Future of Finance 2021: Blockchain in the Finance Industry - How far will it go?

Caroline heads the OECD’s work on blockchain, assessing its policy implications to ensure governments across the world can access & respond to its opportunities & challenges. She leads an advisory board of 100 blockchain experts & coordinates a network of project managers working on blockchain in areas such as fintech, competition policy, SMEs, data privacy & the SDGs.

In 2020, Caroline was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Caroline was also a judge in the G20 Techsprint Hackathon 2020 & Co-Chair of the Financial Stability Board’s 2019 workstream on decentralised fintech.

Michael advises companies dealing with Digital Law: the intersection of cutting edge technology, automation and innovation.  As a former software developer, Michael has a rare combination of technical, regulatory and legal skills which he leverages to assist his clients.

Michael works with Fintech, Regtech, Blockchain, digital asset projects from enterprise level deployments bringing technology to existing business models, scale-ups , start-up ventures, cryptocurrency payment providers, crypto-asset exchanges, RegTech, InsurTech, PropTech and compliance for other technology deployments.

Since founding and exiting a successful IT business in the early 2000s, Michael has maintained an active involvement in software development.  He is knowledgeable in the workings of (and legal issues surrounding) digital currencies and digital assets, blockchain projects, smart contract issues as well as FinTech and RegTech projects.

This technical knowledge coupled with a highly commercial approach enables Michael to add real value to his client’s business in front and back end advice. Michael delivers targeted advice for the whole of life software, start-up (including fundraising) and project lifecycle including design and analysis, commercial contracts including shareholder, advisory, supply and software agreements, financial services regulation including project analysis, compliance as well as fundraising documentation and ongoing support.

Michael regularly publishes on technology and Blockchain and technology matters and is a sought after speaker on regulatory issues facing smart contract, Blockchain and technology adoption, appearing both internationally (New York, San Francisco and Singapore) and in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane) and recently appearing before the Australian Senate Inquiry into FinTech and RegTech.  He has been ranked Band 1 in FinTech by the prestigious Chambers & Partners in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and serves on the Board of Blockchain Australia and the Board of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Dimitrios Salampasis is the Director, Master of Financial Technologies and Lecturer of FinTech Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Swinburne Business School, Swinburne University of Technology. Dimitrios is a Visiting Professor of FinTech at the University of Québec at Rimouski, Canada, a Blockchain and FinTech Fellow at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and a Visiting Faculty at the School of Management in Fribourg, Switzerland. Dimitrios is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors) and a Senior Associate within the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. Dimitrios has a PhD in Industrial Engineering Business and Management from the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland and two Executive Programme Certificates from Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School. Dimitrios has completed studies in Greece, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and the USA. 

Prior joining academia, Dimitrios worked in the management consulting industries being involved in global advisory and consulting activities on emerging market investing assisting companies in developing long-term strategic focus and sustainable market business strategies. Dimitrios is publishing in international peer-reviewed academic journals and books and his work is regularly presented in major international conferences and invited keynote speeches and lectures around the world. 

Dimitrios is interested in the organizational, human, technological and societal sides of innovation and open innovation in financial services and FinTech innovation. His research, teaching, industry engagement and advisory work revolve around FinTech entrepreneurship and sustainable development, open banking and ecosystem-driven FinTech business models, Blockchain-based business models and SGDs, quantum computing for business, digital transformation in banking and FinTech education.

Dimitrios is serving as a mentor and advisor for many start-ups and scale ups in Australia and abroad and is regularly involved in advisory work with key private, public and governmental stakeholders of the Australian and international FinTech and broader business ecosystem.  

Mathew Keeley is a founding member and CEO of GROW Inc and also serves on its board of directors.

Mathew’s vision is to drive positive change for millions of people around the world through powerful technology, empowering businesses, developers, and entrepreneurs to create the future of finance.

Mathew is a Certified Financial Planner and Superannuation Specialist who, prior to starting GROW, worked with some of Australia’s most prestigious accounting and financial planning firms and launched his own HNW advisory firm Churpa Wealth (acquired by Profile Financial Services in 2018). 

In addition to his work in FinTech, Mathew has played and coached rugby league in Australia and the United States. Mathew is also a keen trail runner, amateur photographer and enjoys getting back to his family farm whenever he can.