Speakers are listed in alphabetical order of their last names.
Mr Wong joined the Government's Administrative Service in 1985 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A1 in 2017. He has served in various bureaux and departments. He was appointed Director of Information Services in 2009, Director of Marine in 2014, and was Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands) from 2015 to 2017.
Mr Wong served as Secretary for Development from July 2017 to June 2022. He was appointed Deputy Financial Secretary on 1 July 2022.
Speakers are listed in alphabetical order of their last name.
Arthur Yuen is in charge of the full range of banking policy, supervision, conduct, and enforcement issues at the HKMA. He joined the HKMA in 1996 as Head of Administration and has since taken up different responsibilities including research and liaison on China economic and market development issues before being appointed Head of Banking Supervision in 2000. He took up the position as Executive Director (Banking Development) in July 2004, Executive Director (Banking Supervision) in June 2005 and Executive Director (External) in July 2008. He was appointed to his present position on 1 January 2010.
Speakers are listed in alphabetical order of their last name.
Diana Cesar is Executive Director and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank Limited, Chairman and Non-executive Director of Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited, Chairman of Hang Seng Insurance Company Limited and Chairman of the Hang Seng Index Advisory Committee of Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited. She is also General Manager of the HSBC Group.
Prior to joining Hang Seng Bank, Ms Cesar was Chief Executive of HSBC Hong Kong and a member of the Executive Committee for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.
During her time with HSBC, Ms Cesar held leadership roles in marketing, credit cards, consumer loans and mortgages. She was Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management in Hong Kong and Regional Head of Distribution Strategy and Consumer Propositions for Asia Pacific. She also spent time on secondment in Taiwan as Head of Credit Cards.
Before joining HSBC, Ms Cesar worked in Canada and Hong Kong for other global financial institutions, including Citibank and American Express.
Ms Cesar holds a wide range of industry and civic appointments. She is also a former Chairperson of the Hong Kong Association of Banks.
Mrs Christine Ip is CEO – Greater China of UOB, overseeing the Bank’s business in Greater China covering markets in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She is also a Non-Executive Director of UOB China.
Mrs Ip joined UOB in 2011 as a Managing Director responsible for developing the Bank’s Greater China strategy. In 2016, she was appointed CEO - Greater China, in addition to her role as CEO of UOB Hong Kong, an appointment since 2012.
Mrs Ip is a seasoned banker with more than 30 years of experience in both consumer and wholesale banking, with significant experience in Greater China. Prior to joining UOB, Mrs Ip has held a range of local and overseas positions with international banks spearheading product and sales management, customer segment management and risk management in Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore, Canada and the United States.
Mrs Ip’s outstanding leadership and business strategy have brought her and the banks accolades and recognitions including The Best Australia Business Award in China presented by Australia Chamber of Commerce, as well as The Best Retail Bank in Hong Kong and The Best Foreign Retail Bank in China awards. She was named as The Best International Retail Banker at the Asia Retail Congress in 2008 and one of the Top 100 Greater China Senior Women Executives by the All-China Women’s Federation in 2012.
Under Mrs Ip’s leadership, UOB Hong Kong has launched the UOB Art Academy to promote art in the local community. She has been serving in various public duties including government statutory body and art institutions.
Mrs Ip holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hong Kong and a Master of Business Administration from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). She is an honoree of Beta Gamma Sigma HKUST Chapter.
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Ronald Iu is CEO of ZA Bank and Executive Director of the board.
He has over two decades of solid experience in banking and finance, ranging from risk management, sales and marketing to the development of innovative FinTech products.
Prior to joining ZA Bank in November 2022, Ronald was Chief Executive of Airstar Bank. He also served as senior management in various global and local financial institutions, including GE Capital (HK), China CITIC Bank International, Standard Chartered, and PrimeCredit.
Ronald holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hon) in Quantitative Analysis for Business programme from the City University Hong Kong.
Hugo Leung is the Chief Executive Officer for Hong Kong, BNP Paribas and CEO of BNP Paribas Securities (Asia) Limited. He oversees the full breadth of the bank’s integrated and diversified offering in Hong Kong, encompassing all corporate and institutional banking activities.
As its CEO, Hugo is responsible for the overall management of the legal entity of BNP Paribas Securities Asia, supervising its activities. Prior to his current role, he oversaw Global Markets activities in Hong Kong including fixed income, equities and commodity derivatives business.
Hugo has extensive financial services experience and held various roles since joining BNP Paribas in 1993. He has a B.A. degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University in Canada.
Hugo was appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) in April 2017, where he serves on the Audit Committee, Board Executive Committee, Investment Committee, Board Risk Committee, Risk Management Committee (Statutory) and Listing Operation Governance Committee.
In April 2022, Hugo began serving as a non-executive director of OTC Clearing Hong Kong Limited and subsequently elected as Board Chairman and Chairman of the Risk Management Committee a year later.
Speakers are listed in alphabetical order of their last name.
Alan Chan is the Healthcare Compliance Officer at Johnson & Johnson Hong Kong Ltd. He has around 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry in commercial, R&D, and legal & compliance in Hong Kong and APAC.
In his current role, Alan is responsible for enhancing the company culture, reinforcing policies and procedures, ensuring business practices follow company policy and laws such as FCPA, and strengthening the company's compliance program for anti-corruption in the interaction between the company and healthcare professionals. Before joining the area of legal and compliance, he as a pharmaceutical professional commercialized the 1st Cell & Gene therapy, CAR-T for leukemia and lymphoma in the Hong Kong healthcare system, i.e. Hospital Authority and private hospital, and previously worked in different therapeutic areas such as Hematology and Oncology, Respiratory Medicine, and orphan diseases, etc.
Alan was born and raised in Hong Kong and received legal training in Sydney. He holds MMedSc and BSc from the University of Hong Kong, a LLB from the University of London, and received professional legal practical training from the University of Technology Sydney. He is an admitted lawyer of New South Wales Australia and a member of the Ethics and Compliance Taskforce in the HKAPI (Hong Kong Association of Pharmaceutical Industry).
Barry is the Chief Digital Officer of FORMS HK and is in charge of FINNOSpace, or “FORMS INNOvaion Space”, which focuses on the development of virtual asset and cryptocurrency ecosystems.
Barry has a reputation for providing trustworthy advice to banking and financing institutions that are undergoing the fintech revolution. Prior to joining FORMS, Barry was formerly IBM Consulting Partner - Financial Services Sector Leader, with 20+ years of experience in consultancy business.
Dave is a serial entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital asset sectors.
In 2013, Dave transitioned from Investment Banking into the crypto space and has since built a number of successful businesses. In 2018, he co-founded OSL, now Asia's leading digital asset platform, and serves as an Executive Director on the board of its parent company, BC Group.
OSL provides brokerage, exchange, custody, and SaaS services to professional and institutional investors across the region.
Before joining BC Group, Dave held senior roles at HSBC, Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, ABN AMRO, and Bear Stearns, among others. He is widely respected for his thought leadership in the digital asset ecosystem and frequently appears on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, and CNN to discuss industry trends. Dave has also been cited in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair, as well as industry outlets like CoinDesk and CoinTelegraph.
Technology leader in financial services. Passionate about digital transformation and innovation.
Areas of focus Technology Innovation Digital Financial Services Asia-Pacific
In David's role as a Partner in Technology Consulting, he wears many hats as he also leads EY’s Digital Emerging Technology and Technology Transformation competencies for the financial services sector in Hong Kong and serves as EY’s Microsoft Alliance Lead in Greater China.
David has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry across insurance, banking, and wealth & asset management. He has led large digital transformation programs across Asia-Pacific, from strategy formation to execution and adoption of innovative technology for clients in the region.
David holds an Executive MBA from Shanghai Jiao Tong University/University of Southern California, a Master of Information Technology, a Bachelor of Computer Science and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from The University of Melbourne.
Clarence Cheung is currently the Global Head of Non Financial Risk Analytics for HSBC’s wholesale bank, where he and his team looks at new ways of applying data and analytics to address non financial risk including lending and payment fraud, and business financial crime. Prior to joining HSBC, Clarence has worked for over a decade in the consulting industry (EY, Accenture), and ran startups involving Artificial Intelligence. Clarence is currently enrolled at HKUST as a part time PhD student researching virtual reality.
Albert has over thirty years of industry experience and has held senior IT executive positions globally. He holds many technology patents and has published several papers in various security journals.
Albert is the CTO of i-Sprint Innovations, a global IAM and Mobile App Security software company. Their security solutions are designed to help clients address digital identity and mobile app protection challenges. Their solutions have been successfully deployed in many organizations with complex operations, such as Citibank, UOB Bank, OCBC Bank, Bank of China, Bank of East Asia, Bank of Communications, OGCIO, HK Judiciary, and other financial services institutions, government agencies, and large corporations across the Asia Pacific Region.
Tze Ping Chng leads the Hong Kong Financial Services Practices at EY. He has nearly 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including 15 years in Hong Kong. Tze has extensive experience advising financial services firms in the region in executing successful large-scale enterprise-wide initiatives, with an understanding of the importance of people and cultural differences. He has also advised senior management in areas such as performance management and analysis, balance sheet strategy & optimization, risk management, financial reporting, merger & acquisition, and process transformation.
Mr Arnold Chow is Deputy General Manager, Personal Digital Banking Product Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”), overseeing all products (excl. cards) of personal banking in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. He is also a Non Executive Director of BOCI Prudential Trustee Limited and the Chairman of Po Sang Securities Limited.
Prior to joining BOCHK in 2019, Arnold had held various senior executive positions in strategy, products and distribution in Hong Kong and mainland China of HSBC Group. His last role with the Group was Senior Executive Vice President, Private Banking and Trust Services of Hang Seng.
Arnold started his career in Morgan Stanley (Asia) with expertise in Hong Kong and mainland investment markets. He holds a Bachelor degree from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Hong Kong. He is also a Financial Education Committee member of Investor and Financial Education Council (under SFC).
Before joining Hang Seng Indexes Company in 2022, Danny Chu was a Greater China telecom analyst at a multinational investment bank covering telecom service providers and telecom equipment companies. His research team was ranked multiple times in Institutional Investor All-Asia Research Team (Telecommunications category), in which his research team was ranked #1 consecutively for three years in a row for 2011 to 2013. In 1999, he received his Master of Business Administration degree from University of Michigan at which he majored in finance. In 1993, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration degree from University of Washington at which he majored in accounting. Danny is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.
John Deng is the Director, Head of Commercial (Hong Kong) and Deputy General Manager (China) for Dun & Bradstreet and oversees local market sales, client management, client success, partnership, marketing and the CCRA divisions within Hong Kong.
As a member of Dun & Bradstreet’s Greater China leadership team, John is responsible for Dun & Bradstreet’s business management, operations, and development within the Hong Kong market. Joining in 2022, John’s key focuses are on improving data quality, product and sales strategy, operational efficiency and developing tailored solutions to assist both local and global clients.
He has close to a decade and a half of experience in leading international financial institutions including HSBC and National Australia Bank, in client facing and leadership roles, originating and executing significant client deals, across Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong.
His past coverage includes industries such as real estate, trade, consumer & retail, technology, professional services and most recently private equity/venture capital funds in the non-bank FI ecosystem. He also has extensive knowledge in credit risk, financial crime compliance and operational risks.
John holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Laws from the University of Melbourne, a MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and is accredited with the CAMS certification.
Jame DiBiasio is founder and editor of AMTD Group’s DigFin, a media dedicated to digital finance, fintech, and digital assets (www.digfingroup.com). He is also a board member of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong.
His latest book is “PLANET VC”, telling the story of venture capital beyond Silicon Valley. He has also written books on the story of money, blockchain entrepreneurs, and Southeast Asian history.
Prior to starting DigFin, Jame served in a variety of roles at Haymarket Financial Media, including as founding editor of AsianInvestor magazine in 2000.
Mr Chris Farquhar is the founder and Managing Partner of Cimigo, an independent market research consultancy with offices throughout the region.
Chris is the Representative of ESOMAR, the global professional association for market research in Hong Kong and is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Market Research Society. He has over 30 years of experience in the market research industry, including working with financial services organisations, major tourism, entertainment, and F&B brands, as well as member-based organizations.
Eugène is a partner in EY’s Hong Kong financial services practice. He advises international banks, investment banks, asset managers, exchanges, industry associations, regulators, governments and international financial institutions on financial services regulatory issues and risk management. This includes investment and private banking issues, conduct, culture and governance issues, regulatory incidence response, ESG risk management and green washing, virtual asset and technology risk issues, including AI governance and frontier capital market reform. He leads EY’s APAC financial services regulation practice and Hong Kong sustainable finance banking and capital markets practice. He has over 30 years’ experience in financial services and has lived and worked in Asia for 25 years. He is a lawyer and joined EY from the Hong Kong SFC where he held a number of senior management positions leading policy projects, complex litigation and investigations. He has previously worked with a leading APAC law firm, the Australian securities regulator and the Federal Attorney-General’s Department.
Tracy Wong Harris is the Head of Sustainable Finance for Asia at Standard Chartered Bank, focusing on the Bank’s sustainable finance strategy, by developing new products and solutions, further incorporating ESG considerations into banking decisions, and identifying sustainable finance opportunities for clients. Tracy is also the Vice President and Deputy Secretary General of Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), an appointed Policy Research Committee member of Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and Senior Advisor to the Green Building Project of HK2050isNow.
Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Tracy had been driving the green and sustainable finance development in Hong Kong and had over 20 years of financial markets experiences across various fixed income and complex structured products in JPMorgan, Mizuho International, Barclays Capital and BNP Paribas based in London and Hong Kong.
Tracy received her MSc and BA in International Finance and Capital Markets in the United Kingdom and graduated from the Oxford Said Business School in Social Finance Program.
Former appointed member of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) Climate Change Technical Expert Group (TEG), served as Board member of AIDS Concern, Hong Kong LGBT+ Interbank, and founder of the JPM PRIDE HK network.
Mr. HEUNG Hon-wing, Frank is a seasoned commercial banker with over 30 years’ experience in various local and foreign financial institutions, who is currently Head of Structured Finance, Commercial Real Estate & Corporate Advisory at Hang Seng Bank. Frank is the bank’s representative of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and Asia Pacific Loan Market Association. He is also a regular speaker for various industry events.
In line with the bank’s aspiration to become a leading entity to drive ESG in the banking industry, Frank assiduously leads sustainable financing initiatives, and continues to develop new sustainable products and integrating sustainability into banking decisions.
Frank holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Economics and Management Studies from the University of Hong Kong and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. Prior to joining Hang Seng Bank, he has been working in managing banking relationships with corporates across different sectors including manufacturing, retail, construction, property development and investment. With his extensive experience in the financial sector, Frank has taken up various management positions at Hang Seng Bank before taking up his current position in 2016.
Cho-Hoi Hui is a division head of the Banking Policy Department, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), where he is responsible for policy developments of climate risk management and Basel III. He was Chief Representative of the HKMA’s New York Representative Office and the Head of Market Research Division of the Research Department. Prior to joining the HKMA, he was a derivatives analyst at Citibank.
He has published on issues related to international finance and physics in a number of journals, including Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, and Journal of Geophysical Research. He is Adjunct Professor at Department of Economics and Finance of City University of Hong Kong and was Professor of Science Practice in Financial Mathematics at Department of Mathematics of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He holds a BS in physics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a PhD in applied physics from Cornell University.
Mr. Patrick JIA has long been engaged in risk management in financial institutions. He has worked for well-known financial institutions such as HSBC Hong Kong, Standard Chartered China, and Ping An. He is a senior manager approved by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.
Patrick is familiar with the regulatory rules of both regions and has practical experience in designing and implementing comprehensive risk management frameworks for financial institutions. He is skilled in designing and implementing quantitative risk management tools and has extensive experience in credit risk management for retail and corporate banking businesses. He was responsible for the implementation of the Basel agreements in financial institutions and has recently focused on financial technology innovation and application.
Ashok John joined J.P. Morgan in March 2013. He is currently the APAC Head of Equities Compliance and APAC Head of Surveillance, based in Hong Kong. Prior to his relocation to Hong Kong in 2017, Ashok was head of FICC Compliance (South Asia) in Singapore. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Ashok held various sales and trading compliance roles at Barclays Corporate and Investment Bank, in its New York City and Singapore offices.
Ashok graduated with Distinction in Economics from the University of Virginia, where he also attended the McIntire Business Institute.
Ashok currently serves as a member of the ASIFMA’s Compliance Committee.
Karen is the Partner heading up IBM HK Business Transformation Consulting Practice. She leads a team of 100 consultants in 3 pillars including Digital Operations, Customer Transformation and Data & technology. Acting as strategic partners with clients to drive innovations in ways of working/ business models with the use of core ERP systems, AI, automation and data. She was previously a Partner with EY leading Strategy & Operations Advisory, with years of professional advisory experience in New York, London and APAC for financial services clients.
Chartered accountant with ICAEW, HKICPA and AICPA.
Qualified Project Management Professional and Lean Yellow Belt Holder.
Boards & Committees
- Hong Kong Committee Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW)
- Co-Chair, ICAEW Younger Members Committee
- Committee Member, British Chamber Innovation & Technology Committee
- Committee Member, British Chamber Women in Business Committee
Mr Nike Kong, Head of Innovation of Hang Seng Bank, is responsible for leading innovation bankwide through Fintecubator, the Hang Seng innovation programme. Nike leads and implements the innovation strategy through changes to culture, technology and process, with a focus on creativity, people and network. Nike manages the innovation framework and delivers new capabilities and propositions that meet emerging banking customer needs. Nike also looks after development of future skills and improves ways of working witin the bank through internal community and external partnerships with the ecosystems.
Nike has over 30 years of management experience in the financial services industry, taking on various senior roles in Hang Seng and HSBC, with expertise in change management covering data and technology. Nike has extensive knowledge in enterprise system development, technology and process transformations across different segments including retail, commercial and investment banking. Nike holds a Bachelor of Mathematics Degree from the University of Waterloo.
Giselle Lai is an Associate Investment Director of Digital Assets at Fidelity International, where she supports the firm’s digital assets strategy since 2022. In addition, she actively contributes to the development of educational content and research in the field of digital assets. Prior to this role, she was an Associate Investment Director of Asian Fixed Income, focusing on Asian Investment Grade and China bonds markets since 2018. She had the primary responsibility for leading the day-to-day product responsibilities for Asian Investment Grade franchise, including investor communications, client service and portfolio manager support. Giselle joined Fidelity as a graduate associate and gained experience across Multi-Asset Investment Directing, Institutional Business & Consultant Relations and Intermediary Sales in both Hong Kong and Singapore.
Giselle holds a BSc degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Hong Kong. She is a CFA and CAIA charterholder. She is also currently working towards a Master of Science in Blockchain and Digital Currency at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. She is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Eddie Lau is the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director and an Authorized Representative of Arta TechFin Corporation Limited (ARTA), a Hong Kong listed company under ticker HKSE: 0279, since June 2021.
Mr Lau has over 20 years of global experience in fintech, asset management, and brokerage in China and the United States. He leads ARTA's development of a distributed-ledger-technology-based fintech platform. In November 2022, ARTA received the Best Technology Award in Central Bank Digital Currency (“CBDC”) track of Global Fast Track 2022 jointly launched by Invest HK and Hong Kong Monetary Authority (“HKMA”). In May 2023, ARTA was selected to participate in HKMA's e-HKD Pilot Programme. In July 2023, Mr Lau was appointed as a member of the Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
From 2018 to 2020, he held senior executive positions with one of the largest Sino-Foreign joint venture fund management companies in China. From 2006 to 2017, he managed absolute return portfolios at Elliott Advisors and Merrill Lynch, and co-founded PCA Investments and a multi-family office in Beijing, China, and Hong Kong, China, respectively. He began his finance career as a convertible bond trader with UBS in the United States in 2002.
Mr Lau received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with Honors from the University of Chicago (“UChicago”) in 2002. He is a member of the UChicago Alumni Board and was the President of the Alumni Club of Hong Kong until June 2023. He received the Alumni Service Award in May 2023. He has been a committee member of the Hong Kong Football Association, China since 2019.
Bruno is a financial veteran with over 30 years of experience in the wealth & asset management industry in Asia regional markets. He has held multiple key regional management positions in various leading global financial groups, including HSBC, Fidelity and Manulife. After retiring from a full time executive role since 2022, Bruno is now serving as an external advisor / consultant for Bain & Company, Fitch Learning and WeLab Group on Asia wealth management business strategy. He is also a lecturer on wealth management business courses in the Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School, a career coach for HKU Business School and HKUST Business School. On the media side, he is an author of two books on personal wealth management and career development, a guest host of a business programme on ViuTV and a regular speaker on wealth management and career development topics. Apart from his business endeavors, Bruno had served on many professional panels and committees in the financial sector, including the ex-chairman of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association, ex-member of the Financial Services Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and an ex-steering committee member of the Investor and Financial Education Council.
Mr Gilbert Lee is Head of Strategy & Planning and Chief of Staff to Chief Executive in Hang Seng Bank and is a member of the Bank's Executive Committee, Asset & Liability Management Committee and Risk Management Committee. He is also the Non-Executive Chairman of Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited.
Gilbert leads corporate strategy, corporate development & M&A, innovation, Greater Bay Area ("GBA") business development and CEO Office. He represents Hang Seng in the Hong Kong Association of Banks on the Main Committee, the Consultative Council, and various other committees including FinTech, Belt & Road and the GBA committees.
Gilbert leads Hang Seng’s thought leadership and advocacy of Central Bank Digital Currency (“CBDC”), winning a CBDC award for the Bank from the HKMA in 2022, and leading the Bank to be the only bank with three hypothetical e-HKD use cases selected by the HKMA for its e-HKD pilot programme in 2023. He also leads Hang Seng’s strategic partnerships with start-ups, corporates and public institutions to promote business model innovation including CBDC.
Gilbert is a frequent speaker on strategy, innovation and GBA. He earned an MBA from INSEAD, and is a Certified Chief Innovation Officer, a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA, FCMA).
Irene is a multifaceted compliance professional with a diverse range of skills and experiences that have propelled her to the forefront of the financial industry; with extensive compliance experience in financial sectors including private bank, commercial bank and insurance company, she has established herself as a seasoned compliance officer with a deep understanding of the intricacies and challenges of navigating complex regulatory frameworks.
Irene has earned a reputation as a driving force in the regulatory compliance of wealth management, family offices, fintech and regtech adoptions. Prior to her current position as Head of Fintech, Retail and Private Wealth Management Compliance, Irene served as a leader in Wealth Management Compliance having a focus on regtech and GBA in UBS AG, where she developed cutting-edge compliance systems to ensure regulatory compliance.
Irene’s contributions extend beyond her professional life, she has made a significant impact on the Fintech community as a Board member and Head of GBA of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong, she is also a board sponsor of Regtech, Insurtech and ESG Committees. She is an active participant in regulatory discussion including virtual assets, CBDC, fintech and regtech adoption and GBA development which leveraged her strong legal and compliance background.
Irene has been a guest lecturer on the topics of Regtech Compliance, Digital Banking, GBA and Web3 Compliance Education in various programs in banks and universities. She has been a keynote speaker at 100+ events, including Hong Kong Fintech Week, PWMA Summit, HKIB Annual Banking Conference, Belt and Road Summit, ASIFMA Compliance Conference.
Kevin Leung is the founder and director of Liquid, a company at the forefront of utilizing Web 3.0 DID technology to safeguard data and identity for both individuals and businesses. Kevin graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) where he majored in Engineering.
Before venturing into the startup ecosystem with Liquid, Kevin held a notable position as a Director at Standard Chartered Bank, where he amassed substantial experience in both the financial and technological sectors. His academic and professional backgrounds have been pivotal in shaping Liquid’s distinct vision in the realm of data protection and digital identity.
Liquid has earned distinguished accolades, including the HKICT Awards 2022, Gold Awards winner of Fintech Awards (Regulatory Technology and Risk Management) and the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2022 (Business Service - Security Solution).
Michele Leung is an Executive Director, Head of Greater China ESG & Climate in MSCI. Based in Hong Kong office, she leads the ESG business in Greater China. With over 18 years of investment experience, Michele has extensive product knowledge across different asset classes and promoted sustainability investing to institutional investors in Asia.
Prior to joining MSCI, Michele has held previous roles at S&P Trucost, Hang Seng Indexes, S&P Dow Jones Indices, JP Morgan Private Bank, China International Capital Corp and HSBC Broking Services.
Michele is a certified FRM and ESG Analyst® (CESGA). She holds a BSc in Civil engineering from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, a Bachelor of Laws from Manchester metropolitan University, a Master of Science in Investment Management from the University of Science & Technology in Hong Kong, and Graduate Diploma in English & Hong Kong Law.
Kelvin Li is the Head of Global Fund Platform of Ant Group. Since joining Ant Group in 2016, Kelvin took a number of leadership roles in global FX, Treasury, Solution, Partnership teams, where he led the team in building the next-generation global payment and treasury infrastructures and products, leveraging cutting-edge DLT and AI technologies to support the growing needs of small & medium enterprises in a more scalable and sustainable manner. Under Kelvin’s leadership, Ant Group were able to propel transformation of FX and liquidity management framework connecting five global treasury hubs in Singapore, Hongkong, Luxembourg, New York and London, covering more than 40 currencies and across 60 entities. Ant Groupwas awarded the Adam Smith Awards Asia in 2021 as the winner of the Best Liquidity Management solution and jointly with Alibaba group in 2022 as winner of the Best Technology Solution.
Prior to joining Ant Group, Kelvin was the Head of Citigroup Corporate Solutions for China. He was also the Head of FX of JP Morgan China from 2009 to 2010. Kelvin is an alumni of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Shirley Liang is the COO of the LCS (Legal Compliance and Financial Crime) department of DBS HK, as well as the location lead of digital transformation for LCS in Hong Kong and China. Apart from governance and risk strategy, Shirley also cover Platform and Transformation, data stewardship as well as analytics and innovation for LCS HK. Prior to joining DBS in 2016, Shirley worked for other global financial institutions including Bank of America Merrill Lynch as well as Citibank, focusing on Compliance program and regulatory projects implementation.
Samuel Lung is a Partner of EY Consulting, providing governance, risk and compliance (GRC) advices to financial institutions in Hong Kong and Macau. He also helps clients transform and sustain their GRC models through regtech. Prior to joining EY, he held senior management roles in different financial institutions including the chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of an European bank, head of compliance of a local Chinese bank and head of AML and MLRO of a Swiss private bank.
He is a Member of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance.
Cyril is the Head of Financial Crime & Security Services of DBS Bank, Hong Kong, overseeing AML, sanctions, fraud risk management and physical security services. Before joining DBS, Cyril spent seven and a half years with Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited with the last position as the MLRO, Deputy General Manager of the Financial Crime Compliance Department. He was the rotating Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee of the Hong Kong Association of Banks.
Prior to joining Bank of China Hong Kong, Cyril worked in the Hong Kong Police Force for over 15 years. He was the Superintendent of Police and Head of Joint Financial Intelligence Unit from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, Cyril was seconded to the Security Bureau of the HKSAR Government as the Assistant Secretary for Security. Cyril was a core member of the HKSAR delegation in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary sessions and the leading representative of the HKSAR Government in the Egmont Group of FIUs.
Cyril is a non-practicing barrister and holds a Master of Laws Degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Mr Stewart McGlynn is a Division Head in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority with responsibilities for policy development, innovation, specialist on-site supervision and international engagement pertaining to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing. In international work he is currently Co-Chair of the Financial Action Task Force Evaluations and Compliance Working Group and represents the HKMA on the Anti-Money Laundering Experts Group of the Basel Committee.
Prior to the HKMA Stewart worked as the Deputy Head of Hong Kong’s Financial Intelligence Unit and has extensive experience across AML and financial crime.
Yuichiro is the Co-Head of Integrated Risk Management (IRM), Asia, an emerging discipline that brings together data analytics, behavioral science as well as risk and regulatory expertise to help clients approach an increasingly complex risk landscape.
He is a seasoned governance, risk and compliance expert with over 12 years' of financial services experience across digital transformation, program and leadership effectiveness, investigations and research roles in Washington D.C., Hong Kong and Tokyo. He specializes in partnering with global financial institutions and regulators on designing new human-centric approaches that make compliance and risk management programs more intuitive and outcomes-focused.
Yuichiro completed his graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS - Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies (Cert.), as well as the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs (M.A.). He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Edward Moncreiffe is the Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Insurance (Asia) Limited and HSBC Life (International) Limited, overseeing HSBC’s largest, and market-leading, insurance businesses in Hong Kong and Macau since 2017.
Outside of HSBC, Ed is the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Matilda International Hospital and the Chairman of the City Mental Health Alliance Hong Kong. He is also on the Board of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles of Sustainable Insurance (PSI). Ed is also a member of the Economic Policy Committee and Financial & Treasury Services Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. He is a former Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI), and a former member of the General Committee of the Insurance Complaints Bureau (ICB). He holds a BA (Hons) from University of Durham, UK and a MBA (Hons) from University of Chicago Booth School, USA. Ed is also a Chartered Insurer of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and sits on the Executive Council of the International Insurance Society (IIS).
Millie is the Chief Compliance Officer for WeLab Bank, a virtual bank licensed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. WeLab Bank operates under WeLab, a leading fintech company in Asia.
Leveraging on her 20 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry, Millie has acquired hand-on knowledge in implementing laws and regulations and embedding corresponding controls in large organisations. Through her active participation in industry forums of banks, Millie has also gained considerable insights in respect of fraud monitoring and regtech development.
Prior to joining WeLab Bank, Millie had been holding various senior executive roles in Standard Chartered (Hong Kong) Limited and HSBC. Millie holds a master’s degree in laws and is a qualified solicitor (2002-2012) and barrister (since 2013) in Hong Kong.
With a particular focus on Financial Crime, Josh advises clients on the application of technology and analytics within risk management, and has over 10 years’ experience serving top-tier financial services institutions to deliver flagship programmes in this area – spanning digital transformation, complex investigations, and regulatory compliance.
Currently based in Hong Kong, Josh has worked within Deloitte across Europe and APAC. He holds a First Class master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Liverpool
Melissa Poon is a highly accomplished professional with over 17 years of exceptional expertise in audit, compliance, and risk management within the financial industry. As the Head of ESG Risk at OCBC Bank (Hong Kong), she plays a pivotal role in spearheading the Bank's ESG agenda, driving sustainable practices, and ensuring robust regulatory compliance. Melissa forges strong collaborations among key stakeholders, integrating risk management with sustainability principles.
In addition to her role, Melissa has led significant initiatives at OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) including leading coordinated the inaugural TCFD report for the Bank to ensure the alignment with global climate-related disclosure standards and guidelines. Melissa also led the Bank's overall assessment and compliance with the HKMA Supervisory Policy Manual in relation to climate risk, which ensuring that OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) effectively manages climate-related risks and fosters resilience in the face of ESG challenges.
Recognized as a climate risk champion within OCBC Bank (Hong Kong), Melissa actively promotes awareness and understanding of climate risks across the organization. She conducts comprehensive ESG risk-related training sessions for the Bank staff, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to navigate the evolving landscape of sustainable finance and make informed decisions.
Hestie Reinecke is a risk and governance professional in financial services, with 25+ years of experience covering banking, investment and asset management, and the insurance industry. She has held several roles at executive management level, including as Chief Risk Officer of a divisional investment bank and Chief Controls Officer of a wealth and investment manager, and is currently the Chief Compliance Officer of Prudential plc based in Hong Kong. She holds a PhD in Mathematical Statistics. She has a strong affinity for and has honed competence in transformation, culture and conduct management. She holds an Executive Masters in the field of Organisational Psychology, focused on the management of change, to support effective delivery of business strategy, advance team performance and cultivate people development.
Ramanathan (“Ram”) Sivabalan is the Director of Market Planning for Financial Crime Compliance and Payments for the APAC region at LexisNexis® Risk Solutions. Based in Singapore, he leads the development and fulfilment of the overall revenue and customer value proposition throughout Asia Pacific. With over 22 years of experience in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance industries, Sivabalan has a strong track record in leading the legal and compliance functions and effective business operations in various markets within Asia. He has previously held legal and compliance leadership roles at MUFG, Societe Generale and Future Generali. Sivabalan is a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and is a two time graduate of the University of Mumbai. In his free time, he enjoys volunteering with several organizations, reading about world affairs and listening to music.
Medhy Souidi is an esteemed fintech expert and recognized thought leader in the financial industry. As the Head of Transformation and Ecosystems at DBS HK, one of Asia's largest and most innovative banks, he plays a vital role in driving the bank's fintech strategy, spearheading innovation, and developing new products and services to meet evolving customer needs. Working closely with the bank's technology and product teams, Medhy is at the forefront of bringing new fintech solutions to market and ensuring that DBS stays ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing financial services landscape.
Medhy's extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the fintech industry make him an integral part of DBS Bank's success. As a key spokesperson for the bank on Fintech, AI, and Metaverse topics, he is often called upon to speak at industry events and conferences. His insights and perspectives are highly sought after by those seeking to understand the latest developments in the fintech industry.
In addition to his work at DBS Bank, Medhy is renowned for his newsletter and podcast, "What the FinTech." Launched in 2019, the podcast and YouTube channel offer a unique perspective on the fast-evolving world of fintech, featuring insightful analysis, interviews with industry experts and thought leaders, and a diverse range of topics from the latest technological innovations to the challenges and opportunities facing fintech firms and traditional financial institutions. Through his podcast and newsletter, Medhy has established a community of fintech enthusiasts, facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities while providing valuable insights and information.
Medhy is an active participant in the fintech industry, frequently participating in industry events, conferences, and initiatives. He was board member of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong during 4 years, an organization committed to promoting and developing the fintech ecosystem in the region. Medhy's expertise, professional network, industry involvement, content creation, and thought leadership have earned him recognition as a key opinion leader (KOL) in the fintech industry. He was awarded the "Fintech Changemaker of the Year" by Asian Private Banker in 2019 and identified as Gen T by Tatler, acknowledging his status as a youthful innovator reshaping Asia's financial and technological landscape.
Medhy Souidi's expertise, industry involvement, and thought leadership make him a sought-after resource for anyone seeking to learn more about the fintech industry and its evolution. His insights and perspectives continue to shape the future of finance and inspire the next generation of fintech leaders.
Neil has over 20 years of experience in Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Business Development -- across Banking (HSBC, Deutsche Bank), Management Consulting (Boston Consulting Group BCG) and Industry (Philips Electronics, Siemens).
Neil is Managing Partner at Tsunami Advisors, an advisory and consulting firm dedicated to helping FinTech, Blockchain, Digital Asset, and Web3 firms grow and scale in the Asia Pacific Region.
Prior to this, he served as the CEO of Neptune Digital, an award-winning blockchain start-up under the Cyberport Incubation Program (CIP). Neil was previously the Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific in the Digital Partnerships & Innovation Team at HSBC, where we focused on Banking-As-A-Service (BaaS) and Embedded Finance.
Neil is the Chairman of the FinTech Association Hong Kong (FTAHK) and a Member of the Hong Kong Government Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development (Web3 Task Force). He is also a Steering Committee Member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and a Conference Ambassador of the Hong Kong Tourism Bureau (HKTB).
FTAHK
https://ftahk.org/our-team
WEB3 TASK FORCE
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202306/30/P2023063000579.html
HKTDC
https://www.asianfinancialforum.com/conference/aff/en/steering-committee
HKTB
https://www.mehongkong.com/hkca/ambassadors.html
BRIAN W TANG is founding executive director of LITE Lab@HKU, an interdisciplinary and experiential programme that fosters law, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship at University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law, where he leads a climate contracting initiative involving lawyers from law firms, financial institutions and corporations across Hong Kong and Singapore. Brian is Fintech Association of Hong Kong’s sponsoring board member of the Greentech & ESG Committee and was founding co-chair of its Regtech Committee, which has been recognized by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in its two-year roadmap to promote regtech adoption as playing a “key role in the [regtech] ecosystem”. Brian is also co-chair of Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA), board member of Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers’ APAC Regional Board, and co-leads EDM Council’s APAC ESG Working Group. Brian has been invited to speak and consult with financial institutions, fintechs and regulators (including at the HKMA’s AML/CFT Regtech Forum) and is a principal instructor for the world’s largest fintech online course on edX with more than 100,000 learners worldwide. Brian is also a globally recognized co-author of Wiley’s The FinTech Book, The RegTech Book , The AI Book and The LegalTech Book and most recently Artificial Intelligence in Finance. Brian was previously at global investment bank Credit Suisse in Hong Kong and Wall Street law firm Sullivan & Cromwell in New York and Silicon Valley.
Leonie is an international regulatory specialist, with 15 years of legal experience in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong advising clients globally on regulatory compliance and investigations.
Leonie acts as KWM’s APAC lead on complex sanctions issues for the firm and leads regulatory enforcement responses for clients In addition, Leonie continually assists clients to design financial crime, data privacy, cybercrime, suitability and professional investor controls, including detailed procedures.
Leonie has a wealth of experience in responding to regulators, including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Security and Futures Commission, the Office of the Privacy Commission for Personal Data, the UK Serious Fraud Office, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Leonie advises on data privacy including cross-border data transfer issues, encryption, algorithmic-based risk modelling and use of biometrics.
Leonie assist clients in the virtual asset industry in relation to data breaches, regulatory investigations, AML/CTF controls and licence applications, she is an active member of the Hong Kong FinTech Association.
Co-Chair- AI & Big Data Committee,
FTAHKMember IT Committee Indian Chamber of Commerce,
HKCEFAR Fellow, CUHK
Vince Turcotte is a Consulting Adviser on Digital Assets at Cognitive GRC. With more than two decades of experience at exchanges, broker-dealers and futures commission merchants (FCMs), Vince has built a wealth of knowledge in multi-asset trading and business management. He has worked across the region, based in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. He most recently served as Director, Digital Assets, at Eventus, and previously served for four years as Director, Asia Pacific, for Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). He was also Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Head of Futures & Options for Nomura International, beginning in 2011.
Turcotte has held senior production and sales management positions at Newedge Group as well as global banks UBS and JPMorgan in London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. He began his career as a booth clerk and runner on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading floor.
Turcotte earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago, graduating Cum Laude.
Lareina Wang is Executive Director, Head of Digital and Innovation, Institutional Banking Group of DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited. She is responsible for managing the wholesale digital business of Institutional Banking Group, including P&L management, digital product and platform development as well as delivering best-in-class digital customer journeys across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
Lareina is an active FinTech practitioner. She currently serves as Board Member of FinTech Association of Hong Kong and is also a member of the Banking and Finance Training Board for the Vocational Training Council.
Prior to DBS Hong Kong, Lareina also held senior digital and strategy roles for HSBC UK and HSBC Hong Kong, as well as Barclays Bank and Ogilvy London.
Lareina holds a Master of Science degree in International Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature.
Ms Taie Wang is currently the Chief Sustainable & Emerging Business Officer at Hang Seng Indexes Company, responsible for the business development of emerging business lines, including ESG and Smart Beta indexes, data, analytics and solutions. Before joining the company, she was the Deputy Head of Research at a global asset management firm. Taie has over 18 years of experience in the financial industry and led self-indexing, ESG and Smart Beta research and strategy development. In 2015, she developed the Gender Diversity Index, which led to the launch of SHE, the world’s first ETF that promotes gender equality. Taie has published extensively in peer reviewed international journals such as the Journal of Portfolio Management and the Journal of Index Investing. She holds a MS in Finance and MS in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BS degree with a double major in English for Science and Technology and Industrial Economics from Tianjin University. Taie is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Nick Wilde is the Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Thought Machine.
Nick is responsible for building Thought Machine's business in Asia Pacific from the regional headquarters in Singapore.
He has over 20 years’ experience within the banking software technology enterprises across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and African markets. Prior to Thought Machine, Nick was Chief Sales Officer at Fiserv and led the establishment of an Asia Pacific Digital Identity and Fraud business for Experian and the creation of Fiserv's integrated Asia Pacific business which profitably grew to over USD$100m.
Andrew is Executive Director, Senior Business Strategist, Group Strategy APAC, based in Hong Kong.
Andrew joined UBS in 2018, and is responsible for cross-divisional strategy across the firm’s 13 APAC markets – including driving efforts around the topic of Distributed Ledger Technology. Prior to UBS, Andrew was an Engagement Manager at Oliver Wyman, in the Corporate & Institutional Banking and Digital, Technology & Analytics practices.
Edward Wu is the Group Head of Business Intelligence at WeLab, a leading pan-Asian fintech platform with over 50 million individual users and over 700 enterprise customers in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Indonesia. It operates one of the largest digital consumer finance businesses in Asia, two digital banks and a fast-growing B2B fintech enterprise solutions business.
As the Group Head of Business Intelligence, Edward is responsible for leading the data teams across different business entities within WeLab, including WeLab Bank, Mainland China businesses and the digital bank in Indonesia. He’s instrumental to manage all organization-wide data across WeLab’s markets in Asia.
Edward has been growing together with WeLab along the journey with various milestones achieved. Together with the team, Edward has built the WeLab Bank’s data lab to drive innovation to dig into customer data, including but not limited to customer digital footprint and spending behavior.
Edward embraces WeLab’s spirit of combining the power of fintech with people to open a new world of virtual banking. By combining the use of big data, AI & Machine Learning together with the “customer-centric” culture, Edward and his data team strive to build WeLab into a powerful pan-Asian fintech platform.
Edward has over 15 years of experience in banking industry with a decade’s dedication in business intelligence.