THINKathon

Summary of Thinkathon - Blockchain and the Global Commons (SDGs) At the 2019 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York, an increasing number of Blockchain events were focussed on how Blockchain can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN pointed out that blockchain technology could act as a game changer, having a massive impact on economic development to build a better world. At the same time the pandemic has exposed weaknesses in global supply chains and over reliance on single suppliers. The China US divide is uncomfortably exposed. The race for digital currencies has accelerated - what are the political dimensions (eg sovereign control of digital currency as an instrument of fiscal and monetary policy) for the current monetary system? What global infrastructure and governance models could work in the digital age? Can blockchain enable sustained and purposeful global collaborations to prevent future pandemics? Blockchain allows large groups of like minded people to connect, to determine causes worth supporting and to what extent; to improve the way we collaborate and the outcomes of these collaborations and enables individuals and groups to support other individuals and groups who pursue causes they believe to be of value to others. Blockchain networks give us new ways to design and build incentive systems and we have the capacity to rapidly build and implement large-scale structures for incentivizing human behavior. Can we create incentive systems that align the interest of the individual with the overall beneficial outcomes for the planet? Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free!  Thinkathon - Blockchain and the Global Commons (SDGs) Thinkathon Moderator Dr Jane Thomason As Chief Inspiration Officer for Fintech.TV, I am a global thought leader for social impact and digital transformation and I aim to influence startups, governments, organisations, and industry on transformational opportunities of the digital economy. My job is to inspire and educate about social impact and digital transformation for social change. I am an advocate for ESG investments in emerging economies and enabling Frontier Technologies to accelerate achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thinkathon Speaker Kevin Monserrat Founder and Director Consilience Ventures. Thinkathon Speaker Thessy Mehrain Co-Founder of Liquality @Consensys, a project to enable peer-to-peer exchange across BTC and ETH blockchains and founder of 'Women in Blockchain’, a community for women defining the blockchain space. She also worked on self-sovereign identity and a supply chain solution and with the Consensys Social Impact team. Thinkathon Speaker Jeremy Wilson Experienced Chairman, guide and counsellor. Application of the new technologies in sustaining humankind & the world it inhabits. Across societies, across cultures, across all people and all peoples. Thinkathon Speaker John Kamara John Kamara is the Founder of afyarekod and Adalabs. He is a Tech Entrepreneur using smart technology to drive exponential growth in data driven organisations. Visionary and thought leader with experience in new markets and vertical across multiple sectors. John Kamara has over 15 years experience in business strategy, digital technology and development while being heavily involved in business growth and building new markets for various companies. Thinkathon Speaker Susan Oh Autodidact civic technologist in AI & blockchain; founder & advisor to AI & blockchain projects serving the UN's sustainable development goals. Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free!

Summary of Thinkathon - Future Economic System and the Role of the Democratic State The Pandemic has thrown into stark reality the role of the state (regardless of its nature) as “insurer/purchaser/lender of last resort” when faced with a black swan event such as the current one. Notions of the “small state” and reliance on markets may no longer be sustainable as governments have been forced into major interventions to preserve economic social and physical well-being. The US philosopher Francis Fukuyama has speculated that the governments who will be shown to have best dealt with the virus will be those where trust in them is highest. Distributed systems enabled by Blockchain technology offers scope for us to re-examine the social contract and the trust in the state it creates in ways more fundamental than any other since its formative construction at the time of the Enlightenment and American Revolution. What does the social contract need to look like in a distributed and peer to peer world? What should the relationship be between fiat and crypto-authority in the future? What role should the benign state play in the development and implementation of distributed systems? Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free!  Thinkathon -Future Economic System and the Role of the Democratic State Panellist Thinkathon Moderator Dr Jane Thomason As Chief Inspiration Officer for Fintech.TV, I am a global thought leader for social impact and digital transformation and I aim to influence startups, governments, organisations, and industry on transformational opportunities of the digital economy. My job is to inspire and educate about social impact and digital transformation for social change. I am an advocate for ESG investments in emerging economies and enabling Frontier Technologies to accelerate achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thinkathon Speaker Emily Landis-Walker Emily Landis Walker is a senior financial services executive acknowledged globally for her strategic connections, contributions to business development in financial services and blockchain/crypto companies, capital raising, investor relations, emergency preparedness and corporate responsibility initiatives. Thinkathon Speaker Efi Pylarinou Efi Pylarinou is an independent Fintech & Blockchain, business advisor. She focuses on Capital Markets, Wealth & Asset management transformations. With a Ph.D. in Finance, and bold Wall Street expertise, she has grown into a global Fintech influencer. She is the No.3 influencer in the finance sector and No.1 woman influencer, by Refinitiv Global Social Media 2019. She was included the 2019 Onalytica Top 100 Wealth Management Influencer list & 2019 Onalytica Top Women in Finance list & 2019 Onalytica Top Ten Social Amplifiers in Regtech & 2019 Onalytica Top 100 Gender Equality and Diversity Influencers & 2019 Onalytica Top 100 Finserv Environmental Sustainability Influencers, 2016 & 2017 Innovate Finance Women in Fintech Powerlist, Women in Fintech DACH social ranking, the Global Fintech 80, The Planet Compliance Top 50 RegTech Influencers. Thinkathon Speaker Lord (Chris) Holmes MBE Chris entered the House of Lords in 2013, where his policy focus has been on technology and the digital opportunity. He is a member of the Democracy and Digital Technologies Select Committee which is concluding a year-long investigation at the moment with the report and recommendations due later this month. He is also co-chair of Parliamentary Groups on Assistive Technology,  Fintech, Blockchain and the 4th Industrial Revolution and has published a report; “Distributed Ledger Technologies for Public Good: leadership, collaboration and innovation” calling on the Government to look at the challenges and opportunities of DLT for improving public services. An progress update was published in November 2018. Chris is a former Paralympic swimmer who won nine gold, five silver and one bronze medal across four Games, including a record haul of six golds at Barcelona 1992. Thinkathon Speaker Lawrence Wintermeyer Lawrence Wintermeyer focused on fintech, digital, and investment and promote policies for a transparent, secure, and sustainable digital financial future for everyone. He has led and worked with teams to build, grow, optimize, re-structure and divest companies from start-ups to global brands in the financial services, technology, and energy sectors around the globe. Thinkathon Speaker Loretta Joseph Loretta is a public policy influencer and globally recognised as an authority in digital asset regulation and blockchain technology. Loretta is a highly dynamic, skilled banking, financial and consulting professional with over 25 years in financial markets and related sectors. Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free!

Summary of Thinkathon - SME Funding SMEs have been disproportionately impacted by the Pandemic through : Loss of jobs leading to increased household insecurity and the poor most likely to be worst affected. Agricultural producers are unable to sell produce in local markets due to transport restrictions and travel limitations. Trade restrictions on SMEs will impact their ability to service existing loans. Reduced domestic consumption for products and services due to broader economic downturn. Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free! Kickstarting economies will require a vibrant and growing SME sector, yet many countries are struggling to get funding to SMEs, and current funding models don’t work. What are payments infrastructures that would work for SMEs? How has COVID accelerated the development of alternative payment and fundraising alternatives for SMEs? What government policies are needed to support SMEs? How can governments and others create incentives for people to develop new paradigms, or even just better ways to do things, and avoid stamping out good ideas? Thinkathon - SME Funding Panellist Thinkathon Moderator Vince Molinari Vincent Molinari was a Co-founder of Templum, Inc., and formerly the CEO of its subsidiary, Templum Markets, a FINRA registered broker dealer and Alternative Trading System (ATS) providing a registered solution for raising capital and trading private digital securities. Thinkathon Speaker Jonny Fry Blockchain, Digital Assets & Funds Specialist with over 25 years experience as CEO of publicly quoted Asset Management business. Jonny's focus has been on the dynamics of financial innovation analysing how where and why Blockchain technology and Digital Assets can be used commercially, he is a regular speaker and write Digital Bytes weekly about these topics and is co-founder of TeamBlockchain Ltd. Thinkathon Speaker Helping to build a fairer financial syste Lee Birkett m for the world. One of the youngest London Stock Exchange AIM quoted Chief Executives with extensive commercial experience in Fintech, Insuretech and Blockchain. Current FCA Controlled Functions. SMF1 Chief Executive - SMF3 Executive Director - SMF16 Compliance Oversight - SMF17 Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) Thinkathon Speaker Sorcha Mulligan Sorcha Mulligan supports FinTech & Blockchain Supply Chain & Trade Finance Platforms who are seeking to achieve growth through Investment, Joint Venture Partnerships & direct Client Acquisition in EU & UK markets. Essentially, matching people with people who can work together to achieve a combined, aligned objective in their field. EQ with IQ is the winning formula. Thinkathon Speaker Barry James Author of ‘New Routes to Funding’, the handbook of modern funding, Crowdfunding & beyond. Barry James write, educate and advise on Fintech and Blockchain innovation, regulation and transparency. He contributes the weekly Token Intelligence column to CityAM and am a regular contributor and media commentator elsewhere including the FT, The Times, BBC, Crowdfund Insider, and Bankless Times, writing on topics around Blockchain, ICOs, Crowdfunding and the Token Economy, Fintech, Funding and Finance. Thinkathon Speaker Victoria Thomason An entrepreneurial IP & IT Lawyer and Board Advisor with a track record in driving success across a diverse range of financial institutions, from start-up to corporate. With over 10 years of Senior Management experience, she has effectively advised and guided transformation and innovation initiatives across the international arena. At the core, Victoria Thompson is a collaborator who leads with integrity, whilst she has mobilised and directed cross-functional workforces, she has also motivated individuals to reimagine operational possibilities and deliver transformative programmes. Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free!

Summary of Thinkathon - Health Care and Lessons From COVID COVID has taught us that technology can be deployed quickly to facilitate a Pandemic response. What will the future of health care be in a digital age? AI, robotics, and virtual and augmented reality – to deliver intelligent solutions for both evidence- and outcome-based health, and focusing on collaborative, preventative care. Democratisation of access for healthcare. Better treatment choice AI empowers clinical decision-making and ensures the right interventions and treatments are customised to each patient, creating a personalised approach to care. More efficient diagnosis: Repetitive, uncomplicated tasks can be performed more accurately by AI-enabled systems, reducing physician error and enabling early diagnosis and interventions before conditions become critical. Faster drug development AI has the potential to enable faster development of life-saving drugs, saving billions in costs that can be transferred to health ecosystems. Early disease prediction AI can help improve our approach to population health identifying specific demographics or geographies where population health issues exist, help to target and precisely implement education and treatment programs and reduce spending waste. Country economies have spent a lot of time optimizing business for current conditions and expected slight variations but have been exposed as brittle and unprepared for material, even if not seismic, shifts. Healthcare in the US is a good example of this problem. We spend so much time trimming, optimizing, ringing efficiencies out of everything that we’ve been caught flat-footed by the pandemic even though we have an outstanding healthcare system. How can economies, local, national and global, remain flexible? Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free! Thinkathon - Health Care and Lessons From COVID Panelists   Thinkathon Moderator Dr Jane Thomason As Chief Inspiration Officer for Fintech.TV, I am a global thought leader for social impact and digital transformation and I aim to influence startups, governments, organisations, and industry on transformational opportunities of the digital economy. My job is to inspire and educate about social impact and digital transformation for social change. I am an advocate for ESG investments in emerging economies and enabling Frontier Technologies to accelerate achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thinkathon Speaker Helen Disney Member, Innovate Finance, Women in Fintech Power List 2016 & Financial Technologist Founders 50, Listed as one of top 100 Most Inspirational Women in Blockchain* Founder of Unblocked, a hub for Blockchain events, education and information. Unblocked makes Blockchain technology accessible for a non-technical business audience. We act as a bridge between the technical and business worlds, helping executives to understand the opportunity Blockchain technology offers their business. Thinkathon Speaker Dr Alex Cahana Conceptualist, HealthCare Ecosystem Designer, Digiceutical Integrator and Theme Developer. My areas of passion are WellBeing, Pain, Social Determinants of Health, Systems Engineering, Blockchain and Phenomenology. He loves to offer big-picture, cross-disciplinary advice, strategically assess new ventures and design disruptive solutions in Healthcare. He believes by 'blockchainizing" Healthcare we can transform people from passive health service consumers into active, self-sovereign Health and Wealth producers. Thinkathon Speaker Dr Robert Laidlaw Dr Robert Laidlaw is the Founder & Executive Director of Secure Health Chain, an Australian digital health startup that is harnessing the real power of health data. We have built a suite of digital solutions to achieve this. In recent weeks we have partnered with Accubits to bring the RebuildTheChain pandemic management platform down-under. RTC uses real-time patient data to scale back the current debilitating population lockdown gradually. It also has a self-identification symptoms tracker to take the strain off our public and private hospitals by allowing patients to self declare any symptoms before they even arrive at our institutions. Thinkathon Speaker John Kamara John Kamara is the Founder of afyarekod and Adalabs. He is a Tech Entrepreneur using smart technology to drive exponential growth in data driven organisations. Visionary and thought leader with experience in new markets and vertical across multiple sectors. John Kamara has over 15 years experience in business strategy, digital technology and development while being heavily involved in business growth and building new markets for various companies. Thinkathon Speaker Jacky Wright Jacky Wright is a transformational global leader, innovative technologist and recognized STEM advocate. A senior executive whose career spans multiple industries, Jacky is currently Chief Digital Officer and Corporate Vice President for Microsoft US, where she helps businesses leverage technology to drive innovation, adopt sustainable and accessible business models, and digitally transform. Keen to Participate in the next Thinkathon? Visit Thinkathon Website and reserve your seat, it's totally free!

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented public concerns about viral transmission via cash. Central banks report a large increase in queries from the media on the safety of using cash. The number of internet searches pertaining to both “cash” and “virus” is at record highs. This seems likely to accelerate central bank adoption of digital currencies. What is a digital currency? What are the implications for the financial system? Who is working on it? What will be the governance implications? How can governments and others create incentives for people to develop new paradigms, or even just better ways to do things, and avoid stamping out good ideas? The panel covered: 1. What was the original impetus to create CBDC? 2. Difference between Retail, Commercial CBDC, implications for banking system and monetary policy? 3. Latest developments in Central Bank Digital Currency Activity? 4. Why are we talking about this in the midst of COVID-19? Our Panelists:   Vince Molinari Moderator Vincent Molinari was a Co-founder of Templum, Inc., and formerly the CEO of its subsidiary, Templum Markets, a FINRA registered broker dealer and Alternative Trading System (ATS) providing a registered solution for raising capital and trading private digital securities. Lee Schneider Speaker Lee A. Schneider is a financial services and technology lawyer based in NYC. He serves as general counsel for block.one, a leading blockchain software company. Lee co-hosts a FinTech podcast with former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes, available on iTunes and other podcast services. Emily Landis-Walker Speaker Emily Landis Walker is a senior financial services executive acknowledged globally for her strategic connections, contributions to business development in financial services and blockchain/crypto companies, capital raising, investor relations, emergency preparedness and corporate responsibility initiatives. Jonny Fry Speaker Blockchain, Digital Assets & Funds Specialist with over 25 years experience as CEO of publicly quoted Asset Management business. Jonny's focus has been on the dynamics of financial innovation analysing how where and why Blockchain technology and Digital Assets can be used commercially, he is a regular speaker and write Digital Bytes weekly about these topics and is co-founder of TeamBlockchain Ltd. Jannah Patchay Speaker Jannah Patchay is experienced and industry-recognised subject matter expert and consultant in the financial markets sector, specialising in financial markets innovation, and in helping firms to define, develop and execute their commercial strategies in a highly regulated environment. Thessy Mehrain Speaker Co-Founder of Liquality @Consensys, a project to enable peer-to-peer exchange across BTC and ETH blockchains and founder of 'Women in Blockchain’, a community for women defining the blockchain space. She also worked on self-sovereign identity and a supply chain solution and with the Consensys Social Impact team.