Singapore Fintech Festival 2017 - My Experience (Bonus : List Of Blockchain Related Exhibitors)

Singapore Fintech Festival, the world's largest Fintech event just ended yesterday (17/11/2017) with the highlights of 3 winners in the Global Fintech Hackcelerator comptetion (more about this later).  I am privileged enough to attend the Thursday (16th Nov 2017) session as trade delegate. So, before I forget, thought to document my experience here.  

The event hall is huge (covering 3 Expo halls) with 281 exhibitors from all over the world. Ranging from big financial institutions to tech companies and of course the startups. On top of that, there are on-going panel discussion, keynotes and demos (at Sandbox stage) If you are into Fintech and Startups, I am sure you can spend pretty much the whole day here.

The morning session (on 16th Nov 2017) comprises of a speech by Her Majesty Queen Maxima (Netherland) on "A Better Future (Inclusion Technology)" followed by the Keynote on "Financial Services For The Poor" by Michael Wiegand (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). The theme is to take care of those unbanked citizens in the poor countries like Kenya etc.

After which, 20 startup finalists pitch their ideas in the Global Hackcelerator Demo session (each team only has 5 minutes to pitch). There are a couple of wow ideas but not all.   

3 winners of the Global Hackcelerator are: Moxtra (India), SQREEM (US) and Trunomi (Singaproe). Each team walk away with cash prize of SGD50,000. 

In the afternoon, it's more like free and easy for the attendees to choose their preferred panel discussions between the AMTD, Delloitte and Prudential Stages. For me, I've attending the following panel discussions:

1. Insurtech I - Protection Disruption (Panelists: Dr Andrea Braun [Accenture Technology], Parul Seth Kanna [Pinbox Solution] and Benoit Claveranne [AXA Group]). Prior to this, there is a Keynote by Group Head of DBS, Ms Tan Su Shan on their "Road To Digitization" which is equally interesting. Looks like all big financial institutions are working hard to inculcate the startups mindset in their culture. 

2. Insurtech II - Insuring The Future  (Panelists: Al-Noor Ramji [Prudential], Julie Batch [IAG] and Willaim Fung [AMTD]). 

Following which, I've roamed around the halls and pay visit to the exhibitors that caught my eyes. Some of the interesting ones are as follows:

Interesting Crypto Wallet solution (from Singapore)

Project Ubin (MAS) - We are at Phase 2 now with 3 prototyping

Nem.io - Personally think that Smart Contract will have a brilliantly bright potential

ICO in the Healthcare front?

Ethereum on steroid? 

Read this ICO before attending the event, surprise to see them there

Overall, I have a great learning and mind-opening experience at Fintech Festival. With national effort to make Singapore a Smart Nation, we need more of such events to expose the general public (not only trade delegate) with the new and upcoming xxxTech (not only FinTech). 

Did you attend the festival too? What is your review? 

Cheers!

BONUS : Since this blog is focusing on Blockchain technology, I've sieved through all the 281 exhibitions and summarised the list of exhibitors related to Blockchain or Cryptocurrencies as per following (in alphabetical order), hope you find it useful:

1. Blockchains.my (a decentralized mobile wallet)

2. Blocko (provide blockchain solutions for enterprise)

3. Blockpass (provide blockchain identity protocol solutions)

4. Bloq (provide blockchain solutions)

5. Chamber of Digital Commerce (the world’s leading trade association representing the digital asset and blockchain industry)

6. Clout (a blockchain based platform that promotes the cryptocurrency communities growth)

7. Colorado Blockchain Capital (a boutique capital management firm, founded in 2017, that invests exclusively in digital assets (cryptocurrencies, blockchain companies, etc.))

8. Consensys (the world’s leading blockchain software and consulting services company)

9. datum (the decentralized marketplace for social and IoT data. Powered by Ethereum)

10. FundPlaces (a real estate investments platform that utilises blockchain technology to digitise and democratise real estate investment)

11. Fund Yourself Now (a blockchain based crowdfunding platform)

12. Genaro Network (the first blockchain 3.0 ecosystem built on a Turing-complete public chain with decentralized storage, providing blockchain developers with a one-stop solution to deploy smart contracts and store data simultaneously)

13. Hyperledger (an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies)

14. Infinity Blockchain Labs (a R&D company engaged in intermediary and RegTech services employing blockchain technology)

15. MAD Network (a decentralized ad tech ecosystem of blockchain-based applications designed to minimize the role of intermediaries and return lost value to advertisers and publishers)

16. Mining.sg (a multi-faceted company, mainly supplying mining rigs to mine cryptocurrency coins)

17. Moin (a Korean blockchain based foreign remittance solution)

18. Nem.io (a global blockchain technology non-profit organisation with the sole purpose to introduce, educate, and promote the use of the NEM blockchain technology platform)

19. Netki (the first and only company focused on the onboarding and digital identity needs of the blockchain ecosystem, through analyzing, creating, and driving adoption of identity standards)

20. Pundi X (aims to bring in the next billion crypto users as it allows users to buy, sell, use cryptocurrency anywhere and anytime)

21. R3 (an enterprise software firm working with over 100 banks, financial institutions, regulators, trade associations, professional services firms and technology companies to develop Corda, its distributed ledger platform)

22. RSK (the first smart contract platform powered by the Bitcoin Network)

23. SelfKey (a blockchain based digital identity system with an integrated financial services marketplace, designed to put identity owners in control of their personal data and apply for financial services in a secure manner)

24. SentBe (Disrupting the money transfer process using the blockchain and the concept of pooling)