Day two of Money20/20 Asia 2024 in Bangkok showcased a captivating array of discussions and insights at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. Here are the highlights from the event:

Redefining Financial Frontiers: A panel titled ‘Redefining the Filipino Financial Frontier: Pioneers Transforming Money’s Future in the Philippines’ shed light on the transformative journey of financial services in the Philippines. Notable speakers included Ernest Cu, President & CEO of Globe, Pebbles Sy, Chief Technology and Operations Officer of GCash, and Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International. They emphasized the role of technology, partnerships, and digitalization in unlocking fintech opportunities.

Payments Focus: The Vision stage hosted a panel discussion titled ‘Global Payment Trends: Asia’s QR Revolution, Europe’s Open Banking Wave, America’s Card Dominance – Who Will Triumph?’ featuring industry leaders like Zubin Rada Krishnan, Group CEO of BigPay, Andreas Kurniawan, Chief Digital and Analytics Officer of Bank Danamon Indonesia, and Phil Pomford, SVP and General Manager of Global Enterprise E-commerce – Asia Pacific at Worldpay. Moderated by Rachel Morissey from USA Money20/20, the panel explored topics such as open banking in Europe, the QR Revolution in Asia, and the dominance of cards in the US.

Empowering Small Businesses: A keynote session titled ‘Empowering Small Businesses: A Vision Beyond Wall Street’ highlighted innovative approaches for micro and small businesses globally. Charles Li, founder and chairman of Micro Connect, shared insights into their unconventional financial models focused on daily revenues rather than equity or credit.

Asian Trends and Collaborations: Insights into the Southeast Asia expansion of Micro Connect underscored their commitment to global empowerment. Additionally, a fireside chat hosted by Danny Levy from Money20/20 with Kattiya Indaravijaya from Kasikornbank explored the region’s future financial landscape, emphasizing cross-border collaborations and trends in combating fraudulent activities.

Announcements: Notable announcements included PLDT-backed Maya Bank partnering with Tala to channel loans worth P2.75 billion ($48 million) to Filipinos, and KBank teaming up with J.P. Morgan to launch Project Carina, leveraging Q-money and JPM Coin for enhanced financial services.

Networking Opportunities: Attendees enjoyed various networking opportunities throughout the event, with a standout being the Money Under Moonlight event—an enchanting celebration of Asia’s diverse cultures held at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, featuring a mesmerizing display of lanterns and candles.

In addition, attendees had the chance to engage in fun activities like The Money Run, a VR game, and explore innovations in the Money Arcade. Money20/20 Asia 2024 proved to be a dynamic platform for insightful discussions, partnerships, and networking opportunities in the fintech landscape.

Source: thefintechtimes.com

Zafin, a company based in Canada, specializing in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for banks and credit unions to modernize their core systems, has announced a significant change in leadership. After over two decades as CEO, Al Karim Somji will be stepping down. Somji, who founded the company in 2002, will transition to a role on Zafin’s board of directors, offering support to the incoming CEO, Charbel Safadi.

Charbel Safadi, who has been serving as group president of Zafin for the past five months, is taking over as CEO. The company highlights Safadi’s deep understanding of Zafin’s operations and culture as key factors that make him well-suited for this role. Zafin sees Safadi as ideally positioned to lead the company into its next phase of growth and success.

Before joining Zafin, Safadi held various leadership positions at IBM. His most recent role at IBM Canada was as senior partner and leader of business transformation services. He also served as chief technology officer (CTO) for IBM iX, the company’s digital experience consultancy and design studio.

Based in Vancouver, Zafin offers a SaaS platform tailored to help banks and credit unions streamline and customize their core modernization efforts.

The announcement of this leadership transition comes shortly after Zafin was acquired by Swedish private equity firm Nordic Capital in February 2024. Overall, 2024 has been a dynamic year for Zafin, marked by significant changes and strategic moves within the company.

Source: fintechfutures.com