S'pore Fintech Fest to have Asean focus this year, Banking

Opportunities and developments in Asean in financial technology will be the focus of the third Singapore Fintech Festival this year, said organisers from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) yesterday.

The annual festival, to be held from Nov 12 to 16, comes as Singapore is chair of the 10-nation grouping, and will feature a new segment to facilitate deal-making. This will showcase next-generation Asean start-ups and enterprises across all sectors, and help to connect them with potential investors.

The categories for the fintech awards have also been revised to allow for more participation from Asean countries. In particular, a PitchFest component will be held across Asean countries in which promising fintech firms will showcase solutions they have implemented.

More match-ups can be expected on Fintech Deal Day, intended for fintech firms and investors to find the right pairing. To flesh out investment opportunities, customised research reports will be produced by leading research houses on the participating fintech firms. The aim is to offer “good-quality information” on these companies, MAS said.

The festival will also feature a new segment called The Summit, which will examine emerging artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in trading, investment management, customer service and risk management. It will include discussions on quantum computing and governance and ethics in AI application.

At the three-day fintech conference and exhibition held as part of the festival, talks will cover nine broad topics: the future of banking, insurtech, capital markets, infrastructure financing, blockchain and distributed ledger technology, payments, cyber security, regtech and financial inclusion.

MAS chief fintech officer Sopnendu Mohanty said: “The Singapore Fintech Festival has grown in scale and scope over the past two editions, and has contributed to the growth of the fintech ecosystem in Singapore and the region.

“We look forward to welcoming fintech players and stakeholders from all over the world to Singapore, and to work with them to create new value and promote financial inclusion through innovation, digitalisation and connectivity.”

The Singapore Fintech Festival last year drew over 30,000 participants from more than 100 countries.

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