Held for the fourth consecutive year in Porto Montenegro, the Adria Future Summit has confirmed its reputation as the most important regional event bringing together global leaders from the worlds of politics and business.
This year’s three-day event, with more than 1,200 participants from four continents, has become a place where agreements are reached and the region’s future is charted. The Summit is organised by Sustineri Partners in partnership with the Government of Montenegro and under the auspices of the President of Montenegro.
Participation spanned global capital, government leadership, and young regional leaders, who joined as full participants.
“The Adria Future Summit is not just a platform for dialogue; it is where agreements for the region’s future are made. In setting the course for business development across the region, the Summit has become an unmissable event in the calendars of the most influential global companies and financial institutions, including Eagle Hills, Masdar, the US Export-Import Bank, Monterock, Google and many others,” said Biljana Braithwaite, Founding Partner and CEO of Sustineri Partners and Founder of the Adria Future Summit.
Strategic engagement at the highest level
The companies and institutions engaged with the region sent their principals, not their delegations, confirming its positioning as one of the few productive interfaces between the European Union and the rest of the non-Western economy. Prime Minister Milojko Spajić of Montenegro and John Jovanović, President and Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, framed the deepening US engagement at a moment when Montenegro leads regional EU accession and chairs the Berlin Process in 2026. Mohamed Alabbar, Founder and Chairman of Eagle Hills, set out a vision for Montenegro and the Adriatic as direct beneficiaries of the next phase of AI-driven growth and investment.
From policy to bankable projects
The energy block brought policy and implementation into the same space. Co-hosted by Montenegro’s Ministry of Energy and Mining and the Energy Community Secretariat, with the support of GIZ, the Ministerial Energy Forum ran in parallel with the Summit. It was followed by the Energy Investment Dialogue, which brought ministers together with international investors, developers and financial institutions to determine which projects in the region are bankable and who moves first. From this discussion emerged a 50/50 joint venture between Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG), headquartered in Nikšić, to develop renewable energy for export to the Western Balkans and Southern Europe via Montenegro’s existing subsea interconnection with Italy.
Sveti Stefan returns to the global map
Alfredo Longo, CEO of Monterock International, confirmed at the Summit that Sveti Stefan and Villa Miločer will reopen this season. Villa Miločer opens on 21 May, the day Montenegro marks 20 years since the restoration of independence; the island reopens in phases from June. The complex will host a combination of Aman, Nammos and Zuma, available at no other location worldwide.
Monetary dialogue moves south
For the first time, the central bank governors of Slovenia, Estonia and Montenegro convened at the Summit to discuss the future of money in a digital Europe. The session signalled that European-level monetary debate, including the digital euro and central bank digital currency design, now has a southern venue and that the Summit’s mandate extends to European-level policy discussions.
AI, innovation and the wider agenda
The Summit’s technology track positioned the region’s transition from a services exporter to a product builder, with sovereign AI capability identified as the next-decade thesis: building and owning what the region innovates, not just delivering what others design. The Adria Future Hackathon and the Adria ScaleUp initiative supported early-stage teams and investor-ready ventures, framing AI and innovation as a regional pipeline rather than a single project. The wider programme covered telecommunications and digital infrastructure, real estate and tourism, sustainable finance, health and longevity, responsible business, workforce and skills, and the rule of law.
The Adria Future Summit returns to Montenegro in 2027.
