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Central banks around the world are increasingly looking at central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) - the digital form of a nation's fiat currency that is backed and issued by a central monetary authority - as an alternative to facilitate transactions in an increasingly digitalised world.

This global shift is largely driven by the recognition that CBDCs have the potential to not only transform payments, but also promote financial inclusion and, more recently, address the economic challenges brought on by Covid-19. According to estimates by the Bank of International Settlements, 80% of central banks across the globe are engaged in some form of CBDC-related projects as of January 2020.

As of last year, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority - the city's de-facto central bank - has also actively been exploring the potential of applying CBDCs at the wholesale and cross-border payment level through its "Project Inthanon-LionRock" , which is now currently at the second stage of development.

Join our webinar on 27 January 2021, where a distinguished line-up of speakers will discuss the future of CBDCs, as well as the opportunities and challenges which may arise in the course of their issuance and application to payments.

Please refer to the following details on the virtual seminar:

- Upon successful registration of the event, a unique webinar link will be sent to your registered email 2 days before the event. Please refer to the troubleshooting guide here should you experience any issues in locating the webinar link.
- Instructions on downloading Zoom and joining a webinar can be found here. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the software in advance of the webinar.
- Please log in 15 minutes (at 2:45 pm) before the event begins, through the link that will be sent to your registered email. This will allow time to address any technical issues that may arise.

DISCLAIMER
Speakers' presentations at this event are intended for educational purposes only and do not replace independent professional judgment. Statements of fact and opinions expressed during this event are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, are not the opinion or position of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, its members, or its committees. The Chamber does not endorse or approve, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, accuracy or completeness of the information presented. Attendees should note that, with the approval of speakers, this event may be recorded, and possibly published on the Chamber's website in audio and/or video formats without further notice.

Recording, duplication or distribution of the contents of the online event is prohibited without prior written permission from the Chamber.

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Speaker(s)

Moderator:

Ms Agnes Chan

Chairman, Financial and Treasury Services Committee, HKGCC

Ms Chan oversees all aspects of business operations of EY in Hong Kong and Macau. With more than three decades of experience in providing tax and business advisory services to a broad range of local and multinational corporations and organizations, Ms Chan's clientele is spread across industries.

As a prominent business leader, Ms Chan is a keen advocate of Hong Kong as an international financial center. She has helped clients with their cross-border business and investment, supporting them in exploring new markets and refining their operations in the region.

Ms Chan also actively participates in public service through a variety of roles, including as a member of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Exchange Fund Advisory Committee, a non-executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission, a member of the Hong Kong SAR Government's Advisory Panel on BEPS 2.0, a member of the Inland Revenue Department's Users' Committee, and a member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce's General Committee.

Lead-in Speaker:

Mr Colin Pou, JP

Executive Director (Financial Infrastructure), Hong Kong Monetary Authority

Mr Pou holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Economics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Mr Pou joined the HKMA in 1994 as an Assistant Manager. He was promoted as Manager in 1997, as Senior Manager in 2000 and as Division Head in 2008. Mr Pou has worked in different areas of HKMA’s work including banking supervision, banking policy, banking development, monetary operations and payment system operations. Mr Pou was seconded to The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC) during 2015 to 2018 to oversee HKMC's general insurance business, before taking up the present position on 29 October 2018.

Panellists:

Ms Bénédicte Nolens

Head of the Innovation Hub, Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

Bénédicte is the Head of the BIS Innovation Hub, Hong Kong Centre. Prior to this appointment, she was a managing director at SC Ventures, the innovation arm of Standard Chartered Bank that leads a series of new ventures across digital banking, banking as a service, SME finance and blockchain. From 2018-2019, she was the Vice President of International Government Relations at Circle, involved in the evolution of blockchain and digital assets. From 2012-2018, she was the Head of Risk & Strategy of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), and in that capacity also acting as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Emerging Risks and the Fintech research lead for the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). From 2007-2012, she was a managing director at Credit Suisse and before that from 1997-2007 she was an associate and executive director at Goldman Sachs.

Originally from Belgium, she holds LL.M. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Leuven. She is admitted to the New York Bar since 1999. In 2016, she was a recipient of the China Daily Asian Women Leadership Awards for her efforts related to entrepreneurship, innovation and charity. She remains closely engaged in these topics, most recently through her involvement in the Fintech Association of Hong Kong (FTAHK) and Women in Finance Asia (WiFA.)

Mr Charles d'Haussy

Director, ConsenSys 

Prior to joining world-leading blockchain engineering firm ConsenSys, Charles was Head of Fintech with Hong Kong government (InvestHK). He served 450+ FinTech companies and steered the growth of the Hong Kong Fintech Week to 10,000 global attendees.

Mr d'Haussy leads ConsenSys APAC and steers several CBDC projects in the region.
Charles is also the author of the book "Block Kong, 21 brilliant Hong Kong blockchain entrepreneurs".

Mr Daniel Chan

Head of Blockchain Innovation Lab, FORMS HK  

Daniel is the Head of Blockchain Innovation Lab of FORMS, a leading digital technology services provider to Hong Kong’s virtual banks. He is currently spearheading innovations and promoting blockchain technology education and industry collaboration across financial and technology communities across Asia.

Prior to joining FORMS in 2019, Daniel was a Blockchain Engineer and Researcher at crypto.com. He also is the Founder of DAA Fund, a private fund that adopts arbitraging strategies across global digital asset exchanges, which pledges 7% of the returns for setting up FinTech scholarships for local universities. He is an early adopter and investor in multiple DeFi projects and is passionate in the ways of how bridging private and public blockchain innovations may co-create a better FinTech future.
Language English
Date and Time 2021/01/27 15:00 to 16:15
Venue Online via Zoom
Media Closed to media
Enquiries Stephanie Kwan
Tel: 28231246
Email: stephanie@chamber.org.hk
Fee Members @ HK$100 / Non-Members @ HK$200
+$50 for booking offline
This event accepts Chamber Coupon (terms and conditions)
Members enjoy 30% discount with BOC HKGCC VISA Card
Notes - Bookings are only confirmed upon receipt of payment, on a first come first served basis.
- Booking transfer is allowed for corporate members with advanced notice, walk-ins are normally not accepted.
- The Chamber reserves the right to decline any booking or cancel the event. In such case, a full refund of the participation fee will be issued.
- The registration fee is non-refundable for this event.
- Members paying with their BOC HKGCC Visa Card will enjoy a 30% discount on their reservation. The discount is only applicable to the card holder, and does not extend to their guests. The discount cannot be used in conjunction with Chamber Coupons.
- A $50 handling fee per person will be charged for all offline bookings (e.g. fax, e-mail, post) for all Chamber events. Go online today by downloading our app or registering on the HKGCC website to save the environment and money.
- Priority is given to corporate members. The decision to accept or decline any booking shall be at sole discretion of the Chamber.

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