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15th Annual SKBI Conference on Web3: When AI, Finance, and Web3 meet

transition finance conference

Every year, the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) hosts its Annual Conference, bringing together leading speakers and panellists from across academia and industry. Now in its 15th edition, this year’s Conference will focus on SKBI’s “Market Innovations and FinTech” pillar and is jointly organised with SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS). Led by Prof Hong Zhang (SKBI) and Prof Feida Zhu (SCIS), this collaboration builds on earlier joint efforts such as SKBI's participation in SCIS Industry Day 2025 and also reflects SMU’s commitment to cross-disciplinary research and innovation.

SKBI proudly helms Day 1 of the inaugural SMU Web3 Week, kicking off the week-long series of presentations, talks, forums, and networking opportunities exploring the intersections of AI, finance, computer science, and art. Read the event recap here. 

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Date: 27 November 2025 (Thursday)

Time: 8:30am – 6:00pm

Venue: Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
SMU School of Accountancy, Level 2
60 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178900

 

Programme

8:40am– 8:45am

Opening Remarks

Prof Feida Zhu and Prof Hong Zhang

8:45am – 09:00am

Welcome Message
Prof Alan Chan, Provost, SMU

9:00am – 10:00am

Keynote Presentations: SMU Research & Industry Insights

Moderator: Prof Feida Zhu

  • Prof Hong Zhang, Professor of Finance, SMU: "Crypto Crash and Financial Stability" [Download Slides]
  • Prof Shihao Yu, Assistant Professor of Finance, SMU: "Anatomy of Crypto Trading" [Download Slides]
  • Hassan Ahmed, Singapore Country Director, Coinbase: "The state of digital assets: Key trends, regulation, and 2026 outlook"

10:00am – 10:30am

Coffee Break

10:30am – 11:15am

Panel Discussion 1: Investment and Asset Management in the Age of Web 3

Discussing asset management and investment strategies related to blockchain, tokenization, and decentralized finance.

Moderator: Frank Fan, SMU PHDGM 2023

  • Hassan Ahmed, Coinbase, Singapore Country Director
  • Chuan Jin (C.J) Fong, GSR, APAC General Manager
  • Jack Yang, LTP, Founder and CEO
  • Elbert Iswara, QCP,  Head of Sales Coverage

11:15am – 12:00pm

Panel Discussion 2: Stablecoins: Expanding Horizons Beyond Payments
A deep dive into the transformative potential of Stablecoins, their role in payments, financial ecosystems, and implications beyond traditional use cases.

Moderator: Frank Fan, SMU PHDGM 2023

  • Moses Lee, Anchorage, Head of APAC
  • Chin Tah Ang, Crypto.com, General Manager Singapore
  • Leona Gan, Fomo Pay, Head of Global Business Growth
  • Jeremy Lim, Ceffu, Head of Strategy and Partnerships

12:00pm – 1:30pm

Lunch

1:30pm – 2:40pm

Session 1: AI + Web3

  • Patrick Sze, CTO, Green Link Digital Bank: “Reimagining Finance: AI-Driven Innovation in Banking”
  • Ceridwen Choo, CEO, Cleanverse: “When AI VBecomes the Payment Processor: The End of Human Intermediaries”
  • Prof Feida Zhu, Associate Professor of Computer Science, SMU: “AI-Empowered RegTech for Web3”
  • Panel Discussion, moderated by Prof Feida Zhu
    • Thomas Wan, General Manager, Blockchain Association Singapore
    • Lily King, COO, Cobo
    • Patrick Sze, CTO, Green Link Digital Bank
    • Ceridwen Choo, CEO, Cleanverse

 2:40pm – 3:50pm

Session 2:  Media & Creator Economy 

  • Dr Jack Gao, Chairman, Singapore Whale TV Group: “Web3, AI & Media: Home Screens Innovation and Whale TV’s Practice”
  • Prof Bingxue Zhang, Associate Professor, USST: “The Next Step for Web3: From Data Ownership to Creative Economy”
  • Guangguang Lu, Researcher, SMU: “Tokenomics Design: An Overview and Case Studies”
  • Panel discussion moderated by Prof Feida Zhu
    • Zinan Ge, Krakra & PopEcho
    • Prof Bingxue Zhang, Associate Professor, USST
    • Guangguang Lu, Researcher, SMU

3:50pm – 4:10pm

Coffee Break

4:10pm – 5:20pm

Session 3: DePIN + Green Economy

  • Leo Lin, Founder, Arkreen: “Arkreen: Decentralized Energy Network Powered by Global Community and On-Chain Economy”
  • Dr Wujuan Lin, General Manager, Hitachi Asia: “Green Finance and Emission Trading for Sustainable Built Environment”
  • Panel discussion moderated by Prof Feida Zhu
    • Louis Chong, Senior Manager, BCA
    • Leo Lin, Founder, Arkreen
    • Dr Wujuan Lin, General Manager, Hitachi Asia

5:20pm – 6:30pm

Session 4: RWA+ DeFi

  • Suyang Li, Yong Pung How School of Law, SMU, “Practices and Issues of Decentralized Governance in DeFi: A Case Study of MakerDAO”
  • Panel Discussion on DeFi in Action. Moderated by Dr Haiyun Zhu (SMU, NTU).
    • Tao Yu, DigiFT
    • Joshua Chen, ExSat
    • Weida Cao, COO, VC Plus
    • Seth Yan, Head of Strategy, Matrixport
    • Patrick Thng, Director, FinTech Track of MITB, SMU
Event Photos
Organised by

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