2024 Speakers

White has over 20 years of experience in the technology domain, focusing on digital asset protection and technology transformation. As a senior partner at PwC, he grew the Cybersecurity practice to 150+ specialists and helped establish VARA before becoming its CEO. An alumnus of the University of Bath and Oxford's Saïd Business School, he also co-founded two startups, 'decent' and 'Clubbie.' Matt is a sought-after public speaker, making complex topics accessible to all.

CFO and Treasurer of Hedera, an enterprise blockchain governed by global organisations. With over 15 years of experience, Botaitis has held senior roles at top companies, including Uplift (a leading BNPL in travel), Kueski (Mexico's largest BNPL), Lending Club, and Citigroup at Citi Community Development and Financial Inclusion. Betsabe is an accomplished fintech strategist and executive with expertise across financial institutions, fintech, blockchain, and cryptocurrency companies.

Dr. Paolo Tasca is a Professor at University College London and a digital economist with a specialisation in distributed systems. He is also the founder of the award-winning UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, ranked seventh best university globally for blockchain and largest academic research centres in the blockchain field. In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Tasca is a seasoned blockchain entrepreneur with several successful exits and has served as a special advisor on blockchain technologies for a variety of government and industry stakeholders worldwide, including the United Nations, and several central banks.

Dean and Professor at the School of Science and Technology at IE University, Madrid, since 2022. Sidhu is also the founding Faculty Director and Chief Scientist of UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology. Co-developer of the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship and creator of the Data-X course, he authored "Innovation Engineering." A prolific researcher with over 60 patents and significant contributions to Internet communications, data, AI, and networks. Prof. Sidhu has received several awards and serves in many advisory roles.

A senior advisor for Visa, based in Dubai, focusing on global policy and regulatory developments impacting digital payments. Pérez-Galindo previously led government relations teams across LAC and CEMEA regions, working with national authorities, central banks, trade associations and international organisations. With over 30 years of public and private sector experience, Salvador has also worked at Mexico's Ministry of Finance and Energy Regulatory Commission. He holds a B.A. from El Colegio de Mexico and an M.A. from Columbia University.

Honduran economist and electrical engineer, educated at Duke and Vanderbilt University. Mossi has held various government roles, including Secretary of the Telecommunications Commission and Secretary of the Economic Cabinet. After 17 years at the World Bank, working in Honduras, Ghana, Paraguay, and the US, he became Executive President of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. He is now an international consultant and a teacher of Finance and Economics in Honduras.

Deepa Raja Carbon is the Managing Director and Vice Chairperson of the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), overseeing the creation and scale-up of the first global Virtual Asset ecosystem. She is also EVP Corporate Office at Dubai World Trade Centre, managing corporate strategy and real estate commercial. With nearly 20 years of experience, she has held leadership roles in Dubai Expo 2020 and serves as an advisor to Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism. Graduating with the highest honours, Deepa holds an LLM from Université Paris II and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Nikhil Vadgama serves as the Programme Director of the award-winning Master in Financial Technology at University College London and as the Deputy Director of the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies. With extensive experience working with global stakeholders from government, industry, and central banks, Nikhil's background spans a variety of roles in the fintech, real estate, and education sectors including launching a challenger Bank in the UK, Europe and the US.

Peter Goodrich is a member of the Secretariat at the Financial Stability Board (FSB), supporting crypto-asset, stablecoin, and non-bank financial intermediation work under the Standing Committee on Supervisory and Regulatory Cooperation. Previously, he was a lead examiner at the Federal Reserve Board’s LISCC Liquidity Program, overseeing US GSIBs and foreign banks. Goodrich holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Economics and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Senior Director of EU Strategy & Policy at Circle, a global fintech firm enabling businesses to leverage digital currencies and public blockchains for payments and financial applications. Circle powers internet-native commerce and is the issuer of USDC and EURC. Previously, Hansen led strategy at Unstoppable Finance and was head of blockchain policy at Bitkom. He holds master’s degrees in business and political science.

Strategic Advisor and Cointelegraph ambassador, who previously served as its Editor-in-Chief. Founder of KCornerTech, she advises and mentors in the tech industry. With M.A. degrees in political science and classical philology, Cornèr has over 10 years of experience in communication and journalism, covering finance, tech, and sustainability. A speaker at global events, Kristina advocates for environmental consciousness, diversity, and humanistic management.

Luther Maday works at Algorand as Head of Payments and Real World Assets, and previously served as Head of Fintech Strategy & Innovation at Moneygram. With over 20 years of experience in Financial Services, Cross-Border Money Movement, and Web3, Maday plays a key role in bridging Traditional and Decentralised Finance. Outside of work, he enjoys supporting his children's sports events and is an avid pilot with a passion for aviation.

Marcus Treacher is a global payments and blockchain expert, with 30 years of experience building international businesses focused on digital and emerging technology payment infrastructure. Marcus has held global leadership roles with household names such as Citigroup, HSBC, and Ripple, and has served on the boards of SWIFT, CHAPS and RippleNet. He currently advises on strategic growth as a board member of CB Growth Holdings and RTGS Global.

An experienced fintech lawyer who has been instrumental in developing Hong Kong’s fintech ecosystem. As the leading fintech partner at DLA Piper, Swartz advises on several matters such as transactions, regulatory licensing, and corporate governance, with expertise in digital assets, stablecoins, payments, and digital asset exchanges. Recognised as an industry leader, she has been praised for her deep knowledge and pragmatic solutions. Chambers 2023 highlights her "strong knowledge of blockchain and cryptocurrency" and her influence on Hong Kong's fintech landscape.

Ian Putter has over 28 years of banking experience, covering global markets, internal auditing, CFO roles, innovation, blockchain, regulatory compliance and reporting exposure. He is the Chief Compliance Officer at Tokinvest and serves on the board of Hedera LLC.

Saiprasad Raut is a Strategy Advisor for Worldpay's Crypto and Web3 team, focusing on Fintech, Payments, Digital Assets, and Web3 business models. He leads partnerships aimed at revenue growth. He previously co-chaired the Technology & Product Steering Committee with Dr. Leemon Baird and now co-chairs the Corporate Utilization Committee for Hedera Hashgraph, supporting ecosystem growth. With over 23 years in fintech, Saiprasad has held leadership roles at blue chip organisations such as FIS, Fiserv, Global Payments, and Capgemini, driving innovation and business strategy.

A Senior Director of Market Assurance at VARA, Sean McHugh is a seasoned professional with extensive experience as the former Global Chief Compliance Officer for Citadel Advisors, where he oversaw compliance across financial domains. With over 20 years at Goldman Sachs, including roles in New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, Sean's expertise in compliance and regulatory frameworks is invaluable. His global perspective and leadership are key to advancing industry standards and enhancing market assurance capabilities.

After 20 years in leadership roles in global derivatives markets, Harold Duineveld joined Archax in December 2022. He believes that the future of finance is on-chain and that DLT and Blockchain will revolutionise market operations. Archax focuses on regulated, institutional-grade solutions to digitise equities, bonds, and funds. Founded in 2018, Archax envisions a future where all assets have an on-chain representation.

Dimitrios Psarrakis is a financial economist and innovator, currently a Board Director at GBBC and Senior Fellow at Wharton Business School. Co-founder of ValueVerse, he has vast experience in corporate finance, banking, and financial regulation. As an Economic and Monetary Policy Specialist at the European Parliament, he co-drafted the EU's Digital Finance Regulations, including MiCA and the DLT Pilot Regime. Psarrakis has contributed to EFSI and InvestEU, authored G-20 policy reports, and lectured at top universities such as Cambridge, Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.

A Web3 founder and strategic advisor with nearly 20 years of finance experience, who holds an MSci in Physics and certifications in data science and project management. Before entering crypto, Chehade specialised in cross-border payments and multi-asset trading. Previously, he led the setup of a regulated exchange in Abu Dhabi. Since joining Binance in 2022, he helped establish its UAE presence and secured a Virtual Asset Exchange License from VARA in 2023. Alex focuses on cryptocurrency adoption, platform security, and Web3.

Founding Partner at third web venture builder The Building Blocks, Gracie applies emerging technologies in customer experiences and has delivered over $1bn of value in her roles at Omnicom and WPP for clients including Sber Bank, Lombard Odier, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030, and HSBC. She is a council member of the British Interactive Media Association and an advisor to the Institute of Practitioners of Advertising.

Scott Thiel is the CEO and Co-founder of Tokinvest, a marketplace connecting real-world asset issuers with investors globally. A multi-jurisdiction qualified lawyer and fintech entrepreneur, Thiel has over 5 years as a Director at Hedera LLC and has served on its governing council and the Hbar Foundation board. Previously, he founded TOKO, a digital asset management platform. Thiel has received multiple industry awards and recognitions, such as the “Most Innovative Lawyer” by the Financial Times from 2019 to 2022.

CEO & Managing Partner at Cypher Capital, a leading Web3 Native VC in the UAE, that has led 200+ investments, including Mysten Labs, Sei Network, and Casper Labs. With 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, Budki built three Web2 startups and worked with companies like Rocket Internet, Emirates, and TCS. Named one of the Top 50 Indians in the Middle East by Arabian Business, Vineet is a regular speaker at global crypto conferences and has been featured in major media outlets and podcasts.

Founding partner at third web venture builder The Building Blocks, Niall is CTO-in-residence at University College London’s School of Management, sits on the technical steering committee of the Accord Project, and in the Hedera techcom. He has helped over 100 start-ups achieve product-market fit through his technical advisory and mentorship and pioneered the use of smart contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amitoj Singh is a journalist with 16 years of experience, currently reporting and anchoring for CoinDesk, a Web3 media publication. He covers global financial regulations, cryptocurrencies, and major geopolitical events, including Ukraine’s use of cryptocurrencies. Previously, he was Principal Anchor and News Editor at NDTV for a decade, covering conflict, geopolitics, and foreign affairs. Amitoj holds an MA in Journalism from Columbia University and has been featured on major international news platforms.

Science Fellow at the DLT Science Foundation and PhD candidate in Financial Computing at University College London. Hernandez’s research focuses on Decentralised Finance, Automated Market Makers (AMM), and Stablecoins. His recent work includes analysing stablecoin behaviour during market shocks, using NLP to study the evolution of Distributed Ledger Technologies, and comparing AMM performance across blockchains. Walter also contributes to the UK Centre for Blockchain Technologies.

Before joining Imperial as a Professor of Finance, Marco Di Maggio was the Ogunlesi Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the Director of the Fintech, Crypto and Web3 lab at Harvard, a cross-disciplinary lab with the mission to foster collaborations between the school and companies in this industry. Marco’s current research focuses on financial intermediation with a particular focus on how new technologies, such as Blockchain and AI, have disrupted financial markets and its effects on companies and individuals. His work has been published in leading academic peer-reviewed journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Finance, and Journal of Financial Economics, and has been widely cited by outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, Institutional Investor, Slate and Forbes. He currently collaborates with several companies both in Traditional Finance and in Crypto/DeFi.

CEO of Atlas Capital Team Inc., which he conceived as a public policy initiative in 2016. Reza Bundy previously founded IronPlanet, the leading online marketplace for used capital goods, sold to Ritchie Bros for $758 million in 2016. He also co-founded Provence Capital, a venture capital group supporting emerging markets. Throughout his career, Reza has held roles at Bain Willard Companies, Kleiner Perkins, Accel Partners, and the Economist Intelligence Unit. He has served on the boards of the Atlantic Council and Rand Corporation’s African First Ladies Initiative.

Professor of Private Law and International Business Law at the University of Florence School of Law, where he directs the Executive Course on Alternative Investment, co-organised with Queen Mary University of London, and the Mediation Advanced Course. Lombardi holds a J.D., a J.C.L., an LL.M. from Harvard, and a Ph.D. from the University of Florence. Prof. Lombardi has held visiting positions at Birkbeck College, St. John's University, and other institutions. Previously he was of counsel at DLA Piper, and he is currently a member of the Arbitro Bancario Finanziario and President of the Supervisory Board at Nuovo Pignone Holding. A prolific author, he has published three books and over fifty minor publications.

Chairman of the MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) and Founder of Fils, a leading sustainability-focused fintech. Recognised by the UAE Central Bank as MENA's Future Fintech Leader, Khan has helped rank MFTA among the top four global FinTech entities. An astute investor and board member in tech companies, Nameer also brings his expertise to the Advisory Board of Edinburgh Business School, driving innovation in sustainable fintech.

Amit Kumar Gupta is an Advocate and Engineer specialising in Blockchain Technology. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi Technological University and Law from Harlal School of Law and is pursuing a Master’s in Financial Technology at IIT-Kanpur. With expertise in AML, cryptocurrency law, and cybersecurity, he has worked with Jus Amicus LLP, Corporate & Judis LLP, and Polestar Solutions. He has published research on cryptocurrency, taxation, and financial inclusion through blockchain.

Founder of TLP Advisors and a specialist in regulatory matters within technology and blockchain. Jethani advises clients on regulations across ADGM, DIFC, VARA, CBUAE, and the SCA, with experience in the UK, EU, Singapore, and the UAE. A recognised leader in Web3, he has guided numerous companies through ICO structuring and founder arbitrations. Soham received the 2024 Lexology Client Choice Award for Fintech and is listed in Who’s Who Legal 2024 for Blockchain in the UAE.

Erfan Varedi is a distinguished Data Scientist and AI Engineer, currently serving as AI Tech Lead at PwC Middle East Center of Excellence. He specialises in large language models, NLP, and machine learning, delivering AI-driven solutions across industries, particularly in finance. Skilled in Python, Scikit-learn, Transformers, and cloud technologies, he has developed scalable AI architectures. With a Master’s in AI and an ACM Award, Erfan is a thought leader, shaping the future of AI in business and finance.

Holding a PhD and Postdoc in Finance from Zhejiang University, his expertise spans financial markets, empirical asset pricing, ESG, Fintech, and sustainable finance. With over 7 years of teaching experience in MBA, M.Com, and BBA finance courses, Dr Khurram has numerous publications in top journals like ABS, ABDC, WOS, and SCOPUS. Dr Khurram is also a reviewer of many prestigious journals, including Finance Research Letters and International Review of Financial Analysis.

Dr Joseph Bitar is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the American University in Dubai, specialising in Financial and Monetary Economics. He holds a PhD from Sciences Po Bordeaux and a Master’s from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He is known for his work on dollarized monetary systems and has also contributed to central banking and banking theory. Previously, Dr Bitar worked in asset management and investment banking at Société Générale and taught at leading French institutions.

Xavier Lavayssière is a lecturer at Université Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne and a digital finance expert with over a decade of experience. He has authored numerous publications on tokenization, smart contracts, and digital asset regulation. With a background in Public Law and Computer Science, Xavier offers a unique interdisciplinary approach. A serial entrepreneur and tinkerer, he co-created the League of Ledgers podcast and, through his firm XVLV, advises organisations on digital finance.

Marco Alberto Javarone is an Assistant Professor in Theoretical Physics, specialising in complex systems, quantum information, and evolutionary dynamics. He collaborates with startups in the cryptocurrency and data science sectors. His research in Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies focuses on crypto transaction patterns, the link between Blockchain dynamics and Bitcoin's market value, and challenges in consensus mechanisms, such as proof-of-work.