Central Bank Digital Currencies: game changer or digital hype?

Money makes the world go round! So, the emergence of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) as a new form of money is a hugely important development that has the potential to transform the medium of exchange that people around the world depend on.

This is a global phenomenon. But the engines of its progress are, in the early stages, being ignited by and within individual jurisdictions. From these starting points, its impact will extend beyond physical boundaries and be felt across the emerging digital landscape.

In the latest webinar from our Centre for Digital Banking and Finance, we will be joined by Jeremy Wilson, Chairman of the Whitechapel Think Tank, as well as members of the Future of Payments Work Group, Jannah Patchay and Jim Ford.

You'll hear their views on how the foundations of this digital transformation will affect the British pound. They'll discuss the global context that the digital pound will operate in and the requirements arising from this.

Discover the key opportunities, challenges and risks. And hear views on what the role of financial institutions, policy makers and technology providers should be in supporting the development of this new form of money.

Who will be speaking?
Jim Ford, Industry Specialist
Helene Panzarino, Fintech Programme Director, LIBF
Jannah Patchay, Founder, Markets Evolution
Jeremy Wilson, Chairman, Whitechapel Think Tank

Jim Ford, Industry Specialist
A senior payments professional with over thirty years in the business, Jim combines in-depth knowledge of key regulatory and technological developments with the ability to analyse the practical impacts of these on the payments industry.

Jim sits on the board of the Whitechapel Think Tank which promotes the UK blockchain agenda where he has helped to write a number of key industry papers.

He has worked with three major central banks on a report assessing how central bank digital currencies could resolve challenges in cross border payments and has made extensive contribution to thought leadership around the impact of blockchain on payments in general. This included contributing to the transition of the Utility Settlement Coin initiative from consortium to limited company.

Helene Panzarino, Fintech Programme Director, The London Institute of Banking & Finance
Originally a Commercial Banker, Helene is an experienced fintech 'sherpa', programme director, exited entrepreneur, educator and author. The CEO of New Financial Laboratory, she takes community banks to the digital future by connecting them to the fintech of the present.

The former MD of the global Rainmaking Colab Fintech Programme, a world-first, post-accelerator programme for Series A+ fintechs and Tier 1s, Helene was also responsible for the Inaugural Programme of Education/ Events for Innovate Finance. As Director of the Fintech Programme for the LIBF Digital Banking Centre, Lead Fellow and creator on a world-first Fintech Pathway in a Masters in Tech Entrepreneurship Degree for UCL, and co-creator and delivery partner on the Imperial College Fintech Exec Ed Programme, she is passionate about education.

Specialist subject areas are Digital Banking and Alternative Finance (SME/Bs). A regular judge, speaker, and moderator for the banking and fintech awards and conferences, Helene was a BSI FinTech representative for the UK in Brussels and has been named on the Computer Weekly '100 Women in Tech' list 2018-19 and Innovate Finance 'Women in FinTech Power List' 2019. Her new book is Reinventing banking and finance: frameworks to navigate global fintech innovation (Kogan, Sept 2020).

Jannah Patchay, Founder, Markets Evolution
Jannah Patchay is the founder of Markets Evolution, a consultancy specialising in financial markets innovation and in helping financial institutions and fintechs to define, develop and execute their commercial strategies in a highly regulated environment.

Her passion lies in building the capital markets of the future, harnessing frontier technologies to create new and innovative financial services and products that can promote wider social benefit and greater access to financial services.

Her current focus areas include sustainable and green finance, and the development of digital asset markets and central bank digital currencies.

Jeremy Wilson, Chairman, Whitechapel Think Tank
Jeremy Wilson holds a number of positions advising new and established enterprises and industry bodies engaged in the new technologies, sustainability and the financial services sector.

He is Chairman of the Whitechapel Think Tank, Chair of QPQ, and Chair of MLC, enterprises at the forefront of technological innovation. He is a Director of Nedbank Private Wealth International and retired as Vice Chairman, Corporate Banking at Barclays Bank in 2019.

Amongst other appointments he was Chair of Bloomsbury Publishing, a Director of TheCityUK, Chair of CHAPS Clearing Company Limited and founding Chair of the Banking Industry Environment Initiative Working Group.