OMFIF Live: Digital assets: regulation and infrastructure for an evolving economy

The new digital economy is already beginning to flourish. New opportunities require new tools, and the infrastructure, both financial and non-financial, is beginning to take shape. So, too, are the risks.  The failure of the Terra/Luna stablecoin triggered a meltdown in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, offering a taste of the consequences of collapses in under-regulated markets.The legislative and regulatory community are responding with a renewed sense of urgency.

Regulators have a clear responsibility to keep their citizens and economies safe. As new financial instruments and techniques emerge, particularly from the decentralised finance community, regulators must develop the appropriate frameworks to control them, mitigate the risks they may introduce and ensure they have the power to restrict activities that are unfair, exploitative or dangerous.

For the launch of OMFIF’s ‘Digital assets’ report, the panel will examine the new opportunities and risks that the evolving asset class presents, exploring the new infrastructure springing up to provide the necessary services in the ecosystem as well as the laws required to protect investors and ensure financial stability.

Timings:
14:00-15:15 (London)
09:00- 10:15 (New York)
21:00- 22:15 (Singapore)

Jan Ceyssens
Head
Digital Finance Unit
European Commission

Jan Ceyssens is head of the digital finance unit in the directorate general for financial stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union at the European Commission. He was previously a member and deputy head of the cabinet of Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, member of the cabinet of Vice President Michel Barnier and team leader for financial supervision at the European Commission’s internal markets and services directorate general. He has worked at the European Commission since 2006, initially in the directorate general for competition’s cartels enforcement directorate and in the internal markets and services directorate general.

Oliver Linch
Chief Executive Office
Bittrex Global

Oliver Linch is chief executive officer of Bittrex Global, one of the world’s most secure digital asset exchanges. During his tenure with a leading global law firm, Linch specialised in advising exchanges, clearing houses and other financial market infrastructure companies, as well as payment service providers. His extensive legislative and regulatory drafting experience includes advising special economic zones around the world on devising and drafting new regulatory regime, particularly focusing on financial regulation and fintech.

Steven McWhirter
Director of Regulatory Policy
Global
Binance

Steven McWhirter is director of regulatory policy, global, for Binance. Prior to Binance, he worked at the Financial Conduct Authority. He drafted the UK cloud guidance, advised on the design of the UK Office for Professional Anti-Money Laundering Supervision, supported the creation of the UK Banking Standards Board and the Senior Managers and Certification Regime. He has also provided technical support on cryptoasset and distributed ledger technology policy and the UK’s approach to the future of digital markets and online harms. More recently he led the FCA’s engagement on the UK fintech ‘Kalifa’ review, and managed the FCA’s innovate strategy and engagement team.

Carly Nuzbach Lower
Chief Legal Officer
Copper.co

Carly Nuzbach Lowery is chief legal officer at Copper.co. She joined from Coinbase where she was associate general counsel in London, prior to which she was senior legal counsel at Uber and Barclays. She began her legal career at Linklaters and is a member of the bar in both New York and the UK.

Moderator: 

Philip Middleton
Chairman
Digital Monetary Institute
OMFIF

Philip Middleton is deputy chairman at OMFIF and chair of the Digital Monetary Institute. He is a director of Rifle House Capital and a commissioner at the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, the regulatory body for the finance sector in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. He was formerly a senior partner and head of central banking at EY, where he specialised in strategy consulting and services to governments and other public institutions across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.