Main Conference Speakers

John Lindfors is the Cofounder and Managing Partner of DST Global, which backs exceptional category-leading internet and software companies led by visionary founders. Previously, John was the Head of European Tech and a Partner of Goldman Sachs in London

Mr. Eric Jing is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ant Group. He joined Alibaba Group in 2007 and became the President of Ant Group in June 2015. Eric was appointed as the CEO of Ant Group in October 2016, and assumed the additional role of Chairman in April 2018.

Under his leadership, Ant Group's strategy focuses on inclusiveness, sustainability, and globalization to bring small but meaningful changes to the world. Ant Group aims to support digital transformation with partners worldwide, enabling access to financial and technological services for consumers and small businesses.

In addition to his role at Ant Group, Mr. Jing serves as a senior advisor to the World Bank's Identification for Development (ID4D) Initiative and the Centre for Digital ID, Trade and Economy of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). He is also a foundation board member of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Furthermore, Mr. Jing is an active member of both the Patrons for Nature of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Champions for Nature of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Previously, he served as a senior advisor for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Comprehensive Surveillance Review and as a member of the UN Secretary-General's Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr. Jing received his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the College of Economics & Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1994. In 2005, he obtained his Master's degree in Business Administration after completing the EMBA program at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, U.S.

Mr. Xu Bing is the Co-founder of SenseTime who is passionate about building AI innovations for a better tomorrow. Before founding SenseTime, Bing was a PhD candidate conducting research on deep learning and computer vision at the Multimedia Lab of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the first Chinese team to focus on deep learning and computer vision research.

Bing, together with several Co-founders from the same university lab, founded SenseTime in 2014 and cultivated it into the world’s leading AI company. Bing is a key executive of the company, primarily managing corporate development strategies and overseeing fundraising activities. Bing was named one of the most promising Innovators Under 35 in China by the MIT Technology Review and is featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia List.

Bing holds two bachelor’s degrees in Information Engineering and in Mathematics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Luanne Lim was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong, HSBC, in 2022, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer, Hong Kong, HSBC, a role that she has held since 2017.

Ms Lim has more than 25 years of banking industry experience. Since joining HSBC in Singapore in 1999, she has held leadership roles and spearheaded strategic initiatives across HSBC’s key markets, including Mainland China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. She is currently a board member of HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd.

She is the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, and sits on the Banking Advisory Committee and Financial Infrastructure and Market Development Sub-Committee of Hong Kong Monetary Authority. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Development Council, council member of Treasury Markets Association and member of the Academy of Finance. She is also the Chairperson of Financial Services Advisory Committee and the Asian Financial Forum Steering Committee of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

She currently serves as a board member and executive committee member of The Community Chest. In July 2024, Ms Lim was awarded a Medal of Honour by the HKSAR Government in recognition to her services to the community.

Lily Liu is an entrepreneur and investor focused on the cryptocurrency industry. She has abackground as a CFO and operating executive in the US, China, and throughout emergingmarkets.
Lily is the Co Founder of Anagram; the President of the Solana Foundation; on the foundingteam of Osmosis, and an advisor to Brave.

Previously, Lily co-founded Earn.com which was acquired by Coinbase in 2018. She wasalso the CFO of the Chinaco Healthcare Corporation, where she built a 500-bed privatehospital in China. Lily also worked at KKR in New York as well as McKinsey in New York andBeijing.

Lily received a BA in Economics and International Relations from Stanford, and studied EastAsian Studies at Harvard.

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Mr. Lin oversees Tencent’s overall fintech business, including payment, wealth management, securities and other fintech services. Previously he was the Managing Partner at Tencent Investment, where he was responsible for Tencent’s equity investment in various areas, such as e-commerce, Internet Finance, Online to Offline and digital contents etc. Notable deals including JD.com, China Literature, Tencent Music, Meituan, PDD, Bilibili etc. Prior to joining Tencent, Mr. Lin held various senior positions in finance, strategy, and operating management at Microsoft and Nokia.

Forest Lin holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Engineering from Zhejiang University.

Mr. Zhu has served as the CEO of Du Xiaoman Technology (formerly Baidu Finance) since April 2018, when Baidu completed its spin-off of the Financial Service Group (FSG) with investors led by TPG and Carlyle. Mr. Zhu led the team to establish Baidu’s FSG in December 2015. Prior to this, Mr. Zhu held the position of Senior Vice President at Baidu, where he was responsible for various roles including public relations, government affairs, and Baidu News.

Mr. Zhu graduated from Xi'an Jiaotong University and joined Baidu in 2008. Prior to that, he worked at Lenovo Group for ten years.

Martha Sazon is the President & CEO of Mynt, the holding company of GCash, the #1Finance App in the Philippines. Appointed as CEO in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, her focus on customer-centricity has propelled GCash into a lifeline to many Filipinos. With Martha at the helm, GCash is now the Philippines' first and only $5B unicorn with millions of registered users. As a result, GCash is now a household name and is being used as a verb in the country.

Prior to GCash, Martha had 20 years of experience in various industries like food, OTC drugs, personal care, and telco. Martha spent 12 years at Globe Telecom during which she pioneered many breakthroughs and achievements for a wide array of products and headed the Broadband business. Martha has also worked as a Marketing Director and Category Leader for Asia at GlaxoSmithKline and as a Senior Product Manager for Del Monte.

Martha has attended and finished executive programs at IMD, INSEAD and Harvard Business School, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Accounting (Cum Laude), from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Tom serves as Chief Executive Officer of Bullish, responsible for creating, planning, and implementing the company's strategic direction. Previously, Tom served as CEO, President and Chairman of Far Peak Acquisition Corporation, and Far Point Acquisition Corporation. Tom also serves as Chairman of Global Blue Group Holding AG (NYSE: GB).

Tom brings many years of executive leadership in the finance industry, including serving as President of the NYSE Group of Intercontinental Exchange Inc., or ICE, from 2014 to 2018. Tom led all operations for the NYSE and managed a diverse range of equity and equity options exchanges, comprising the largest equities listing and securities trading venue in the world. In this role, Tom spearheaded the NYSE through a significant strategic and operational transition, revitalizing an iconic business and brand. Tom also presided over a series of operational improvements which led to the tripling of profits, the doubling of pre-acquisition operating margin, the reduction of annual costs by US$550 million, and the modernization of NYSE technology. Prior to joining the NYSE, Tom served as the SVP of Financial Markets at ICE, where he oversaw a variety of modernization efforts, strategic acquisitions, and exchange consolidations. Prior to joining ICE, Tom was President of SunGard Kiodex, after serving as its CFO and COO.

Dong HE is Deputy Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He has oversight responsibility for MCM’s work on digital currencies and fintech. He joined MCM in October 2014 and led MCM’s work on global financial stability analysis, monetary and macroprudential policies, and technical assistance on central bank operations.

Dong holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Cambridge. He started his career in 1993 when he joined the World Bank through the Young Professionals Program. He was a staff member of the World Bank during 1993-1998, of the IMF during 1998-2004, and of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) during 2004-2014. At the HKMA, he was Executive Director responsible for directing research and policy advice on issues relating to the maintenance of monetary and financial stability and the development of financial markets. He was also Director of the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research. He has published extensively on macroeconomic and financial market issues.

Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of WeBank.

As a member of WeBank executive management team, Henry oversees the IT strategic planning and management, fintech innovation at WeBank.

Prior to WeBank, Henry has served as General Manager at Ping An Technology Co., Ltd. Prior to that, Henry had lived and worked in Silicon Valley for more than 10 years. Henry has received his Bachelor of Science degree with Highest Honors from UC Berkeley and a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Stanford University. With years of professional studies and working experience, he has successfully led teams in in various renowned companies to in-house design and implement multiple groundbreaking fintech infrastructures and applications.

Alain Lam, aged 50, graduated from University of Oxford with a master's degree in Engineering in August 1998. He is a Vice President and the CFO of the Xiaomi Corporation, and the Chairman of Airstar Digital Technology.
Alain joined the Group in 2020. Prior to joining the Group, Alain worked at Credit Suisse (Hong Kong) as Managing Director and Head of the Asian Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Group of the Investment Banking division from January 2016 to October 2020. From July 1997 to December 2015, he worked at Morgan Stanley in the London, New York, Menlo Park and Hong Kong offices. Alain was responsible for leading many US IPO projects including those of Kingsoft Cloud, XPeng Motors and Pinduoduo, as well as Hong Kong IPO projects including those of Alibaba, Xiaomi, and NetEase.

Matt has had a high profile career spanning more than 20 years in the technology domain. His leadership has significantly contributed to building trust in technology transformations and the protection of digital assets. As a senior partner and the head of the Cybersecurity practice at PwC, he oversaw its expansion to over 150 specialists and played a foundational role in VARA's establishment before accepting the role of CEO. An alumnus of the University of Bath and the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, his academic credentials reflect the success of his professional journey.

Matt is not just confined to the corporate world. He is a co-founder of two startups: 'decent', a platform seeking to revolutionise charitable giving, and 'Clubbie', a niche social network for amateur sports enthusiasts. He is frequently sought after as a public speaker - his insights and expertise make him a valuable voice in helping to make this complex subject more accessible to everyone.

Angelina is Senior Advisor to IMC Asia Pacific, a leading global market making and proprietary trading firm. She has previously held Senior Management and Directorate positions with international digital asset exchanges, HKEX, Cantor Fitzgerald, the SFC, and other global financial services companies. She is also the Managing Director of Stratford Finance Limited, a consulting company focused on dealing with regulatory and operational issues in the financial services and digital assets sectors and advises brokerages, fund managers, and technology providers.Angelina is currently the Chair of The Women’s Foundation and serves on a number of Hong Kong Government appointed Boards and charities, including the New Business Committee of the Financial Services Development Council, Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute, the Ebenezer School for the Blind, the University of Wollongong and is an Honorary Adjunct Professor of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Accounting and Finance. Angelina is a Certified Public Accountant in the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Her MBA is from Pepperdine University, LLB from HKU/Manchester Metropolitan University, and LLM from Harvard Law School.

Sergey Nazarov is the co-founder of Chainlink, the leading decentralized oracle network used by global enterprises and leading Web3 projects at the forefront of the blockchain industry. Chainlink oracle networks enable smart contracts on any blockchain to reliably connect to any external API and leverage secure off-chain computations for building feature-rich applications. Chainlink currently secures tens of billions of dollars in value for smart contracts across decentralized finance (DeFi), insurance, gaming, and other major industries. Contributing to building an industry-standard oracle solution used by leading banks, insurance companies, and large technology firms has given Nazarov a unique perspective on what is required to drive the mainstream adoption of blockchain technology and build a world based on cryptographic truth.

Teddy currently serves as the CEO of JINGDONG Coinlink Technology, where he oversees overall planning and strategies, global expansion, and the implementation of its fintech, Web3 and stablecoin business. Teddy held the position of Vice President at JD Technology, the technology subsidiary of JD.com Group.

Teddy brings 18 years of practical and senior executive experience in global mobile payment industry and is dedicated to driving technological innovation to serve the entire financial industry.  He specialises in crafting sustainable inclusive financial products tailored for populations in under-developed regions, thereby enhancing the global level of financial inclusion.  Before joining JD, He held senior leadership roles in a number of mobile payment-related Chinese fin-techs including Tencent and Huawei.

Teddy was the Key Person in Charge of WeChat Pay at Tencent.  He built the mobile payment infrastructure from the ground and promote its rapid development. Teddy was the Chief Executive Officer of global mobile payment product and operation at Huawei, led a team that provided services across 19 countries and regions. He was a co-founder and established KBZPay, the fastest growing and industry leading innovative mobile wallet application. It is currently the No.1 payment brand in Myanmar.

Mr. Charles Song, the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Linklogis, holds a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Huazhong Institute of Technology (currently known as Huazhong University of Science and Technology), and a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Melbourne. He has over 30 years of experience in finance, internet, and technology related industries. Mr. Charles Song founded Linklogis in 2016. He is responsible for the overall strategic planning, business direction, and management of the Group. In April 2021, Linklogis was successfully listed on the main board of HKEX.

Mr. Charles Song has served as the finance strategic consultant at Tencent Technology, the President of China Resources Bank (“CR Bank”), and the Global Head of Corporate Trust and Loan Agency Services at HSBC. Mr. Charles Song is the founding director of China Securitization Forum, and was a member of the steering committee of The International Capital Market Association. He has also worked in JPMorgan Chase Bank and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. Mr. Charles Song has rich experience in the capital market, asset securitization, commercial banks and transaction banking. He created the business model of “asset-light bank” in China and made many beneficial attempts in this field.

Andrea is the Co-founder and CEO of Aspire, the all-in-one finance software for businesses across Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, Aspire has over 450+ employees across five countries and is backed by global top tier VCs, including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Y-Combinator, Tencent and Paypal.

Prior to Aspire, Andrea Baronchelli was part of Lazada’s founding team and spent 6 years building the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia based out of Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. He held several leadership roles within Lazada across the region including CMO, Commercial director, and CEO Vietnam. Andrea is a Y-Combinator and Rocket Internet Alum.

Esther is the founder and CIO of 3Capital Investment, an Al-focused VC targeting global opportunities.The firm has a dedicated vision: we believe Al is at the dawn of a multi year breakthrough, and we have chosen to focus on infrastructure and foundational technologies that will be the building blocks of this revolution.

Prior to founding 3Capital, Esther was a founding member of SenseTime, one of China's largest Al software companies. She initiated the company's strategic investment and capital markets team, raising over USD 5 billion and leading investments and collaborations with strategic partners both domestically and internationally.

In addition to her successful startup experience, Esther has over 20 years of experience in finance and banking, holding leadership roles at Cazenove (now JP Morgan), CICC, Barclays, and Bocom.

Esther holds an Executive MBA from The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. She is dedicated to youth development and serves as a board member of the Greater Bay. Youth Committee and Junior Achievement Hong Kong.

Bojan is the Chief Digital Officer at HSBC Hong Kong and a part of the HSBC Hong Kong executive leadership team. He is responsible for developing and executing HSBC's cohesive digital banking strategy, with a focus on digital assets and currencies, FinTech ecosystem partnerships, new economy development in Hong Kong and emerging tech innovation.

Ankur is the Group President of JULO, where he works with Julo Board and Management to build Julo into a leading financial institution across S.E Asia.

Ankur has over 20 years of experience in finance and in building new businesses across Asia, North America, and Europe. He joined Grab at an early stage in 2016 and founded multiple Fintech businesses at Grab, including its lending and insure-tech businesses, and grew them to over 1.5 B in asset size.

Ankur spent 7 years at Grab, during which time he served as CEO of its Lending JV, Board member of its Insurance JV, and Director of multiple fintech subsidiaries across SG, PH and VN.

Prior to Grab Ankur was the founder of a food-tech startup, a banker in Standard Chartered Bank and also spent nearly a decade at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

He represented Grab as a speaker in multiple events such Money 20/20 (Hangzhou ‘18 and Las Vegas ‘19 ), SFF, HK FF, G20 Financial Stability Forum and IFC SME Finance Forum to name a few.

David is a highly respected thought leader in financial industry technology with over 35 years of experience leading some of Wall Street’s top institutions. He has founded and invested in a number of start-ups including R3, LiquidityEdge LLC (a successful UST treasury broker), and most recently TEN. His primary focus remains on advancing R3 and the Corda ecosystem through customer engagements, partnerships and strategic investments.

David founded R3 in 2015 and, as Chief Executive Officer, he is responsible for the company’s strategic vision. R3 is a leading provider of Digital Currency, Digital Assets and Interoperability solutions, empowering regulated financial institutions to navigate the complexities of digitization. At the heart of R3 is Corda, the world’s first open, permissioned tokenization platform. Supported by leading financial institutions, R3 has a global team of approximately 300 employees across London, Dublin, Dubai, New York, Mumbai, and Singapore, serving a thriving network of 60+ customers including Central Banks, FMIs and Corporates.

David's pioneering contributions to the industry have earned him recognition as one of the top twenty most influential figures in digital assets. He has played a significant role in the global adoption of electronic trading in the OTC derivatives and securities industry, launching his first electronic trading system in 1995. He has since been involved in launching electronic trading solutions across more than 20 different asset classes worldwide. David served as CEO of Electronic Broking at ICAP Plc for ten years, overseeing the BrokerTec fixed income and EBS foreign exchange platforms. Prior to ICAP, David was co-owner and CEO (Americas) of Prebon Yamane.

David continues to influence the fintech space through multiple board memberships and is actively involved in a number of charities through the Rutter Family Charitable Trust. Notably, he is a well member of Charity Water, ensuring that 100% of donations provide clean water to those in need by covering the charity's administrative expenses.

Akio Tanaka founded what was originally known as Infinity Ventures in 2008, the mission of the firm being to introduce the modern VC business model to Japan. Akio raised the first three funds of Infinity Ventures.

During this era, Akio led and executed multiple high profile deals in Japan, China and Taiwan, especially in FinTech, E-Commerce, and Logistics field. Notable investments include: 17Live, OpenLogi, Buyandship, Pinkoi, Mixerbox, AssetPro.

Akio was the Partner behind the No.1 & No.2 FinTech unicorn in Japan, Freee and WealthNavi, both of which are currently listed in TSE. He also invested and successfully exited deals such as Groupon JP, Farfetch, Yeahka, 36Kr, and Plum.

In 2021, Akio led and completed the merger between e.ventures (based in Europe and the US) and Infinity Ventures, and both firms later became a new Global VC firm - Headline.

Akio sourced and executed a majority of Headline Asia’s notable deals, including Zaiko, Capitalise, Respond, JPYC,TGAL, Xen Capital, and Spider Labs.

Akio and his partners also raised the first Web3/Blockchain-focused fund within Headline. The $80M USD fund mainly focuses on L1/L2 protocol, GameFi, and DeFi projects.

Dr. Albert Yip is the Chairman of Syndicate Capital Group, which is the Investor Champion and Corporate Champion of Global Fast Track. Currently, Dr. Yip is appointed as the Chief Ambassador of OMFIF as well as the Global Ambassador of Cyberport. He is also the Vice Chairman of Hong Kong ICT Fintech Awards.

Dr. Yip has been named by Linkedin as the “10 CEOs in Hong Kong You Should Follow in 2022”. During the past three decades, Dr. Yip has been playing different C-Suite roles as CEO, CFO and CAE in Fortune 500 leaders, such as State Street Bank, SSGA, Manulife Financial and Westpac Bank. Dr. Yip is the former SVP and APAC Regional Head of Corporate Audit at State Street Corporation and the MIC (Governance) at SSGA, managing the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong (“TraHK”).

Among his public duties in professional bodies, Dr. Yip is serving as the Chairman of WealthTech Committee at IFTA as well as the Chairman of Investment Committee at IESGB. Dr. Yip was the Board Governor and the Chairman of Professional Development Committee of the IIA Hong Kong (2016-19), and the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee of CPA Australia, Greater China (2015-18).

For community services, Dr. Yip has been recognized with awards such as the PolyU Department of Computing Outstanding Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement and the global WACE award, the first honoree in Asia. Since 2019, Dr. Yip has been appointed to the Task Forces of Sustainable & Inclusive Finance of United Nations ESCAP ESBN.

Alex started his career at John Swire & Sons working in the United States, China & Hong Kong. Since 2004 he has been an entrepreneur in many different areas of the real estate investment space, co-founding a serviced apartment business, Kush Serviced Apartments, a boutique neighbourhood retail brand called Warehouses on West and a real estate investment and asset management business, District15. District15 co invested with large real estate institutions and funds and was responsible for repositioning, asset managing and exiting these real estate assets and portfolios.

Alex also has a long history of mentoring and investing in start ups and technology companies in the proptech and real estate space and has sat on a number of committees and boards in this space including the ULI Technology Committee, the Proptech HK POC Committee, the Negawatt Sustainability Committee, the Gentian Board and the Spacious Advisory Committee.

He is a co-founder and managing partner of Undivided Ventures which invests in companies looking to solve for sustainability challenges in the built environment. The establishment of the platform is, he sees, as the culmination of the years of experience he has had investing in real estate and related technologies.

Alice Suen is the Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance and Investment, HSBC Hong Kong. She engages with Hong Kong’s broad sustainable finance ecosystem on behalf of HSBC Hong Kong, looking for opportunities to leverage HSBC’s capabilities and market position in Hong Kong to support sustainable market development and deliver new solutions to address Local, Regional and Global needs.

Having worked in the financial services industry for almost 20 years, Alice has a wealth of experience across frontline relationship management, business strategy, and people management. She has a dedicated focus on Greater China Business, and she has previously worked in Shanghai and the Greater Bay Area.

Outside of her professional career, Alice is an enthusiast in ESG-related volunteering activities. She has also run full marathons for charity and completed a trek in Indian Himalayas to raise fund for social and environmental causes. She is a mentor in HKSAR’s Strive and Rise Mentoring Programme supporting junior secondary students from under-privileged family for two consecutive years.

Alice graduated from University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, with a Bachelor Degree in Commerce.

Aliya Grig is a renowned entrepreneur and AGI researcher, pioneering in creating empathetic AI.

She is the founder of Evolwe AI startup, which focuses on building empathetic AI technology and the founder of Kosmos Foundation creating a new generation of anthropomorphic robots for manufacturing and deep space exploration, and The Cosmos City - an innovation hub for space tech startups in Los Angeles.

With 15 years of global experience in launching tech startups, including a successful space tech venture and collaborations with giants like Boeing, NASA, and Lexus, Aliya has made significant contributions to technology and space exploration. Her work, merging insights from neuroscience, cognitive science, and consciousness studies, has earned her accolades from ESA, CDL, and Starburst, as well as recognition as a Top 100 women entrepreneur in AI in 2021 and a Forbes Europe Young Entrepreneur nominee in 2018.

A regular speaker at international forums and a mentor for programs like Women in Tech, Aliya continues to influence the fields of deep space exploration and advanced artificial intelligence.

Aliya Grig is a renowned entrepreneur and AGI researcher, pioneering the development of empathetic AI.

She is the founder of Evolwe AI, a startup focusing on building empathetic AI technology, the Kosmos Foundation, which creates a new generation of anthropomorphic robots for manufacturing and deep space exploration, and The Cosmos City, an innovation hub for space tech startups in Los Angeles.

With over 15 years of global experience in launching tech startups, including three international hardware tech ventures (fuel cells, launch vehicle, and 3D printer) with two successful exits, and collaborations with giants like NASA, Boeing, AWS, NVIDIA, Middlesex University, and Stanford University, Aliya has made significant contributions to technology and space exploration. Her work, which merges insights from neuroscience, cognitive science, and consciousness studies, has earned her accolades from ESA, CDL, and Starburst. She has also been recognized as one of the Top 100 women entrepreneurs in AI by Leta Capital and was listed among the top 30 young entrepreneurs by Forbes Europe and the 23 most influential women in tech by Startups Magazine.

She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Arizona Astrobiology Center and is a Fellow of the Karman Space Foundation. Currently, she is completing a PhD in Neuroscience, researching Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), and contributing to Forbes and YFS Magazine.

Ben A Jelloun is the founding and managing partner of GCCVest, which is an investment platform bridging capital from the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) to leading tech champions in Asia. Ben is a distinguished deal advisory professional with more than 25years of global experience providing M&A Strategy and Advisory services to Fortune 500 clients and PE firms in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Greater China. Ben helps companies across the deal cycle, including synergy planning, post-deal value creation, cross-border growth and expansion, etc. His M&A and corporate strategy advisory background are supplemented by investment banking and private equity experience in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and since 2016, Asia.

Ben also has experience leading a PE platform in the Middle East focused on investing in filmed entertainment. Prior to founding GCCVest, Ben was a Partner in KPMG and led the private equity advisory services for the Global Strategy Group at KPMG China for 4 years. He led the creation of the private equity value creation offering for private equity clients and also the fund-in-a-box services for emerging fund managers. He also led the creation of the fund due diligence offering for limited partners (LPs) in Asian Funds.

Prior to joining KPMG USA in 2014 and subsequently KPMG China in 2016, Ben served as a Senior Manager with Deloitte’s M&A Advisory practice in New York City, helping global clients align their business models with global priorities through the disposal or integration of multiple business units. His work in Deloitte also included performing operational and commercial due diligence for leading PE firms like KKR. While in Deloitte, Ben was the Lead Deal Advisor on the historic 2014 Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) between two Middle Eastern countries for the supply of $10 billion of natural gas over 15 years.

Throughout his career, his focus has been M&A in corporate and private equity entities and restructuring, both at HSBC investment bank in London and Dubai and in Accenture’s integration/separation practice in North America.

Ben has also served as a VP and fund manager of international investments and portfolio restructuring for a leading global investment house in Kuwait and has led the creation of the first-of-its-kind filmed entertainment PE platform in the Middle East (MENA MEDIA CAPITAL).

Bill Deng, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of XTransfer. Has over 10 years of experience in the global payments business. Before founding XTransfer in 2017, joined Visa in 2007 and served for three years. In 2010, joined Alipay and served for seven years. Expert in export business in China, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) exporters' needs for global financial services and their pain points. Has in-depth knowledge of innovative fintech services in various markets. Has designed cross-border business-to-business payment solutions for global SME importers and exporters, including payments and fund collection, remittance, FX conversion, artificial intelligence (AI) anti-money laundering and related risk management.

Brad Jones is the Chief Executive Officer of PayMe, the leading digital wallet in Hong Kong owned by HSBC. Prior to this appointment, Brad has spent over fifteen years in digital payments and fintech in Asia. This has included establishing successful digital payments businesses in two markets in Southeast Asia, as well as leading mobile innovation in Asia Pacific for Visa. Brad has also consulted to IFC(World Bank) in a variety of markets, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and China, advising their portfolio companies on digital payments strategy. Brad has a Bachelor of Commerce from Griffith University in Australia, post graduate business qualifications from the University of Queensland, and is currently completing a Masters of Fintech at University of New South Wales.

Calvin Ng is a distinguished cybersecurity professional with deep expertise in Identity Access Management (IAM), Endpoint Security, and Network Security.

With extensive experience in global and regional cybersecurity services, he excels in solution selling and integrating Chinese and foreign brands to comply with Hong Kong's regulations. Since joining CMI in 2022, Calvin has led successful projects in IAM and Network Security, significantly enhancing security frameworks for banking clients.

In Endpoint Security, he has pioneered projects using advanced EDR and XDR technologies integrated with Threat Intelligence, significantly strengthening defenses against sophisticated cyber threats and protecting client data across multiple touchpoints.

Camilla Bullock, CEO of EPA Asia, is an entrepreneur, connector and influencer in the global payments industry. Leveraging her extensive background in data and sales gained at Thomson Reuters, she founded EPA Asia in 2018. Since its inception, Camilla has emerged as a strong voice for the APAC Payments industry. She leads critical discussions in EPAA-curated rooms, speaks at Industry Events and represents EPAA members on global platforms. Under her leadership, EPA Asia has cultivated a robust community dedicated to enhancing interoperability and harmonisation of regulation. Through her work, she connects vital industry players and encourages collaboration while amplifying innovation opportunities and business growth for members. Camilla, with her team, customers and community, is reshaping the future of payments across the APAC region and beyond.

Dr Norman Chan previously served as Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Deputy Director of the Office of the Exchange Fund of Hong Kong, Director of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR’s Office and Vice Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank.  

Dr Chan received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the CUHK, an Honorary Fellowship from the CUHK, an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration from the City University, Lingnan University and Shue Yan University, an Honorary Doctoral Degree of Social Science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Dr Chan currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Chung Chi College of CUHK, Vice Chairman of CUHK Council, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RD Wallet Technologies Ltd, RD ezLink Limited, Chairman of the Hong Kong Acquisition Corporation and Founding Chairman of Hong Kong Institute of Web3.0.

Charlotte Wong is a seasoned banking and technology professional with over 20 years of experience. She has held several key leadership positions across technology teams at global, region and market levels, in Global Markets, Securities Services, Wholesale and Personal & Wealth Banking. In her role as the Chief Information Officer Hong Kong, she takes leading role to drive technology resilience and transformation agenda.

Charlotte is very passionate in driving the diversity and inclusion agenda in technology sector. She takes a leading role in organizing the first Women-In-Tech lounge in the HK FinTech Week 2023. Outside her professional role, she volunteers as a Girl Guide/Scout commissioner and leader and is an active member in the global Girl Guiding and Scouting movement, in advocating leadership development for girls and young women. She also acts as the technology advisor of an EdTech start-up in Hong Kong, the industry advisor for the FutureGen Young Women Leader Award, and the chairperson of the FACE Club (first IT women club) of Hong Kong Computer Society.

Christina is a Managing Principal, Global Head of Capital Markets and Co-Chair of Alternative Investments at Gaw Capital Partners. She works closely with limited partners relating to capital raising and new product developments. Gaw Capital is a real estate private equity firm and has raised seven commingled funds targeting the APAC region since 2005. The firm also manages value-add/opportunistic funds in the US, a Pan-Asia hospitality fund, a European hospitality fund, a growth equity fund and it also provides services for credit investments and separate account direct investments globally. The firm has over US$35.4 billion in AUM as of Q1 2024. She also serves as Executive Director of Pioneer Global Group (0224.HK) and Independent Non-Executive Director and Member of the Sustainability Committee of CLP Holdings Limited (0002.HK).

Ms. Gaw was named Global PERE’s Rainmaker 30 and one of the Top 10 PERE’s Women of Influence in 2021.

Prior to joining Gaw Capital, Christina had an investment banking career with Goldman Sachs and UBS as Managing Director for over 15 years, with responsibilities as Head of Asia Equities Distribution and as Head of APAC Capital Introduction team within Prime Brokerage. She has deep experience in covering the largest institutional investors globally.

Christina is also active in community and educational sector capacity work in Hong Kong. She is currently an honorary advisor of Hong Kong PropTech Association, a board member of InspiringHK Sports Foundation, a committee member of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Hong Kong CEO Forum, a member of International Advisory Council at Stanford University, an advisor of Teach for Hong Kong and Time Auction, a finance committee member and board member of Hong Kong International School, a board member of Stellart International School of Arts, a corporate member of the Cheltenham Ladies College UK, a school supervisor for TWGHs S. C. Gaw Memorial College and the council member of Lingnan University, Hong Kong. She has also served as the board member of The Women’s Foundation for over 10 years from 2009 to 2019 and the board treasurer of The Hong Kong Ballet Group from 2010 to 2017.

Christina received her B.S in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco, California.

Ms Ong is responsible for driving the growth of HSBC’s business banking franchise in Hong Kong, spearheading the Bank’s strategy to support the banking and financial needs of SMEs and startups through its expertise, extensive network and continuous digital innovations.

With more than 25 years of experience with HSBC, Christina has held various key management roles spanning client coverage across SMEs, mid-market segment and large corporates, strategy and propositions, as well as marketing.

In her previous role as Managing Director, Corporate, Commercial Banking in Hong Kong, Ms Ong had been instrumental in building HSBC’s industry specialty corporate coverage strategy, and in driving digital and sustainable initiatives for corporate clients. She was in charge of a diverse portfolio of corporates, such as industrials, infrastructure, capital projects, professional services, technology and consumer retail.

Ms Ong is also active promotor of diversity and inclusion culture in HSBC. She is the Founding Chairman of HSBC Women’s Network, an employee resources group that aims to support women’s professional growth.

Before founding Pluang, Claudia has worked in the financial services industry in Indonesia formore than 10 years, through Celebes Capital, a leading venture capital fund focused on financial institutions. Previously she held a Bachelor of Molecular Biology from the Occidental College, LA, but finally she realized her passion is in the financial industry. Claudia continued to hold an MBA from the Harvard Business School and has the goal of levelingthe playing field for Indonesians by increasing access to investment products.

As M.B.A. classmates at Harvard Business School, Claudia Kolonas and Richard Chua launched Pluang, aiming as a multi-assets investing platform targeting first-time millennial investors in Indonesia to easily experience the thrill of investing wisely.

Claudia believes that everyone has the same opportunity to grow their wealth, and that’s what makes Pluang offer a diverse range of products in only one application including mutual funds, digital gold, crypto assets, US Stock CFD, and Micro E-Mini Index Futures, before those products only available to middle up society.

Claus Christensen isthe CEO & Co-Founder of Know Your Customer, an award-winning RegTech company with offices andclients across bothAPAC and Europe (in 2022 Know Your Customer won the secondprize at the SFF Global Fintech Awards in the ASEAN category).  

As a speaker and industryexpert, Claus complements his vast technical knowledge with outstandingeloquence. A regular contributor to leading industry publications, including Finextra, Regulation Asia, Silicon Republic and Fintech Futures, Claus is a recognised expert in the anti-moneylaundering and financial regulation space and a senior lecturer of the Centre for Finance,Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE)’s RegTech Course. As well as hosting RegTalks,an interview podcast dedicated to the latest RegTech trends with 30+ episodes with global experts,he has spokenacross various conferences globally such as Hong Kong Fintech Week 2023 andMoney 20/20 Europe 2023, 2024.

Anexperienced entrepreneur and executive, Claus has been active in the softwareindustry for more than thirty years. Prior to Know Your Customer, Claus foundedServolutions GmbH, a company developing email server infrastructuresfor 60,000+global customers, and served as Vice President of Electronics at ThielertAircraft Engines.  

Daniel Chan is the Head of Greater Bay Area (GBA) at HSBC.

Mr Chan joined HSBC in 1988, and has extensive experience working in retail and commercial banking, including roles in strategy and proposition development, learning and development, non-financial risk and control functions.  Since 2007, Mr Chan has assumed a number of leadership positions of Commercial Banking in Singapore and Hong Kong, and has become Head of Business Banking for Hong Kong in 2015.

Mr Chan was appointed Head of GBA since Apr 2021, spearheading HSBC’s strategic development in GBA, a key focus of the Bank’s Asia growth strategy. He is responsible for the overall business strategy development and implementation in GBA, across all business lines and functions to capture opportunities brought by GBA’s economic growth and policy enhancement measures. HSBC was named the Best International Bank for GBA in 2021 and 2023, as well as the 2022 Best International Bank for the Wealth Management Connect, by Asiamoney.

Mr Chan holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Daniel is the Founder and Managing Director of Active Creation Capital, an investment and advisory firm.

Prior to that, he served as the Group Chief Innovation Officer at Ping An from 2013-2017.  In that role, Daniel was one of the chief architects in formulating the Group’s digital transformation strategy with the mandate to drive growth through innovation and technology.  He was responsible for forging strategic partnerships, identifying new business opportunities, overseeing relationships with key global research institutions, and the creation and supervision of Ping An Ventures.

Daniel was a Standing member of the Group Executive Committee reporting directly to Chairman and CEO Peter Ma.  In addition, he served on the Group Investment Committee and was the co-lead for Ping An's AI and blockchain initiatives.  Ping An was ranked 33rd in the 2023 Fortune Global 500 List, 1st among global insurance enterprises, and China’s largest non-SOE.

Daniel’s career spans four plus decades in leading and advising companies in digital media, financial services, technology and sports, including serving on the founding advisory team of the first internet company from China to list on Nasdaq in 2000.

Today, he manages his own fund besides serving in board and advisory roles with leading global funds, Fortune 500 companies and tech startups in Asia, U.S. Europe and Israel.

David Lynne is the Head of Corporate Bank (CB) and chair of the CB Executive Committee.

He is responsible for the overall strategy of the business, including controls, budget planning, P&L as well as alignment with Deutsche Bank (DB) strategy and compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Previously, David was the Head of Corporate Bank and Fixed Income & Currencies for Asia Pacific with overall responsibility for the firm’s Commercial Banking and Debt Capital Markets business in the region. He was also the Chief Country Officer for Singapore. David joined DB’s Singapore branch in May 1998, following three years as Head of European Fixed Income Options Trading, based in London. Prior to that, David worked for JP Morgan in a variety of roles in London and New York. David has 35 years of experience in banking.

David graduated in 1987 from Imperial College with a Master in Chemical Engineering.

An experienced executive leader, with expertise in digital transformation, business turnaround, business development, strategic partnerships, top line growth, and corporate development.

Devere has a deep understanding of customised sales and marketing strategies and GTM motions that are developed specifically for individual verticals and needed to help companies gain traction, grow their revenue pipeline and partnership channels, and optimize their corporate structures for long-term success.

Deep multi-industry experience in building and leading successful Go-To-Market (BD, S&M), Commercial Operations, Strategy, CS and Partnerships teams, at rapid-growth fintech businesses, and digital technology organizations looking at regional expansion, and revenue scaling across APAC and globally.

With his wealth of experience and knowledge and highly transferable leadership skillset, he is able to provide targeted guidance and support to businesses in a wide range of industries, helping them navigate complex challenges and achieve their goals.

Always outcome-driven, Devere is very engaged in an influential thought leadership network and will deliver the realization of commercial continuous revenue improvement opportunities, and profitable repeatability.

As a leader, manager, and accountable officer he acts as a very strong individual GTM/Sales-Ops operator, and as required is adept in building and galvanizing leadership teams, known for operational excellence, collaboration, and long-term commitment to the success of their peers, partners, clients, and customers.

Devere holds an MS in Global Management. Believes in everyday self-improvement, and is a member of the Hong Kong FinTech Association, and a number of Artistic and Corporate Executive networks.

A U.K. national, lives in Hong Kong as a permanent resident, along with his young family.

Dominic Williams is the Founder and Chief Scientist at the DFINITY Foundation, established in Zürich, Switzerland, in 2016, which is currently the largest blockchain tech and cryptography employer in Switzerland and the DACH Region. The DFINITY Foundation is the primary developer of technology used to power the Internet Computer (ICP), a third-generation blockchain, which plays the role of a smart contract cloud – an alternative IT stack – where it is possible to host systems,  services, and AI end-to-end on blockchain in the mode of full stack decentralization.

As Chief Technology Officer of FWD Hong Kong & Macau, Elly Kwong formulates FWD’s technology strategies and spearheads digital transformation to drive business impact through customer centricity, data security and technological excellence.

Elly joined FWD Hong Kong & Macau as Vice President & Head of Information Technology (IT) in 2019. She leads highly effective teams to create innovative solutions that accelerate the technology-driven growth of the business and address the evolving needs of today’s customers, changing the way people feel about insurance through technology.

Previously, Elly was Senior Director & Head of Information Technology at Prudential for over 11 years overseeing all aspects of IT functions from governance, application system development, infrastructure to operations and IT security. With more than 25 years of IT leadership experience in the highly regulated banking and financial industry serving both local and regional roles, she had also worked at AIG, Standard Chartered Bank and Chong Hing Bank. Elly’s expertise encompasses IT organisational setup, digital transformation, process improvement, and technology standardisation and consolidation.

Elly holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Australia. Outside of work, she enjoys cycling, playing table tennis and watching movies, living up to FWD’s ‘Celebrate living’ spirit.

Elwin Yuan boasts an extensive 13-year tenure in the venture capital sector, bringing a wealth of experience and insight to the table. Since his arrival at 5Y Capital in 2011, his strategic vision and leadership have been pivotal, culminating in his promotion to Partner in 2017. Elwin's expertise lies at the intersection of digital/social media, AI, and enterprise services, where he has spearheaded investments in industry-defining companies such as Kuaishou (HK: 01024), the trailblazing Musical.ly (acquired by ByteDance), the health and fitness platform Keep (HK: 03650), as well as innovative ventures like Moonshot and Soul.

Elwin's journey to 5Y Capital included a formative three-year stint at KPMG, where he sharpened his financial and analytical skills, complemented by a year of hands-on startup experience. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree from the esteemed Nanjing University.

His remarkable track record has not gone unnoticed, with Forbes acknowledging Elwin's success by featuring him on the prestigious Midas List, an accolade that places him among the top 100 venture capitalists globally. To delve deeper into Elwin's professional narrative and his influence within the industry, visit his Forbes Profile.

Dr Entela Benz is CEO and founder of Intensel, a global award-winning Al-powered climate tech solutions provider. The group predicts financial risk related to extreme weather and climate change. Corporate clients in Asia include Jardine Matheson, Hang Lung Properties, CLSA and ING Bank.

Benz also serves as an adjunct associate professor at HKUST Business School's department of Finance, where she teaches a variety of subjects including investment analysis and ESG investing. For more than 15 years, Benz has been acting as an expert speaker and executive trainer on ESG and Impact investing for institutions such as Citibank, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, DBS, Daiwa etc. Previously, she worked for UBS Investment Bank in Hong Kong and a hedge fund in Geneva, Switzerland. She has several academic and industry focused publications on top tier journals.

She obtained a finance certificate postgraduate degree from Oxford University, a master's degree in international economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and a doctoral degree in Financial Asset Management and Engineering from the SFI, Swiss Finance Institute, Switzerland.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) and Chairman of Zurich General Insurance Company (China), Eric spearheads all strategic development to drive Zurich’s Life Insurance and General Insurance businesses in Hong Kong and in the Greater China context towards profitable growth, and is responsible for Board functions across Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Chairing The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI) in the office term 2020/2021, Eric is currently the Chairman of the General Insurance Council (GIC), a Governing Committee Member and the Chairman of GIC InsurTech Task Force and Task Force on Green Insurance.

Eric’s current public positions include being a member of the Resolution Compensation Tribunal and Anti‐Money Laundering and Counter‐Terrorist Financing Review Tribunal as appointed by the HKSAR Government, Chairman of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Hong Kong and Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme Bureau Board. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Employees Compensation Insurer Insolvency Bureau, a member of the Belt and Road & Greater Bay Area Committee under the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Human Capital Committee under Financial Services Development Council, and the Insurance Management Committee of the Hong Kong Management Association. In the realm of academia and public welfare, Eric is a member of the Honorary Advisory Board for the Actuarial Society of Hong Kong, Global Advisory Board of MBA in Finance (FMBA) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Board of Directors of The Jane Goodall Institute (Hong Kong).

Mr Evan Auyang is the Group President of Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based multinational blockchain technology and investment company focused on developing the digital property rights ecosystem, including play-to-earn games, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain marketplaces, infrastructure and more.

Mr Auyang is also the Chairman of the Board of Civic Exchange, a non-partisan public policy think tank. He serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on three boards: the Urban Renewal Authority, Sun Hung Kai & Co. Ltd., and Asia Financial Holdings Limited. He is an Advisor for Our Hong Kong Foundation, and serves on the Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Transport Policy Committee of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Development Fund Committee of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Advisory Council for Institute at Brown for Environment and Society for Brown University, as well as the Board of Advisors of Hong Kong 2050 is Now. In addition, Mr. Auyang is a lecturer at the Hong Kong Academy of Politics and Public Policy.

Prior to joining Animoca Brands, Mr Auyang was the Managing Director and Head of GLG International (Gerson Lehrman Group), a technology-enabled expert insight platform where he ran and grew its business spanning Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific across 15 locations. Before GLG, Mr Auyang was the Deputy Managing Director of the Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd. (“KMB”) and a board director of Transport International Holdings Limited, the parent company of KMB. Prior to joining Transport International and KMB, Mr Auyang was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company. Before that, Mr Auyang worked at Citigroup’s Derivatives Structuring and Marketing unit.

He obtained his undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science from Brown University and his MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management.

Fred Ngan is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bowtie, Hong Kong's first virtual insurance company, on a mission to make health insurance simpler and more accessible. Bowtie is a leading insurtech company and ranks first in the direct insurance channel with around 150,000 customers.

Bowtie has provided USD $10 billion in coverage and raised USD $89 million from prominent investors, including Sun Life and Mitsui & Co.

A serial entrepreneur in the insurtech space, Fred previously co-founded two startups that successfully raised USD $75 million. His understanding of the insurance industry stems from his experience as a consulting actuary at EY, where he advised clients across offices in Chicago, London, Toronto and Hong Kong.

Fred is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and an Honorary Fellow of the Financial Technologist (FFT). He is an Honouree of the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) HKU Chapter and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics with a double major in Actuarial Science & Statistics from the University of Waterloo.

Fred also actively contributes to shaping the future of the industry through his involvement on committees for the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI).

Gabriel Callsen is a Senior Director, FinTech and Digitalisation, at the International Capital Market Association (ICMA). He is responsible for ICMA’s Bond Data Taxonomy (BDT) and Common Domain Model (CDM) for repo and bonds, two key initiatives to foster automation and interoperability in the international debt capital markets. He is secretary to ICMA’s FinTech Advisory Committee and DLT Bonds Working Group. He also represents ICMA at various international forums, including the Eurosystem’s New Technologies for Wholesale Settlement Contact Group (NTW-CG) and the UK’s Industry Data Standards Committee (IDSC). Gabriel has published various papers on FinTech, DLT, Big Data, AI, regulation and capital markets, and speaks regularly at industry conferences and educational events. Prior to joining ICMA, Gabriel worked for the European Commission and Tradeweb.

Gary Liu is the Co-Founder & CEO of Terminal 3, a company building Web3’s most powerful user identity and data oracle. Terminal 3’s decentralized data platform and zero-knowledge applications allow fully private data to be freely composable, enabling verifiable identities that remain publicly anonymous. Gary is also the Chair of Web3 Harbour, an industry association dedicated to advancing the decentralized internet and economy across Asia. As a recognized industry expert, Gary sits on the ICT Services Advisory Board for the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council and also serves on the Education, Promotion, and Talent Subcommittee of the Hong Kong Government’s Web3 Task Force. Gary is also the Founder & Board Director of Artifact Labs, a historical NFT company.

In his previous role as CEO of the South China Morning Post, Gary oversaw an extensive transformation of the century-old publishing group, expanding its global audience reach and influence, establishing new revenue channels, and cementing SCMP as Asia’s leading news media company. Previously, Gary was CEO of Digg, Head of Labs at Spotify, and has also worked at AOL and Google.

Gary is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, was the chairman of the WAN-IFRA Asia Pacific Committee and also a member of INMA’s global board. He has been featured across global news publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Business Times, Business Insider, Nikkei Asian Review, and was a Tatler Asia honouree for the region’s ‘Most Influential’ leaders.

Born in the United States, Gary grew up in Taiwan and New Zealand, before returning to America where he lived and worked for 20 years. He now resides in Hong Kong with his wife and son. Gary is an Economics graduate from Harvard University.

Georgina joined Accenture as a Management Consultant in 1993 and has spent most of her career running large and complex programmes of change.  She joined the technology division and worked in a range of different industries before moving into the Financial Services sector in 1997 where she was part of the team who successfully implemented SETS (the London Stock Exchange Electronic Trading System).

Georgina joined HSBC in 2004 (as a consultant) and worked as part of the Global Markets Management Office for 4 years.  She joined the Bank as a permanent member of staff in 2006.  In July 2009 she became the Global Programme Director, Equity Prime Services leading the build out of this new business for the bank Globally.  In March 2012 she took on the role of Global Head of Business Transformation, Global Banking and Markets leading the transformation of the business and its infrastructure front to back.  In October 2015 she moved to take on the role of Head of Transformation, Global HR where she led two pioneering HR flagship programmes, building the HSBC University and leading “True North”, the wholesale transformation of the Bank’s HR function putting the platform into the cloud across 64 countries and 285,000 staff Globally.  This was one of the biggest ever undertakings of its type, and certainly the only one ever delivered in the Financial Services industry at this scale.  In September 2019 Georgina went on to lead the Transformation, Digital and Innovation team for the Group’s Private Banking business.  The portfolio covered regulation, Business growth and cost reduction initiatives as well as the pivot to digitalisation.

In September 2022 Georgina began a new role as Managing Director, Head of FinTech and Digitalisation for ICMA, leading the development and implementation of the Association’s FinTech and Digitisation strategy, cross-cutting all fixed income market segments where ICMA has a presence. Encompassing all elements of market electronification, automation, standardisation and data management and commercialisation and actively leading the engagement with ICMA’s FinTech Advisory Committee (FinAC).

Georgina holds a BSc Honours degree in Ergonomics and an MSc in Information Technology.  She is a fully qualified NED and has held several school Governor and trustee positions.

Helen Chen is a senior executive in traditional and digital finance with many years of experience in both fields. Her expertise includes licensing business, brand promotion, marketing, fundraising and investor relations, payment solutions, and strategic partnership building. Helen also has 8 years of experience in financial auditing and consulting, including regulatory consulting, risk management, and tax consulting. He has provided auditing and consulting services to banks, asset management companies, public and private equity, MPF, and hedge funds, and has experience in taxation and listing of cross-border enterprises.

As Head of Sustainable Finance and Investment, Asia Pacific, Helena is responsible for the London Stock Exchange Group’s sustainable finance and investment strategy across the Asia Pacific region. A core part of her role is client and industry engagement on a comprehensive range of products and data and analytics solutions to support the integration of sustainability into investment and financing decisions. Working with research and leadership teams, she has a responsibility for developing the London Stock Exchange’s Asia Pacific sustainable finance and investment product strategy and expansion in the region.

Helena’s experience prior to joining LSEG includes ESG integration, equity analysis and advising on philanthropy for asset managers, institutional clients and family offices. She has been working as an expert in ESG and sustainable investment since 2008, including providing advisory research on stewardship implementation for pension funds and family office clients, drafting responsible investment policies and integrating sustainability considerations into both active and passive portfolios. Helena relocated to Hong Kong in 2014 from London – a key hub for ESG investments, where she worked for the responsible investment arm of Hermes Investment Management, enabling pension funds and asset managers to integrate sustainability criteria into passive and active portfolios.

Ian Glasner is the Group Head of Emerging Technology, Innovation, and Ventures at HSBC. In this role he leads the global teams covering AI, Digital Assets and Currencies, Quantum, Venture Capital, Product Incubation, and Digital Partnerships. Prior to this role, Ian was the Managing Director and Chief of Staff for the Global Technology and Operations division at HSBC.

Ian has also held key product and sales roles at Google Cloud, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Apple. Early on in his career, Ian founded a technology company in the restaurant space.

Ian has started two non-profit efforts in Haiti and currently serves as a Board Member for Global Fund for Children. Ian also served as an Advisory Board Member to the President of Carnegie Mellon University for five years.

In 2024, Ian was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Jack Zhang is a technology entrepreneur redefining financial services for the digital economy. As CEO and Co-founder of Airwallex, he has built a successful company with a vision to become the global economic infrastructure to empower modern businesses of all sizes to grow beyond borders.

Established in Melbourne in 2015, Airwallex has raised over US$900 million in funding and is currently valued at over US$5.6 billion, supported by Sequoia, Lone Pine, Greenoaks, DST Global, Tencent, Hillhouse, Salesforce Ventures and MasterCard.

Jack has been recognised as Outstanding Leader of the Year by Fintech Australia and one of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurs of the Year. An engineer by trade, Jack was also awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal, one of Australia’s most prestigious engineering awards, by the University of Melbourne.

Deeply passionate about fueling the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators, Jack launched Capital49, a venture capital fund focused on early-stage investment in high-growth tech-enabled companies. Airwallex is also working to build pathways to entrepreneurship through its AU$3 million scholarship and mentoring partnership with the University of Melbourne and its founding partner sponsorship of Build Club, Australia's first dedicated AI residency, campus and accelerator.

Javier Hernani took up his role of Head of the Securities Services business unit and he is member of the Executive Board of Six Group, since January 2021, after the takeover of BME by SIX. He is also CEO of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles, Sociedad Holding de Mercados y Sistemas Financieros, SA, since April 2017 and President of Federación Iberoamericana de Bolsas since September 2023. He served as General Manager of BME from December 2012 to April 2017, with the specific role of coordinating the action of business units and corporate areas. Chairman of the Risk and Security Committees as well as Member of the board of several subsidiaries. Previously, he joined BME as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Committee, assuming the role of conducting the integration process of the newly created group and leading the IPO process which took the company public as of 14th July 2006.

Prior to his incorporation to Bolsas y Mercados Españoles, Mr. Hernani was Deputy General Manager of the Bilbao Stock Exchange (until 2003), CFO of Norbolsa, S.V.B. (until 1998) and Consultant in Coopers & Lybrand Brussels (until 1989).

Mr. Hernani earned a Degree in Economics and Business by University of Deusto in 1986, a Master’s Degree in European Economic Studies, specialising in Economics, by The College of Europe in Brussels in 1988 and a Master’s Degree in Advanced Management by University of Deusto in 1997.

Jazreel is a seasoned financial professional with over 15 years of experience on both the buy-side and sell-side.  Driven by a passion for positive change, she champions diversity and inclusion in both the financial industry and the climate resilience journey.  As Co-Chair of Women in Finance Asia (WiFA), a not-for-profit association dedicated to empowering women, Jazreel actively works to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in finance.   Jazreel's commitment to championing diversity in sustainability led her to co-found Women Green the Way (WGTW), a groundbreaking initiative that brought together over 80 female leaders in sustainable finance from 13 Asian countries. WGTW aims to address the widening gap in sustainable finance standards and practices across the region by fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and impactful solutions.  Jazreel is also the author of the self-published book "Alphabet Soup for ESG," which aims to help beginners understand the jargon used in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). Proceeds from the book go to charities focused on sustainability.

Outside of work, Jazreel is an avid marathon runner.

A passionate Ornithologist and Demographer, Jean-Philippe believes in creating synergies between nature and data science technology. This passionate entrepreneur is a trendsetter in a post-pandemic company era on a mission to disrupt the world with sustainable human/environmental approaches. He is the founder and CEO of AxonJay. This multi-award-winning AI deep-tech scale-up developed a trailblazing & unique Self-Machine-Learning PlatformTM, which builds AI- assistants so that businesspeople are making informed decisions In Real Time with a proven 80% better result on a global scale.

Jennifer is the Executive Vice President – Strategy Development and Government Affairs, GBA of Ant Group and the ex-Chief Executive of Alipay Financial Services (HK) Limited.  

She is a highly respected accounting professional and Fintech leader who has taken on senior management roles for over two decades. In 2021, she was winner of the Outstanding Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Award and was named by the Fintech Magazine as one of Fintech’s Top 100 Leaders in a global league table. In 2019, she was named ACCA Advocate of the Year, both for Hong Kong and Greater China, and was the Chairlady of ACCA Hong Kong for 2021/22. She has also been elected as the ACCA Global Council Member for 2022-2025.  Recently, she was recognised as Chapter Honouree of the Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Jennifer is committed to driving the fintech development and has been appointed as the member of the Board of Directors of Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council. Additionally, she is the member of various organisations and initiatives - the Hong Kong Academy of Finance, the Fintech Association of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Computer Society.

Jennifer is active in voluntary community services especially with regard to the development of young people. She has been serving various universities in Hong Kong as a chairlady or member of the Advisory Committees.  She is also a frequent speaker, helping the next generation to better prepare for future challenges and understand the career opportunities in Fintech and accounting.

Jenny is the Deputy Secretary General for Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), primarily responsible for leading strategic multi-stakeholder engagement across its diverse 160 institutional member firms, private and public sector, regulators and government to advance Hong Kong’s position as a leading sustainable financial and green tech center. Jenny contributes to the AIGCC, FC4S, Partnership of Biodiversity and The Finance, industry research publications and leads HKGFA’s Capacity Building developments. She holds Certification in CFA Climate Risk, Valuation and Investing, CFA ESG Investing and MIT Sloan School of Management Artificial Intelligence: Implications for business strategy.

Jenny left a two-decade career in investment banking and consulting to pursue her desire to make a positive impact, shifting the focus of her business and finance experience into sustainability. She co-founded Development Finance Asia and is an avid life-long learner and passionate about creating a green and sustainable ecosystem, inclusive of finance, ESG and technology.

Jenny previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and JPMorgan in equity derivatives and prime brokerage, working with alternative asset managers to grow their business, raise capital and access financing. She has lived in London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Jessica Cutrera is the President at Leo Wealth, an independent global wealth advisor and multifamily office. Based in Hong Kong, she provides comprehensive wealth management and planning services in several areas including tax, financial, and estate planning and specializes in serving Americans living in Asia.

Prior to Leo Wealth, Jessica was the Founding Partner, Responsible Officer and Compliance Officer at The Capital Company, an independent asset management firm formed in the beginning of 2017. Before this, she co-founded EXS Capital Asia Limited in 2008, and served as a Responsible Officer and head of Operations and Compliance until 2016. She and her team built a substantial asset management and financial planning practice at EXS.

Before she moved to Asia, Jessica worked as a Registered Representative for Charles Schwab. Her cross border expertise in trust and estate planning is recognized by her acceptance into the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP). She has an MBA from Temple University in Tokyo and is an Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA)

Jessica is a co-founder of Planto, a fintech company based in Hong Kong that is at the forefront of the Open Banking and Finance revolution. Planto provides innovative, AI-powered products and services that equip retail, SME, and corporate banks to thrive in the Open Finance era.

Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and data analytics, Planto's solutions enable banks to build deep customer intelligence and deliver highly personalized, data-driven banking and lending experiences. This drives enhanced digital engagement, sales, and more operationally efficient credit decisioning. Planto's technologies have been implemented by global banks, wealth management firms, and virtual banks, and have been recognized by the HKMA's FSS 3.1 program, Cyberport and Accenture's FinTech Innovation Lab.

Prior to co-founding Planto, Jessica gained experience in private equity and banking. Originally from Taiwan, she has lived and worked across multiple markets in Asia, including Singapore, the UK, and Hong Kong. Jessica currently serves on the board of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong and is a speaker on topics of fintech innovation at events hosted by leading banks, universities, and industry organizations. She used to be the lead singer of a post-rock band.

Jingjing Jiang is a Partner of King & Wood Mallesons and Head of Hong Kong Funds Practice. He is also the founding president of the Hong Kong LPF Association, Policy Research Committee Member of the Financial Services Development Council and Member of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Financial Cooperation Committee.

Jingjing advised his clients on formation of all types of private funds in all major jurisdictions globally, including Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, Singapore, Mauritius, the Channel Islands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Delaware. Jingjing has practiced in Shanghai, London and Hong Kong, and has advised a large number of international and regional fund managers and investors on fund setup and investments.

Jingjing was involved in the legislation of the Hong Kong Limited Partnership Fund Ordinance and formulation of a series of ancillary policy. His team helped set up the first nine out of ten LPFs in Hong Kong and was involved in the establishment of around 180 LPFs in the market so far. He also led the publication of Hong Kong LPF Annual Report for the past three years.

Jingjing was named as a leading individual in Investment Funds by both Chambers Greater China Guide and Legal 500 and was named in Asian Legal Business’ (ALB) 2017 “40 under40” list of most outstanding legal professionals in Asia representing the brightest young legal minds in Asia.

Since 2018, Jochen Biedermann has served as Managing Director of the World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC), an international non-profit association registered in Belgium, representing 30 leading international financial centers across five continents. WAIFC members are government agencies, associations, and similar institutions developing and promoting their financial centers. WAIFC facilitates cooperation between its members, exchanging best practices and communication with the general public.

As the Managing Partner of FinTech Consult, Jochen leads a network of FinTech experts in Asia, Europe, and Africa. This network, which supports FinTechs in raising capital and expanding globally, is a testament to Jochen's extensive global network in the FinTech industry. He sits on the board of Eastnets, a Dubai-based world leader in compliance, payment protection, and anti-fraud technologies.

Jochen is also an expert at the Sino-German Center for Finance and Economics in Frankfurt, backed by the central banks, government institutions, and leading universities in China and Germany, a fellow of the Think Tank of the Asian Financial Cooperation Association (AFCA), based in Beijing, and a founding board member of the International Digital Economies Association (IDEA), based in Hong Kong.

He is a long-standing advisor at Frankfurt Main Finance, the Frankfurt Financial Center initiative. Furthermore, he is a mentor at Cyberport in Hong Kong, OneEleven in Toronto, the Plug and Play Tech Center Frankfurt, and 1000 Black Voices. Jochen sits on the board of several FinTech companies. Finally, he is a working group member of Dubai's DIFC Digital Economy Court.

Jochen has a master's degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Goettingen and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Cottbus, Germany. For over two decades, he has been a regular lecturer and external supervisor for the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. He has also given guest lectures at leading universities and business schools in Europe, America, and Asia.

John is the Chief Operating Officer for Galaxy Digital (GLXY.TO) Asia, focused on leading the growth of its regional business since 2021. He’s responsible for driving the institutionalization of trading and building the best team in crypto and is passionate about bringing talented people to the industry. Prior to joining Galaxy, John spent 19 years at Goldman Sachs, running hedge fund financing, securities lending and delta-one derivatives across Asia Pacific markets. Along with +20 years of markets experience, John brings expertise in prime brokerage, delta-one trading and financing, as well as in client relationship management, project management, and balance sheet optimization.

Jonathan Spiers is the Chief Executive Officer of Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong. He is accountable for Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong’s business, driving growth through Cigna’s mission to improve the health and vitality of the people it serves.

Jonathan joined Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong in 2021 from Medibank, the largest health insurer in Australia where he served as a Divisional General Manager. Prior to joining Medibank, Jonathan held several leadership positions at international healthcare organizations such as Bupa, GlaxoSmithKline, and Eli Lilly. Jonathan holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School.

Justin Chapman leads Northern Trust’s Digital Assets and Financial Markets group, a single market facing team unifying digital and traditional market functions and providing access to market-leading expertise, industry insights and continued innovations.

The group combines teams from Northern Trust’s Digital Asset Innovation, which leads digital asset innovation; Financial Institutions Group, responsible for large, strategic relationships; and Network Management, which provides market access and insights across more than 100 traditional securities services markets around the globe.

Justin and his team are focused on developing services and capabilities that reflect and enable clients’ evolving investment strategies, providing them with market access support and holistic solutions across the full spectrum of investment types and markets.

Prior to taking on this expanded role, Justin was most recently Global Head of Market Advocacy and Innovation Research. He has also worked for organisations in the enterprise enablement, investment banking, asset management, custodial, consultancy and vendor space.

Justin has a diverse background covering the following roles: Equity Trading, Head of Trade Architecture, Global Head of Strategic Implementation, Global Head of Change Management, Global Head of Fixed Income Operations, Global Head of Tax Operations, Head of Industry Marketing, Head of Product Development and Sales, Head of Operations Asset Servicing.

In recognition of his leadership in both the areas of regulatory advocacy and driving innovation across the industries, Justin was recognized at the Global Custodian awards as the GC Person of the Year 2017 and inducted into the GC Legends hall of fame in 2019.

Justin represents the securities industry as a board member and director of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe’s (AFME). He is also an advisor to the International Securities Services Association's (ISSA).

Justin has previously held the following industry positions: chairman of International Securities Association for Institutional Trade Communication (ISITC) Europe, also as founder and chairman of the SWIFT International Securities Advisory Group.

Kamal Quadir is a practitioner who focuses on technology that brings social progress by enabling and empowering people economically. He is the founder and CEO of bKash, a digital financial service provider that offers millions of unbanked and banked people access to financial services through basic cellphones or smartphones in Bangladesh.

Earlier, Kamal founded CellBazaar that introduced cellphone based electronic marketplace for developing countries. Kamal is a founding member of Open World Initiatives, a Lausanne, Switzerland based organization of young thinkers. He received Tech Award for “Applying Technology to Benefit Humanity.” He is a First Mover Fellow of The Aspen Institute. In 2023, he has been named as one of the global high-impact leaders in finance by this institute. In 2009, the World Economic Forum and TED respectively selected him as a Young Global Leader and a TED Fellow. He is involved with Anwarul Quadir Foundation and Shireen Quadir Trust that recognize innovations in developing countries. In 2023, he received the Fintech Pioneer and Lifetime Achievement Award from the ICT Ministry for his contribution to the digital finance sector. He is an accomplished artist whose work is in the collection of Bangladesh National Museum. He has a BA from Oberlin College and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

Katherine, Founder and Managing Partner of Katashe Solutions, leads Asia's first hybrid venture builder in Web2 and Web3, partnering with business leaders to drive digital transformation journeys. Her expertise bridges SaaS mainstream and Web3 decentralized technologies, driving client and partner success. Previously, she built TZ APAC, was the Global Marketing Head for Liquid.com, and held senior commercial roles in Grab, Sephora, and AirAsia's CEO Office. She currently serves as the Secretary General on the board of the Association of Cryptocurrency Enterprises and Start-ups Singapore (ACCESS).

Mr. Kavi Harilela is the Business Director of Payment Asia, providing business guidance on corporate and personal trust services and mid to long-term company development plans. He also oversees the Trust business of its subsidiary company FGA Trust.

Being the third generation of the Harilela family, he also sits on several boards of family corporations and runs his own VC firm. Prior to this role, Mr. Harilela had decades of experience in auditing firms such as KPMG and PwC, while his expertise is in tech and cross-border investment.

Headquartered in Hong Kong and operating across APAC, Payment Asia aims to increase the wealth of Asia Pacific’s e-economy. The company would like to actively innovate and add elements such as digital marketing, e-sales, and e-logistics to the business and meet the needs of merchants across the region.

Kazimierz (Kaz) Kelles-Krauz is an MD and leads Digital business for HSBC Wealth and Personal Banking in Hong Kong. He focuses on growing, improving, and innovating how customers in Hong Kong interact with the bank using digital channels. In his role he is accountable for HSBC HK mobile app and online banking, open banking, user centric design and digital commercialization. Before HK, he worked in Middle East and Europe in various digital and commercial roles and holds PhD in Innovation Finance from University of Bath, UK.

Kristy Duncan is founder and CEO of Women in Payments, uniting women in payments from around the globe with a shared vision of gender parity. Women in Payments offers career development opportunities through conferences, recognition programs, and leadership and mentorship programs.

Kristy is an avid supporter of her fellow female trailblazers, as an investor and advisor to a number of fintechs. As a respected leader in the field, she’s been invited to speak to audiences around the world, and act as a judge for accelerators, fintech contests, and awards programs.

Before founding Women in Payments, Kristy consulted to global financial institutions, payment networks, fintechs, and other industry leaders. Prior to that, she held leadership positions at a tier one Canadian bank.

Always inspiring and insightful, Kristy is a sought-after speaker, advisor, and mentor. She has been named to the Innovate Finance (UK) Women in Fintech Power List four times, and the Global 100 Power Women in Fintech Lattice 80(Asia) list twice. Perhaps her greatest pride comes from inspiring the next generation of female leaders, as she mentors women at all career levels around the world.

She has spoken at gatherings of the world’s payments industry leaders, including Money 2020, SIBOS, Global Fintech Fest (Mumbai), Innovate Finance Global Summit, Payments Canada, MoneyLive, Payments New Zealand Summit, Open Banking Expo, AusPayNet (Sydney), and Women in Banking and Finance (Hanoi), among others.

Kristy holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and Engineering from the University of Toronto, and a Certified Cash Manager designation.

Laura is currently a Director in Temasek’s Blockchain team, which focuses on venture building and investment opportunities in the space.

She is a sponsor of Temasek’s venture studio, Menyala, supporting the development and growth of startups. Laura is also part of the founding venture teams of various start-ups initiated by Temasek –Partior, a joint venture with JP Morgan and DBS to setup a multi-currency payments network to enhance cross-border clearing and settlements as well as Affinidi, a start-up that uses decentralised technologies to develop data and self-sovereign identity solutions.

Laura joined Temasek in 2007, before her current role she was involved in originating and evaluating investments across various sectors at Temasek. Her expertise spans B2B, B2B2C and B2C industries such as Consumer Tech, Industrials, Specialty Chemicals, Offshore Marine, Transportation, and Logistics.

Prior to joining Temasek, Laura had worked at Ernst & Young, followed by General Electric (“GE”) invarious finance roles pertaining to GE’s Financial Management Program and CAS Programs, which spanned several geographies including US, China, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Laura is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (FCCA) and holds a BA(Hons) in Accounting and Finance from Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Additionally, she represents Temasek on the Advisory Committee of Elevandi and as Board Observer of Partior. Laura has also been recognized as a Singapore 100 Women in Tech (SG100WIT) 2023 honoree and a 2022 Fintech65 Leader.

Laurence is Managing Director, Technology and Operations at ASIFMA, the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association.

Based in Singapore, Laurence is leading ASIFMA’s Operations and Technology efforts including fintech, cyber, digital assets, artificial intelligence, cloud, KYC/AML, operational resilience and regulatory implementation. ASIFMA’s work in this area includes regulatory advocacy, driving harmonization and developing industry best practices in these areas. In addition, she oversees several of ASIFMA's regional committees in India. These committees help develop and shape ASIFMA's regulatory engagement to drive capital markets development in India. Laurence also supports the CEO team with ASIFMA’s corporate governance and board processes.

Laurence has 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining ASIFMA in 2016, she was responsible for European business development at Vistra Hong Kong, assisting foreign companies and funds to set up in Asia. Before that, she managed a portfolio of Natural Resources Companies at ING Corporate Banking in Brussels, working on numerous ECM, DCM, securitisation and syndicated loan deals for her clients.

Laurence holds a Master Degree in Business Economics from the University of Ghent, and a Master Degree in International Business from EAE Business School. She is fluent in English, Dutch and French.

Lawrence is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IDA. He is responsible to shape the company's direction and drive its success in the stablecoin business and digital asset projects. One of Lawrence's notable strengths is his strong network and close relationships with key global stakeholders in Web3 development. This unique advantage enables IDA to explore collaborative opportunities, exert influence, and gain access to valuable resources within theWeb3 space.

Lawrence is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and innovators who are shaping the future of humanity. He is the founder of BlackPine, an investment company that supports entrepreneurs in transformative industries such as blockchain, AI, alternative protein, eSports, and new economy sectors. Lawrence began his career at UBS and has over 20 years of investment experience, working with global companies across multiple markets. He is also a Co-Founder of Kenetic, a crypto Web3 investor, where he has been involved in Web3 projects since 2015.

In recognition of his dedication to Web3 development, Lawrence was appointed as a nonofficial member of the Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development by the HKSAR Government in July 2023 and Founding Vice-Chair of Web3 Harbour. These prestigious appointments highlight his expertise and influence in the field. Furthermore, Lawrence is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization and a passionate supporter of the global arts community.

Lucy is the Founder and Managing Partner of Token Bay Capital - a venture capital fund investing into Web3 and crypto startups with a presence in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. Lucy has focused exclusively on the crypto space since early 2018. Before founding Token Bay, she was a senior leader of PwC’s global crypto team where she advised entrepreneurs and financial institutions on their crypto and blockchain projects and worked with central banks and other regulatory bodies to help formulate their crypto asset frameworks and policies. Lucy has a traditional finance background having worked in banking and asset management for Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Schroders. In 2023, she was appointed by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) as a Member of their FinTech Advisory Group to help facilitate policy deliberation in the Web3 space.

Lulu Chen is the Asia investing and real estate team leader for Bloomberg News. Her book “Influence Empire: Inside the Story of Tencent and China’s Tech Ambition” was shortlisted for FT Business Book of the Year and a NY Times Business Book of the Year.

Dr. Makoto Takemiya is a computer scientist who has been active in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space since 2013. He is a co-founder and the Group CEO of SORAMITSU, a Japanese fintech specializing in blockchain technology. He has an M.S. in computer science from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary information studies from the University of Tokyo. At SORAMITSU, he has played an active role in the development of the Hyperleger Iroha blockchain, the Bakong CBDC system in use by the National Bank of Cambodia, CBDC tests in the Lao PDR, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, the Byacco payment system at the University of Aizu, and the design of the economic model for SORA, a decentralized cryptoeconomic system aiming to provide high economic growth for the world. He is also a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo.

Mr Harmann Founder and CEO THORWallet $TGT, zkFinance $ZGT & Vultisig $VULT. He is a leading Swiss fintech entrepreneur, ranked top 10, with a background in Banking and Finance from the University of Zurich. He also started a Ph.D. in Information Technology at the University of Applied Sciences Lucerne & Universi ty of Fribourg. Marcel was also the course director at the University of Applied Sciences Lucerne for the CAS Crypto Finance and Cryptocurrencies and CAS Blockchain course. He is a co-founder of the DEC Institute, which is an online examination plate form for digital assets specialists, backed by leading blockchain universities as well as board member of the Crypto Valley Association in Switzerland. Before, he acted in award-winning tech startups in various roles from founder, early management member or angel investor.

Mariam Ashroff is a seasoned sustainability professional with 14 years of experience in financial services. As the Sustainability Lead for LGT Private Banking in Asia Pacific, she leverages her extensive financial expertise and deep knowledge of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles to drive the integration of sustainability across the organization. Mariam collaborates closely with LGT's investment teams to embed sustainability into investment processes, refine ESG tools, and enhance product frameworks. She also spearheads the identification of strategic sustainability opportunities, both internally and through external partnerships, to strengthen LGT’s leadership in responsible finance.

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Mark Blick is CEO at Diginex is a fast-growth software company helping companies of all sizes with their ESG, Climate and Supply Chain data collection and reporting. It utilises the latest blockchain technology to lead change and increase transparency. We have launched the first blockchain enabled, globally accredited SaaS solution to improve tracking and reporting of ESG and climate data.

Matthias Roehrich is Group Vice President, Head of Region Asia and Managing Director of Giesecke & Devrient Asia Pacific Limited in Hong Kong.

Before joining the Giesecke & Devrient Asia Pacific Limited in 2013, Matthias was heading Government Solutions Sales & Operations for Asia, Middle East, and Africa at Giesecke & Devrient FZE Dubai. He started his career at G+D’s Headquarter in Germany in 2000 as Regional Sales Director Banknote and Security Printing Asia and from 2004 onwards as Regional Sales Director Banknote and Security Printing Africa. He graduated from the University of Erlangen Nuernberg, Germany as “Diplom Kaufmann”. Matthias is married and has 3 children.

Max is Head of Digital Assets for Asia Pacific at Goldman Sachs. Based in Hong Kong Max is focused across the firms crypto, tokenization and Digital Asset investment initiatives.

Max serves as an observer on the boards of BitGo and Blockdaemon, two of Goldman Sachs’ portfolio companies.

Michael Lints has over 20 years of experience helping innovative businesses obtain there sources, insights, and expertise they need to be successful. Michael has been a startup operator, investor, and mentor and is currently a Partner at the Singapore-based venture capital firm Golden Gate Ventures. He joined the firm in 2013 and focuses his time predominantly on institutional fundraising and managing Golden Gate Ventures' MENA fund. Michael has helped support firm and portfolio-level priorities that have spanned fundraising, capital allocation, M&A, and corporate development.

Michael’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2000 when he co-founded an IT-managed services startup in Europe that was acquired by a large data and telecom company six years later. In2007, Michael founded a venture fund focused on Dutch small- and medium-sized enterprises to help them with capital financing, business development, and strategy. During the same period, he was invited to join the Economic Development Board Rotterdam as Vice Chairman. In that role, he launched the Young Economic Development Board, where he brought together a highly influential Dutch network to develop a sustainable framework for public-private relationships that increased local business investment while leveraging the public infrastructure

Outside of work, sport is an essential part of Michael’s life. He is a former member of the Dutch karate team and actively participates in Ironman 70.3 races and marathons. He is also passionate about social justice and leverages his network to raise awareness for important issues such as civil rights, economic opportunity, and education. Michael is an active writer and a co-director of an award-winning social impact documentary called Broken Chains.

Michelle Ip has more than a decade of experience in insurance and insurtech start-ups, including greenfield market entries and business development across multiple countries in ASEAN like Cambodia, Myanmar and East Asia. She is a professionally trained CPA and started her career at PwC in assurance and corporate advisory.

Her career in the insurance industry started at AIA on the strategy team before moving to Manulife eventually becoming Associate Director. Michelle helped Manulife set up the first life insurance company in Cambodia in 2012 and was previously the founding member of the digital business of FWD Hong Kong. In 2018, she founded her fintech start-up, Sugar AI which was later integrated into bolttech.

Michelle joined IXT in 2022, helping IXT to expand its footprint to South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. She assumes the role as CEO of OneDegree Global in 2024, with responsibility for both the IXT modern insurance core solutions and Cymetrics cybersecruity services offered to insurers and enterprises around the globe. Michelle completed her Master’s degree in International Relations at the London School of Economics.

Morrad Irsane is the CEO and co-founder of Takadao, a pioneering, shariah-compliant, blockchain-native platform dedicated to fostering community-based finance and insurance. Residing in Riyadh, KSA, Morrad brings over a decade of experience as a serial entrepreneur, consistently demonstrating his ability to build and scale innovative solutions across the MENA region and beyond.

Passionate about harnessing the potential of decentralized technologies and Islamic principles, Morrad strives to create more equitable, inclusive, and resilient financial systems. Under his leadership, Takadao is at the forefront of this mission, developing flagship products such as TheLife DAO (TLD), a cooperative insurance alternative structured as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).

Morrad leads a talented and diverse team of engineers, designers, and researchers who are dedicated to transforming the landscape of financial services. In addition to his work with Takadao, Morrad is a committed mentor, supporting fellow entrepreneurs in the Web3 space, particularly those addressing the unmet needs of the 2 billion Muslims globally who are underinsured due to the lack of shariah-compliant options.

Driven by a vision to empower communities worldwide, Morrad Irsane is dedicated to achieving financial freedom and justice for all.

Naveen Mallela is the global head of the Coin Systems and Liink by J.P. Morgan team at Onyx by J.P. Morgan, which focuses on building innovative payment products and infrastructure based on digital currencies and blockchain technology.

Most recently Naveen led the pilot launch of Deposit Tokens for J.P. Morgan as part of Project Guardian – a flagship industry initiative anchored by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). He was previously the chief designer and product lead for JPM Coin, which is a cornerstone product offering of Coin Systems. Prior to his current role, Naveen was the Digital Payments lead for J.P. Morgan’s Corporate and Investment Bank in the Asia Pacific region and as part of his role he spearheaded the co-founding of Partior, a Singapore based technology company seeking to provide a first of its kind multibank ledger solution for payments clearing and settlement.

Keen enthusiast of all things digital currencies, Naveen has authored white papers on CBDCs, Shared Ledgers and Deposit Tokens and has been part of multiple industry initiatives shaping the landscape of digital money.

Naveen is a graduate from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore and a CFA Charter holder.

His Excellency Dr. Obaid Alketbi, a proud UAE national known affectionately as Dr. O among those familiar with his illustrious career, he embodies the spirit of ambition, determination, leadership, and untapped potential that defines his nation. As a renowned academic scholar, former UAE Diplomat and Ambassador, a Military General, Chief of Logistics in the UAE Armed Forces, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police, Dr. Obaid has a distinguished service record of more than 44 years.

His Excellency holds a PhD in International Transfer and Anchorage of Technology in the UAE, from the University of London. He also holds a BBA, MBA in Business Administration from the University of South-Eastern, Washington, United States; MSc in National Resource Management Strategy from the National Defence University (NDU)`1 Washington, United States; as well as, BSc, MSc in Electronic Engineering from the University of Paris VI – France.

His Excellency has an extensive experience in various fields of Business. He is the Founder and CEO of Dr. O Group Holding Ltd, which under its umbrella has more than 10 companies. The companies’ field of business ranges from Business Advisory and Consultancy, Technology &Innovation, Real Estate and Property Management, Food & Beverage, Construction and Maintenance, Fit Out & and Architecture, Health and Wellness, Private Museum and Art Gallery…to many other various fields.

As a businessman and advisor, Dr. Obaid possesses a wealth of knowledge in strategic planning, market analysis, business set up and strategy, administrative and financial management…etc. He possesses the rare ability to identify untapped potential and offer tailored solutions to help businesses thrive. Furthermore, he specializes in company expansion, leveraging his insights and experience to facilitate growth and maximize profitability. He possesses an expertise for recognizing opportunities and implementing innovative strategies that drive expansion, whether it's through market diversification, strategic partnerships and collaborations, or mergers and acquisitions.

When not immersed in the world of business, with his astute business acumen and unwavering commitment, He enjoys sharing his knowledge and insights through speaking engagements, seminars, and writing thought-provoking articles on entrepreneurship, business management, education and sports. He believes in mentoring aspiring business leaders and fostering an ecosystem of growth and collaboration.

Peter Stein is the Chief Executive Officer of ASIFMA.  Reporting to the Board of Directors, he leads the association’s vision and strategy as it advocates on behalf of its over 160 member firms for the efficient growth and development of Asia’s capital markets.

Prior to his role at ASIFMA, Peter took over as Managing Director of the Private Wealth Management Association (PWMA) in December 2016, and was also named CEO in July 2021. Established in 2013, PWMA is an industry association whose mission is to foster the growth and development of the private wealth management industry in Hong Kong.

Previously, Peter worked for UBS AG, where he served as Head of Regulatory Advisory & Relations, Asia Pacific and before that as Head of Group Governmental Affairs for Asia Pacific. Until 2011, Peter was a senior editor, reporter and columnist in Hong Kong with The Wall Street Journal, where he worked for more than 20 years. He was the Journal’s Hong Kong Bureau Chief from 2005-2011 and before that was Managing Editor of the Journal’s Asian edition.

Peter graduated with a BA in Comparative Literature from Yale University and speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and German.

Rob Schimek is the Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of bolttech. He leads the bolttech team across our operations globally, spanning more than 35 markets across 4 continents.

With more than 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Rob has previously held senior leadership roles in insurance, including Managing Director &Group Chief Operating Officer for FWD Group, President and CEO of AIG’s commercial insurance businesses worldwide and Chief Executive Officer of the Americas for AIG. Prior to that, Rob served as President and Chief Executive Officer of EMEA for AIG and was the Chief Financial Officer of AIG’s global property and casualty insurance business.

Rob was also a partner at Deloitte & Touche L.L.P. where, for 18 years, he used his public accounting experience to serve global financial institution clients, including MetLife, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Merrill Lynch.

Rob is a C.P.A. He earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds an undergraduate degree from Rider University in New Jersey.

Outside of work, Rob can be found in the gym or competing in some of the world’s toughest endurance competitions such as the Ironman World Championships, and the Antarctic Ice Marathon

• Graduated in Law and Economics
• Master in European Law
• Previous experience in Banking as Chief Financial Officer at BBVA Italy.
• Joined the European Commission in 1999.
• Different roles as Policy Officer and Manager in the area of Financial Services and Banking Regulation.
• Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Joaquin Almunia in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs.
• Currently at the EU Delegation in Beijing as Minister Counsellor for Financial Services, including Sustainable Finance.

Saron joined Google Hong Kong in 2018 and he currently leads the strategic partnerships between Google and global FinTechs and FSIs, his team is responsible for leading digital transformation and global expansion for some of the most iconic and fast growing companies within the industry.

Before joining Google, Saron had over a decade of experience in Digital Strategy and Transformation across the APAC region. Awarded “Global Rising Star” by iProspect during his agency career, Saron has earned recognition across the region, being named Under 30 Achiever of the Year by Mumbrella Asia in 2016.

Saron is known for his passion in data and FinTech, previously serving as the Data & Measurement Committee Lead at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) of Hong Kong. He is currently an Executive Committee member of The Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) and The Institute of Financial Technologists of Asia (IFTA).

Shannon is a Managing Director Head of Greater China in Hamilton Lane’s Client Solutions Group, based in the firm’s Hong Kong office, where she leads private equity business development and client relations in the Greater China Region.  In this capacity, she works closely with clients such as sovereign wealth funds, insurance company, pension funds, family office, private wealth platform and global investment teams in portfolio construction and business opportunities.

Shannon has over 20 years in the financial industry. Prior to joining Hamilton Lane in 2017, Shannon was a Vice President in BMO Global Asset Management where she was responsible for the distribution of investment products. Previously, she was a Vice President, Lead Relationship Manager in Northern Trust for institutional clients. Shannon also worked in HSBC and Invesco Asset Management where she was a Business Development Manager for alternative funds services and Relationship Manager for institutional pension clients respectively in the Asia Pacific region.

Shannon received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Hong Kong. She obtained a qualification of Certified Financial Planner and is a member of the Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong. She is studying Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program. She is also a mentor for MBA Mentorship Program of The University of Hong Kong.

Sharene Lee is the cofounder of Takadao, a technology platform that powers community-owned insurance alternatives on the blockchain. Takadao technology powers The LifeDAO, a mutual life protection fund that has members from around the world. She is also the host of Takatalks, a podcast at the intersection between crypto and Islamic finance. Previously, Sharene was the co-founder and COO of Melltoo, a peer-to-peer transactional marketplace for second-hand items, which was acquired in 2022 by the IKEA group in Saudi Arabia.

Sharene was awarded GITEX Supernova’s “Best Female Led Startup” (2017) and Leap Rocket Fuel’s “Aviatrix Award” (2023). She was a recipient of a KAUST-Taqadam grant (2023) and a finalist on "Meet the Drapers" (Season 6) and FII's "Visionaries" (2023). She is also a prolific speaker with appearances at Step Conference, Future Fest, Leap Conference, ETHRiyadh, Web3 Summit, Future Investment Initiative (Riyadh), among others. She is also an occasional contributor to Entrepreneur magazine.

Sharene is on a mission to help individuals achieve financial freedom by creating community-owned alternatives to insurance companies. She is a serial entrepreneur with two prior exits in the analog economy and one in web2. She was born and raised in Singapore, but lived in the United States prior to moving to the Middle East. She now lives in Riyadh. Her passions include Islamic finance and the web3; in particular, how blockchains and crypto are a fertile ground for the growth of new financial paradigms. Sharene has a Masters degree in Ed Tech, dropped out of a PhD program to found her previous startup and has a patent pending. Sharene enjoys mentoring and working with fellow female entrepreneurs. She is a mother of 7.

Mr. Shen Peng is Waterdrop’s founder, and has served as the chairman of Waterdrop board of directors and chief executive officer.

Mr. Shen is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience and expertise in the technology and internet sectors in China. Prior to founding Waterdrop in April 2016, Mr. Shen was one of the founding team members of Meituan, a leading e-commerce platform for services in China, and had served as business head of Meituan food delivery since July 2013 and led the launch and rapid nationwide growth of this business.

Mr. Shen was named to Fortune China’s list of the “2020 40 under 40 in China” and Forbes Asia’s list of the “2017 30 under 30 in Asia”, both being annual selections of the most influential young entrepreneurs. Mr. Shen received a master’s degree in retail management from NEOMA Business School in France and an EMBA from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management. Mr. Shen completed the future science and technology program of Tencent’s Qingteng University in January 2019.