Events

Based in Singapore, Rahul oversees Ripple’s engagement and advocacy with regulators and policymakers in the APAC and EMEA regions, working with our regional policy teams to support and develop regulation that promotes responsible innovation in digital assets and blockchain technology. Prior to joining Ripple, Rahul spent over 12 years in financial services, most recently as the Head of Public Policy, Asia Pacific at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Prior to that, Rahul worked with Bloomberg L.P. in their offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Hong Kong in multiple roles across valuations, business development, and sales for both exchange-traded and OTC derivative products. Rahul is the Chair of the Blockchain Association of Singapore Stablecoin and CBDC Subcommittee, and an Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). He is also Co-Chair of the GBBC Digital Money & Wallets Working Group.

Angela leads Asia Pacific public policy and strategic partnerships for TRM Labs. Prior to TRM, Angela spent over a decade at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, where she held a diverse range of roles in regulatory policy, financial supervision, business development, and consumer education — giving her deep insight into the full gamut of policymaking considerations for global financial regulators. Angela was recently recognized as a Linkedin Top Voice for Finance in Asia for her thought leadership on digital asset developments in the region. She holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Taimur Baig, PhD, heads global economics as well as macro strategy for interest rate, credit, and currency at DBS Group Research. He also advises the bank on risk management and investment strategy. Prior to joining DBS, Dr. Baig was a Principal Economist at the Economic Policy Group, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Earlier, he spent nine years at Deutsche Bank’s Singapore office, where his last position was Managing Director and Chief Economist, Asia. During 1999-2007, he was based in Washington, DC, at the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund, where his last position was Senior Economist. Dr. Baig has published extensively for both specialists and a general audience, on areas including monetary policy, digital currency, financial technology, climate change, demographics, frontier markets, fiscal policy efficacy, and financial market contagion. He is the host of “Kopi Time,” a widely followed podcast series on markets and economies.

Rahul Bhargava is a globally recognized leader with over 21 years of experience driving innovation and transformation in the financial services and payments industry. His expertise lies in successfully helping organisations globally navigate the complex landscape of innovation in payments, evolution of digital money, assets and money movement, application of emerging technologies like AI responsibly, and successfully delivering complex multi-market, public-private strategic initiatives. As a global strategy leader, business owner and community lead, Rahul has spearheaded key initiatives at SWIFT, the World Bank Group, WEF, Accenture, FIS, RBS, ICICI Bank, AI 2030, EPAA and other prominent organizations with global impact.

Natasha is the Global Head of Trade Sales and EMEA Trade Region Head within Payments at JPMorgan Chase. She has 20 years of experience across trade finance and working capital solutions for both corporate and financial institutions. Her global team provide strategic working capital advisory, risk mitigation, sales growth, and digital efficiencies for the top multinationals in the world. She was recognized for her ESG advisory work in trade finance by Innovate Finance in the Women in Fintech Powerlist 2021 and was awarded the 2022 Social Impact award by Women in Payments. She was until recently the Co-Chair of the Bi+ Council, a global JPM-wide employee organization, and is active in JPM’s business resource groups for women and for underrepresented minorities. Prior to her current role Natasha was the Global Head of Core Trade for JP Morgan, in which capacity she ran all documentary trade products for the business. She served as Board Observer for JP Morgan on the board of fintech Taulia from 2020-22. Natasha joined the firm from Citi, where she was Global Trade Sales Head and a member of the Global Trade Management Committee. Natasha holds a Master of Arts from Oxford University where she studied Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE).

Maha is Centre Head, BIS Innovation Hub Singapore. Having been newly appointed, most recently Maha was Head of Department for Early and High Growth Oversight leading the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) response to the Kalifa review of Fintech. A Senior Leadership Team member, she is setting up this new department from the ground up as part of the FCA’s strategy. Prior to this, Maha served as Chief Payments Officer at Pay.UK on secondment from the FCA, responsible for running the payments operations of BACS, Faster Payments, Image Clearing Services and related managed services. Maha joined the FCA in 2017 to set up the first Payments Department and was responsible for crafting and implementing the FCA supervisory strategy for the UK Payments Sector. This included leading the implementation of the Second Payments Services Directive (PSD2) and Open Banking. Maha has a keen interest in observing and participating in the many exciting changes that are unfolding in the financial services, innovation and fintech environment. She recently sat on the SteerCo developing the strategy and blueprint for the UK’s newly created Centre for Finance Innovation and Technology.

Dr. Tom James is a globally recognized authority in commodity and energy markets, financial services, and fintech innovation. A pioneering fund manager, published author, and space tech entrepreneur, he has spent over 35 years shaping international trade, investment strategies, and risk management. With extensive board experience, including leadership roles in public companies, Dr. James continues to drive transformation and innovation at the intersection of technology, finance, and global trade in order to help reshape markets, unlock new opportunities, and drive global economic growth. Innovation in Commodity Markets & Trade Digitization In 1998, Dr. James revolutionized commodity trading by designing and launching the first online, digital ID-secured trading platform for commodity swaps, enhancing trade security and global access.As Co-Founder & Chief Architect of TradeFlow Capital, he spearheaded the creation of the world’s first AI-powered, digital supply chain fund, dedicated to solving the SME commodity trade finance gap. Since 2016, TradeFlow has facilitated billions in global trade, unlocking growth for SMEs worldwide.

Greg Kavanaugh is a managing director and head of Global Liquidity Investment Solutions and Revenue Management for Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Transaction Services. Kavanaugh joined Bank of America in May of 2007 to lead the Treasury Services Revenue Management group and added Global Liquidity responsibilities in early 2008. Before joining the firm, Kavanaugh was head of Liquidity and Investment Products, Commercial Client Solutions for JPMorgan Chase.

As Group Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction Banking, Mr Melvyn Low has responsibility for OCBC’s transaction banking business serving SMEs, large corporations, financial institutions and government entities across the Bank’s core markets of Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Indonesia. He is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience and has held senior positions in cash management, trade and securities services in regional and global banks. He is currently the Payment Co-Chair of the Digital Standing Committee for the Association of Banks in Singapore and also serves as a board member of Network for Electronic Transfers (Singapore) and the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex). Mr Low is an IBF Distinguished Fellow and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Sopnendu Mohanty is the Co-Founder and Group CEO of the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), a global advisory and investment firm. At GFTN, he leads innovative strategies that drive development and transformation in the financial sector through four operating arms: Forums, Advisory, Platform, and Capital. He served the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as its first Chief Fintech Officer for nearly a decade, establishing Singapore on the global map as a leading center for innovation in the financial sector and a dynamic hub for fintech development. He continues to advise MAS on technology and innovation. He currently serves on several boards, including the board of A*STAR, Singapore’s leading public sector agency dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and technological innovation. Before his leadership role in the public sector, he spent nearly two decades at Citigroup. He is credited with developing many public goods, including the notable PayNow, Singapore’s digital public infrastructure for payments. He conceptualized the globally well-known Singapore Fintech Festival and its global network of forums; today, the GFTN forum is the world’s largest convenor of tech, policymakers, and the financial sector community. Mr. Mohanty has co-authored several patented works in digital finance and received numerous industry accolades. He advises governments and various institutions on policies and implementation strategies for innovation, infrastructure, and ecosystem development in the financial sector.

Kaushik Mukherjee is Senior Vice President and Head of Global Receivable & Trade for Asia Pacific, at Wells Fargo, based in Singapore. Kaushik joined Wells Fargo, Hong Kong in 2011, from Axis Bank, where he spent 14 years working in various leadership roles in Trade Operations, International Banking, Corporate Trade & Cash Management, Credit and Treasury functions as well as Trade Asset Distribution, both at Head Office in Mumbai and its Hong Kong branch. He moved to Singapore in 2014 with Wells Fargo, to manage the trade business for Asia South region involving India sub-continent, South-East Asia and Australia, both for the Corporate and FI clients. He took over the role of heading the GRT business for the entire APAC region in Oct 2020, with team members based in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan, covering the Corporate and FI clients in the region.

Sriram joined DBS in 2018 as Managing Director, Global Transaction Services. His current remit as Group Head of Product Management covers cash and liquidity management, enterprise-wide payments, trade finance and supply chain finance solutions offered by the Bank. With more than 20 years of banking experience spanning across several key international financial hubs, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and India, Sriram spearheads DBS’ digital product initiatives across the region. Since joining DBS, Sriram has led the transformation of its cash management, payments, and trade and supply chain finance businesses into ones that are fast growing, digital, innovative and market leading. He has also led the launch of several innovative payments solutions including DBS Globesend. Sriram is passionate about driving diversity and inclusion in the workplace, besides developing innovative solutions to serve corporates, large and small.

Erica is an economics specialist on China and the ASEAN region. Prior to joining Maybank in July 2023, Erica was at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for over 15 years. At MAS, she was an economist for 11 years covering Asia ex-Singapore. She also spent 4 years heading the financial development department’s China strategy team, where she formulated and executed strategies to tap on China’s financial markets and grow the forex, exchange-traded funds and derivatives markets in Singapore, while fostering engagements between MAS and financial institutions in China. At Maybank, she is regularly interviewed by Singapore and international media including Bloomberg TV and CNBC, and her commentaries have been highlighted by LinkedIn News Asia. She started her career as a journalist with Singapore’s two leading local media, The Straits Times (English) as an Economics Correspondent, and at Lianhe Zaobao (Chinese).

Sharon Toh is Head of ASEAN region for Swift in Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. She leads the relationship management team in ASEAN region, supporting existing customers and expanding businesses in this fast-growing region. With 28 years’ experience in financial services industry, Sharon has developed deep client relationships across the ASEAN region, with strong connections with banks, corporates, regulators, and market infrastructures. Prior to joining Swift, Sharon was Sales Director, Indochina at Thomson Reuters, overseeing Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. Previously, she was Regional Head of ASEAN for the Client Specialist team, responsible for the region’s sales and client training. In addition to her successful sales career, Sharon has worked in various roles across content acquisition, marketing, and client support at leading financial information providers. Sharon is on to the executive board of EU-ASEAN Business Council and serve as its vice chairwoman and treasurer. She is also deeply committed to DEI and her commitment extends to nurturing the next generation of leaders. She is one of the founding members of Swift’s gender equality network and was previously a council member of Women in Payment’s global mentorship council.

Manu is Regional Treasurer – APAC for Archer Daniels Midland, a global agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities. He joined ADM in 2023 and manages the regional treasury team spread across SG, IN, CH and VN covering capital structures, liquidity management, external borrowing, investments, trade finance, FX and Interest Rate risk management. As a versatile Treasury Leader, he has a track record of 17+ years managing and setting up regional treasury centres across established and growing multinational organizations like HP, Honeywell and Dyson. He holds an MBA from NUS Business School Singapore and B.Tech. from IIT (BHU) – Varanasi.

Craig Weeks is the Senior Vice President – Trade for the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT). Craig is also a Transaction Banking subject matter expert for Fitch Learning and an Executive Practicum Adviser of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative of North Carolina State University. Craig served as SVP and Manager of the International Banking Group of US Bank as well as serving at Citibank and JPMorgan as Global Trade Sales Head for both institutions. Craig worked for Continental Grain Company, in New York, as Assistant Treasurer for Bank Relations, and in Geneva, Switzerland as Trade Finance Risk Manager. Craig has a Masters of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management (Glendale, AZ) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dickinson College, (Carlisle, PA) where he is an Emeritus Trustee. Craig also studied at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (Medellin, Colombia). Craig was a board member and former Chair of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT). Craig is a Disaster Services volunteer for the American Red Cross Serving Western North Carolina and an avid hiker and golfer. He and his wife Lorraine reside in Weaverville, NC USA.

Michelle Zhao is Senior Vice President, Co-Founder and Global Product Head of Mastercard Move Cross-border Services. Mastercard Move Cross-border Services supports customers – Banks, Non-bank Financial Institutions, and SMEs in moving money to the world through one connection, ensuring accessibility, predictability, certainty, speed, and security. Prior to joining MasterCard, Michelle was the US Head of Cross-border Cross-currency Payments at HSBC, where she was accountable for USD Clearing and Cross-border Cross-currency Payment product portfolio, as well as managing cross-border Financial Institution Group inbound sales. She was also a member of The Clearing House CHIPS Business Committee and the BAFT Global Payments Industry Council. Additionally, Michelle held multiple roles at JPMorgan in its Global Payments Solutions organization, at Wells Fargo in its Wholesale Payments organization, and was the Head of Consumer FX eProducts in the Global Markets organization at Bank of America.