Singapore FinTech Festival to kick off next week with greater ASEAN focus - Highlights 2018

The third edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival will kick off tomorrow in Singapore. With over 250 speakers, 450 exhibitors, 16 international pavilions and close to 40,000 participants expected, this year’s event promises to be the biggest FinTech event in the world to date.

2018 Festival Highlights

1. Held at the Singapore Expo, the Festival will kick off with the three-day FinTech Conference (12-14 November). The conference brings together more than 250 speakers, including entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, technology leaders and experts, academics and other stakeholders to discuss the latest developments and opportunities. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will address the audience on the third day of the FinTech Conference.
2. The Conference will focus on nine key themes across 70 sessions, including AI in Finance; ASEAN FinTech Opportunities; Cyber-Security, TechRisk and RegTech; Financial Inclusion; Future of Banking; Future of Money; Global Investor Summit; InsurTech and Market Infrastructure.
3. The FinTech Exhibition alongside the Conference will showcase 450 exhibitors with their innovative solutions. Trade visitors and delegates can also learn more about FinTech in ASEAN, at the new zone specially dedicated to ASEAN start-ups. There will also be free guided tours of the area daily.
4. The expanded Global Investor Summit (13-14 November) is specially curated for the investment and enterprise communities. It will showcase the best of next-generation ASEAN start-ups and growth enterprises across all sectors, both FinTech and Beyond FinTech. Attendees can look forward to deep dive sessions on India, China and ASEAN covering key themes such as investment capital-raising strategies, and investing for impact.
5. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance Summit (13-14 November) will debut at the FinTech Conference this year with the theme of “AI in Finance Driving Global Progress”. The summit will highlight AI and data themes that power the future of financial services and the digital economy. Topics to be discussed include cloud and quantum computing, AI investment, ethical and responsible AI, and predictions for an AI-driven future.
6. The Global FinTech Hackcelerator Demo Day (12 November) will showcase 20 market-ready FinTech solutions shortlisted from 304 submissions intended to solve real-life industry problems in four categories, including Financial Inclusion, Insurtech, RegTech and SupTech and General.
7. The FinTech Awards (12-14 November) will recognise innovative FinTech solutions that have been implemented by FinTech companies, financial institutions and technology companies. With a greater emphasis on ASEAN this year, the Awards nominees include winners of the ASEAN PitchFest as well as ASEAN companies in the SME and Open categories.
8. The Innovation Lab Crawl (15-16 November) features 30 innovation labs across Singapore which will be open for visits. The Lab Crawl offers a good opportunity for participants to see where new products and solutions are tested, learn about how these labs leverage the latest technologies and network with start-ups and key innovation executives. Interested parties can sign up at http://fintechfestival.sg.
9. Alongside Singapore’s chairmanship of ASEAN, this year’s Festival features a strong ASEAN theme. The visual elements of the Festival are inspired by the unique cultures and designs of ASEAN. The specially commissioned ASEAN-themed Batik Motif stitches together national flowers of all 10 ASEAN countries. This design is featured across the Festival such as the logo, backdrops, collaterals and conference lounge designs. Please refer to Annex A for details of the ASEAN-themed design.
10. Mr Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, MAS, said, “The Singapore FinTech Festival is now a global knowledge platform extending beyond FinTech to include topics such as LP investing, venture capital and capital raising strategies. This year, it has expanded to attract a more diverse crowd of international regulators, policymakers, industry leaders and academics from FinTech and beyond. Going forward, the Festival will continue to champion financial inclusion through innovation and digital transformation to achieve a more global and all-embracing FinTech ecosystem.”
11. Mrs Ong-Ang Ai Boon, ABS Director, said, “ABS is delighted to once again partner MAS in the third edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival. Last year, we made history as the largest FinTech Festival in the world with more than 30,000 participants from over 100 countries. This year, participants can look forward to an exciting Festival featuring world-class speakers and specially curated programmes to suit their interest. ABS is encouraged by the steadfast support from both local and overseas communities in the FinTech Ecosystem, and look forward to yet another milestone in Singapore’s journey to grow the FinTech industry.”
12. Mr Aloysius Arlando, Chief Executive Officer of SingEx Holdings, said, “We are delighted to once again collaborate with MAS and ABS to co-curate the world’s largest FinTech event of the year. Embracing the ASEAN theme in this edition, we have weaved in unique elements from the region in various aspects of our event design, from the overall layout of our stages and lounges to a uniquely ASEAN-inspired culinary theme presented by award-winning chefs at our all-day dining areas. This year, participants can look forward to five conference stages, each offering insights to cutting-edge domains and topical sessions. Featuring 450 exhibitors from 35 countries, together with 16 international pavilions showcasing the latest in Financial Technology showcases and solutions, there truly will be something for everyone involved in the global FinTech community.”

About the Singapore FinTech Festival (www.fintechfestival.sg)
Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) is the world’s largest FinTech festival and global platform for the FinTech community, drawing more than 30,000 participants last year which comprised of FinTech players, technopreneurs, policy makers, financial industry leaders, investors including private equity players and venture capitalists, and academics. The 2018 Festival will see participants from over 100 countries and host more than 250 global luminaries and 450 exhibitors, featuring highlights such as the FinTech Conference with a new AI in Finance Summit and Global Investors’ Summit, the FinTech Awards, Global FinTech Hackcelerator, Innovation Lab Crawl andIndustry Events. The Festival is organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in partnership with The Association of Banks in Singapore and in collaboration with SingEx Holdings. Festival Grand Sponsors include AMTD, Deloitte, GIC, Google Cloud and Prudential. Find out more at http://fintechfestival.sg.