Mr Leong Sing Chiong was appointed as Deputy Managing Director for Markets and Development on 1 February 2021. He oversees the Markets & Investment, Development & International, FinTech & Innovation, as well as Sustainability Groups. Prior to this, Mr Leong served as Assistant Managing Director overseeing the Monetary & Domestic Markets Management Department and the Reserves Management Department since June 2018. He also served as Assistant Managing Director of the Development and International Group from 2013-2018.
Mr Leong began his MAS career with the Reserves Management Department in 1993 and served as Staff Assistant to the Managing Director from 1997-1998. In 1999, he joined the Monetary Management Division and was responsible for the implementation of MAS’ monetary policy and money market operations. Thereafter, Mr Leong was appointed Chief Representative of MAS’ London Representative Office from 2002-2004. Mr Leong spent six years with the International Department from 2004-2010 and was appointed as the Executive Director of Financial Centre Development Department from 2010-2013.
Mr Leong is a recipient of the Public Administration Medal (Silver). He holds a B.Sc Economics (Monetary Economics) from the London School of Economics and is married with two children.
Hall A (Level 2)
Decoding Digital Assets and Payments
In this session, policymakers convene to envision the future state of financial market infrastructure, where multilateral cross-border fast payment linkages become the cornerstone of the global financial architecture. Leveraging on practical insights from exploratory projects such as Project Nexus, the session seeks to uncover the risks and opportunities and chart the way forward on how interlinking of fast payment systems could reshape cross-border payments, market dynamics and global connectivity.
Roundtable Room 1 (Level 2)
Decoding Digital Assets and Payments
This roundtable reflects Elevandi’s commitment to developing the infrastructure to support the adoption of new technologies.
The quest for cheaper, faster, more transparent and accessible cross-border payments has become a central focus for policymakers and financial institutions worldwide. At the forefront of this initiative is the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments, setting ambitious targets on speed, cost, transparency and accessibility by the end of 2027, while also prioritising safety and financial inclusion globally.
In tandem with this global effort, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) introduced Project Nexus in 2021, an innovative initiative aimed at reshaping the landscape of cross-border payments. Through Nexus, the BIS has developed a multilateral and standardised approach in connecting fast payment systems globally to enable instant and seamless cross-border payments. Over the past two years, Project Nexus has conducted a successful proof-of-concept with the fast payment systems in the Eurozone, Malaysia, and Singapore. Notably, it has also facilitated collaboration among five Southeast Asian countries to link their fast payment systems.
With the completion of Phase III of Project Nexus, it promises to reveal ground-breaking advancements towards establishing a global multilateral payments platform. Under the theme of Decoding Digital Assets and Payments, this upcoming roundtable presents a rare opportunity for attendees to gain insights into the blueprint for this pioneering cross-border payments model. With the potential to revolutionise the current state of the global financial market infrastructure, Project Nexus is poised to redefine the future of cross-border transactions.
Attendees who wish to familiarise themselves with the topic may refer to the reference materials below.
- Nexus project page
- Latest (2024) Nexus report
- Enabling & scaling instant cross-border payments
- Connecting to global scalability in payments: How we can benefit and contribute to the nexus
- Nexus: enabling instant cross-border payments