The Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) 2024 is returning for its 9th edition from 6 to 8 November, with the Insights Forum taking place beforehand on 4 and 5 November.

Building on its success in 2023, which attracted over 66,000 participants from 150 countries, SFF 2024 will feature a distinguished lineup of global central bankers, regulators, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, and influencers.

These experts will gather to shape the future of the global financial ecosystem, and discuss some of the biggest trends in fintech, including digital assets, artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainable finance.

Organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Elevandi, and Constellar, in collaboration with The Association of Banks in Singapore, SFF is one of the world’s largest and most prominent events focused on fintech.

Through a diverse range of sessions, workshops, roundtables, and exhibitions, SFF aims to serve as a global platform for fintech professionals, startups, financial institutions, regulators, tech firms, investors and academics to come together to explore new trends, innovations and developments in fintech.

As the Media Partner for SFF, we analysed the event agenda and identified some key sessions to attend during the festival.

Fintech News Network readers will also get a 20% discount on their Delegate Passes. If you have yet to purchase your passes for the Singapore Fintech Festival, you may do so via this link to enjoy the exclusive discount.

SFF 2024 Main Themes

In 2024, SFF will examine the transformative potential of AI and quantum computing in revolutionising financial services and to deliver sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

It will explore the urgency of harnessing these groundbreaking technologies to enhance performance in financial services, future-proof encryption, and optimise efficiency and address the challenges of applying AI and quantum systems to the financial services tech stack.

In line with the global push for inclusive finance, the festival will also address the strategies and tools that will enable equitable access and usage of financial services and products to the underserved.

This will involve understanding the key indicators and outcomes that will enable the assessment of progress towards equitable financial outcomes, and identifying areas for further intervention and investment.

SFF 2024 will also focus on next-gen transactions, providing an overview of the current state of the global payments landscape, identifying gaps and opportunities, improving cross-border payments and showcasing cutting-edge innovations in payment technologies.

Experts will explore the roadmap to improving cross-border payments in alignment with the G20 objectives for faster, cheaper, and more transparent transactions.

The festival will place a strong emphasis on sustainability, particularly through innovations in climate tech that support industrial decarbonisation, green finance, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

Furthermore, a closer look will be taken at digital assets, including stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and tokenised deposits, focusing specifically on interoperability and regulations.

Finally, SFF 2024 will explore the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in shaping the talent landscape, delving into the different ways to create more diversity and inclusion in the work space.

Expert Lineup: Key Speakers at SFF 2024

SFF 2024 will feature a prestigious lineup of global leaders from the fintech, finance and regulatory sectors.

These industry leaders will share insights on the future of fintech, global trade and regulatory collaboration.

Key speakers include:

• Sarah Breeden, Deputy Governor, Bank of England
• Ravi Menon, Ambassador for Climate Action and Senior Adviser to the National Climate Change Secretariat, Singapore
• Dr Alexandra Hachmeister, Director General Digital Euro, Deutsche Bundesbank
• Hon. Caroline Pham, Commissioner, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Li Bo, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
• Richard Teng, CEO, Binance
• Doug Feagin, President, Ant International
• Piyush Gupta, CEO, DBS Bank
• Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President and CEO Cloud and Smart Industries Group, Tencent
• Martha Sazon, President and CEO, GCash
• Kfir Godrich, Chief Innovation Officer, BlackRock
• Shaun Khalfan, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, PayPal
• Mahendra Nerurkar, Vice President Payments for Emerging Markets, Amazon

Must-Attend Sessions at SFF 2024

The agenda for SFF 2024 promises a highly curated experience, tailored to the latest developments in the fintech sector. Must-attend sessions include:

The “Building tomorrow: Explaining the AI Tech Stack” session, on 6 November at 10:05-10:30 in Hall 1 of Singapore EXPO on the Festival Stage, will explore the real-world impact of AI on innovation, and how the financial services industry is harnessing it to create the future of technology.

This session will feature Kfir Godrich, Chief Innovation Officer, BlackRock, and Shelley McKinley, Chief Legal Officer, GitHub, and will be moderated by Ronit Ghose, Head of Future of Finance, Citi.

The “Executive playbook: Steering financial services through 2025” session, on 6 November at 11:35-12:15 in Hall 1 of Singapore EXPO on the Festival Stage, will dive into the expansion and transformation of global trade, commerce, and financial services using technology and data.

Global leaders will focus on the top three strategic priorities for the year, offering insights into the decisions and investments that will define the future of financial services.

This session will feature Ari Sarker, President, Asia Pacific, Mastercard; Melissa Guzy, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Arbor Ventures; Tal Cohen, President, Nasdaq; and Yang Peng, CEO Ant International; and will be moderated by Nick Studer, President and CEO, Oliver Wyman.

The “Responses to climate-related financial risks: Leveraging data, technology and innovation” session, on 6 November at 14:10-14:50 in Hall 5 of Singapore EXPO on the ESG Stage, will discuss the latest trends in climate related-technology as well as how data and innovation can be a transformative force in managing climate-related financial risks.

A key focus will be on the development and use of data directories and catalogues, such as the NGFS Data Directory and repositories at the nation-level.

Panelists will share their experiences in creating and using these tools, discussing how they complement each other and contribute to better management of climate-related financial information.

The session will feature Dr Georg Lehecka, Manager Sustainable Finance Hub, Austrian Financial Market Authority; and Li Ming Ong, Director of Data Management and Statistics Department, Bank Negara Malaysia; and will be moderated by Dr Patrick Hoffmann, Advisor, BIS Innovation Hub, Singapore Centre.

The “Digital money blueprint” session, on 6 November at 16:00-16:30 in Hall 3, Singapore EXPO on the Technology Stage, will explore how tokenised forms of digital money can support enhanced features that are not widely available today, including atomic settlement and the ability for senders to specify conditions for value transfers.

This session will feature Dr Alexandra Hachmeister, Director General Digital Euro, Deutsche Bundesbank; Lim Soon Chong, Global Transaction Services, Managing Director and Group Head, DBS Bank; and Naveen Mallela, Managing Director, JP Morgan; and moderated by Alan Lim, Director & Head, Fintech Infrastructure Office, MAS.

The “Walking the line: Navigating Asia’s journey to a sustainable future” session, on 7 November at 10:35-11:05 in Hall 1 of Singapore EXPO on the Festival Stage, will bring together eminent policymakers, technologists, financiers and market-makers to discuss the urgency to decarbonise Asia and explore the best options for driving the region’s transition.

This session will feature Masakazu Osawa, Managing Executive Officer, Chief Executive for Asia Pacific, MUFG Bank, Ltd.; and Rodrigo Kede Lima, President, Microsoft Asia; and will be moderated by Oi-Yee Choo, CEO, Climate Impact X.

The “Safeguarding the economy’s backbone: Accelerating global SME growth through digital innovation” session, on 7 November at 11:05-11:45 in Hall 1 of Singapore EXPO on the Festival Stage, will shed a light on the strategies to accelerate financial inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) globally through digital financial services.

This session will feature Doug Feagin, President, Ant International; Mahendra Nerurkar, Vice President Payments for Emerging Markets, Amazon; Martha Sazon, President and CEO, GCash; and H.E. Dr. Serey Chea, Governor, National Bank of Cambodia; and moderated by Pat Patel, Executive Director, Elevandi.

The “Why quantum computing matters for financial services” session, on 7 November at 13:30-14:10 in Hall 4 of Singapore EXPO on the Talent Stage, will discuss how quantum computing has the potential to bring transformative changes to the sector, explore the potential cybersecurity challenged posed by quantum computing, and share the future prospects of the technology.

This session will feature Julian Tan, IBM Supply Chain Transformation and Quantum Business Development Executive, IBM; Michael Low, Deputy Director, Curriculum Development and Digitalisation and Head, Finance and Technology Programs, Singapore Management University; and Prof. Ying Chen, Director of Centre for Quantitative Finance, National University of Singapore; and will be moderated by Shadab Taiyabi, President, Singapore Fintech Association.

The “CSOs’ Dialogue: How FIs are stepping up to finance the region’s transition” session, on 8 November at 13:35-14:15 in Hall 2 of Singapore EXPO on the FutureMatters Stage, will discuss organisational efforts to integrate sustainability into core strategies and business operations, and explore how chief strategy officers’ functions are evolving to meet mounting regulatory pressures on ESG, increasing complexity of climate-related risks, and calls for greater innovation in sustainable finance and technologies.

This session will feature Chen Leiming, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ant International and Senior Vice President, Ant Group, Ant International; Diana Guzmán, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chair of the Prudence Foundation, Prudential plc; Melissa Moi, Head of Sustainable Business, United Overseas Bank; and Sherry Madera, CEO, CDP Worldwide.

The “A data-powered economic view: Insurance and pensions” session, on 8 November at 14:05-14:35 in Hall 3 of Singapore EXPO on the Technology Stage, will explore how data-driven technologies are transforming the insurance and pension industries by enhancing risk assessment, cost management and investment strategies.

This session will feature Dr Amlan Roy, Partner LCP, Research Associate LSE (FMG & SRC), Author “Demographics Unravelled”, LSE and LCP; and Dr Sabine Kapasi, Advisory to Global Strategy Team, United Nations; and moderated by Amol Dethe, Editor, ETBFSI and ETCFO, The Economic Times.

The “Future of work in financial services: Navigating the GenAI revolution” session, on 8 November at 14:50-15:20 in Hall 4 of Singapore EXPO on the Talent Stage, will explore how generative AI (genAI) is redefining job roles, skills, and workforce dynamics in financial services, and how Singapore can harness these changes to become a leading hub for AI-driven financial innovation.

This session will feature Carolyn Neo, CEO, Institute of Banking and Finance; Lim Him Chuan, Head, Group Strategy, Transformation, Analytics and Research, DBS Bank; and Tram Anh Nguyen, Co-founder, Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship; and will be moderated by Sanjna Parasrampuria, Partner, McKinsey and Company.

Exclusive Events and Other Highlights

In addition to the main conference, SFF 2024 will feature exclusive events like the Insights Forum, which will convene 1,500 senior policymakers, top industry executives, and investors for leadership dialogues and collaboration discussions.

Held on 4 and 5 November, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the Insights Forum aims to foster discussions on aligning critical stakeholders’ views on the conditions needed to grow and realise industry applications of AI, quantum computing, and other cutting-edge technologies.

SFF 2024 will also introduce the Blockchain Guardians Programme, a new skills-based learning initiative.

Launched by Elevandi Education, the 10-week program aims to address the growing demand and skills gap for talent in the areas of digital assets, data, and compliance in both the public and private sectors.

Another key event, the Global Fintech Hackcelerator, organised by MAS and in partnership with Elevandi, will showcase the most innovative solutions out of the competition and announce this year’s winners.

Finally, SFF MeetUp, a new networking initiative, is expected to facilitate 20,000 meetings at the festival, with half an exhibition hall dedicated to simultaneous one-on-one meetings.

SFF MeetUp will help individuals and organisations meet, collaborate and conduct business efficiently, foster new partnerships and drive growth opportunities.

Fintech News Network readers will also get a 20% discount on their Delegate Passes. If you have yet to purchase your passes for the Singapore Fintech Festival, you may do sovia this link to enjoy the exclusive discount.

Featured image credit: Edited from freepik