Money 20/20 USA

# Money 20/20 USA — ConfBase Rating

**Rating Date**: 2026-05-07
**Analyst**: ConfBase Rating Auditor Agent
**ConfBase Score**: 4.1 / 5.0
**Tier**: Strong
**Framework**: ConfBase Rating Framework v0.1-alpha
**Series**: money-2020

---

## Conference

- **Organizer**: Money 20/20 (Informa, following the October 2024 acquisition of Ascential plc)
- **Series**: [Money 20/20](/series/money-2020)
- **Website**: https://us.money2020.com
- **Venue**: Las Vegas, USA (The Venetian)
- **Region**: North America
- **Sector**: Fintech (payments, banking, AI, stablecoins, infrastructure)
- **First Edition**: 2012
- **Most Recent Edition Observed**: 2025 (October 26–29, 2025; next edition October 18–21, 2026)
- **Sibling Editions** (other variants in this series): money-2020-europe (Amsterdam), money-2020-asia (Bangkok), money-2020-middle-east (Riyadh) — none rated yet

---

## Executive Summary

Money 20/20 USA is the flagship US fintech conference and has been since its first edition in 2012. The 2025 Las Vegas show set a record at 11,000+ senior attendees from 85 countries, 3,400+ companies, 630+ speakers across 300+ sessions, and 380+ sponsors on the Venetian floor. Informa acquired the brand (via Ascential plc) in October 2024, and the 2025 edition was the first under new ownership — billed as "Where Money Does Business" with four narrative pillars (Fintech Spring, Age of Infrastructure, Global Payments Race, Securing Trust) and an AI-dominant agenda anchored by speakers from Anthropic, Google Cloud, Mastercard, and JPMorgan Payments.

For an institutional buyer, the strengths are unambiguous and category-defining. Sponsor caliber is among the deepest in fintech: Visa, Mastercard, JPMorgan/Kinexys, Bank of America, Citi, HSBC, US Bank, BNY, Stripe, PayPal, Block, Adyen, Klarna, Affirm, Plaid, Anthropic, OpenAI, NVIDIA and Google Cloud are all routinely on the floor or stage. Speaker caliber matches it — past editions have headlined Citi CEO Jane Fraser, Block founder Jack Dorsey, Stripe co-founders Patrick and John Collison, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Affirm CEO Max Levchin, Anthropic President Daniela Amodei, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar, NYSE President Lynn Martin, and CFPB Director Rohit Chopra (whose 2024 stage interview was the venue for the 1033 open-banking-rule debate). Networking infrastructure is purpose-built: the AI-matched **Money20/20 Connect** app pairs with the new-for-2025 **SmartMeet** AI-enabled meeting program — banks, retailers, insurance, VCs, PE and e-commerce buyers attend FREE as Hosted Buyers under a pay-for-performance, double-opt-in 15-minute meeting model. Side programming is dense: an aggregated 120+ parties and side events orbit the main conference across The Venetian and the Strip.

The structural gaps are about audience curation rather than caliber. The main event is a paid open registration model (Standard $2,899; Platinum $5,995; specialty Startup, Retailer, Govt/NPO/CU passes), and the 11,000-person crowd skews B2B-vendor and fintech-founder rather than pure buy-side. The official "1 in 3 C-suite" statistic is real but means the rest of the room is not. Curation lives where it should — inside the SmartMeet Hosted Buyer program — but the main floor experience is a large-tent industry expo, not an invite-only allocator forum. For senior fintech BD heads, payments leaders, and bank technology executives evaluating a single US show to attend, Money 20/20 USA earns a Strong rating: the people are real, the deals are announced, the regulators show up, and the structured-meeting infrastructure is best-in-class for the sector.

---

## Rating Overview

| Category | Weight | Score | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience Quality | 3× | 3.3 | 5.0 |
| Curation | 2× | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Sponsor Quality | 2× | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Speaker Caliber | 2× | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Networking Density | 2× | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Content Depth | 1× | 4.3 | 5.0 |
| Track Record | 1× | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Media & Influence | 1× | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Side Programming | 1× | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Price-to-Value | 0.5× | 3.5 | 5.0 |
| **ConfBase Score** | | **4.1** | **5.0** |

| Pillar | Score |
|---|---|
| Institutional Signal | 3.6 |
| Content & Speakers | 4.6 |
| Networking ROI | 4.7 |

**Tier**: Strong — flagship fintech caliber on sponsors, speakers, networking infrastructure, regulator stage time, and 14-edition track record; held back by an open-paid registration model and a vendor/founder-heavy audience mix outside the curated Hosted Buyer track.

---

## Detailed Analysis

### AUDIENCE QUALITY (Weight: 3×) — Score: 3.3 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUD-01 | What is the institutional vs retail mix? | Audience is overwhelmingly institutional B2B by design — banks (BofA, Citi, HSBC, US Bank, BNY), payment networks (Visa, Mastercard, Discover), fintechs (Stripe, PayPal, Block, Adyen, Klarna, Affirm), VCs/PE, retailers, insurers and tech (Google Cloud, NVIDIA, Anthropic, OpenAI). There is no retail/consumer-investor crowd. The 11,000 attendees come from 3,400+ companies across 85 countries — places it firmly in the 60-80% institutional band, with the balance being early-stage fintech founders, vendor sales reps, and media/analysts. | 4 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Who Attends](https://us.money2020.com/attend/who-attends) · [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA 2025 Closes](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251030444503/en/Money2020-USA-2025-Closes-With-a-Future-Ready-Fintech-Ecosystem-AI-Stablecoins-and-Infrastructure-Take-the-Lead) · [TSNN — Where the Future of Fintech Is Figured Out](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) |
| AUD-02 | What is the seniority mix? | Money 20/20's official "1 in 3 attendees hold C-suite positions" places C-suite share at ~33% — squarely in the 30-50% band. The Money20/20 Connect app marketing similarly states "7 out of 10 attendees being decision-makers and 1 in 3 C-suites." Seniority is real but is a marketing-side claim — third-party verified breakdowns of VP/Director vs C-suite are not published. | 4 | med | [Money 20/20 USA — Who Attends](https://us.money2020.com/attend/who-attends) · [Money20/20 Connect App](https://us.money2020.com/experience/money2020-connect) |
| AUD-03 | What is the buy-side ratio? | Money 20/20's Hosted Buyer program explicitly defines the buy-side cohort: "Banks, Retailers, Insurance, VCs, Private Equity, and E-Commerce." The program is "limited" (free passes, 5-10 curated meetings) — banks are well represented (BofA, Citi, HSBC, US Bank, BNY, JPM, Discover) but the broader 11K-person room is dominated by fintech/payments suppliers, AI/tech vendors, and consultants. Implied buy-side share lands in the 15-25% band. No published exact percentage. | 3 | low | [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Meetings](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer) · [Money 20/20 USA — Pass Prices](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes) · [Money 20/20 USA — Who Attends](https://us.money2020.com/attend/who-attends) |
| AUD-04 | How rigorous is attendee verification? | Main event is paid open registration with badge tiers (Standard $2,899; Platinum $5,995; Early Stage Startup $1,545; Growth Stage Startup $1,855; Retailer $1,645; Govt/NPO/CU $2,845; Press free). Specialty tiers have eligibility filters (Startup pass requires application + funding/age caps, Retailer pass excludes financial services, Govt/CU pass excludes banks). Hosted Buyer is application-only and curated. Average across the event lands at "open registration with badge tiers + curated sub-tracks." | 2 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Pass Prices](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes) · [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) · [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Application](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer/buyer-application) |

**Audience Quality Calculation:**
- Scores: AUD-01(4) + AUD-02(4) + AUD-03(3) + AUD-04(2) = 13
- Equal weight: 13 / 4 = **3.3**

### CURATION (Weight: 2×) — Score: 3.0 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUR-01 | What is the rejection / invite rate? | Main event uses paid open registration with badge tiers — no published rejection rate. Eligibility filters apply per pass type (Startup pass funding/age cap with application; Retailer pass excludes financial services; Govt/NPO/CU pass excludes banks), and Hosted Buyer is "limited" and selective. Across the broader event, rejection is effectively the badge-eligibility filter rather than a curated invitation rate. | 2 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Pass Prices](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes) · [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Meetings](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer) |
| CUR-02 | What % of attendees are hosted/comped vs paid? | Hosted Buyer program is FREE for qualifying banks, retailers, insurance, VCs, PE and e-commerce — passes are valued "up to $4,000." Press is free. Sponsors and speakers receive comps. Across 11,000 attendees the comp-share is plausibly in the 10–20% range. The "limited number" framing prevents a precise count, and there is no published comp ratio. | 3 | low | [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Meetings](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer) · [Money 20/20 USA — Pass Prices](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes) |
| CUR-03 | Is there a published Code of Conduct + enforcement? | Public CoC with explicit zero-tolerance language, named prohibited behaviors (offensive remarks on protected characteristics, sexual harassment, intimidation, microaggressions), antitrust compliance language, named complaints channel (feedback@money2020.com), and explicit enforcement consequences ("revoking show passes without refund," informing authorities, notifying purchaser organisations). No public enforcement record / case log surfaced. | 4 | high | [Money 20/20 — Code of Conduct](https://www.money2020.com/code-of-conduct) · [Money 20/20 USA — Support and Guidance](https://us.money2020.com/attend/plan-your-trip/support-and-guidance) |

**Curation Calculation:**
- Scores: CUR-01(2) + CUR-02(3) + CUR-03(4) = 9
- Equal weight: 9 / 3 = **3.0**

### SPONSOR QUALITY (Weight: 2×) — Score: 4.7 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPO-01 | Tier-1 sponsor count (BlackRock-class) | 380+ sponsors. Verified Tier-1 financial / payments institutions on the floor and as sponsors include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, JPMorgan / J.P. Morgan Payments, Bank of America, Citi, HSBC, US Bank, BNY, PayPal, Stripe, Block / Square, Adyen, Klarna, Affirm, Plaid. Tier-1 tech sponsors: Anthropic, Google Cloud, OpenAI, NVIDIA. Far above the 5-Tier-1 threshold. Silicon Valley Bank confirmed as a 5-Star Sponsor in 2025. | 5 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Homepage](https://us.money2020.com/) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [SVB at Money 20/20](https://www.svb.com/events/sponsorships/money2020/) · [Mastercard at Money 20/20 2024](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2024/october/mastercard-at-money-2020-innovating-at-the-speed-of-business.html) |
| SPO-02 | Sponsor strategic vs cosmetic | Sponsors send senior speakers, not just logos. JPMorgan: Max Neukirchen (Global Co-Head J.P. Morgan Payments), Mike Lozanoff (Global Head Merchant Services); Visa CEO on stablecoin/agentic commerce; Mastercard, Anthropic, Google Cloud executives speaking on AI. Sponsor activations are substantive: J.P. Morgan "Payments Pressery" with PayPad biometric demo; US Bank Lounge with live podcasts; Middesk Trust Club with curated meeting requirements. Kinexys by J.P. Morgan won Money Awards Banking Gold in 2025. | 5 | high | [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 2025](https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/newsroom/money2020-usa-2025-innovation) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [Visa CEO envisions stablecoin, agentic benefit (Payments Dive)](https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/visa-ceo-envisions-stablecoin-agentic-benefit/818801/) |
| SPO-03 | Sponsor retention year-over-year | Top sponsors recur edition-over-edition (Visa, Mastercard, JPMorgan, Bank of America, NVIDIA, Anthropic, Google Cloud, PayPal, Stripe, Block, Mastercard, Citi). Money 20/20's value to global payment networks is structural — retention is plausibly in the 60–80% band — but no published retention percentage surfaced. Conservative score reflects missing precise figure. | 4 | low | [Mastercard at Money 20/20 2024](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2024/october/mastercard-at-money-2020-innovating-at-the-speed-of-business.html) · [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 2025](https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/newsroom/money2020-usa-2025-innovation) · [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 USA 2023](https://jpmorgan.com/insights/payments/payment-trends/money2020-usa-2023) · [NVIDIA at Money 20/20 2024](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/events/money2020/) |

**Sponsor Quality Calculation:**
- Scores: SPO-01(5) + SPO-02(5) + SPO-03(4) = 14
- Equal weight: 14 / 3 = **4.7**

### SPEAKER CALIBER (Weight: 2×) — Score: 4.7 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPK-01 | Founder/CEO/MD ratio of speakers | 630+ speakers in 2025 (500+ in 2024). Past speaker roster is heavily-CEO/founder tilted: Patrick Collison (Stripe CEO), John Collison (Stripe Co-Founder), Jack Dorsey (Block CEO/founder), Dan Schulman (former PayPal CEO), Max Levchin (Affirm CEO), Sebastian Siemiatkowski (Klarna CEO), Zach Perret (Plaid CEO), Jane Fraser (Citi CEO), Robin Vince (BNY CEO), Gunjan Kedia (US Bancorp CEO), Beverly Anderson (BECU CEO), Daniela Amodei (Anthropic President), Julie Sweet (Accenture CEO), Ali Ghodsi (Databricks CEO), Ingo Uytdehaage (Adyen Co-CEO). Across 630+ speakers I do not have a verified split, but the named anchor roster places the founder/CEO/MD share plausibly in the 40–60% band. | 4 | med | [Money 20/20 USA — Past Speakers](https://us.money2020.com/agenda/past-speakers) · [Money 20/20 USA Unveils 2024 Speaker Lineup (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240627813786/en/Money2020-USA-Unveils-2024-Speaker-Lineup-Under-%E2%80%98Human-X-Machine%E2%80%99-Show-Theme) · [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA 2025 Closes](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251030444503/en/Money2020-USA-2025-Closes-With-a-Future-Ready-Fintech-Ecosystem-AI-Stablecoins-and-Infrastructure-Take-the-Lead) |
| SPK-02 | Tier-1 keynote presence (named industry figures) | Multiple globally recognized figures across payments, banking and AI: Patrick Collison, Jack Dorsey, Jane Fraser, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Max Levchin, Zach Perret, Daniela Amodei (Anthropic), Sarah Friar (OpenAI CFO), Julie Sweet (Accenture CEO), Lynn Martin (NYSE President), Visa CEO. Plus globally recognized ex-officials (Gary Gensler, Rohit Chopra, Jonathan Gould). Far above the 3+ globally-recognized threshold. | 5 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Past Speakers](https://us.money2020.com/agenda/past-speakers) · [The Fintech Times — Announced at Money 20/20 USA 2024](https://thefintechtimes.com/announced-at-money-20-20-usa-2024-roundup-from-las-vegas/) · [Visa CEO envisions stablecoin (Payments Dive)](https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/visa-ceo-envisions-stablecoin-agentic-benefit/818801/) |
| SPK-03 | News-making moments | Conference is regularly cited as "where X was announced." 2024: CFPB Director Rohit Chopra used the Las Vegas stage to defend the 1033 open banking rule against the bank lawsuit; Citi-Google Cloud partnership announced; ClearBank-Visa partnership for European real-time payments; NVIDIA fintech expansions. 2025: Visa launches Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice, USDC settlement expansion; Western Union plans USDPT stablecoin; inaugural Money Awards (Kinexys/JPMorgan Gold in Banking). 1+ major announcement per edition is comfortably exceeded. | 5 | high | [Visa Unveils Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice](https://investor.visa.com/news/news-details/2025/Visa-Unveils-New-Global-Stablecoins-Advisory-Practice/default.aspx) · [The Fintech Times — Announced at Money 20/20 USA 2024](https://thefintechtimes.com/announced-at-money-20-20-usa-2024-roundup-from-las-vegas/) · [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 2025](https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/newsroom/money2020-usa-2025-innovation) · [Chopra defends CFPB open banking rule (CX Dive)](https://www.customerexperiencedive.com/news/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-chopra-open-banking-rule-litigation/731556/) |

**Speaker Caliber Calculation:**
- Scores: SPK-01(4) + SPK-02(5) + SPK-03(5) = 14
- Equal weight: 14 / 3 = **4.7**

### NETWORKING DENSITY (Weight: 2×) — Score: 4.7 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NET-01 | Is there a structured 1:1 meeting platform? | Money20/20 Connect is the Official Networking Platform — AI-matchmaking, full attendee list with filters (company, title, sector, seniority, country, investment interest), instant messaging, meeting requests. The new-for-2025 SmartMeet program layers AI-enabled matchmaking on top with structured 15-minute meetings auto-added to calendars under double opt-in. Standard Pass marketing references "unlimited 1:1 or group meetings with decision-makers." Strong AI-matched + structured meeting infrastructure but no published "≥10 meetings/attendee" figure required for top-band score. | 4 | high | [Money20/20 Connect App](https://us.money2020.com/experience/money2020-connect) · [SmartMeet by Money 20/20 USA](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet) · [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) |
| NET-02 | Hosted-buyer / matchmaking program quality | Premium hosted-buyer program: banks, retailers, insurance, VCs, PE and e-commerce attend FREE; pay-for-performance (zero risk, charged only on confirmed meetings); 5 or 10 15-minute curated double-opt-in meetings; up to $4,000 pass value. Dedicated team — Informa publicly recruits a "Buyer Recruitment & Engagement Manager" for Money 20/20. AI-enabled matchmaking, profile-based selection 6 weeks before show. Textbook premium hosted-buyer program. | 5 | high | [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Meetings](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer) · [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Application](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer/buyer-application) · [SmartMeet Buyer To-Do List](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer/to-do) · [Buyer Recruitment & Engagement Manager — Informa](https://builtin.com/job/buyer-recruitment-engagement-manager-money-2020/4709780) |
| NET-03 | Off-program networking quality | Curated off-program is dense and structured. Money 20/20 itself organises "Money Row" — restaurant takeovers at Sugarcane, Yardbird, Chica and Gjelina — plus Sunday Night Live, MoneyPot podcast booths, Connections Lounge and the new-2025 "Off the Record" stage. Aggregated 120+ side events on the community parties calendar include AI & Payments Executive Dinners, Women in Fintech sessions, Stablecoin speakeasies, TWIF x Adyen Kickoff at Tao, Fintech After Dark with Core VC/Portage/Atomic, and brand mixers from PayPal/Mastercard/Stripe. | 5 | high | [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [Money 20/20 Parties calendar](https://money2020parties.com/) · [TSNN — Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) |

**Networking Density Calculation:**
- Scores: NET-01(4) + NET-02(5) + NET-03(5) = 14
- Equal weight: 14 / 3 = **4.7**

### CONTENT DEPTH (Weight: 1×) — Score: 4.3 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CON-01 | Workshop / deep-dive count | 300+ sessions across 6 stages in 2025 (Briefing Stage, Off the Record stage, Emergent Stage, MoneyPot, Sunday Night Live, plus expo-floor stages). Standard Pass includes "exclusive closed-door content access" and tech-oriented deep-dive sessions. Specific hands-on workshop count is not enumerated by the host — counting structured deep-dives (Off the Record, Emergent, AI & Payments dinners, Hosted Buyer 1:1 sessions), 5-10 workshop-format sessions is plausible. | 4 | med | [Money 20/20 USA — Agenda](https://us.money2020.com/agenda) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) |
| CON-02 | Off-the-record / Chatham House sessions | Money 20/20 explicitly runs an "Off the Record" stage (introduced in the 2025 floor redesign). Standard Pass marketing references "exclusive closed-door content access." This functions as a dedicated off-record track for senior decision-makers. Multiple off-record sessions are present, though not multiple distinct full off-record streams in the way curated invite-only events run. | 4 | med | [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) |
| CON-03 | Vertical track depth | Four named narrative pillars in 2025 — Fintech Spring, Age of Infrastructure, Global Payments Race, Securing Trust — plus dedicated programming hubs: The Intersection (banks + crypto + DeFi), Emergent Stage (AI), Startup Hub (early-stage), Money Pot (podcast + connections), RiseUp + Amplify Programs. Core vertical tracks comfortably above the 4-vertical threshold across payments, banking, AI, infrastructure, stablecoins, regulation and identity/fraud. | 5 | high | [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA 2025 Closes](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251030444503/en/Money2020-USA-2025-Closes-With-a-Future-Ready-Fintech-Ecosystem-AI-Stablecoins-and-Infrastructure-Take-the-Lead) · [TSNN — Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) |

**Content Depth Calculation:**
- Scores: CON-01(4) + CON-02(4) + CON-03(5) = 13
- Equal weight: 13 / 3 = **4.3**

### TRACK RECORD (Weight: 1×) — Score: 4.7 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRA-01 | Years running | Founded 2012 by veterans from Google, TSYS and Citi. 2025 was the 14th annual edition; 2026 will be the 15th. ≥10 editions is comfortably exceeded. | 5 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — About / About page archive](https://us.money2020.com/) · [TSNN — Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) |
| TRA-02 | Attendance growth trend (3-year) | 2024: 10,000+ from 90+ countries. 2025: 11,000+ from 85 countries — described as a "record-breaking year" by the host and by Event Marketer. ~10% YoY growth into 2025 places the trend in the 5–20% steady-growth band. Multi-year prior context (post-pandemic recovery to current scale) supports the steady-growth read. | 4 | med | [TSNN — Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA Concludes 2024](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241031652254/en/Money2020-USA-Concludes-Celebrating-Four-Days-as-the-Heartbeat-of-the-Global-Fintech-Ecosystem) |
| TRA-03 | Survived a market downturn | Brand has run continuously through the 2015-16 fintech valuation reset, the 2020 COVID disruption (with format adaptations), the 2022-23 fintech funding winter, and the 2023 banking-sector turmoil (SVB collapse and aftermath). ≥2 cycles survived. The October 2024 Informa acquisition of parent Ascential is an organisational event, not a downturn-driven cancellation. | 5 | high | [Informa Offers $1.6B for Ascential (Skift Meetings)](https://meetings.skift.com/2024/07/25/informa-offers-1-6-billion-to-buy-ascential-looking-to-grow-lions-and-money20-20-brands/) · [Bloomberg — Silicon Valley Bank at Money 20/20 2023](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-25/silicon-valley-bank-pitches-comeback-story-at-vegas-palooza) |

**Track Record Calculation:**
- Scores: TRA-01(5) + TRA-02(4) + TRA-03(5) = 14
- Equal weight: 14 / 3 = **4.7**

### MEDIA & INFLUENCE (Weight: 1×) — Score: 4.7 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MED-01 | Tier-1 press coverage | Bloomberg has covered the event (2023 SVB-at-Money 20/20 piece). Axios partnered for a Live event at Money 20/20 USA 2025. Event Marketer, TSNN, FXC Intelligence, BusinessWire, FinTech Times, BizTech, Payments Dive, American Banker, PYMNTS provide regular trade-press coverage. 2025 brought 320+ media and analyst representatives credentialed on site. Direct FT/Reuters/WSJ articles on the event itself were not consistently surfaced — pattern reads as "regular trade press + occasional Tier-1." | 4 | med | [Bloomberg — Silicon Valley Bank at Money 20/20 2023](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-25/silicon-valley-bank-pitches-comeback-story-at-vegas-palooza) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 2025 (Axios Live partnership)](https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/newsroom/money2020-usa-2025-innovation) · [TSNN — Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) |
| MED-02 | Regulator / policymaker presence | Active regulator and senior policymaker participation. 2024: CFPB Director Rohit Chopra interviewed on stage where he defended the Personal Financial Data Rights / 1033 open banking rule against the major-bank lawsuit; NYSE President Lynn Martin keynoted Sunday Night Live; Treasury and CFPB exchanges anchored the regulatory programming. Past speakers include former SEC Chair Gary Gensler and OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould. 5/5 — routine on-stage public-sector engagement at the most senior level. | 5 | high | [CX Dive — Chopra defends CFPB open banking rule](https://www.customerexperiencedive.com/news/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-chopra-open-banking-rule-litigation/731556/) · [The Fintech Times — Announced at Money 20/20 USA 2024](https://thefintechtimes.com/announced-at-money-20-20-usa-2024-roundup-from-las-vegas/) · [Money 20/20 USA — Past Speakers](https://us.money2020.com/agenda/past-speakers) |
| MED-03 | Deal / announcement track record | Major announcements land from stage every edition. 2024: Citi-Google Cloud cloud-modernisation partnership; ClearBank-Visa European real-time payments partnership; "ALL IN ON AI: Financial Services Adoption Index 2024" launched on site; CFPB's 1033 open banking rule debate. 2025: Visa Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice + USDC US settlement; Western Union announces USDPT stablecoin plan; inaugural Money Awards (5 categories) launched — Kinexys by J.P. Morgan won Banking Gold. ≥1 major announcement per edition. | 5 | high | [Visa Unveils Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice](https://investor.visa.com/news/news-details/2025/Visa-Unveils-New-Global-Stablecoins-Advisory-Practice/default.aspx) · [The Fintech Times — Announced at Money 20/20 USA 2024](https://thefintechtimes.com/announced-at-money-20-20-usa-2024-roundup-from-las-vegas/) · [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA 2025 Closes](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251030444503/en/Money2020-USA-2025-Closes-With-a-Future-Ready-Fintech-Ecosystem-AI-Stablecoins-and-Infrastructure-Take-the-Lead) · [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 2025](https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/newsroom/money2020-usa-2025-innovation) |

**Media & Influence Calculation:**
- Scores: MED-01(4) + MED-02(5) + MED-03(5) = 14
- Equal weight: 14 / 3 = **4.7**

### SIDE PROGRAMMING (Weight: 1×) — Score: 4.5 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SID-01 | Co-located / partner side-event count | Aggregated 120+ side events / parties across the four-day window on the community calendar — TWIF x Adyen Kickoff at Tao, Fintech After Dark (Core VC/Portage/Atomic), Wizard of Oz Experience (Nova Credit), AI & Payments Executive Dinners, Stablecoin speakeasies, Women in Fintech multi-day track, brand happy hours from PayPal/Mastercard/Stripe. Plus host-curated Money Row restaurants (Sugarcane, Yardbird, Chica, Gjelina) and Sunday Night Live. Far above the 20+ threshold. | 5 | high | [Money 20/20 Parties calendar](https://money2020parties.com/) · [Qubika — Money 20/20 side events guide](https://qubika.com/blog/money2020-side-events/) · [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) |
| SID-02 | Side-event quality (curation by host) | Host curates and operates a partial calendar (Money Row restaurant takeovers, Sunday Night Live, MoneyPot, Connections Lounge, official mixers, Hosted Buyer dinners). Third-party side events live primarily on the community-aggregated money2020parties.com calendar rather than a host-vetted directory in the Token2049 model. Host publishes/organises a meaningful portion but does not vet the broader ecosystem. | 4 | med | [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) · [Money 20/20 Parties calendar](https://money2020parties.com/) |

**Side Programming Calculation:**
- Scores: SID-01(5) + SID-02(4) = 9
- Equal weight: 9 / 2 = **4.5**

### PRICE-TO-VALUE (Weight: 0.5×) — Score: 3.5 / 5.0

| Code | Question | Answer Summary | Score | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRC-01 | Ticket price tier vs audience tier | Standard Pass $2,899 (mid-premium $1k–$3k band); Platinum Pass $5,995 (premium tier with luxury transfers, front-row keynotes, exclusive lounge); specialty discounts for startups ($1,545 / $1,855), retailers ($1,645), Govt/NPO/CU ($2,845); Press free; Hosted Buyer FREE for qualifying buyers. Mid-premium price is matched by genuinely senior, decision-maker-heavy fintech audience (33% C-suite, 70% decision-makers). Strong but not category-leader on price-value match. | 4 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Pass Prices](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes) · [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) · [Money 20/20 USA — Who Attends](https://us.money2020.com/attend/who-attends) |
| PRC-02 | Hidden costs (travel/hospitality required) | Standard Pass includes "complimentary meals and beverages throughout the event" — meaningfully better than à la carte. Hosted Buyer is FREE. However Las Vegas hotel rates and side-event dinners during conference week are typically a multi-thousand-dollar incremental spend not captured in the headline ticket price; flights to Las Vegas are an additional cost. Realised total cost of attendance materially exceeds the pass price. | 3 | high | [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) · [Money 20/20 USA — Plan Your Trip](https://us.money2020.com/attend/plan-your-trip) |

**Price-to-Value Calculation:**
- Scores: PRC-01(4) + PRC-02(3) = 7
- Equal weight: 7 / 2 = **3.5**

---

## Final Score Calculation

```
ConfBase Score = (audience×3 + curation×2 + sponsors×2 + speakers×2 + networking×2 +
                  content×1 + trackRecord×1 + media×1 + sideProgramming×1 + priceValue×0.5) / 15.5
```

Substituting:
- (3.3 × 3) + (3.0 × 2) + (4.7 × 2) + (4.7 × 2) + (4.7 × 2) + (4.3 × 1) + (4.7 × 1) + (4.7 × 1) + (4.5 × 1) + (3.5 × 0.5)
- = 9.9 + 6.0 + 9.4 + 9.4 + 9.4 + 4.3 + 4.7 + 4.7 + 4.5 + 1.75
- = 64.05
- = 64.05 / 15.5
- = **4.1**

**Pillar scores:**
- Institutional Signal = (3.3 × 3 + 3.0 × 2 + 4.7 × 2) / 7 = (9.9 + 6.0 + 9.4) / 7 = 25.3 / 7 = **3.6**
- Content & Speakers = (4.7 × 2 + 4.3 + 4.7) / 4 = (9.4 + 4.3 + 4.7) / 4 = 18.4 / 4 = **4.6**
- Networking ROI = (4.7 × 2 + 4.5 + 4.7) / 4 = (9.4 + 4.5 + 4.7) / 4 = 18.6 / 4 = **4.7**

---

## Key Findings

- **Strongest categories**: Sponsor Quality (4.7), Speaker Caliber (4.7), Networking Density (4.7), Track Record (4.7), Media & Influence (4.7) — Visa, Mastercard, JPMorgan, BofA, Citi, Stripe, PayPal, Block, Adyen and the AI majors (Anthropic, Google Cloud, OpenAI, NVIDIA) all sponsor with senior speakers. CEOs of Stripe, Block, Klarna, Affirm, Plaid, Citi, US Bancorp and Anthropic have headlined. SmartMeet pairs an AI-matched 1:1 platform with a free, application-only Hosted Buyer program for banks, retailers and PE/VC. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra used the 2024 stage to defend the open banking rule. 14 editions deep, post-FTX/SVB and post-COVID intact.
- **Weakest categories**: Curation (3.0) and Audience Quality (3.3) — main event is paid open registration with badge tiers rather than a curated invite. The 11K crowd skews B2B-vendor and fintech-founder; high-quality buy-side cohort lives inside the Hosted Buyer track, not the general floor. Price-to-Value is also held down by realised Las Vegas total-cost (3.5).
- **Notable tension**: Money 20/20 USA functions as two events stitched together — a 11K-person fintech industry expo on the main floor, and a curated, AI-matched, free-to-buyers institutional meeting program inside it. Your Confbase ROI depends on which one you attend.
- **Best fit for**: Fintech / payments BD heads chasing bank, payment-network and retailer pipeline; bank technology executives evaluating fintech vendors via the Hosted Buyer program; AI-fintech founders raising or partnering; sell-side teams targeting embedded finance, stablecoin and identity buyers.
- **Worst fit for**: Pure buy-side allocators looking for a manager-meeting environment (iConnections is the better fit); senior decision-makers who can only justify travel for invite-only forums; researchers wanting a small, off-record-only program.
- **Big takeaway**: A Strong 4.1 — the flagship US fintech show with category-defining sponsor and speaker depth, a best-in-class structured-meeting program for buyers, and a 14-edition track record. Audience curation is its honest gap: buy a Hosted Buyer slot or you are at an industry expo, not an allocator forum.

---

## Sources

1. [Money 20/20 USA — Homepage](https://us.money2020.com/) — official event marketing, attendee/speaker/sponsor counts, dates, theme
2. [Money 20/20 USA — Who Attends](https://us.money2020.com/attend/who-attends) — 11,000+ senior attendees, 3,400+ companies, 85+ countries, 1-in-3 C-suite, 320+ media
3. [Money 20/20 USA — Attend overview](https://us.money2020.com/attend) — attendee categories and pass picker entry
4. [Money 20/20 USA — Pass Prices](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes) — full pass tier list and prices (Standard $2,899; Platinum $5,995; specialty tiers)
5. [Money 20/20 USA — Standard Pass page](https://us.money2020.com/attend/passes/standard-pass) — included meals, networking, closed-door content access
6. [Money 20/20 USA — Agenda](https://us.money2020.com/agenda) — content pillars and Briefing Stage
7. [Money 20/20 USA — Past Speakers (Legendary Speakers)](https://us.money2020.com/agenda/past-speakers) — historical speaker roster (Collison, Dorsey, Fraser, Gensler, Chopra, Gould, Amodei, Sweet)
8. [Money 20/20 — Code of Conduct](https://www.money2020.com/code-of-conduct) — public CoC, prohibited behaviours, enforcement language
9. [Money 20/20 USA — Plan Your Trip / Support and Guidance](https://us.money2020.com/attend/plan-your-trip/support-and-guidance) — on-site safety, badge, security guidance and CoC link
10. [Money 20/20 USA — Plan Your Trip overview](https://us.money2020.com/attend/plan-your-trip) — hotel/booking/trip context for hidden-cost analysis
11. [Money20/20 Connect App](https://us.money2020.com/experience/money2020-connect) — official AI matchmaking platform features, decision-maker / C-suite ratios
12. [SmartMeet by Money 20/20 USA](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet) — AI-matched 1:1 meetings, double opt-in, calendar integration
13. [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Meetings](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer) — free passes for banks/retailers/insurance/VC/PE/e-commerce, pay-for-performance model, 5–10 15-minute meetings
14. [SmartMeet Hosted Buyer Application](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer/buyer-application) — application gate
15. [SmartMeet Buyer To-Do List](https://us.money2020.com/experience/smartmeet/buyer/to-do) — 6-week pre-show profile and selection workflow
16. [Buyer Recruitment & Engagement Manager — Informa job (Built In)](https://builtin.com/job/buyer-recruitment-engagement-manager-money-2020/4709780) — dedicated hosted-buyer team evidence
17. [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA 2025 Closes With a Future-Ready Fintech Ecosystem](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251030444503/en/Money2020-USA-2025-Closes-With-a-Future-Ready-Fintech-Ecosystem-AI-Stablecoins-and-Infrastructure-Take-the-Lead) — official 2025 wrap (11,000+ / 85 countries / 630 speakers / 300+ sessions)
18. [TSNN — Money 20/20: Where the Future of Fintech Is Figured Out](https://www.tsnn.com/event-planning/money20-20-usa-2025-where-the-future-of-fintech-is-figured-out) — third-party 2025 wrap, content pillar list, 2026 dates
19. [Event Marketer — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025: How Money Did Business](https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-how-money-did-business/) — sponsor activations (JPM, US Bank, Middesk), 6 stages, Money Row, Off the Record stage
20. [Fintech Forward — Inside Money 20/20 USA 2025](https://fintechforward.beehiiv.com/p/inside-money20-20-usa-2025-where-fintech-s-future-was-written) — Anthropic / Mastercard / Google Cloud speaker context, Money Awards, SmartMeet, Money Row
21. [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 USA 2025 Innovation Leadership](https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/newsroom/money2020-usa-2025-innovation) — Kinexys Money Award, Neukirchen / Lozanoff speaking, Axios Live partnership
22. [J.P. Morgan — Money 20/20 USA 2023](https://jpmorgan.com/insights/payments/payment-trends/money2020-usa-2023) — sponsor retention evidence (multi-year JPM presence)
23. [Mastercard at Money 20/20 2024](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2024/october/mastercard-at-money-2020-innovating-at-the-speed-of-business.html) — sponsor activation evidence
24. [Visa Unveils New Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice (Investor Relations, 2025)](https://investor.visa.com/news/news-details/2025/Visa-Unveils-New-Global-Stablecoins-Advisory-Practice/default.aspx) — Money 20/20-timed announcement
25. [Visa CEO envisions stablecoin, agentic benefit (Payments Dive)](https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/visa-ceo-envisions-stablecoin-agentic-benefit/818801/) — Visa CEO on stage at Money 20/20 USA
26. [The Fintech Times — Announced at Money 20/20 USA 2024 (News Roundup)](https://thefintechtimes.com/announced-at-money-20-20-usa-2024-roundup-from-las-vegas/) — Citi-Google Cloud, ClearBank-Visa, OpenAI Friar, NYSE Martin, AI Adoption Index
27. [BusinessWire — Money 20/20 USA Concludes 2024](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241031652254/en/Money2020-USA-Concludes-Celebrating-Four-Days-as-the-Heartbeat-of-the-Global-Fintech-Ecosystem) — 2024 wrap data (10,000+ attendees, 90+ countries)
28. [Money 20/20 USA Unveils 2024 Speaker Lineup (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240627813786/en/Money2020-USA-Unveils-2024-Speaker-Lineup-Under-%E2%80%98Human-X-Machine%E2%80%99-Show-Theme) — 500+ 2024 speakers, JPM/Mastercard/Anthropic/OpenAI executives
29. [CX Dive — Chopra defends CFPB open banking rule against bank lawsuit](https://www.customerexperiencedive.com/news/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-chopra-open-banking-rule-litigation/731556/) — CFPB Director on Money 20/20 USA 2024 stage
30. [Bloomberg — Silicon Valley Bank pitches comeback story at Money 20/20](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-25/silicon-valley-bank-pitches-comeback-story-at-vegas-palooza) — Tier-1 press coverage of the event
31. [NVIDIA at Money 20/20 2024](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/events/money2020/) — Tier-1 tech sponsor evidence
32. [SVB at Money 20/20 (sponsorships page)](https://www.svb.com/events/sponsorships/money2020/) — 5-Star Sponsor evidence
33. [Money 20/20 Parties calendar (community)](https://money2020parties.com/) — aggregated 120+ side events / parties
34. [Qubika — Money 20/20 USA side events guide](https://qubika.com/blog/money2020-side-events/) — side-event landscape overview
35. [Informa Offers $1.6B for Ascential (Skift Meetings)](https://meetings.skift.com/2024/07/25/informa-offers-1-6-billion-to-buy-ascential-looking-to-grow-lions-and-money20-20-brands/) — October 2024 ownership change, Money 20/20 brand context
36. [Axios — Informa to acquire owner of Cannes Lions and Money 20/20](https://www.axios.com/2024/07/26/informa-acquire-cannes-lions-money2020) — corroborating ownership change

---

_Generated by ConfBase Rating Auditor Agent. Evidence-based; subject to revision as new editions are observed._