Candace Kelly is the Chief Legal & Policy Officer for the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), a non-profit organization that supports the development and growth of Stellar, an open-source network that connects the world's financial infrastructure. She leads the team responsible for SDF’s legal affairs and the policy team that is focused on bridging the gap between the public and private sectors.

Previously, Candace worked for Uber Technologies, Inc., where she helped navigate the company’s response to regulatory investigations and advised on safety, security, privacy, consumer protection, and law enforcement response. Prior to that she served for 17 years at the United States Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor and as counsel to the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Yam Ki Chan is the Vice President for Asia Pacific of Circle (NYSE: CRCL), responsible for the company’s business and strategy in the region. He leads a team responsible for partnerships and market expansion across the region. Yam Ki advises stakeholders on how stablecoins unlock economic opportunities for businesses and economies. Yam Ki also serves as the Managing Director of Circle Singapore. He oversaw the enablement of USDC in Japan, the first stablecoin recognized in the country.

Prior to Circle, Yam Ki held strategy & operations and public policy roles at Google Payments and Google Cloud, where he worked on partnership strategy, market launches, and government affairs.

Before Google, Yam Ki served as a Director at the White House National Security Council, where he coordinated U.S. economic strategy in Asia and was a member of the U.S. negotiations team for the G-20 and G-7. Before joining the National Security Council staff, Yam Ki worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Earlier in his career, Yam Ki worked in technology investment banking at Jefferies in Silicon Valley.

He earned a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Carleton College.

Fernando is the President, Capital Markets, of Chainlink. Fernando started his journey in academia, where he first became deeply involved with the budding Linux community in the early 90s. This led him to the corporate world with a number of roles at the NTT Group starting in 2003, where he contributed to the mainstreaming of open source. He transitioned into the FinTech world, joining Japanese financial conglomerate SBI in 2016 where he held several roles including CEO of SBI Digital Asset Holdings, a pioneer in digital capital markets and founding member of Project Guardian. He also serves on the boards of regulated financial institutions and foundations globally and is a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's International Technology Advisory Panel.

Based in Singapore, Fiona Murray is Vice President and Managing Director of APAC for Ripple, leading the company’s strategy and business operations in the Asia Pacific region.

During her tenure she has played an instrumental role in onboarding key partners and products critical to digital asset trade across the region, including building out payment rails for on/off ramping and overseeing the growth of OTC in APAC. She drives Ripple's efforts to scale enterprise blockchain and crypto adoption in this region's fast-growing digital asset hubs, including working to secure the company's landmark Major Payments Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Fiona joined Ripple in 2018 and has led the APAC sales team since 2020. Prior to Ripple, Fiona held business development positions within large enterprises, including Oracle, Fiserv and Misys (now Finastra), helping financial institutions innovate in payments across Europe and Asia.

Fiona holds a Master of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford. In her spare time, she enjoys chasing her toddler around Singapore and indulging in the occasional round of Muay Thai boxing.

Inderbir is part of the leadership team at the IFC AMC, IFC’s private equity business managing third-party capital. He joined the IFC AMC as a Key Person in raising and investing IFC’s Emerging Asia Fund and is also leading the Digital Transformation Fund. He has additional responsibility as Head of the IFC Global Infrastructure Fund. Inderbir focuses on investing across emerging markets in Asia and serves on the Boards of several portfolio companies in technology, financial services and fintech, renewables, pharmaceuticals and special situations. He has more than 25 years of experience in private equity and mezzanine investments, equity research, and public policy. Prior to joining the IFC AMC, Inderbir held various positions in the Financial Institutions Group at IFC, including managing the South Asia portfolio and subsequently leading the direct equity investments across Asia Pacific. He has also worked at the World Bank on Infrastructure PPPs, Innovation Policy and Investment Climate. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Inderbir served as a Vice President at Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and Deutsche Bank, leading their Equities Research for the Pharmaceuticals, Telecom Services & Equipment, and Media sectors in India.

Inderbir holds an MBA equivalent from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, a Bachelors in Commerce (Honors) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and a Diploma in Business Finance from the Indian Chartered Financial Analyst Institute.

Joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1991 and retired in December 2024. He now writes and comments on international affairs and strategic, defence and security issues. Has served in Indian Missions in Frankfurt, Berlin, Kathmandu and Washington DC and as High Commissioner of India to Singapore from 2016 to 2020 and as Ambassador of India to France and Monaco from 2020 to December 2024.
In New Delhi, he held various positions in the Americas Division, including as the Head of the Division, in the Ministry of External Affairs. He served as Joint Secretary (senior adviser) in the Prime Minister's Office with former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the portfolio comprising foreign policy, defence,, national security council, atomic energy, space and, briefly, science and technology.
Studied Economics at undergraduate level from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and Management at Master's level from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. The French Government has decided to confer the Commander of the Legion of Honour for his contribution to the development of India-France relations.

Jesper Koll
Expert Director & Global Ambassador for the Monex Group and the Japan Catalyst Fund

Jesper Koll has been researching and investing in Japan since becoming a resident in 1986. Over the past two decades, Jesper has been consistently recognized as one of the top Japan strategists/economists, having worked as Chief Strategist and Head of Research for U.S. investment banks J.P. Morgan and Merrill Lynch. He currently serves as Expert Director for the Monex Group and the Japan Catalyst Fund (Japan’s 1st retail investor based corporate engagement/activist fund). His analysis and insights have earned him a position on several Japanese government and corporate advisory committees and he is an Ambassador for FinCity Tokyo. Jesper serves on the board of directors of OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology) and Asia Society (Japan). Jesper is an economist, angel-investor, patron; and yes, a Japan Optimist.

Kenneth heads the FinTech and Innovation Group at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The Group is responsible for development strategies for technology and innovation, to strengthen competitiveness, manage risks and enhance the efficiency of the financial sector.

Kenneth’s recent prior experience focused on digital transformation, enterprise GenAI and data governance. He previously headed the Enterprise Knowledge Department at MAS. Besides formulating data and knowledge strategies and governance policies, the department also pursues data transformation by architecting and developing platforms and applications that improve outcomes for financial supervision, central banking and other use cases.

Kenneth also has experience in regulatory policy, having previously headed MAS’ Prudential Policy Department. The department develops capital and liquidity standards, including MAS’ approach on the implementation of Basel III as well as contributions to international policy forums. Prior to this, Kenneth headed the international financial relations and financial stability surveillance functions in MAS, and served in MAS’ reserves management and enforcement functions.

Kenneth holds a BA in Economics and MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. He enjoys experimenting with technology at work, and as a pastime.

Mr Leong Sing Chiong was appointed as Deputy Managing Director for Markets and Development on 1 February 2021. He oversees the Markets & Investment, Development & International, FinTech & Innovation, as well as Sustainability Groups. Prior to this, Mr Leong served as Assistant Managing Director overseeing the Monetary & Domestic Markets Management Department and the Reserves Management Department since June 2018. He also served as Assistant Managing Director of the Development and International Group from 2013-2018.

Mr Leong began his MAS career with the Reserves Management Department in 1993 and served as Staff Assistant to the Managing Director from 1997-1998. In 1999, he joined the Monetary Management Division and was responsible for the implementation of MAS’ monetary policy and money market operations. Thereafter, Mr Leong was appointed Chief Representative of MAS’ London Representative Office from 2002-2004. Mr Leong spent six years with the International Department from 2004-2010 and was appointed as the Executive Director of Financial Centre Development Department from 2010-2013.

Mr Leong is a recipient of the Public Administration Medal (Silver). He holds a B.Sc Economics (Monetary Economics) from the London School of Economics and is married with two children.

Mr. Shibata is currently in charge of FINOLAB community operation since 2019. In his former position at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, he was leading R&D initiatives in emerging technology and online/mobile financial services as Head of Global Innovation Team. He also held positions in corporate planning, accounting, corporate finance, and retail customer services at the bank. He is one of the founders of FINOVATORS, a mentor group consists of FinTech experts. He also became an external board member at new digital bank, UI Bank, when it acquired a banking license in 2021. For his undergraduate course, he studied Economics at the University of Tokyo, with a year at Harvard University. And for his graduate course, he studied at the University of Oxford to obtain Master of Science in Development Economics.

Namatame joined Tokio Marine Holdings in 2018 and was appointed Managing Executive Officer and Group Chief Digital Officer in 2021, and promoted to Senior Managing Executive Officer in 2024. Prior to Tokio Marine, he was Managing Director, and the member of the board at BlackRock Japan. Before that he had a number of senior executive positions at Visa Worldwide Japan, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank. He started his career at Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan. In addition to his career positions, he assumed the non-executive director at Mercari, Inc. and an advisor to Japan's Financial Services Agency. He graduated from University of Tokyo and earned MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Neil serves as the Group Deputy Chairman and Board Director at the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN). He is also Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) Group. Until recently, he was Partner and Head of Asia and Australia at Tikehau Capital. He previously held the position of CEO, Asia at National Australia Bank.

Neil is a Council Member of the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore Institute of Directors and serves as an Advisory Board Member of the James Cook University, Singapore, and the Singapore Fintech Association. He also serves as a Senior Adviser to the Atlantic Council in Washington DC. and is a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors as well as the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also the Chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He served as a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2023 to 2025. He has also served on the Governing Council of the Association of Banks in Singapore and as Chief Executive Officer of Pegasus Asia, a company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Nick is the Head of the Cambridge Regulatory Innovation Hub at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. Nick leads research programmes with domestic and international regulatory and policy making bodies in both emerging and developed markets. Prior to joining the Centre, Nick worked at the Financial Conduct Authority in London for over a decade, latterly heading up the FCA’s regulatory sandbox.

Noritaka Okabe began his entrepreneurial journey in 2001 while studying at Hitotsubashi University, founding his first company and serving as Representative Director and Director/CTO. In 2017, he co-founded Real World Games Inc., where he held key positions including Director/CTO and CFO before continuing as a Director. In 2019, Okabe established Japan Cryptoasset Market, Inc. (now JPYC Inc.) and became its Representative Director.

Since 2021, Okabe has led the issuance of the yen-denominated prepaid token “JPYC Prepaid.” That same year, he was appointed Visiting Professor at the Professional University of Information and Management for Innovation (iU) and Director of the Blockchain Collaborative Consortium (BCCC). In July 2023, he became Chair of the BCCC’s “Blockchain Adoption Promotion Committee,” and since June 2025, he has also served as a Director of the Japan Cryptoasset Business Association (JCBA).

Philip Weiner oversees the commercial operations of bolttech’s businesses across APAC. As part of his remit, Philip is responsible for developing and implementing bolttech’s growth strategies and ensuring financial and business objectives are met across these regions. He was previously Group Chief Data Officer, leading the data insights function at bolttech. Prior to joining bolttech, Philip worked in insurance and consulting across various functions including product, finance, and risk management.

Pieter Franken is a passionate global Fintech Pioneer and a Deep Tech Innovator with many industry firsts under his belt. Career spanning well over 30+ years in the Financial Industry, specializing in technology leadership, FinTech, Financial Inclusion, GreenTech, AI, Cyber Security, digital innovation and large-scale digital transformations. C-level and executive positions with industry leaders such as Citigroup, Shinsei Bank, Aplus, Monex Group, Union Digital Bank and ModuleQ, and senior advisory/board positions including Elevandi (SFF), RegGenome Ltd., EmeradaCo and SAFECAST.ORG, a global NPO critically acclaimed for citizen sourced, open environmental data. Pieter is a member of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) International Technology Advisory Panel (ITAP) and a Founding Member of the ASEAN Innovation Network (AFIN, now Synfindo), a nonprofit company founded by MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore), IFC/World Bank and ABA (ASEAN Banking Association) to accelerate digital transformation across Asia and other developing regions to foster Financial Inclusion and bridging the gaps between FinTechs and Financial Institutions and operator of the APIX Platform. In 2023, Pieter co-founded the Japan Fintech Festival in collaboration with Japan Financial Supervisory Agency and Bank of Japan. Pieter holds a MSc in Computer Science from Delft University and currently is a Guest Professor and Senior Researcher at Keio University, an Adjunct Fellow with Griffith University Asia Institute (GAI) and MIT Media Lab alumni. He contributes to research in FinTech in Asia, Financial Inclusion, Citizen Science, IoT and Digital Assets.

Prajit Nanu is CEO and Founder at Nium, the global leader in real-time payments. Nium provides payments and card issuance services that redefine how businesses around the world pay and get paid. As CEO, he leads the company’s corporate and product strategy as Nium moves toward a vision of frictionless global commerce.

Based in the company’s co-headquarters in San Francisco, Prajit is currently focused on expanding the breadth, depth, speed, and reach of the Nium platform. Today, Nium’s payout network supports 100 currencies and spans 190+ countries, 100 of which are in real-time. Funds can be disbursed to accounts, wallets, and cards and collected locally in 40 markets. Nium's growing card issuance business is already available in 34 countries. Nium holds regulatory licenses and authorizations in more than 40 countries, enabling seamless onboarding, rapid integration, and compliance – independent of geography. Prajit was responsible for setting up Nium operations in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Prior to co-founding Nium, Prajit held leadership positions in various global organizations. He was the Global Sales Director at TMF Group, a multinational professional services firm headquartered in Amsterdam, and was the Vice President of Sales and Account Management at WNS Global Services, a business process management company. Prajit holds a Bachelor’s in Commerce & Economics from the University of Mumbai.

Bob is a member of the finance faculty at the Cambridge Judge Business School where co-founded the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) and the Regulatory Genome Project. Bob’s research studies innovation at the intersection of technological change and the global financial system, and in 2021 he received the CJBS Research Impact Award for his work applying AI to regulatory information in the field of computational regulation. This research project led to the creation of a university spin-out company (RegGenome) which is recognised as being globally best-in-class in machine-based regulatory document analysis. RegGenome's data and regulatory policy data analysis solutions are currently used by more than 100 regulatory authorities and commercial enterprise customers. Bob currently serves as RegGenome's Executive Chairman and has held several advisory board roles with regulatory authorities and corporate Directorships over the course of his professional career. He continues to teach several courses at Cambridge including an MBA course called "Geopolitics & Financial Regulation". Bob holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Rahul Advani is the Global Co-Head of Policy at Ripple.

Based in Singapore, Rahul oversees Ripple’s engagement and advocacy with regulators and policymakers in the APAC and EMEA regions, working with Ripple's regional policy teams to support and develop regulation that promotes responsible innovation in digital assets and blockchain technology.

Prior to joining Ripple, Rahul spent over 12 years in financial services, most recently as the Head of Public Policy, Asia Pacific at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Prior to that, Rahul worked with Bloomberg L.P. in their offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Hong Kong in multiple roles across valuations, business development, and sales for both exchange-traded and OTC derivative products.

Rahul is the Chair of the Blockchain Association of Singapore Stablecoin and CBDC Subcommittee, and an Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). He is also Co-Chair of the GBBC Digital Money & Wallets Working Group.

He holds a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

Mr Ravi Menon has a portfolio of work in sustainability, innovation, and inclusion.

Mr Menon is Singapore’s first Ambassador for Climate Action and Senior Adviser to the National Climate Change Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office. He plays a leading role in Singapore’s efforts to foster collective action internationally and transition planning locally towards a low-carbon future. He is also Chairman of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) Asia-Pacific Advisory Board and a member of the GFANZ Principals Group.

Mr Menon is Chairman of the Global Finance & Technology Network, which harnesses technology and fosters innovation for more efficient, resilient, and inclusive financial ecosystems globally. He is also a Trustee of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Chairman of its Innovation and Enterprise Committee.

Mr Menon is Chairman of ImpactSG, a philanthropy which aims to grow a community of purposeful givers in Singapore and Asia. He is also a Board Member of The Majurity Trust, a charity which deploys cause-based funds for social needs; and a Trustee of the Singapore Indian Development Association, a community self-help group.

Prior to his current roles, Mr Menon served for 36 years in the Singapore Public Service.

As Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (2011-23), Mr Menon oversaw monetary and macroprudential policies, reformed the financial regulatory framework, and developed Singapore as a green finance centre and a global FinTech hub. On the international front, he served as Chairman of the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System and Chairman of the Financial Stability Board Standing Committee on Standards Implementation.

As Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade & Industry (2007-11), Mr Menon helped to steer the economy during the global financial crisis. As Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Finance (2003-07), he oversaw fiscal policy and government reserves.

Mr Menon is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal from the Singapore Government, the Distinguished Alumni Award from NUS, and the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award from the Institute of International Finance in Washington.

Mr Menon holds a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) in Economics from NUS.

Richard Teng is an experienced executive with over three decades of financial services and regulatory experience. As the Co-CEO of Binance, he works closely with various stakeholders including regulators, policymakers, industry players and users to further the growth of Binance in a compliant and sustainable manner. Prior to this role, Richard held various senior leadership positions within the company since joining in August 2021.

Before joining Binance, Richard was CEO of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), where he showcased his capabilities as one of the world’s foremost innovative regulators. Richard’s vast experience also includes being the Chief Regulatory Officer of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and the Director of Corporate Finance in the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Richard received his Masters in Applied Finance from the University of Western Australia.

Sopnendu Mohanty is the Co-founder and Group CEO of the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), a global advisory and investment firm. At GFTN, he leads innovative strategies that drive development and transformation in the financial sector through four operating arms: Forums, Advisory, Platform, and Capital.

He served at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as its first Chief Fintech Officer for nearly a decade, establishing Singapore on the global map as a leading center for innovation in the financial sector and a dynamic hub for fintech development. He continues to advise MAS on technology and innovation.

He currently serves on several boards, including the board of A*STAR, Singapore’s leading public sector agency dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and technological innovation. Before his leadership role in the public sector, he spent nearly two decades at Citigroup. He is credited with developing many public goods, including the notable PayNow, Singapore’s digital public infrastructure for payments. He conceptualized the globally well-known Singapore Fintech Festival and its global network of forums; today, the GFTN forum is the world’s largest convenor of tech, policymakers, and the financial sector community. Mr. Mohanty has co-authored several patented works in digital finance and received numerous industry accolades. He advises governments and various institutions on policies and implementation strategies for innovation, infrastructure, and ecosystem development in the financial sector.

Sreeni has spent over 30 years in Asia Pacific & Japan in various executive and leadership roles with Global IT & Software firms and with an extensive understanding of Local & Global business practices. Has successfully established several cutting-edge technology businesses and expanded into the APAC markets over the last two decades.

Mr Sumnesh Joshi is an officer from Indian Telecom Service Cadre and at present is posted as Deputy Director General in Ministry of Communications at DoT Mumbai. He is working in area of communication expanding 5G use cases , IoT and implementation the policies to ensure smooth roll out of telecom network by service providers. He has also been made Nodal officer for monitoring of 4G network saturation Project in East and West region of the country. He is working to make digital ecosystem partners like Fintechs , Banks state government departments to make use of Digital Public Good Infrastructure and use AIML to curb the cyber threats.

He worked with UIDAI as a first officer at UIDAI Regional Office Mumbai in April 2010 as a part of the founding team under leadership of Mr NandanNilekani. He was instrumental to roll out the implementation of biometric based Digital Identity“Aadhaar” project in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu. He worked with the Aadhaar Eco System Partners like State Governments, Regulators, Banks, Insurance Companies and Fintech Companies and guiding them in designing the solutions for the convenient delivery of various services using “Aadhaar”.

He facilitated the use of Aadhaar -a Digital Identity Platform in E-Governance for Targeted Delivery of Services and Benefits. He also headed Enrolment & Update vertical of UIDAI PAN India. He was in various committees to look into the Strengthening of Aadhaar Enrolment Processes, Revisiting the regulations and SoPs, Automation of various Processes and Universal Client for Enrolment & Update.

Mr Joshi is an officer of 1993 Batch of Indian Telecom Service and has over 25 years of experience at various positions in Government of India. Earlier years of his career He worked with Department of Telecommunications, Government of India and was involved in Telecom Traffic Planning , Data Analytics, Project implementation, Marketing of Services, Market Strategies, Market Intelligence, Product Development and Brand building.

Mr Joshi is an expert in DPI implementation, use of telecom , cyber security strategies , data analytics and speaking at various forums on digital identity , Fintech , data centres , AI, cyber security, ESG at international and national level. He delivered a TEDx talk on India’s digital identity.

Mr Joshi did his engineering in Electronics &Communications from Rajasthan Technical University Kota Rajasthan India. He holds MicroMasters in Data Economics and Development Policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. He pursued a Certificate course in Public Policy from University of California Berkeley and MBA from the Management Development Institute Gurgaon, India.