8th Annual DC Fintech Week - Web3 for the G170

Join us for a program jointly hosted by the World Bank Group and IDB, bringing together innovators from the public and private sectors to explore the vast opportunities and challenges of the next era of the internet. We’ll discuss what is currently being scaled in developing countries, plans for future adoption, and the skills needed to fully leverage these advancements. Be part of the conversation shaping the future of digital finance and development. For those unable to join us in person, a livestream will be available.

Please see our full agenda below:

8:15 - 8:45 a.m. | Registration and Networking Breakfast

8:45 - 8:55 a.m. | Welcome Remarks

• Amy Jean Doherty, Chief Information Officer and Vice President, World Bank Group
• Jorge Familiar, Treasurer and Vice President, World Bank Group

8:55 - 9:25 a.m. | The Future of Finance and Payments in Emerging Markets

This session will explore the transformative vision for the future of finance and payments in emerging markets. We will delve into how evolving internet technologies, such as Web 3.0 and Artificial Intelligence, could impact Emerging Markets and Developing Economies.

• Douglas Arner, Kerry Holdings Professor in Law, University of Hong Kong
• Andrew Torre, Regional President, Visa
• Staci Warden, Chief Executive Officer, Algorand Foundation

9:25 - 10:10 a.m. | Web 3.0 and Scaling Impact

This session showcases real-life use cases and pilots from UNICEF, IDB, and WFP, leveraging Web 3.0 for impact and lessons learned from their implementations.

• Thomas John Puschnik, World Bank Finance Systems and Transformation
• Irene Arias Hofman, Chief Executive Officer, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Lab
• Advit Nath, Director and Controller, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Hilal Houssain, Associate Manager, Islamic Development Bank Institute
• Jorge Fernandes, Head of Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad, UN World Food Programme (WFP)
• Justin Slaughter, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Paradigm

10:10 – 10:55 am | Digital Money / Assets and Open Networks: The Path Forward

for Emerging Economies

This session examines how leaders from emerging markets (central bankers, regulators) envision the path forward for digital assets, tokenization, and their impact on local economies.

• Harish Natarajan, Practice Manager, Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation, World Bank Group
• Candace Kelly, Chief Legal Officer, Stellar Development Foundation
• Robert Oleschak, Adviser, BIS Innovation Hub
• Christian Catalini, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Lightspark
• Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore Government

10:55 - 11:05 am | Closing Remarks

• Jean Pesme, Director, Equitable Growth,Finance and Institutions, World Bank

11:15 a.m. -12:00 pm | Hands-on Technical Workshops

Shaping the skills needed to materialize potential - 3 parallel technical workshops focused on providing participants with hands-on experience in minting tokens, self-custody, traceability, and credentials.

• LacChain and Real-World Asset Tokenization with IDB
• Promissa Tokenization of MDB Promissory Notes with BIS
• Master Crypto Credential and MTN Network with Mastercard

Host or Publisher Institute of International Economic Law