15/10/2026
Few people have looked at Europes economy from three sides: as a researcher, as a minister and now as a central banker.
Dr. Martin Kocher has done all three. A behavioural economist, former Federal Minister of Labour and Economy and today Governor of the Austrian National Bank, he joined host Philipp Sakuler on Lets Talk About Tech to talk about what Europe needs to win the tech race.
His answer is less about inventing and more about scaling. Europe produces the talent and the research, but young companies hit shallow capital markets and 27 different rulebooks the moment they grow. He makes the case for more venture capital, a stronger founding culture, and regulation that stays stable instead of growing every year.
Another topic is one of the most debated projects in European finance right now – the digital euro. Kocher explains what problem it is really meant to solve, why it matters for Austria in particular, and the one misconception about it he most wants to clear up.
He also answers the questions most people are quietly asking: what will actually change when you pay, and who gets to see your data?
Finally, they talk about AI and where its productivity gains will really come from, how tokenization could change cross-border payments and why a central bank has to be, in his words, the agent of the long term.
Watch/Listen here ⤵️
🎥 YouTube: https://youtu.be/0mcznPXpdn0
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1v086aw82QfKePLI2FF0NR?si=olSi0hNqTrKACOt0zhWA7w
🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/lets-talk-about-tech/id1730697788?i=1000796475689