2024 Main Conference Speakers

Mr. Yu Mike (Kun) is a senior architect of Alibaba Cloud's new financial industry. He focuses on using leading technologies and innovative concepts in the field of cloud computing, using cloud native technology, and accelerating financial service innovation and digital transformation by building agile architecture and modern technology platforms. He provides Alibaba Cloud computing technology solutions for banks, securities, asset management, financial technology, and pan-financial industries.

Mr. Yu Mike (Kun) has served industry-leading international financial information service providers, financial software suppliers, Internet financial technology companies, foreign banks, etc. He has rich practical experience in information construction in the financial industry and has provided system construction consulting and implementation services for many foreign banks, state-owned policy banks, commercial banks, joint-stock banks, and city commercial banks. He also has rich experience in Internet financial technology, industrial finance, consumer finance, etc.

Dr. Miles Wen is CEO and Co-Founder of Fano Labs Limited, a spin-off company from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) that has closed multiple rounds of fundings from renowned investors such as Horizons Ventures, Gobi Partners and Openspace Ventures. Dr. Wen specializes in information and communication technologies, optimisation algorithms, big data, and machine learning and has numerous academic publications and patents. Since 2016, he was appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) at HKU, where he takes active role in guest lecturing in topics related with technology transfer, startups, and artificial intelligence applications.

Dr. Wen also actively contributes to the technology ecosystem. He is an active mentor at the iDendron Incubation Program at HKU, Founding Vice President of HKSTP Startups Alumni Association, EEE Industry Advisory Committee Member, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Member of Hong Kong Trade Development Council Electronics / Electrical Appliances Industries Advisory Committee, and Member of the Expert Review Panel of Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre.

Dr. Wen received his B.Eng. (CE) with First Class Honors and Ph.D. (EEE) from HKU in 2011 and 2015, respectively. He was also a Fulbright Scholar of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley.

Nailesh Shah is the Head of Digital Platform and Content Commercialization for Citibank Hong Kong overseeing client facing digital touch points and leveraging content to drive the engagement for the Wealth business in Hong Kong.

Previously, Nailesh was Head of Digital Channels and Experience for Citibank Hong Kong overseeing digital channels and their integration with the online & offline client experience for the consumer banking.

Prior to Citi HK, Nailesh was Regional Head of Digital Engagement & Unsecured lending Journey with Citi Singapore, where he was responsible for the strategic integration of service innovations to enhance credit cardholders’ digital experience and driving mobile engagement for all retail clients.

Nailesh joined Citi Japan in 2012 as the digital business strategy manager, leading diversified innovative initiatives, including mobile banking and online rewards redemption platform.  He then took up the role of cards portfolio manager, focusing on client retention and portfolio management.

Before Citi, Nailesh worked with Oracle Financial Services to cover pre-sales and delivery of digital initiatives in investment banking.  

Nailesh holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from the University of Mumbai and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Welingkar Institute of Management.

Nan Shi is an AI Engineer from IBM APAC's Client Engineering team. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Northwestern University and is recognized as an Open Group Master Certified Data Scientist. Nan has dedicated himself to research and projects across various fields of artificial intelligence, including Generative AI, computer vision, natural language processing, quantum computing, machine learning, and deep learning.

Joining IBM in 2021 as a data scientist, Nan quickly demonstrated his expertise in AI. He has spearheaded numerous Data and AI modernization initiatives for leading enterprises in various sectors, including finance, automotive, retail, and healthcare. Since 2023, he has concentrated on the adoption of generative AI, ensuring trustworthiness through AI governance, and developing standardized processes for the LLM lifecycle.

Nancy Cheng currently serves as the Principal of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development at Hang Seng Bank. In her position, she is responsible for overseeing firm-wide innovation projects and strategic partnerships, focusing on areas such as the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and the development of new business models with innovation companies.

Before joining Hang Seng, Nancy gained extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions across various industries. Additionally, she possesses a strong background in the insurance sector from her tenure at a regional insurance firm.

Ned Phillips runs The Sales Movement, a global business that shows startups how to generate leads using content. He was previously the founder and CEO of Bambu, a global digital wealth technology provider that he launched in 2016. With over 25 years of experience in fintech and investment banking, he is a visionary leader and an expert in robo-advisory solutions. His mission is to make saving and investing simple and intelligent for everyone, by enabling businesses of every size and industry to offer digital wealth services to their clients.

Under his leadership, Bambu has grown rapidly and expanded across Asia, Europe, and North America, working with 18 global clients in the banking and financial sectors. Bambu has also won multiple awards and recognition for its innovation and excellence, such as "Best of Show" by Finovate, "Best Early Stage Startup" by Fintech Finals, and "Fintech Employee of the Year" by Singapore Fintech Association. Ned is also an active advisor and mentor in the fintech ecosystem, having worked with 8 Securities, The Singapore Fintech Consortium, and other startups and initiatives.

Neil Tan has over 20 years of experience in Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Development and Partnerships -- across Banking (HSBC, Deutsche Bank), Management Consulting (Boston Consulting Group BCG) and Industry (Philips Electronics, Siemens).

Neil is the Managing Partner at Tsunami Advisors, an advisory and consulting firm dedicated to helping FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Asset, and Web3 firms expand, grow and scale in the Asia Pacific Region.

Prior to this, Neil served as the CEO of Neptune Digital, an award-winning blockchain start-up under the Cyberport Incubation Program (CIP). He was previously the Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific in the Digital Partnerships & Innovation Team at HSBC, where he focused on Banking-As-A-Service (BaaS) and Embedded Finance, including digital payments, lending, wealth and insurance.

Neil is the Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Association of Hong Kong (AIHK), Former Chairman and Board Member of the FinTech Association Hong Kong (FTAHK), and a Member of the Hong Kong Government Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development (HKSAR Web3 Task Force).

Niki has started her career managing large scale transformation projects in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. In 2014 she joined boutique consulting firm, Capco where she continued service tier 1 banking clients. Equipped with experience from large to entrepreneurial organizational structures, she eventually moved onto having her independent consulting practice.

Since 2019 her focus has been directed towards the ever evolving world of digital assets and blockchain technology. In 2020 she joined the Crypto Valley Association and has been serving as Executive Director and Lead Organizer of the Crypto Valley Conference. In her role she’s leading strategic initiatives which connect and advocate for the crypto and blockchain industry in Switzerland.

‍

Oliver Hughes is Head of International Business at TBC Bank Group.

Oliver oversees the Group’s international expansion strategy. His current focus is scaling the Group’s fast-growing consumer lending-led digital bank and payments business in Uzbekistan, working closely with Nika Kurdiani, CEO of TBC Uzbekistan Operations.

Oliver is a renowned fintech entrepreneurial manager with a successful track record of building and scaling fintech companies, including Tinkoff, one of the largest digital banks in the world. As the CEO of Tinkoff, Oliver led the company from 2007 to 2022 to become the most profitable digital bank worldwide, currently serving over 40 mn customers. Oliver navigated the company through three major macroeconomic crises while maintaining the bank’s profitability and healthy balance sheet. In 2013, he led Tinkoff to a highly successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange.

From April 2022 to February 2023, Oliver advised Breeze Ventures, a digital lending startup that launched its operations in the Philippines. Before Tinkoff, Oliver worked for Visa International for a decade, including as Head of Visa in Russia from 2004 until 2007. Prior to Visa, he held various positions including at Reebok, Shell UK and the British Library.

Oliver holds a Bachelor of Arts (First Class) degree in Russian and French from the University of Sussex, a Master of Arts degree in International Politics from Leeds University and a Master of Science degree in Information Management and Technology from City University in London.

Oliver is also a member of TBC Bank Group PLC’s Executive Committee.

Olivia Kinghorst is an international moderator, presenter and journalist.

She has hosted at major international events including The World Economic Forum in Davos, Web Summit in Lisbon, European Women in Tech in Amsterdam, The LEGO Idea Conference to Watches and Wonders in Geneva.

Olivia has over a decade of experience in the media and news industry. She worked as an anchor and multimedia journalist for CNN Money Switzerland, where she hosted the live evening business program. She was also a senior editor at Forbes DA profiling leading CEOs across Europe and moderator for the Forbes Women’s Summit in Switzerland.

She is regularly invited to MC conferences and summits around the world. In addition to moderations, she writes for business and leadership magazines and hosts a podcast on the future of work.

Olivia was born in Sydney, Australia and completed her Masters in Journalism at Columbia University in New York. She is currently based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Otto has 20+ years of work experience in information security and cybersecurity, with a focus on cloud security, data protection and privacy, and incident response in recent years. He has extensive experience in the financial services industry, where he has defined global policies and standards, reviewed compliance, served as the representative in Asia for handling security incident response from APAC countries, provided security awareness training, and conducted on-site compliance reviews in various offices across APAC.

He also dedicates his time, skills, and knowledge through volunteer services in professional associations. In 2016, he served as the chairperson of the Professional Information Security Association. He holds certifications including CCSP, CISSP, CSSLP, CISA, CDPSE, and GLEG.

Currently, Otto is the Head of HKCERT. Prior to joining HKCERT, he worked as the Security Assurance Lead for APAC New Markets at Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a member of the global AWS Security team, Otto served as the regulatory expert on regional and domestic regulations regarding cybersecurity, cloud security, data protection and privacy, security compliance, and operational resilience. He engaged with regional and domestic regulators and published white papers on regulatory requirements and web pages on data privacy for Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Patrice Poujol is the founder and CEO of Lumière Project, a cutting-edge media finance company with a global reach based in Hong Kong and Singapore and W3BFLIX, a decentralised Netflix built on Telegram and TON ecosystem (a leading platform with 1Bn monthly active users). Patrice is a MediaTech, Film3, and Web3 research expert. He is a film professional with over 20 years of experience in the financial sector and the entertainment industry. He is the co-founder of Hong Kong-based The Curve media outlet and partner at Avalon Capital.

At Lumière, Patrice has worked with solid partners, including Animoca Brands, RollingStone, Decentraland, and Kenzo’s K3. He is currently developing projects with a pipeline of top-tier brands and movie clients, including "The Infinite Machine," which is co-produced by Versus entertainment and Ridley Scott's renowned production company, Scott Free.

Patrice's passion for innovation and technology has led him to become an authority on the integration of blockchain technology in the Creative Media industries. In 2018, he obtained the world's first PhD in this field with CityU Hong Kong through an academic exchange with UCLA and participation in the prestigious MEFTI program at MIT. His book "Online Film Production in China Using Blockchain and Smart Contracts," published by Springer in March 2019, downloaded more than 11,000 times has become an early reference in the field.

Patrice regularly speaks at top-tier film festivals and Web3 events around the world, including the Berlinale (EFM), Cannes Film Festival, Filmart, MIPCOM, Los Angeles AFM, PBW, Fintech Week Hong Kong, Game On!, AIBC, WoW Summit, Blockshow. He is a member of the Hong Kong Internet Governance Forum (HKIGF) and has been an EnTech public policy postdoctoral senior research fellow at the prestigious Centre for Applied Computing and Interactive Media (ACIM) at City University of Hong Kong.

Patrice's passion for research and innovation continues to this day, with a funded government program at the Academy of Film, HKBU, where has produced a roadmap on Web3 technologies and their impact on the entertainment industry in Hong Kong. The Roadmap is currently under review and expected to be released in May 2024. Patrice has been published as Web3 expert in Harvard Business Press.

‍

Patricia is our Chief Operating Officer (COO) at IDA, where she oversees day-to-day operations, providing internal leadership and direction to ensure the effective implementation of the company's strategies. Additionally, Patricia also plays a key role in facilitating dialogues and discussions with government bodies and financial institutions on behalf of IDA and its HKD-referenced stablecoin, HKDA.

Patricia is a seasoned COO and senior executive with extensive experience at top global and local financial institutions. With experience in both New York and Hong Kong, she worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Hong Kong Exchange & Clearing Limited (HKEX), and Value Partners, holding leadership positions across banks, brokers, private equity, and the stock exchange for over 15 years. In addition to her financial institution experience, Patricia has also gained vast experience in start-ups and business incubation. Prior to joining IDA, she held senior management positions at New World Development and NWS Holdings Limited, spearheading numerous incubation projects in the real world economy sector.

Paul is a seasoned project manager and business developer with a strong track record in the FinTech, Technology and Hospitality Industry. Currently, Paul is the Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager, cultivating long-term relationships with our partners and sponsors in the Fintech space. Prior to Finoverse, he successfully launched a new catering vertical across APAC at Foodpanda, showcasing his strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration skills that drove significant revenue and vendor growth.

Paul has navigated diverse work environments across the UK, France, Canada, the Maldives, Singapore and Hong Kong. His international education and fluency in English and French have enhanced his ability to connect with a wide range of stakeholders, allowing him to excel in various roles across multiple industries.

Pedro Lopez is a dynamic leader and technology innovator known for his contributions to decentralized finance (DeFi). He has been actively involved in building solutions within the blockchain space, particularly focusing on platforms related to Thorwallet and cross-chain decentralized projects. His work emphasizes creating user-friendly platforms for cryptocurrency swapping, liquidity provision, and asset management, with a commitment to driving adoption and innovation in the DeFi sector.

Driven by intellectual curiosity, Pedro has over eight years of experience navigating the complexities of tech startups. His impressive track record includes key executive roles—CEO, COO, and CTO—in fintech, blockchain, and e-commerce ventures, where he's honed a unique skill set. Pedro excels at scaling early-stage companies, consistently setting and surpassing ambitious goals.

As Chief Growth Officer at THORWallet, Pedro again pushed boundaries, driving mobile app downloads to over 100,000 and achieving profitability in less than two years. A self-taught programmer, his expertise in data science, analytics, and automation demonstrates his commitment to remaining at the cutting edge of technology.

Pedro completed his MBA with honors from the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in Finance & Strategy—a perfect complement to his hands-on experience. This cross-disciplinary background establishes him as a versatile and accomplished professional in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

‍

Peter Koo was Deloitte APAC Leader of IT and Special Assurances, he also led the China team to serve different multinational companies, providing internal audit, corporate governance risk and control consulting, financial technology and network security assurance, Transformation, Services such as digital, business and risk transformation; also led the Hong Kong Fintech IMO group and developed Fintech related M&A and other Advisory service teams. Mr. Koo is enthusiastic in promoting the development of the industry. He is currently an advisor of Cyberport Advisory Panel, a member of the Advisory and Vetting Committee of the "Innovation and Technology Venture Fund" of the HKSAR's Innovation Technology Bureau, HK Trade Development Council ICT Advisory Committee member, the Convenor of Fintech Specialist Group of HK Computer Society, the Finance Director of the Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance, Vice President of Asia Family Office Foundation, Vice President of HK Guangzhou Innovation＆ Technology Association, and  advisor/guest lecturer for several universities in HK and mainland.

Peter Lee, Chief Technology Officer, IBM China / Hong Kong Limited driving digital transformation through AI and Hybrid Cloud solutions. Mr. Lee has over 25 years of IT experience leading technical sales and architect to develop solution and to promote IBM Technology Group offerings, covering Infrastructure, Cloud Platform, Data & AI, Automation Sustainability and Security Software for Hong Kong and Macau region.

Mr. Lee is a veteran at IBM who led technical communities and made outstanding contributions to business and industry via large scale project implementations, including countrywide banking infrastructure, Fortune 500 ERP solutions and Top500 High Performance Computing projects and AI solution deployment in GCG region etc.

Peter Lee was appointed as the first Distinguished Engineer of IBM Systems in IBM Greater China Group since 2014 and had received eZone Hong Kong Outstanding Performance of IT Excellence Award in 2023.

Peter Nguyen Andersson is the Co-Founder of Bond, a next-generation treasury management system designed to help finance teams optimize yield, save time, and diversify risk. With over a decade of banking experience, Peter has held key roles in risk and treasury management, developing expertise in treasury operations, electronic money, client money safeguarding, fintech, and payments.

As an early employee at Revolut, Peter was instrumental in creating the firm's market and liquidity risk management frameworks, which were essential in obtaining its banking license. He also led client money safeguarding initiatives across the UK and EU, ensuring compliance and asset protection.

Prior to his time at Revolut, Peter played a pivotal role at Handelsbanken, where he helped build the bank's UK subsidiary and secure a banking license post-Brexit, demonstrating his ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes.

Leveraging his experience in banking and fintech, Peter is well-positioned to develop a treasury management system that meets the evolving needs of modern finance teams.

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.

Phoebe Siu is the Vice President in K Dollar Program in Hong Kong and Mainland. K Dollar covering every industry and all walks of life in the whole New World ecosystem. It has more than 1,000 and 13,000 merchants & partners in Hong Kong and Mainland respectively.

Phoebe is a versatile business professional and inspired team leader with more than 20 years of working experience in MNCs and big local companies. Her expertise covers business management, customer experience, digital transformation, marketing, CRM, partnership and business development etc.

Pratyush Prasanna is the newly appointed Group CEO of Flip.id, one of Indonesia's leading fintech groups. He brings a wealth of experience in the payments industry, with a proven track record of scaling businesses and driving innovation in emerging markets.

Prior to joining Flip.id, Pratyush served as the Head of Merchant Payments at GoTo Financial, where he played a pivotal role in expanding their merchant payment solutions and driving adoption among Indonesian businesses of all sizes. His strategic vision and leadership helped GoTo Financial achieve significant growth in the highly competitive Indonesian market.

Before his tenure at GoTo Financial, Pratyush was the General Manager of Asia at Poynt, a leading point-of-sale terminal provider. Based in San Francisco, Singapore, and Bangalore, he oversaw product development, partner acquisition, and market expansion across a diverse range of countries in Asia, including India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Pratyush's career also includes a significant role at Paytm, India's most widely used payments app. As Vice President of Business and Product, he witnessed Paytm's remarkable growth. With his strategic vision and proven ability to execute, Pratyush is committed to expanding Flip's reach and impact, ensuring that all Indonesians have access to fair financial services.

Prerna Saxena is the Head of Asia-Pacific at the Better than Cash Alliance, a United Nations-based partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to responsible digital payments to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Prerna is responsible for managing Alliance’s initiatives across Asia and leading Alliance’s work on Digital Public Infrastructure. She brings with her over two decades of extensive experience in promoting digital financial inclusion, particularly for underserved women and micro enterprises. 

Prerna leads the Alliance’s engagement with India’s G20 Presidency and contributes to G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). She is a member of the B20 Digital Transformation Taskforce and G20 Empower Taskforce on Financial Inclusion and Business Acceleration. She has also served as Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India for G20 GPFI Fintech and digital economy related matters. 

Prior to her tenure at the Alliance, Prerna managed technical advisory projects with financial institutions across Asia and contributed to investment portfolio development at the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group). She engaged with regulators, banks, microfinance institutions, housing finance companies, insurance companies, banking agents, industry associations, to design and implement inclusive finance solutions with sharp focus on small and micro merchants, informal businesses and underserved women. 

Prerna gained her banking expertise at Export-Import Bank of India and ICICI Bank while based in India, UAE and Hong Kong. 

Prerna has participated in Executive Education Programme in Inclusive Finance from Harvard Business School and Fintech Programme from Oxford University. She is a management graduate with specialisation in agriculture sciences and rural finance. Prerna is fluent in Hindi and English. She also speaks Bengali and Urdu.

Priscilla is Group Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, having appointed on 1 July, 2023. Priscilla leads Prudential’s effort to becoming a customer-obsessed organization that provides best-in-class customer experience. In her role, she leads the firm to devise an effective customer management strategy to attract, engage and convert customers. Her responsibilities span across Marketing, Data Analytics & insight, Digital and Customer Experience, with the goal of uplifting customer lifetime value.

Priscilla joined Prudential in 2018 and was previously Chief Marketing and Partnership Distribution Officer in Prudential Hong Kong. In this role, she led Prudential Hong Kong’s Partnership Distribution channel, continuing to strengthen the bancassurance partnership and expand the broker business. At the same time, she also led the marketing function, overseeing the brand & marketing, corporate affairs, customer management and data & insights.

Prior to joining Prudential, she spent 17 years at Citibank, where she held positions of Managing Director, Head of Customer Franchise, and Head of Digital for Citibank’s Global Consumer Banking group in Hong Kong.

Priscilla is passionate about Diversity & Inclusion agenda. During her time at Prudential Hong Kong and Citibank, Priscilla served as the Chair of the Diversity Committee, where she provided strategic direction and championed the development of an inclusive environment and diversity practices into various aspects of the business.

Graduated with a major in information security, he has worked in the security industry for more than ten years, and has been in the blockchain security industry for the past six years. He is one of the initial team members of SlowMist and has extensive blockchain security research and practical experience.

Dr. Kang Qu is Managing Director of Sustainability Strategy, Bank of China (Hong Kong) focusing on the Bank’s sustainability strategy formulation & implementation, ESG disclosure & reporting, building and managing ESG related infrastructure, leading cross-functional strategic initiatives & projects, and representing the Bank at external ESG related organizations.

Prior to joining BOCHK in 2022, Dr. Qu had held various positions in macro-economic research, strategy planning and sustainability development in Bank of China’s London office since 2006. His last role was Head of Bank of China London Research Centre. He was BOC’s representative to ESG initiatives of the City of London and various international organizations.

Dr. Qu received a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from University of Science and Technology of China and a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science and earned a PhD in Finance from Durham University in the UK. He is a standing member of the Council of China International Finance Society and vice president of Hong Kong Green Finance Association.

Rachel Cheung is a Hong Kong-based staff writer with The Wire China, where she covers China’s economic rise and its influence on global business, finance, and trade.

Rachel Lau is Managing Partner at RHL Ventures & Iris Capital Partners. RHL Ventures is a Southeast Asian based private investment firm that focuses on growth capital investments in the South East Asia and the US region while Iris Capital Partners (Iris), headquartered in Malaysia, is a leading provider of private credit solutions for Southeast Asia's high-growth companies.

Before setting up RHL Ventures as a partner in February 2016 and Iris Capital in February 2021, Rachel was Vice President at Heitman Investment Management in Hong Kong and Australia. Rachel helped managed USD$4bn of global long-only and absolute return equity strategies, focused on the Asia Pacific region. Prior to this, Rachel worked as an investment analyst with Dutch investment manager, NN Investment Management, which manages USD$225bn. In her tenure with NN, Rachel worked in the Asian Equities team in Hong Kong, Emerging Market Debt team in Atlanta and Multi Assets Strategies in New York. She conducted fundamental analysis on global companies in Asia, Latin America and USA, across different capital structures, be it equity, debt or derivatives. Rachel has deployed billions of dollars of long term capital to meet outsized returns for institutional investors.

Rachel graduated from Australian National University with a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction (double major in Accounting and Finance) and received a Master of Law (major in Business Law) from the University of Sydney. In addition, Rachel represented Malaysia in the sport of rhythmic gymnastics in various tournaments and the British Council as a delegate in the Young Global Citizen Summit to solves issues on global poverty and human rights.

Rachel serves on the Leadership Team of the Hong Kong chapter of Ellevate (formerly 85 Broads), a 34,000-member global network of professional women; and is President of the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation.

In 2018, Rachel was named as 50 People who are Redefining the Way We Live by Business Times Singapore and was selected as Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle, a non-profit, non-partisan global think tank that is determined to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs and improve health.

Thorough due diligence characterizes Lau's investment philosophy, from the qualitative to the quantitative analysis of a company. This consists of things like market fit, management capability, financial health, and growth potential. She puts a lot of emphasis on operational excellence, therefore sustainable business models, and dismisses those that are not clear-eyed in their strategic objectives or capital-depleting without material results to show.

Apart from her corporate leadership, she sits on the boards of companies such as Privasia Technology Berhad and GNC Holdings, applying her financial expertise and experience in large-scale global operations.

Rachel Yu is the Co-Founder of ALEXGO, the Finance Layer on Bitcoin. ALEXGO has developed leading protocols like ALEX Lab, the largest DeFi platform on Bitcoin, and XLink, a crucial "Omni-chain Bitcoin Liquidity" connector within the Bitcoin ecosystem, and more.

An entrepreneur at her heart with a solid background in mathematics, Rachel founded ALEXGO after building a China/HK-based trading firm which utilizes high frequency data and Machine Learning techniques to explore patterns of financial market.

Before becoming a successful entrepreneur, Rachel was an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs. From 2016 to 2017, Rachel led its China Institutional sales team, delivering best-of-the-class structuring finance solutions to banks, security houses and asset management companies.

Ralph Ng is a Vice President and Senior Analyst within Moody’s Project and Infrastructure Finance Group, based in Hong Kong SAR.

Ralph covers the infrastructure sectors in China and Hong Kong, with a portfolio spanning state-owned and privately-owned utilities and transportation companies. Ralph also authored a series of publications focused on the port sectors in China and Hong Kong.

Ralph first joined Moody’s Commercial Group in 2010 and transferred to the Project & Infrastructure Finance Group in 2014. Prior to joining Moody’s, Ralph worked in Global Banking Department at HSBC in Hong Kong.

Ralph holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from The University of Hong Kong. He is a CFA Charter holder and a certified FRM.

Rebecca Gong is a Fintech expert with experiences in venture investments, strategy and financial services. Currently, Rebecca heads Corporate Development and Regulatory Affairs at HQLAx, where she spearheaded the successful Series C fundraising of the company. Prior to joining HQLAX, she worked extensively as an investor specialized in technology-enabled solutions in the capital market infrastructure space, supported and advised Fintech and Tech startups inhouse in Europe and in the US. Rebecca is aspired to infuse purposeful impact into her work and daily actions. She speaks Chinese Mandarin, English and German.

Rebecca Lim, CEO and founder of AutoML Capital, leads the WealthTech firm in using advanced machine learning algorithms for asset management. Under her leadership, AutoML Capital has received honors, including the 2022 Hong Kong FinTech Impetus Awards, the IFTA Gold Award for WealthTech, and the ICT Certificate of Merit.

Rebecca holds undergraduate and master's degrees in Physics from the University of Oxford, specialising in Atmospheric and Particle Physics. She spent 12 years in Sales & Trading and Private Banking in Hong Kong and London, focusing on market risks, derivatives, and portfolio management.

In 2017, she co-founded Automated Machine Learning and helped develop the patented AI engine, "ML Brain," central to AutoML's solutions. Rebecca frequently speaks at AI seminars and teaches coding and AI courses in Hong Kong, fostering the next generation of tech talent.

Her accolades include the Hong Kong Professional Elite Ladies Selection Award 2022 and the Young Women Engineer of the Year award, recognising her contributions to WealthTech, AI, and the tech community.

Reginia Chan is the Partner at Deloitte Consulting with over 15 years of experience in the banking and capital market specializing in FinTech, business, technology transformation. Reginia has led and masterminded numerous large scale transformation projects, enabling effective application of latest emerging fintech technologies.  She has supported many well established enterprises and financial institutions in their digital, fintech strategies and improving operational efficiencies. She is also involved in thought leadership, contributing to publications on banking digitalization and strategies for the Greater Bay Area. Her expertise includes collaborating with senior stakeholders to achieve key performance indicators such as New-To-Bank, Asset-Under-Management, Net-Promoter-Score and Member-Get-Member business KPIs.  She is experienced in strategizing and planning front to back office , complex transformational and improvement programs all the way from design to execution and implementation.

Riccardo has extensive experience in technology-driven trading and asset management. He has held senior roles at Spear, Leeds & Kellogg, Goldman Sachs and hedge fund JCH Capital. He grew up in Hong Kong and holds a B.Eng in Aeronautical Engineering from City, University of London. He founded Currenxie with his wife Alison in 2013.

Richard is a Director in BlackRock’s APAC Corporate Strategy and Development team in Hong Kong, and previously led BlackRock’s EMEA Digital Partnerships business in London. He received his BSc from the Wharton School, and this MBA from INSEAD.

Dr. Richard Liu is a tech executive and serial entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. He is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Huma Finance, the first PayFi Network with over $2B on-chain transactions. Prior to Huma, Dr. Liu created Google Fi, founded Leap.ai, which was acquired by Facebook, and served as the CTO of Earnin, a leading consumer payment financing company in the US.

Ms. Liu is a payment and FinTech veteran with 20 years of experience across Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Prior to joining RD Technologies, Rita was the CEO and Board Member of Mode Global Holdings, a UK-based regulator approved crypto asset company. Prior to Mode Global Holdings, Rita worked for Ant Group and Alipay for around 10 years and her last position was CEO and Board Member of Alipay UK.

Robyn Claire Lamsam is a former Olympian and holder of 21 Hong Kong National Swimming records. She was a silver and bronze medallist at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and received the Badge of Honour from Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 in recognition of her achievements and contribution to sport in Hong Kong. She is currently serving her third term as a member of the Elite Sports Committee of the Home Affair Bureau’s Sports Commission.

After graduating from SOAS and the University of Queensland with first-class Honours degrees in Journalism and Asian Studies, Robyn also attained an Advanced Masters in International Studies, Diplomacy and World Politics. For the past 18 years, she has been working as a freelance emcee hosting high profile sporting events in Hong Kong, China and Macau, such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Longines Masters, Volvo Ocean Race and the Hong Kong Tennis Open, as well as for corporate & charitable organisations including HSBC, American Express, the Make A Wish Foundation, Mother’s Choice and the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Robyn is also a highly sought-after motivational speaker and life coach, and serves as an ambassador and Board Member to several local charities to raise awareness for social justice and the underprivileged in Hong Kong.

Ron joined AvantFaire in 2018 as a managing partner, focusing on portfolio management and investment research. With a background in engineering, Ron is passionate about applying space technology and data analytics to smart city design and achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also manages his family office portfolio, investing in private equities and stocks in the semiconductor and space technology sectors.

Previously, Ron worked at the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, handling policy development for financial technology and crypto assets. Before that, he held senior roles in derivatives trading and portfolio management at major institutions like Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas, KBC, Nomura and Allianz.

Ron holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical and industrial engineering from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, and a master’s degree in space systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He advises Space Analytics, a U.S. nonprofit focusing on satellite data for sustainability, and is involved in developing Asia-based space technology ventures.

As a chartered member of the Orion Astropreneur Space Academy (OASA), Ron mentors young professionals in space ventures and advises startups through the University of Toronto’s accelerator program.

Ronit Ghose runs the Future of Finance team in Citi Global Insights, ,Citi’s thought leadership unit. The team is focused on the intersection of the future of money, finance and emerging tech. It provides analysis and advice to Citi’s clients and the bank’s leadership. Prior to his current role, Ronit was Citi’s Global head of Banks and FinTech Research. Alongside his Citi role, Ronit is an Advisory Board member of the Financial Technology Centre at Imperial College Business School in London and at several technology firms and early-stage VC investors based in the U.K., Asia, Middle East & Africa. Before joining Citi in 1997, Ronit worked in the policy world, including as a Research Assistant for a former UK Prime Minister. Ronit's new book “Future Money” was published in 2024.

Ronson Chau is the Head of Growth at Wonder, a leading payments and fintech platform for merchants in Hong Kong and Asia Pacific, focusing on business development, operations and marketing. Prior to joining Wonder, Ronson worked at Morgan Stanley’s APAC Investment Banking Division focusing on FinTech and Digital Assets, and is the Co-Founder of BULB, the world’s first Web3 Blogging Platform where users can Write-to-Earn and Read-to-Earn. Ronson holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, and he was also a teaching academic for the Discipline of Finance at the University of Sydney.

Dr. Ruth A. Shapiro is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS). CAPS is a research and advisory non-profit organization based in Hong Kong and working throughout Asia. CAPS is committed to producing world-class, evidence-based research to help philanthropists, governments and social delivery organizations maximize the positive impact of private social investment.

Dr. Shapiro is the primary author of Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2018. She is the editor of The Real Problem Solvers, a book about social entrepreneurship in America. She also co-authored the book, Building Energy Efficiency: Why Green Buildings are Key to Asia’s Future. She has published articles in Nikkei Asia, the South China Morning Post, Alliance and Philanthropy Impact and is a regular speaker on issues related to private social investment in Asia.

Dr. Shapiro founded the Asia Business Council and served as its Executive Director since its inception in 1997 until May 2007. She spent the early part of her professional career in the field of international development. Within this field, she held management positions and built new program areas at the Academy for Educational Development, the Harvard Institute of International Development and Global Outlook. She holds a doctorate from Stanford University and master’s Degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan.

Over 20 years of management experience in the banking and financial industries, with a solid track record of entrepreneurial leadership and delivering substantial and sustainable results.

Served as a board member of Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation from 2016-17 and also 2010-12, a board member of Joint Electronic Teller Services Limited from 2015-17, a board member of EPS Company (HK) Limited from 2013-17, and Chairman of DTC Association from 2010-2011.

Ryan Li isa reporter with FinanceAsia and CorporateTreasurer, covering both capital markets and treasury management issues across Asia Pacific. His interests encompass fintech, sustainable finance and asset tokenisation. Originally from Shanghai, Ryan is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. He joined the brands at Haymarket Media Ltd in July 2023, having experience at the Standard and Caixin Global.

Sabih Behzad serves as the Head of Digital Assets & Currencies Transformation for the Corporate and Investment Bank. In this role, he oversees strategy and execution and seeks to develop and accelerate use cases within the bank. Key areas of focus include tokenisation of assets and money, DeFi and Metaverse.

He represents the bank in various industry bodies and forums. He is a member of the board of Taurus AG, a leading Swiss based digital assets company.

Sabih has been with Deutsche Bank for 14 years, working across the Technology and Operations, Investment Bank and Corporate Bank divisions. He has held a variety of roles including leading strategy, managing large change programmes and developing new businesses.

Prior to Deutsche Bank, Sabih worked within the M&A Corporate Finance division of Lehman Brothers in London and started his career in technology consulting with Lucent Technologies before moving on to Accenture.

He has implemented large scale technology projects and run development teams. He has a passion for technology and in particular, all things blockchain and DLT.

Sabih holds a BEng. in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Manchester and a MBA with a concentration in Finance from London Business School.

He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

‍

• 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.

Sally is the Chief Executive Officer of AXA Greater China and is responsible for the management and operations of AXA Hong Kong & Macau and AXA Tian Ping. She also has oversight of the ICBC-AXA business and AXA Asian Markets Services which specialises in information technology services in Asia.

Sally has extensive management and business development experience in insurance companies covering Asia Pacific Region. She has held a number of senior positions in major insurance companies in Asia, including Hong Kong and Japan.

Prior to joining AXA Hong Kong and Macau in 2018, Sally was with AIA Group for more than 11 years in various senior positions including Regional Director in Financial Planning and Management and Regional Business Development Director. She spent 7 years in Tokyo with Allianz Fire and Marine Japan Ltd as Chief Financial Officer and other senior positions. She started her career in KPMG Hong Kong in 1996.

Sally serves as a member of the HKFI Governing Committee Members, a Councillor of the General Insurance Council (GIC), the Chairman of the Virtual Asset Insurance Working Group, and a Councillor of the Life Insurance Council (LIC). She is also a member of the Industry Advisory Committee on General Business for the Insurance Authority, a Council Member of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Hong Kong and a member of the Market Development Committee for the Financial Services Development Council. Besides industry governing committees, she is the Chairperson of the East Asian Insurance Congress 2024 Organising Committee, a member of the HKMA Insurance Management Committee and the Hong Kong Academy of Finance. As a representative of HKFI, Sally joins HKGCC Economic Policy Committee as a member to study and advise on economic policy impacting the general economic environment, competitiveness, and future of Hong Kong. With her unwavering commitment to promoting corporate happiness and employee well-being, she has been appointed as the Honorary Advisor for Chief Happiness Officer Association.

Sally is a qualified accountant with CPA Australia and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from The University of New South Wales, Australia.

Sandra Göldi commands a diverse background in editorial and family office management, currently leading the Genesis Programme at Finoverse in Hong Kong. In this role, she focuses on empowering the next generation of family business leaders in finance and technology.

Since October 2022, Sandra has branched out as a freelance editor and copywriter, crafting compelling content and managing editorial calendars for luxury brands across the globe. Her portfolio includes work for prestigious names such as Prestige, BurdaLuxury, Travel & Leisure, Tatler, Lane Crawford, Cathay Pacific, and Coca-Cola. She also managed content for a Zurich-based family office conference.

Before her freelance career, Sandra served as a Features Editor at BurdaLuxury, where she orchestrated the editorial direction for Prestige and Lifestyle Asia. Her leadership in planning annual publications and managing editorial categories like lifestyle and culture was pivotal in producing impactful editions, including two years of spearheading the notable 40-under-40 issue spotlighting Hong Kong's brightest talents.

Sandra's experience also extends to Soho House & Co., where she held a membership management role. There, she found her niche in fostering community engagement and delivering exceptional client service in a dynamic environment.

Her multilingual capabilities, including native fluency in English and proficiency in German, Cantonese, and Mandarin, complement her professional endeavors, enabling her to connect with diverse audiences across the globe.

Sandra is a proponent for ‘human-centric tech’. From investment banking and currency markets to blockchain technology, she is an early angel investor and advocate of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. She currently serves as the CEO of Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), the world’s largest leading Swiss-based non-for-profit association with more than 500 institutional members, 301 ambassadors, across 117 jurisdictions and disciplines.

In 2023, she was appointed onto the CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham’s Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC), Digital Asset Market Subcommittee (DAMS) and cochairs the Taxonomy and Tokenization Infrastructure workstreams within the subcommittee. She was previously appointed as the Senate representative of the New York State Digital Currency Task Force, and serves on the AIFC Fintech Council (Kazakhstan), World Economic Forum’s Digital Currencies Governance Consortium, International Securities Services Association’s DLT & ISO Standards, GI Trust FATF Travel Rule Standards Task Force(South Korea), GBBC’s Global Standards Mapping Initiative, Blockchain for Climate (BxC) Board, Salesforce’s AI Advisory Board, Filecoin Foundation Advisory Board, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator Advisory Council, and several government Convergence AI working groups and councils as well as Board director of several fintech start-ups.

Whilst at CME Group, she headed FX & Metals Research & Product Development and founded a new business unit, Digitization. Sandra and her team created the CME CF Bitcoin pricing index and reference rate, CME Bitcoin Futures, and post trade, clearing and settlement solutions.

Previously, she was a London-based derivatives banker at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank in the foreign exchange and interest rate markets.

Sandra holds a M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from London Business School, studied Computer Science at Columbia University, School of Continuing Studies and earned a double B.A. degree from Yale University in History (Military) and Studies in the Environment.

Sandy Peng is the co-founder of Scroll, a leading zkEVM rollup solution focused on scaling the Ethereum network without compromising security or decentralization. She plays a pivotal role in overseeing business development, communications, fundraising, and community engagement. With a rich background in research and blockchain technology, Peng is a key figure in advancing zero-knowledge EVM solutions and blockchain business applications.

Before co-founding Scroll, Peng worked at the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and co-founded Fission Capital, where she specialized in investing in web3 projects. Scroll has attracted significant investments, including $30 million in Series A funding and $50 million in Series B funding, highlighting the industry’s confidence in its innovative approach.

As Asia Legal Journalist at Thomson Reuters, Sarah predominantly covers industry-driving developments and trends in Asia's legal industry for the monthly specialist publication, Asian Legal Business (ALB). She keeps track of regulatory and legislative changes and looks at how law firms build their services and teams to turn a profit at a time of market volatility, rising competition, technological disruptions, and cultural upheaval.

Apart from writing for the magazine, Sarah also produces the ALB LinkedIn newsletter, moderates panel discussions at ALB's flagship in-house legal summits, and produces multimedia content for ALB's digital platforms.

Before TR, Sarah built a strong background in broadcast journalism, having directed and presented a weekly current affairs interview program, "Talk The Walk" at one of Hong Kong's leading TV stations. She also covered diplomacy, geopolitics, business news and anchored the daily prime-time newscasts for the broadcaster. She is based in Hong Kong.

Scott is the Head of Markets DLT and is responsible for the strategy and execution of new trading products built on DLT/Blockchain. Additionally, he is responsible for representing JP Morgan on industry initiatives and wider market developments related to DLT.

Scott joined JP Morgan in 2010 and has spend most of his time in Treasury/Chief Investment Office and the Corporate and Investment Bank. He also serves on the board of CLS, HQLAx and Ownera, and is a Trustee of Global H20 (UK), a charity focused on providing clean water in Uganda.  

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Scott served as an Infantry Officer for 13 years in the Australian then British Army, including tours of East Timor, Northern Ireland and Iraq.

Scott holds an MBA from Cambridge University and a BA from Deakin University.

Serena Mak is currently Executive Director, Sustainable Finance, Institutional Banking Group at DBS Hong Kong. She provides strategic direction and guidance on sustainable finance transactions while also fostering a culture of sustainability within the bank.

Prior to joining DBS, Serena was the Head of ESG Funding Asia for Home Credit, where she successfully contributed to the group’s sustainability-linked financing in Asia. She also held several positions at Goldman Sachs in Singapore and Hong Kong, with a focus on liquidity management across the APAC region.

Serena holds a Master of Science degree in Financial Analysis as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Global Business & Management of Organizations from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is a Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA), CPA (Australia), and FRM.

Serena also serves as Board Governor and Honorary Secretaryat Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong) and is on the examiner teamfor the Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA) program by theEuropean Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS).

Sergej Kunz is the co-founder of the 1inch Network, a distributed network of decentralized protocols that enable the fastest, most lucrative and protected operations in major blockchain ecosystems.

From 2015 to 2019, Sergej worked for Mimacom consultancy, running projects for major customers, such as Bosch, Siemens and Porsche. After joining Porsche on a full-time basis, he gradually shifted towards cybersecurity.

Sergej's first introduction to the crypto space dates back to 2012. After mining Ethereum for years, he launched a YouTube show, CryptoManiacs, in which he did live security audits of smart contracts. Anton Bukov, the 1inch Network's eventual co-founder, soon joined him as a co-host.

At a May 2019 hackathon in New York City, over the course of 36 hours, Sergej and Anton developed a prototype crypto exchange aggregator that became the basis of the 1inch Network.

Serra Wei is a cryptocurrency finance executive, investor, and entrepreneur with a blend of experience in both legacy and blockchain-based finance and cryptocurrencies. She has worked with Goldman Sachs and holds an MBA from Stanford Business School. Currently, Serra Wei is the founder and CEO of Aegis Trust & Custody and the founder of Aegis Prime, dedicated to integrating custody and tokenization solutions into the world of blockchain technology.

Shahmir Khaliq is Citi’s Head of Services, which includes the firm’s Treasury & Trade Solutions (TTS) and Securities Services businesses and provides cash management, working capital solutions and post-trade securities services across Citi’s global network. Shahmir is a member of Citi’s Executive Management Team.

From 2021 to 2023, Shahmir served as Citi’s Global Head of TTS, helping to solidify its position as the industry’s leading provider of global cash management. Prior to that, he was Head of Operations and Technology for the business.

Since first joining Citi in 1991, Shahmir has held various leadership roles within Banking, Markets and Securities Services, and Investor Services. He also has served as Country Cluster Head for Citi's Central European operations.

Shahmir holds a Master’s in Finance from the London Business School, a post-graduate diploma in Economics from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from the University of Karachi.

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.

Shawn is an entrepreneur turned investor and advisor with over a decade of experience in venture investment, zero-to-one management, and operations. As General Partner at TRIVE Digital, Shawn focuses on early-stage Web3 investments in Infrastructure, finance and immersive entertainment. Prior to his time at TRIVE, Shawn was Partner at R3D3 Ventures, specialising in global early-stage investments in FinTech, Web3, and AI.

Shawn is a strong believer and advocate of business-driven blockchain applications. Prior to his experience as a venture capitalist, Shawn was also co-founder of a Point-of-Sale (POS) solution across three Southeast Asian markets and a blockchain-powered platform for cross-border franchise expansion between Southeast Asia and China. He has also worked as an economic consultant and a policymaker at the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

He is a recognized Global Expert by Blockchain Founders Fund, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore, and is a dual-scholarship recipient at INSEAD, where he is pursuing his MBA, to be conferred in 2024.

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.

Dr. Simon Lee is responsible for driving the adoption of AI at AIA Group to enhance the customer and distributor journey. He is passionate about using AI to drive positive change and is dedicated to helping organizations harness the power of this transformative technology to achieve their strategic goals.

Mr. Simon Lee is the Deputy General Manager of the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd. (“BOCHK”), responsible for managing the teams from Group Customer Services Centre, International Payment Division, and Trade Service Centre in the Bank-wide Operation Department.

Mr. Simon Lee has 30 years working experience in the banking industry.  He is a specialist in operations & technology supporting all business sectors mainly on corporate banking and consumer banking groups.  In recent years, he has been focusing on process enhancement and digital transformation to enable better decision-making, game-changing efficiencies, and better customer experience.

Since Mr. Simon Lee joined BOCHK, he started to set up the Customer Services Hub and build up strong expertise in providing end-to-end after-sales services to the top-tier corporate customer groups.  He also led the teams to provide tailor-made services on client solutions as well as operational support (including testing & delivery) on cash & trade products/ channels and corporate electronic banking.

Mr. Simon Lee graduated from the University of Hong Kong in Social Sciences.  He also holds such professional qualifications as Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (ACAMS), Certified Fraud Examiner (ACFE), Associate of The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (AHKIB).

Simran Vaswani is a Hong Kong-based reporter with DealStreetAsia, primarily tracking the private equity space across Greater China, covering fundraising, limited partners, general partners, family offices and other trends in the industry. She has previously worked with Bloomberg, where she focused on investing and real estate in Hong Kong. Simran has also worked with Forbes Asia and CNN. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University.

Holding Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and MBA, making him a trusted Senior Advisor role for several Corporates & Royal Families for many years.

In addition to this role, he has been serving on the Board of several global companies since 2009. He was awarded, "Outstanding Serial Entreprenuer 2019".

• Played a key role in a number of the company's most significant acquisitions and investments, including that of Enlightco AG, Siemens, Vou Investment and Royal Fund. He also took a lead role in PWG's renewable energy investments in India, Armenia and KSA more than one billion USD.
• Most significantly he is Chairman of Royal Front Group which owns more than 100 companies worldwide

Siobhan oversees Finastra’s Universal Banking business, including market leading core banking and digital solutions globally. She has deep technology industry expertise, and more than 25 years of experience in IT and channel management, as well as leading and growing prominent technology companies across a range of sectors such as financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and public sector.

She’s passionate about innovating to drive growth and unlock new revenue opportunities. A highly regarded technology executive and transformative leader, Siobhan champions Finastra’s open culture and is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. She is the Executive Sponsor for the company’s LGBTQ+ and Friends initiatives, as well as supporting the Women@Finastra group.

She earned a prestigious place on Computer Dealer News’ ‘Top 20 Women of the Channel’ list for her work in the Canadian IT sector, as well as being named among CRN’s ‘Top 100 Women of the Channel’ for two years running.

Siobhan has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Ulster, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool, as well as being a certified Project Manager (PMP). She serves on the Board of Directors for Oakville Hydro and previously served on the Halton Children’s Aid Board of Directors.

乔雨婷女士目前担任OPPO投资部部长以及OPPO巡星投资总经理。

乔雨婷女士拥有丰富的科技领域投资经验，主要关注人工智能、半导体、新能源、新材料等前沿科技公司，曾成功投资了数个快速发展的优质公司，如锐思智芯、Tetramem、纾酷科技、Unity、宸境科技、云快充等。通过对消费电子产业链和生态的深入研究把握行业趋势，捕捉稀缺性独角兽机会。

巡星投资是OPPO的股权投资平台，以深度行业研究为导向，主要围绕产业链和生态进行长期价值投资布局，在和业内优秀的团队和企业共同成长中为产业链创造更多价值。

‍

Soumaya Ben Beya Dridje is a founding Parter of the 1st Qatar-born VC Fund, Rasmal Ventures. The mandate is to invest in technogy startups in Serie A / Serie B in the MENA region with an allocation to opportunitic international investments.

Active in the Startup and investment industry since 12 years, Silicon Valley was its traning ground in her VC experience.

MBA in Investment & Sustainability (EDHEC Business School, France).

Stacey Chow advises organizations on developing initiatives and strategies around sustainability, social impact, as well as environmental, social and governance issues, with a focus on issues management, corporate reputation, stakeholder engagement and global partnerships. Stacey has tri-sector experience in the government, international organization and corporate arenas, spanning a 20-year career across the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and has a background in international development, trade and investment promotion and sustainable infrastructure development. She was selected as a 2012-2015 Global Leadership Fellow at the World Economic Forum and was selected as a “Woman to Watch” by The Women’s Foundation and 30% Club Hong Kong Chapter in 2023. Stacey isa member of the Energy, Environment, Social, and Governance (E-ESG) Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong, a member of the Environment and Sustainability Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and a committee member of the 30% Club Hong Kong.

From the early telecom and mobile industries to growing Bitcoin.com as its CEO, Stefan Rust is a recognized global leader in early-tech entrepreneurism. Mr. Rust is focused on the blockchain industry founding Laguna Labs and helping to launch decentralized finance protocols truflation.com and nuon.fi.

Steffanie Yuen is Managing Director and Head of Hong Kong at Endowus. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Endowus was established in 2017 and has grown to become Asia’s leading digital wealth management platform. It is the first and the largest digital advisor in the region to offer holistic wealth management in both private wealth and public pension savings. The Endowus Group, which includes Hong Kong-based multi-family office Carret Private, has more than US$6 billion in assets under advice.

Before joining Endowus, Steffanie was Managing Director at Value Partners and was responsible for leading the Group's Direct Distribution, Marketing and Investor Relations functions, as well as key strategic growth initiatives.

Prior to Value Partners, she was Business Development and Strategic Partnerships Director at Alibaba's fintech affiliate Ant Group, responsible for driving strategic collaborations and partnerships with international financial institutions and Ant's overseas e-wallet partners, which together serves over 1.2 billion annual active users globally.  She also led the set-up of a joint venture between Ant Group and Vanguard, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Investor Advisory Service and rolled out the first independent online fund advisory service in China. 

Steffanie started her career in the investment banking divisions of Deutsche Bank and Barclays in Hong Kong and holds a BS in Finance and Accounting degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She is currently the Co-Chair of the WealthTech & InvestTech Committee of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong.

Stephanie has more than two decades of experience in managing multi-asset portfolios globally for institutional investors such as Goldman Sachs, and some of the largest family offices in Asia. Her expertise in global macro and quantitative strategies has enabled her to effectively manage multi-billion portfolios for clients. Prior to finance, she began her career at McKinsey & Co. advising companies in the Asia Pacific region.

Stephanie graduated from Stanford University with a Masters in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence).

Steve Shen is a seasoned expert in the payment and fintech industry, with over a decade of experience in international payment business. As the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Waffo, he is dedicated to creating a global payment solution aimed at delivering the best payment experience for merchants and users alike. Prior to joining Waffo, Steve served as the Chief Strategy and Partnerships Officer for APAC at Amber Group, where he was responsible for driving the company’s strategic development and partnership building in the Asia-Pacific region.

Steve had been working in Ant Group over the past 11 years (since 2011). He was one of the founding members of Alipay/Ant International business, pioneering in the expansion of core business lines such as G-Local (overseas strategic fintech start-up investment/empowerment, e.g. Paytm, GCash, Zalopay, TrueMoney), Alipay+, Lazada digital payment service, and cross-border tourism. He had been taking the role of Senior Director/Country Manager in various key markets (India, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, and HK/TW).Steve also has 9 years of banking experience (7 years corporate banking, 2 years consumer banking) when he worked at SRCB (Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank) right after college.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California. Relocated to Singapore in 2011.  Steven Tsan is a seasoned professional in the cybersecurity industry with a proven track record in driving innovation and growth.

As a Sales Director at GK8 by Galaxy, a leading digital custody provider, Steven has worked with various TradFi and Crypto institutions to deliver a tailored solution that fits the client’s business needs. Thus, not only securing the clients digital assets, it enables them to build new revenue streams by monetizing digital assets.

Stratos Pourzitakis works for HSBC, Group Public Affairs in Hong Kong as the Head of Digital Policy for the Asia Pacific. He leads HSBC's policy advocacy and regulatory engagement activities in the region, with focus on digital assets and currencies and artificial intelligence. Stratos is also a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, School of Governance and Policy Science. Before joining HSBC, he held senior roles at CFA Institute, Asian Private Banker, and the Greek Ministry of Finance.

Stratos is the co-founder of the Greek Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and serves as a Vice-Chair at the Europe Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce as well as at the ASIFMA Fintech Working Group. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at different universities, including the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Stratos holds a Ph.D. in Government and International Studies from Hong Kong Baptist University, a Master’s in International Public Policy from Osaka University, and a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance. In the past, his research was funded by the European Commission, the Japanese Ministry of Education, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and it has been published by peer-reviewed journals and think-tanks including Carnegie Europe and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Stratos speaks English, Greek, Japanese, and some Putonghua and French. In his limited free time, he practices calisthenics and tries to learn Cantonese, albeit without much success.

He is fully responsible for the expansion of Ant Group's digital technology business, focusing on industry applications of digital technology, including finance, industrial energy, new retail, internet, digital governance, and other industries and related business scenarios. Previously, Sun Lei served as Vice President of the Alipay Business Group, Vice President of the Alibaba Cloud Business Group, and General Manager of the Alibaba B2B Business Group. He has a deep understanding of payment business and the payment ecosystem, and built the first public cloud business team at Alibaba Cloud.

Weijie Sun, Founder & CEO of DP Technology Co., Ltd., Weijie holds a degree in law and management from Peking University. In 2021, Weijie was selected as a Forbes China U30 Elite and became the cover figure; in 2022, he was selected as a Forbes Asia U30 Elite and became the cover figure, and was also selected for the Hurun U30 China Entrepreneur Pioneer List; in 2023, he represented the "Deep Force Technology" project and won the gold award and third place in the national finals of the 8th "Internet+" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Weijie also serves as a member of the 9th Beijing Haidian District Youth Federation and a strategic development consultant for the AI for Science Institute, Beijing (AISI).

Sunny Jiang is founder and CEO of MaasVentures with a base in the Netherlands. She is a blockchain/AI expert, board advisor, emerging tech pioneer and visionary leader featured as Global Top 100 at Women of the Future in Emerging tech in 2023. She is dedicated to democratizing investing and bringing financial inclusion and resilience for all! Sunny is a fellow of Digital Euro Association, ambassador of the Global Blockchain Business Council and advisory board member of several esteemed organizations. Sunny shared her thought leadership as a speaker in the world-class stages including NFT.NYC in New York, European Web3 Summit in Brussels, Dubai Future Blockchain Summit and TEDx UWCMaastricht. With her rich knowledge and experiences she supported and inspired more than 1500 global talents to grow as mentor of Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and She also supported more than 30 top web3 startups to scale up in Decentralized Finance, NFT, Regenerative Finance, Real-world Assets Tokenization and more. She was a delegate of Blockchain and digital assets roundtables at the European Parliament and UK Parliament in 2023 and a current member of 100 Davos Women.

Susanna boasts over 9 years of expertise in event management, client relations, and VIP management, including high-level government and international relations. Currently, she works as Fintech Programmes and Delegation Manager, leading the Hong Kong FinTech Week’s Community Team to spearhead the delegation recruitment, fostering relationships with supporting organizations and startups for the Global Fast Track programme.

Prior to Finoverse, Susanna led The Asset Triple A Awards, the industry's gold standard for financial institutions. These prestigious award galas, attended by over 200 winners monthly, have been a mainstay for over 20 years. Susanna's diverse background, encompassing fluency in Italian, English, and Mandarin Chinese, has allowed her to excel in various industries, including healthcare, luxury, sales, and media, across Italy, Switzerland, and Mainland China.

Musheer Ahmed is the Founder & MD of Fintech & Virtual Asset Advisory and Venture Building firm, Finstep Asia, and has close to two decades of extensive experience in Capital Markets, Fintech and Virtual Assets. In the last decade, Musheer has contributed extensively to building the Fintech and Virtual Assets ecosystem across Asia, particularly as the co- founder & inaugural General Manager of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong and as part of the founding team of the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority of Dubai (VARA). He was also previously an external advisor to the BIS Innovation Hub – Hong Kong on Green Finance and an advisor to Stellar Development Foundation for Asia.

He is actively engaged with a variety of stakeholders, ranging from Federal Regulatory Bodies, Financial Institutions, Fintech & Virtual Assets institutions and startups across Asia. He has authored several Industry reports, white papers and articles on different subjects of Fintech, Blockchain, Digital Assets, RegTech, and Capital Markets for both regulators and private enterprises.

Sylvia To is a Director at Bullish Capital Management, the venture capital arm of the Bullish Group. The fund focuses on investing in blockchain and cryptocurrency projects that deliver real-world use cases. It provides not only capital but also strategic support to help visionary founders build the next generation of digital infrastructure.

Prior to this role, Sylvia was Head of Token Partnerships & Research and led Bullish Insights, a curated research source for Bullish’s institutional clients. Her fact-driven insights focused on off-chain and on-chain data analysis and sector coverage in DeFi, CeFi, NFT, Alts, Smart Contract Platforms, and Ecosystems.

Prior to Bullish, Sylvia spent over six years in traditional finance specializing in buy-side equities in both Asian and Australian markets. She was previously an investment specialist at Mirae Asset Global Investments in Hong Kong, covering Asia ex-Japan equity funds. The firm holds over $245bn in AUM as of March 2024. In Australia, she held a position as a research associate at Allan Gray, gaining deep exposure to Australian equities.

In 2015, Sylvia received a Bachelor of Economics from the University of New South Wales. In addition, she holds a certified Diploma of Financial Planning from the Monarch Institute and in 2020 held SFC Type 1, 4, and 9 licenses.

Tasos, has over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector in UK and APAC

He is the Co-Head of the APAC Sustainable Finance Office, part of UBS’s Group Chief Sustainability Office, and it’s objective is to enable business divisions ESG capabilities and responsible for client engagements in transition, decarbonization and impact of emerging ClimateTech.

In his role he is responsible for implementing UBS’s client transition framework in APAC and support relationship managers in investment and financing client engagements including advising Family offices and UHNW on integrating and increasing Sustainability and Impact capital allocations.

He represents the firms Net Zero strategy with regulators in the region and Co-chairs the cross agency capacity building working group in developing Sustainable Finance talent in Hong Kong. He has been a contributing author of The Green Inflection Point – Driving decarbonization of the real economy, launched from the UBS Sustainability & Impact Institute.

Tasos leads UBS's global Carbon Solutions efforts and represents the firms initiatives in Carbon forums and strategic initiatives including Carbonplace, a carbon credit settlement infrastructure platform developed by a consortium of financial institutions.

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.

Based in Munich, Tee leads Doconomy’s Financial Services business globally, helping clients to drive business value to their clients via sustainability-linked initiatives. As a former global FinTech venture capital investor Tee’s significant experience comes in driving principal investments, strategic partnerships and launching new ventures within Financial Services. He has previously worked at Santander and Citi and also consulted for ING, ABN Amro, and MunichRe in driving new innovations at intersection of sustainability and fintech. Tee has a MBA from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

With over 10 years spearheading digital initiatives, Chan Leong is no stranger to the transformative power of data, branding, and marketing. As CEO of Skribble Group, he translates his deep expertise into tangible results for diverse businesses. His journey began at a Malaysian conglomerate, where he spearheaded digital transformation strategies as Head of Digital Transformation.

Today, he leads both Skribble Group consisting of Skribble Me, Skribble Lab, Skribble Ventures and Skribble Media, leaving a trail of success through impactful brands and optimized marketing campaigns.

CL graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, United States (Class of ‘14) and is an alumni of St. George’s Institution, Taiping (Class of ‘08)

He is the Founder of SAMA Alliance which is a regional marketing alliance in APAC with presence in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia with over 15 independent agencies. He also sits on INTI Industry Advisory Board.

On the community front, he’s an active member of American University Alumni Malaysia (AUAM), USAPPS (an education NGO), BNI (a business network community), and REGENERASI (a youth sustainable movement). He’s also an avid mentor with FutureLab.

Jiahao Teo is Managing Director, Global Head of Data, Analytics and CRM for the HSBC bank’s Global Private Banking & Wealth division. He also serves as the North Asia Regional Head for DA&CRM across the HSBC retail banking business. He has spearheaded significant analytics transformation at scale across businesses with delivery of strong commercial results in major markets- first in Singapore and more recently building strategic Data & AI foundations in China to pioneer intelligent banking experiences for clients and staff. Beyond data, he brings deep experience across business strategy, sales performance management, distribution management and frontline customer handling across both personal and commercial banking.

Thibault Perréard is strategy and foundation head at Bifrost, a DeFi focused liquid staking appchain leveraging off the Polkadot SDK. He also co-leads Polkaport East, a dedicated IR and Growth initiative in APAC funded by the Web3 Foundation. Thibault is actively driving efforts in enhancing Polkadot's regional presence by building key partnerships and engaging with major stakeholders across the industry. Previously, Thibault spent his time working in the institutional tradfi space out of Switzerland, heading BD for a currency advisory firm ($30Bn AuM).

Mr. Thomas Zhu is Head of Digital Assets and Head of Family Office Business at China Asset Management (Hong Kong) where he is responsible for cryptocurrency spot ETFs, tokenization of real world assets, stablecoin treasury management, and central bank digital currency sandboxes. Mr. Zhu is currently serving as a member of Entrepreneurship Committee Advisory Group and vetting judge for Incubation Fund at Cyberport. Previously, he worked as an Executive Director in the Securities Division at Goldman Sachs in New York, Boston, and Hong Kong, where he completed over 100 IPOs and financing deals for various companies. Mr. Zhu also independently managed global equity hedge funds. Since 2022, he has been pursuing a Doctor Degree in FinTech at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and founded the PolyU Digital Asset Think Tank as a visiting scholar. In 2023, he established the Asia RWA Work Group to promote the tokenization of real world assets. Mr Zhu also collaborated with asset tokenization companies, along with several major banks and fund companies in Hong Kong, to develop compliant STO products. Mr. Zhu has been providing advice and product architecture for projects related to wholesale and retail CBDCs and stablecoins to policy makers in Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Tim is the leader of the Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan business at PayPal. His goals include helping merchants in these markets to grow their businesses and for consumers to enjoy a seamless payment experience, as part of PayPal’s mission to Revolutionize Commerce Globally!

Tim has extensive experience in the financial services industry. Prior to PayPal, he was the Head of Sales and Distribution for HSBC’s PayMe digital payment service in Hong Kong where he led and defined the approach to merchant acceptance.

During more than 20 years with HSBC, Tim worked in various geographies including Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Korea, Taiwan and Malta,  and held various roles in consumer and corporate banking businesses. He also led the global sales practice management function for the Global Liquidity and Cash Management business, focusing on sales transformation.

Tim holds a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Manchester.

‍

Tim has extensive experience in the financial and payment industry. He joined LianLian Global in September 2020 and has previously served as the Acting COO, Vice President, Director of International Financial Cooperation, and Director of the Foreign Exchange Business Division. He is responsible for the implementation of international business strategies.

ToonLee Ng owns three private enterprises - agriculture farming, healthcare therapeutics and devices and films entertainment that are making social impact, internationally. Her Vital X Foundation harnesses the talents of neuro-diverse individuals.
‍
ToonLee is also the Family Advisory Board member of Family Hippocampus and a member of the South African Agri and Commodities Sub-committee member.
‍
She is currently based in Singapore with her family.

Tracy Trachsler is the Head of Institutional Relations at the Dfinity Foundation, where she focuses on fostering collaboration and tangible value creation between the Web3 industry and public/private entities. Prior to joining the foundation, Tracy has spent years supporting and building-out the Crypto Valley ecosystem as Managing Director of CV Labs, part of the Zug-based Venture Capital Firm CV VC.

Tracy has previously held consulting and project management roles for digitalization and blockchain projects for clients such as Tommy Hilfiger. Outside of the Web3 space, she spent a number of years within the security policy sector, working for both public/private think tanks as well as international organizations. She holds an MA in Global Economy and Strategy from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea as well as an MA in International Affairs and Governance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland.

Tracy Zhang entered the crypto industry in 2017 and has since made significant contributions in various roles, including serving as the CEO of Cointelegraph's Chinese division, the world's largest blockchain media outlet. Currently, she is the co-founder and CMO of Followin.io, a new media platform dedicated to Web3. Tracy is passionate about the industry and aims to connect with exceptional individuals while fostering collaboration within the crypto community. As a prominent female figure in the field, she is committed to inspiring more women to take the spotlight in Web3, helping to shape the future of blockchain and digital finance.

Valla Vakili is the Global Head of Innovation at Visa, where he leads teams advancing digital payments and commerce through Visa's global network of Innovation Centers and Studios. He is passionate about fostering growth by deeply understanding digital technologies, behaviors, and business models.

Before joining Visa, Valla was Managing Director and Head of Citi Ventures Studio. There, he built and expanded Citi's startup accelerator D10X, developed award-winning digital products, and established centers of excellence in emerging technologies.

Earlier in his career, Valla spent 15 years in digital media and technology, including roles as a startup founder and entrepreneur, and in product leadership at Yahoo and iHeartMedia. He holds patents for innovations in interactive television and commerce.

Valla graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and completed doctoral research in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. He is Board Co-Chair at Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley and resides in the Bay Area with his wife and two children.

Vanessa Chen is the Co-founder and COO of CHOYS - the digital insurtech solution that converts employees’ daily wellbeing actions into organisational impact and rewards. She is a certified coach with an Applied Positive Psychology degree.

Prior to starting CHOYS, Vanessa has had various experiences in tech companies across China & SEA. She is most passionate about workplace culture and diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Victor is head of Fintech at Cyberport supporting 430+ fintech companies in HK. Before joining Cyberport, Victor created the eKYC solutions for TransUnion which are still being used by majority of the retail banks and SVF in HK including HSBC, Payme and Hang Seng bank.

Victor graduated from the University of Hong Kong with first class honour in computer engineering and he is a PhD candidate (Computer Science) at the University of Hong Kong, focuses on NLP and LLMs application on Sustainable finance.

Victor has over 20 years of experience in the tech industry and he has held senior positions with different MNCs, including TransUnion, Experian, Nice Actimize, SAS Institute and IBM. He has helped these companies penetrated into the ASEAN and China market focusing on Regtech and financial crime risk solutions.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, IXO Partners was founded in February 2023 by two civil engineers specialising in structural engineering (the ‘inside’) and façade design (the ‘outside’). IXO Partners provides design-for-decarbonization engineering for traditional stakeholders, governance for alignment to carbon commitments, research to advance technological and product innovations, and advisory relating to carbon target adoption and property risks in the face of a changing global climate. By leveraging significant depth and breadth of expertise across the design-through-construction-through-operation building lifecycle and by intersecting at all segments of the building industry; IXO not only ensures upstream investment decisions are practical & quantifiable but also broadens the scope for downstream decarbonization.  

Vimal is responsible for the ‘inside’ stream at IXO: structural design and consulting. By discipline, main structure represents majority (upto 80%) of the embodied carbon for the new build projects. It also plays a key role in building climate resilience for both existing and new buildings. Vimal’s deep understanding of structural materials, specifications, construction methodologies, material innovations and integrated design is derived from first-hand experience on local and international projects across APAC, India, UK, US and the Middle East. In Hong Kong, she advocates for sustainable urban development as a member of the Decarbonization and Resilience committee of the Urban Land Institute. Vimal advises clients on practical and actionable strategies to minimize life-cycle carbon and improve climate resilience.

Vincent is currently the Global Head of Emerging Payments at HSBC Global Payments Solutions (GPS). In this role Vincent leads HSBC’s digital currencies and emerging payments collaborations with clients, central banks and industry consortiums globally.   Vincent is currently based in Hong Kong and is an appointed member of the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) Policy Research Committee, as well as a member of the Hong Kong Financial Secretary’s Digital Economy Development Committee (DEDC) Digital Transformation Subgroup.  As part of his global remit, Vincent also leads HSBC GPS’s efforts in supporting central banks’s digital money explorations, including E-CNY Pilot (CN), Regulated Liability Network (US/UK), Project mBridge (CN/HK/TH/UAE), Project eHKD (HK), Tokenized Green Bond (HK), Project Ubin+ (SG), Digital Rupee Wholesale (IN), Project Garuda (ID), and other CBDC consultations.

A career transaction banker, Vincent started his digital banking journey with the launch of HSBC’s wholesale electronic banking platform HSBCnet and had held various transaction banking management roles across HSBC, Citi, and ANZ, covering Payments, Liquidity Management, Cards, Receivables, Supply Chain Finance, and Digital Currencies businesses globally.  Vincent holds a BSE in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  He receives his Masters Degrees, in Information Economics from University of Michigan School of Information, and E-Business Management from The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School.

‍

Vivien Wong is the Partner at HashKey Capital, one of the largest virtual asset investment management firms in Asia. With over 17 years of experience in the financial industry, she possesses extensive expertise in primary and secondary market investment, investment research, and product development across a diverse range of asset classes. Prior to her tenure at HashKey Capital, Ms. Wong held several prominent positions, including General Manager at Huobi Asset Management and Head of Strategic Investment at Fosun Group. She had also held management and investment roles at Deutsche Bank and Barclays Global Investors North Asia Limited iShares. Ms. Wong holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Warwick Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English Studies and Language & Communication from the University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Wai Mo Suen earned his Ph.D. from Caltech  and is the Founder and CEO of ClusterTech Ltd., a company specializing in advanced computing solutions. He also serves as a professor of theoretical physics at Washington University, an honorary professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and is the Chairman of the High Performance Computing Association of Hong Kong. With over 40 years of expertise in advanced computing technologies, Dr. Suen has led multinational supercomputing projects since the 1990s.
‍
As a recognized entrepreneur, he has received multiple awards, including the Asia Pacific Entrepreneur Award in 2017, the InnoStars Award in 2019 from Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF), and the IFTA Fintech Achievement Award in 2019, acknowledging his significant contributions to technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
‍
Under his leadership, ClusterTech has provided High Performance Computing/Intelligence Computing, AI, and Big Data solutions to over 100 governmental departments, including the China Meteorological Administration, China Earthquake Administration, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Water Resources, etc.  The company has also served 150+ universities (including all of China's top 20 universities), 100+ leading research institutes (including over 30 institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), and hundreds of companies, including more than 20 in the Fortune 500.

Walter Jennings is a corporate communications professional specialising in regulated financial markets, new conceptual technology, and geopolitical issues relating to international business, trade, and investment. He has hands-on experience in helping position China’s latest technologies for business-critical stakeholders globally.

At Huawei he led corporate reputation programs across communications, influencer relations, and global CSR and ESG relations based at world headquarters in Shenzhen. Later he developed and led marketing, brand, and reputation strategies for HashKey Group, the international growth arm of China’s massive Wanxiang Group.

His experience spans the United States, Europe, Africa, the former Soviet States, Asia Pacific, and Greater China. Building on 5G and telecommunications sector expertise, he’s developed significant profile working with Web3 technologies, blockchain, and regulated digital assets.

Today he leads Asia Insight Circle, a C-Suite consultancy on brand and reputation, and curates a networking and thought leadership forum addressing business-critical issues facing CEOs.

Walter is an American-Australian dual national with Permanent Residency in Hong Kong. He is fluent in French and conversational in Mandarin. He has a Bachelor of Arts from St. Lawrence University.

Duan Wang is the Member of Editorial Board of Caixin Media Group. She is an awarded investigative journalist with 20 years of experience. Duan joined Caixin in 2009 and since then, she has written numerous in-depth financial, business and political stories on Chinese markets and governments. She also conducted many one-on-one interviews with global figures such as Li Ka-shing, George Soros, Richard Branson, David Rubenstein, Michael Bloomberg etc. She writes extensively about the world top conferences, such as G20. APEC, WEF, etc. She now works at Caixin’s Hong Kong and Southeast Asia Bureau and role in Chief.

Prof. Yao Wang is the Director General of the International Institute of Green Finance at Central University of Finance and Economics (https://iigf.cufe.edu.cn/index.htm). She serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Green Finance Committee, China Society for Finance & Banking, and an advisor to the Green Development Committee of the Securities Association of China. Her research on the green economy and sustainable finance, is highly influential, encompassing over 300 published papers, leading more than 100 research projects, and authoring 34 monographs. Awarded the "Outstanding Contribution Award" in 2019 at the Annual China Excellent Green Finance Awards from "Asian Money."