The IGF, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER) and the National University of Singapore Business School (NUS Business School), organized a specialty conference with the theme of Fintech to Enable Development, Investment, Financial Inclusion, and Sustainability which was held in September 2020.
The event explored the potential of financial technologies and digital financial services to address challenges to the region’s financial systems, such as credit constraints, a lack of access to finance, and long-term investment gaps. The risks to financial stability and cybersecurity were highlighted as a caveat to financial technologies’ development potential.
The conference featured sessions that provided an overview on Fintech and financial development, examined how Fintech can be leveraged to promote financial inclusion and sustainable development, and reviewed Fintech case studies in order to unpack the challenges and opportunities that accompany financial technologies. Policy considerations were raised with the aim of narrowing existing financing gaps in Asia.
Some of the Keynote speakers included:
Sopnendu Mohanty
Chief FinTech Officer
Monetary Authority of Singapore
Andrew Rose
Dean and Distinguished Professor
NUS Business School, National University of Singapore
Yasuyuki Sawada
Chief Economist and Director General
Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank
Tetsushi Sonobe
Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute