Kwame Oppong

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Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is seen as a game changer for any society. It can accelerate economic growth, streamline citizens’ access to social services, and both broaden financial inclusion and dramatically extend engagement with the digital economy.
In its essence, DPI is an assembly of interoperable digital building blocks that lay down “digital rails” by establishing some fundamentals: the unique identity of people, a scalable flow of data between institutions, and a secure infrastructure for digital payments. 
Payments is a critical field for DPI. For centuries, cash has fulfilled a fundamental role in societies as a public payment infrastructure. Today, the ability to send and receive money digitally has become an essential capability for individuals, societies, and economies.
In the digital economy, tokenised money might act as an enabler of DPI that can drive economic value while enhancing the public welfare. But what should the roles of the public and private sectors be for a successful payment DPI? Which recipes can ensure interoperability of the ecosystem to support seamless flow of digital currencies? What are the important lessons learned from north star DPI projects? This session will seek to answer these questions.

In keeping with Elevandi's commitment to developing innovation ecosystems, as considered at the Inclusive FinTech Forum and the recent report "Catalysing Disruptive Shifts for Innovation and Sustainability in Urban Environments".

More than 4 billion people can cast a vote in 2024. Two regional conflicts are jeopardising security and disrupting supply chains, with no resolution in sight. The East and the West are rising trade barriers. Against this background, how are multinationals to understand and adjust to the new normal, and where can technology help?
 
Operating under the theme of Manoeuvring Macro-geopolitical Dynamics, this roundtable will offer three constructs of the “new normal”: 
1. The death of the Brussels Effect: Europe has a history of exporting policy thought internationally, with changes like GDPR or the Basel framework for banking. Amid geopolitical divides, will this trend carry on in the regulation of digital finance and critical technologies?
2. Crisis is the new BAU: Defence, trade, health, and ecological catastrophes are becoming so frequent that corporates need to adjust to expect crises as part of their business-as-usual. How is this changing the markets for credit or insurance? What is the role of technology in this change?
3. It’s the era of economic insecurity: The US raised trade barriers to the import and export of capital and goods, especially linked to critical technologies. China, the EU and the UK are following suit, albeit with deviations. What can we expect from the race on economic security and what does it mean for cross-border businesses?

Attendees who wish to familiarise themselves with the topic may refer to the reference materials below.
- Driving innovation for a more inclusive future

In keeping with Elevandi's commitment to ensuring the development of inclusive systems, this roundtable focuses on how MSMEs can be empowered to conduct seamless business with a trusted digital identify & digital assets with stronger support from financial institutions and FinTechs.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) are working with leading central banks, bank and non-bank financial institutions, multilateral agencies and other stakeholders on the Universal Trusted Credential (UTC). The UTC is a data-driven, digitally enabled, characterisation of an MSME’s creditworthiness and business trust based on verified, traditional as well as alternative data. The goal is to provide MSMEs with an interoperable digital identity that can help them be considered for greater access to financial services and financial inclusion. In addition, MSMEs can use the UTC as an interoperable digital identity that will enable them to conduct cross-border trades with new partners.

In this roundtable operated under our theme of Decoding Digital Assets and Payments, discussants will explore the following:
- The unique potential of UTCs and how it can help MSMEs grow their business
- The challenges surrounding UTC implementation including data regulations, data infrastructure, as well as policy and domestic financial markets
- How the UTC can optimise financing, digital economy business, payments and forex settlements
- Current application of the UTC with smart contracts/purpose bound money conditions to provide cross-border payments and settlements with digital assets
- The eventual evolution of using UTC with different types of digital assets
- Identification of near-term collaborations between participants for UTC

Attendees who wish to familiarise themselves with the topic may refer to the reference materials below.
- Universal Trusted Credentials: Transforming Access to Finance for MSMEs and Beyond