Point Zero Forum 2023 in Zurich publishes its programme

How can digital assets, technology for ESG and generative AI make financial markets more efficient and sustainable?

High-ranking decision-makers made up of policymakers, regulators and business leaders from the financial world will discuss the use of artificial intelligence (AI), digital assets and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) technologies for sustainable and efficient financial services at the second Point Zero Forum in Zurich from 26-28 June. The Forum will be jointly opened by Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Finance, Karin Keller-Sutter, and Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Heng Swee Keat.

The recent turmoil in the financial markets has shown the importance of trust and stability to enable continued innovation and sustainability in the financial sector. The second edition of the Point Zero Forum will provide a unique opportunity for an exchange of views on future challenges facing the financial sector, with the presence of around 1,000 high-level decision-makers from central banks, policymakers and regulators, as well as innovative financial companies. 

The programme has now been published on www.pointzeroforum.com/programme covering three main topics:

• Digital Assets: Stocktake on the use cases for adopting digital assets, asset tokenisation and distributed ledger technology
• Technology for ESG: Showcasing the technologies and solutions that can accelerate the fair transition towards climate neutrality
• Generative AI: Deep-dive into generative AI, the potential use cases in financial services and the roadmap towards adoption

Prominent speakers

This year’s Point Zero Forum will feature a number of prominent speakers. Confirmed speakers include:

• Adrienne A. Harris, Superintendent, New York Department of Financial Services
• Alessandra Perrazzelli, Deputy Governor, Bank of Italy
• Alison Martin, Chief Executive Officer EMEA & Bank Distribution, Zurich Insurance Group
• Professor Amir Yaron, Governor, Bank of Israel
• Ashley Alder, Chair, Financial Conduct Authority
• Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered
• Brad Garlinghouse, Chief Executive Officer, Ripple
• Cecilia Skingsley, Head of BIS Innovation Hub, Bank for International Settlements
• Christian Mumenthaler, Group Chief Executive Officer, Swiss Re
• Clara Durodié, Chief Executive Officer, Cognitive Finance Group
• Cornelia Andersson, Group Leader, Sustainable Finance & Investments, London Stock Exchange Group
• Hon. Caroline D Pham, Commissioner, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Daniela Schackis, Deputy Director General, European Central Bank
• Daniela Stoffel, State Secretary, State Secretariat for International Finance
• Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Global Policy, Circle
• David Newns, Head, SDX
• Emma Butterworth, Head of FMI Innovation and Payments Policy, Bank of England
• Professor Fabian Schär, Professor for DLT and FinTech, University of Basel
• Jorge Familiar, Vice President and Treasurer, World Bank
• Karmela Holtgreve, Director General Strategy and Innovation, Deutsche Bundesbank
• Mary Schapiro, Vice Chair for Global Public Policy, Bloomberg
• Mathias Imbach, Co-Founder & Group Chief Executive Officer, Sygnum Bank
• Dr Mirjam Staub-Bisang, Country Head, Switzerland, BlackRock
• Ondřej Kovařík, Member of the European Parliament, European Parliament
• Dr Prag Sharma, Global Head of Artificial Intelligence, Citigroup
• Ravi Menon, Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore
• Ronadol Numnonda, Deputy Governor, Financial Institutions Stability, Bank of Thailand
• Sandra Ro, Chief Executive Officer, Global Blockchain Business Council 
• Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer, UBS Group AG
• Professor Thomas J. Jordan, Chairman of the Governing Board, Swiss National Bank
• Professor Thomas Puschmann, Executive Director, Global Center for Sustainable Digital Finance, University of Zurich, Stanford University, University of the Fraser Valley
• Umar Farooq, Chief Executive Officer of Onyx by J.P. Morgan & Global Head of Financial Institution Payments, J.P. Morgan

Industry workshops and networking opportunities

Innovation tours will take place on the final day of the Forum in and around Zurich, allowing participants and other guests to visit leading companies and innovation labs. Providers include ETH Zurich’s Quantum Center, Google, BIS Innovation Hub, the University of Zurich’s Blockchain Center, CV Lab in Zug and Home of Blockchain.

Cooperation between Switzerland and Singapore

The Point Zero Forum is jointly organised by the Swiss State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) and Elevandi, a company set up by MAS.

Daniela Stoffel, State Secretary for International Finance at the Swiss Federal Department of Finance, said: “The upcoming forum in Zurich will bring together all stakeholders and show concrete ways in which technological innovation can help achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals while strengthening the competitiveness of the financial sector.”

Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer of MAS and Chairman of the Board, Elevandi, said “The financial sector is undergoing an interesting shift. Emerging financial technologies are moving from the experimental stage to either leapfrog, as in the case of AI, or get repositioned in areas like digital assets. This transition brings regulatory and policy choices to the forefront, which must be made as the sector scales. The Forum is a timely gathering to navigate the policy considerations affecting this shift.”

Photo by Henrique Ferreira on Unsplash

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