“Investors are looking at #crypto / #DeFi on an optimistic basis. It’s now down to the regulators to manage the timings of this, but it’s a case of when, not if," spoke Kevin O'Leary, Chairman of O'Shares ETFs at the 9 November session. Photo Credit: Kevin O'Leary
Organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and supported
by Constellar Exhibitions, the hybrid Singapore FinTech Festival x
Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SFF x SWITCH) kicked off
this week (8-12 November) and is live-streamed to more than 60,000
estimated attendees.
The two marquee events will welcome attendees representing more than
130 countries with some 350 sessions, more than 700 speakers, and 260
exhibitors across 14 international pavilions.
The overarching theme of this edition zooms into the impact of Web
3.0 on financial services, where global thought leaders will discuss how
the technology will shape new business models and present new
opportunities for building a sustainable future in financial services
and the digital economy.
Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer of MAS said, "This year, SFF
has taken an unconventional approach in bringing a diverse set of
changemakers to our Web 3.0 agenda. As a result, new stakeholders will
shape this year's SFF discussions, alongside impact-makers from central
banks, policymakers and finance professionals."
Some of the companies represented include Cisco, PayPal, Google, Salesforce.com,
Swiss International Air Lines, Mastercard among others, as well as
political leaders Heng Swee Keat, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister
& Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, and Sri Mulyani
Indrawati, Minister of Finance of Indonesia.
SME leaders and academics will also discuss essential digital tools,
e-payments, tapping on e-commerce platforms and next level digital and
innovative processes.
To support upskilling, SFF has introduced OXYGEN by APIX: a curated
platform containing 18 masterclasses, panels, podcasts and research
content from industry experts. Topics cover the Future of Financial
Infrastructure, ESG & Sustainable Finance to Women's Economy and
Female Leaders, among others.
As well, participants can additionally earn a Web 3.0 Knowledge
Certificate in Financial Services issued by The Asian Institute of
Digital Finance, National University of Singapore (NUS).
On the final two days from 11-12 November, SFF will expand into the
World FinTech Festival, which will encompass 11 events taking place in
FinTech hubs around the world, from Sydney to the US and the Nordics,
all of which can be accessed online with an SFF pass.
Participants are also encouraged to join various affiliate events taking
place throughout the week-long event, such as the annual Innovation Lab
Crawl with 22 participating Innovation Labs in Singapore, each
showcasing their new FinTech innovations through prepared tours,
exhibitions and talks, in physical, hybrid and virtual formats.
Last year's SFF x SWITCH hybrid event clocked some 3.5million views from 60,000 participants, and more than 800 speakers.