SBC Lisbon that was hosted on 16 to 18 September 2025, is one of the biggest gatherings in the iGaming and affiliate marketing world: SBC Summit 2025, held at Feira Internacional de Lisboa & MEO Arena.
Affnook was proud to be part of this event, and Jeremy Castillo, Head of Sales – EU, represented our team on the ground. Over the three days, we immersed ourselves in conversations, connections, and learning — all with an eye toward growing together with the industry.
Why the Summit Mattered
SBC Lisbon was more than just a conference; it was an ecosystem alive and in action, No less than this edition smashed records, with 30,000+ attendees from 150+ countries, 700+ exhibitors, and over 550 experts speaking. The event footprint increased as well to 135,000 m², all of which represents the scale and ambition driving the summit forward.
Brought together via thematic zones at the summit, affiliate leaders, payments experts, player protection, iGaming, among others, were also able to leverage two new stages this year. Global Markets and Emerging Markets stages were introduced to highlight region-specific insights.
Affnook was one of those payments experts — we were positioned where transformation was happening in the industry; not just in Europe but globally.
Affnook’s Agenda & Presence
Jeremy Castillo had clear objectives to attend the meeting:
- Meet current partners, and create new partners.
- Understand regional challenges and growth opportunities
- Demonstrate Affnook’s approach to affiliate marketing: transparent, quality and innovative
- Be receptive to feedback and themes emerging across markets.
Because these events revolve around conveying your message, but it is just as important to be a good listener. Jeremy took every opportunity in conversation to listen to the pain points, goals, and needs of advertisers, affiliates, and technology providers who are evolving.
What We Witnessed & Learned
During the summit, several recurring themes and observations stood out:
1. Global & Regional Focus
The addition of the Global Markets and Emerging Markets stages showed how SBC is evolving into a truly global meeting point. Sessions targeted nuanced trends — for example, growth in Latin America, regulatory complexity in Europe, innovation in Asia.
2. Fragmented Journeys & Attribution Challenges
At each of the panels throughout the three-day event, one common issue was brought up: how to measure longitudinal performance and attribution in a world that has signal loss, privacy measures, and cross-device behavior. Each of these issues are also at the heart of what Affnook is focused on.
3. Fraud, Integrity & Trust
As your networks grow the risk around it also increases. Many sessions elaborated on fraud prevention, clean traffic, and maintaining trust across the affiliate ecosystem.
4. Partnerships & Integrations
Tech vendors, payment providers, analytics platforms, and affiliate networks lined up building integrations and collaborating to offer seamless solutions.
5. Energy, Community & Serendipity
The most valuable moments of the event were not only the scheduled meetings. Many business ideas, insights, and relationships were discussed in casual conversations and dinners.
Challenges & Opportunities Ahead
As we reflect, we also saw clear challenges that the industry will have to navigate — and opportunities that companies like Affnook can act on:
- Data constraints & privacy changes will keep pushing attribution models to evolve.
- Localization is very important as what works in one European country may not work in another.
- Building Partnerships matter more now to aligning with tech stacks and regional specialists will be key.
- Transparency and trust is a key differentiator between you and your competition.
- Keeping on adapting to changes is important as staying nimble is no longer optional.
Final Thoughts & Gratitude
SBC Lisbon 2025 reaffirmed something simple but fundamental: at the end of the day, people drive this industry. Technology, data, platforms — they matter. But relationships, trust, and shared vision fuel progress.
We’re grateful to everyone who met Jeremy, shared a laugh, exchanged ideas, or offered feedback. Those conversations will shape how Affnook builds, improves, and supports its network in the months ahead.
If you attended SBC Lisbon and interacted with us, thank you. If you wished to meet but couldn’t, let’s connect now. The work begins after the event — and we’re ready to roll.
