmessan
Three themes stood out in particular.
First, digital resilience is no longer optional. As societies become more dependent on digital services, infrastructure must be secure, scalable and robust. This applies especially to critical areas such as payment systems and financial services, where local infrastructure and regulatory compliance play a key role.
Second, AI is moving from experimentation to industrialisation. Organisations are increasingly shifting from pilots and proof-of-concepts to embedding AI into core processes. The discussion is evolving from “Can we use AI?” to “How do we scale AI responsibly and create measurable impact?” This includes governance, ethics and ensuring that customer trust remains intact.
Third, customer expectations continue to rise. Hyper-personalisation is becoming the norm, not a differentiator. Delivering seamless, orchestrated customer experiences across channels requires not only technology, but adaptive organisations with the ability to learn and evolve continuously.
So what? What this means for our clients
For our clients, the value of events like UTmessan lies in insight translated into action.
By actively engaging in leading technology forums, we ensure that our advice and solutions are grounded in the latest thinking and real-world experience. We bring back perspectives on how AI can be implemented responsibly and at scale, how digital resilience can be strengthened without slowing innovation, and how local infrastructure can be modernised while maintaining compliance and security.
Ultimately, the takeaway is this: technology on its own is not the differentiator. The real competitive advantage comes from combining strong digital foundations with customer-centric innovation and organisational agility.
Our participation at UTmessan reinforces our commitment to helping clients navigate uncertainty, balance efficiency with customer value, and turn emerging technologies into sustainable growth.
We look forward to continuing these conversations across the Nordics and beyond.