Video interview: Capital Market Report -- How FinTech can Improve ROE

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Perhaps one of the buzziest of buzzwords for the past few years has been "Blockchain". But for those who are well-versed in the technology and the goings on of the industry, it is definitely more than just hype.

Join this session where a panel of experienced Blockchain specialists will discuss:

-Viability of Use Cases - Just because a centralized database can be more efficient doesn't mean it's the most viable

-Preventing Blockchain from Being Just a Trend - if blockchain isn't viable as the solution, it shouldn't be used

-Public vs Private Blockchain Use

-State of the Industry - Understanding that a lot of the platforms and frameworks are in their early stage of development and that support may not be readily available

The title smart contracts is used to refer to a number of arrangements in which relationships are governed by a pre-determined digitalised arrangement, so that coded instructions execute on the occurrence of an event.

These often use Blockchain or distributed ledger technology to record and execute transactions. In their purest sense, the code – once agreed – becomes self-executing and self-governing and thus (it is argued) replaces the need for a wider contract or checks and balances.

Whilst their common name is arguably a misnomer (they are not necessarily contracts in the traditional legal sense), their implementation can enable transparency in supply chains and the reduction of frictional and intermediary costs.

This panel will examine how the concepts of smart contracts, utilising blockchain technology, can co-exist with existing legal concepts to include a review of:

· The distinction between traditional legal prose/code and programming code.

· Application of traditional principles (to include the three f-words: frustration, fraud and force majeure)

· The allocation of responsibility and liability.

· Practical steps and perspectives on the future.

Regulation has been considered an obstacle when it comes to the adoption of blockchain technology. But many have taken on the challenge and have actively started to take blockchain and DLT as both a challenge and an opportunity.

Join this panel where we will discuss:

-ICOs, Self regulation of ICO, status of tokens in an ICO
-How blockchain will affect existing market regulations
-Which new regulations can we expect to respond to the ecosystem that blockchain has created?
-How would the governance structure be determined?
-How can the obstacle of a cross-border environment be tackled?

Much has been written about the power and scope of Smart Ledgers and Mutual Distributed Ledgers (MDLs, aka blockchains). Amidst the rush to find new applications for this versatile, ‘trustless’ technology, people overlook the challenge of governing Smart Ledger networks. Governance provides the mechanisms required to balance accountability of the governing body and its duty of meeting the specific objectives of the organisation.

Effective governance of Smart Ledgers should answer four critical questions - How are rules created for the ledger and who oversees their application? What happens in the case of dispute? Who is allowed to change the software application and the data? How are security, risk and performance managed and reported?

One approach is to embed these questions in existing legal structures, another to try to remain outside, but a third is to explore the appropriate role of arbitration, mediation, and expert determination, as far as possible avoiding enmeshing novel identity, document, and agreement exchanges within traditional legal structures.

In this webinar, Professor Michael Mainelli will share research from the Mattereum initiative as well as Long Finance research sponsored by the Cardano Foundation. He will conclude that, while there is nothing new under the sun, Smart Ledgers may need to shift the balance of power from law, to code, to human wisdom.

Bitcoin is all the rage right now. But many question the security behind this popular cryptocurrency.

Join this session where Anupam's agenda will include:

-Brief intro
-Anonymity Vs. Pseudonymity
-Bitcoin working mechanics and cryptography involved
-Forensics
-Transaction conduct and types
-Wallets and types
-Blockchain explorer
-Bitcoin artifacts
-Conclusion

Still confused about this whole Blockchain thing? Interested in investing in digital currencies, but not sure where to start? Want to get a better idea of the threats and opportunities?

David Siegel is a Blockchain, decentralization and business agility expert who has been a high-level management & strategy consultant to companies like Sony, Hewlett Packard, Amazon, NASA, Intel, and many start-ups. David has been praised for being able to explain Blockchain in the most simple and interesting way.

What you will learn:
-What is Bitcoin?
-What is the blockchain?
-What is Ethereum? What is Ether?
-What is a distributed application?
-What is a smart contract?
-What is a triple ledger?
-What about identity and security?
-What business models are at risk?
-What are the opportunities?
-What should we do?

Cybersecurity is a booming sector with plenty of implications for the FinTech industry. This webinar will look at the latest trends and emerging synergies in an increasingly complicated digital landscape.

Digital transformation is a promise that many have been skeptical of. Join this panel where industry experts will tackle all the tough questions and provide new and thought-provoking insights.

Among others, they will discuss:

-Can the banks switch to making money from enabling customers’ healthy financial behaviour, rather than from continuing to exploit ongoing financial self-harm?

-Traditional banking is on the verge of major disruption, so digital transformation had better deliver *actual* transformation. Tinkering is expensively pointless

-Continuing to exploit inertia-driven customer behaviour – and thus coining excess profits - will be seriously challenged by Open Banking

Today the payments industry faces a rebirth by necessity. Financial institutions process massive volumes of customer and payments transaction data, much of it unstructured and untapped.

Cognitive Systems have the ability to understand, reason and learn. In Financial Services applying cognitive capabilities to real world payments issues like safer and faster payments is yielding significant results. Furthermore Risk and Compliance and segment of one engagement are areas where ROI is tremendous when leveraging advanced analytics and artificial intelligence in cohesion.

Learn from real world use cases of how financial institutions globally have gained significant competitive advantage by becoming a truly Cognitive Bank.

Digital transformation is increasingly becoming a major strategic issue for banks. They increasingly understand that digital is not just another distribution channel but a major change in their business models, functioning, cultures themselves with major impacts and demanding change programs across the whole business and value chains.

We will assess how these transformations are taking place, how do they impact the financial services sector, how the implementation of technologies such as blockchain are accelerating the transformation, where are the convergence and in particular how best startups and incumbents can work together.

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The use of mobile banking apps has doubled in 2 years. How can banks and fintechs capitalise on this and where what are the cool new innovations we can count on seeing next?

Join this session where the panel will discuss:

-The Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) is just around the corner. How will this change the banking landscape?

-What kind of exciting solutions will appear in the next years?

-What are the most exciting apps/new functionalities that you have seen/expect to come out of PSD2?

-What are some of the most important customer benefits/use cases you see emerging – apart from a better user experience?

-How will mobile banking and personal finance apps change user behaviour? Will approaches such as gamification have a lasting effect on the spending habits/financial literacy of future generations?

-In the past 24 months a considerable number of challenger banks received a banking license from their local regulators. How will these banks change the game for their competitors

-Millennials are at the moment the main target group of challenger banks. Will those new banks be able to successfully acquire a broader customer group?

-What are the major trends that will shape the mobile banking industry in the next 3 to 5 years? API? AI?

Banking is changing! The emergence of digital technologies and fintech are supporting changes in the way consumers use these products/services, particularly millennials.

These new style banking services are becoming much more than simply a way to look at one's bank account, or to pay. They are becoming truly financial cockpits and watchtowers that consumers can use for a wide range of usages whenever, wherever whether it is to manage better their finance, pay and order on mobile commerce, transfer money between them, etc.

We will discuss the way they are transforming personal finance, how consumers change their usage patterns, what are the impacts, how startups innovate, how incumbents and new players are interacting, where are the truly disruptive services, etc.

While the launch of PSD2 is approaching fast, there is still some ground to cover to turn this regulation into reality.What are the challenges and opportunities and what is required to make PSD2 work?

Marijke Koninckx, Product Marketing Manager at FIS, discusses how PSD2 transforms the relation between banks and their customers into a new 3-way relationship.

How should banks manage this new 3 way relationship?
What are the implications and what functional and technical issues need to be addressed to be successful?