Digital Finance: what role for the EU?

Welcome to our conference

We were delighted to welcome you to our 10th Annual Afore Consulting Fintech and Regulation conference which took place on 3 February 2026.

This year, we were privileged to have a stellar line-up of policy makers, regulators and industry who shared with us how they see digital finance evolving and the role the EU can play.

Now in our 10th year, we are grateful for the continued support of these annual conferences bringing together the European and international perspectives on FinTech developments.

These developments are shaping financial services and its intersection with evolving new technologies. 

We are delighted to be part of this process.

Download Programme

09:00 - 09.05

Welcoming remarks

09.05 - 09.20

Opening Keynote

09.20 - 09.40

Fireside Chat

09.40 - 10.15

Getting the Global Response Right

10.15 - 10.30

Fireside Chat

10.30 - 10.45

Fireside Chat

10.45 – 10.55

Coffee Break

10.55 - 11.05

Tech Talk: the Future of Agentic AI

11.05 – 11.45

AI: Delivering on Compliance or Creating New Headaches?

11.45 – 12.05

Fireside Chat

12.05 – 12.45

Operational Resilience: One Year Into the new EU
rules - Is the Industry Safer?

12.45 – 13.00

Keynote

13.00 – 14.00

Lunch Break

14.00 – 14.15

Europe’s Digital Autonomy: Between Fault Lines and Vault Lines

14.15 – 14.30

Keynote

14.30 – 15.15

Tokenising Securities Markets: From DLT Pilots to Real Transformation?

15.15 - 15.55

Looking towards a wider world

15.55 - 16.15

Keynote

16.15 - 16.30

Coffee Break

16.30 - 17.30

MiCA: One Year In – Are we seeing the First Move Advantage?

17.30 - 17.40

Keynote (Video)

17.40

Closing remarks

Followed by a

Networking Drink

Welcoming remarks

Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting

Opening Keynote

Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union

Fireside Chat

Moderator: Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting

• Bruce Lowthers, CEO and Executive Director, Paysafe

Getting the Global Response Right?

Moderator:

  • Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting

Speakers:

  • Claude Marx, Director General, Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)
  • Emmanuel Givanakis, CEO, FSRA of Abu Dhabi Global Markets
  • Tom Mutton, Director, Bank of England
  • Joe Heneghan, Partner & CEO, Revolut

Fireside Chat

Moderator: Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting

• Cónal Hickey, Vice President, Security and Resiliency Practice Leader, Kyndryl Strategic Markets

 

Fireside Chat


Moderator:Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting

Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-Generall, DG CONNECT, European Commission

Coffee Break

Tech Talk: the Future of Agentic AI

Viviane Eide, UX Research Leader, Google Payments

AI: Delivering on Compliance or Creating New Headaches?

The financial services industry is increasingly introducing AI-powered solutions, not least Agentic AI that potentially can autonomously make decisions with minimal human oversight. This raises questions how regulators and supervisors can best deliver on their mandate in this changing environment but also what opportunities AI brings to the industry and the simplification of supervisory processes.

The panel will explore what the rapid evolution of the technology means for the financial services sector: Is the AI Act still fit for purpose to advance Europe’s global competitiveness? How is AI being used by financial services and how is this expected to be evolving? What obstacles does the financial services industry face in developing and deploying AI solutions? What do the increasing use of AI mean for the role of supervisors? What should we expect from the planned sectorial-specific supervisory guidance for the financial services sector? How can AI support compliance and supervisory effectiveness? What role is there for international standard setters to adopt common approaches when it comes to the use of AI by internationally active financial services groups?

Panel

Moderator:

  • Jon Bromma, Global head of Payments and Financial Policy, Meta

Speakers:

  • Carmine Di Noia, Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, OECD
  • Derville Rowland, Board Member, AMLA
  • Elie Beyrouthy, Chair of EPIF & Vice President Government Affairs, American Express
  • Jessica Rusu, Chief Datta Information and Intelligence Officer, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • Regina Doherty, Member of the European Parliament

Fireside Chat

Petra Hielkema, Chair, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)

 

Operational Resilience: One Year Into the new EU
rules – Is the Industry Safer?

The new European operational resilience framework for ICT services in the financial services sector will now be in place for one year. Supervisors and the industry have gained their first experience with the framework. The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) are also adapting their broader outsourcing guidelines to reflect the new reality of DORA. The Single Supervisory Mechanism adopted its own guidelines. With the ongoing interest in simplification, the European Commission is now evaluating the efficiency of the EU’s wider cyber resilience framework.

The panel will explore how DORA is functioning. Are the ICT registers working well? What have been the challenges in making DORA operational? What steps have the ESAs taken to establish the new oversight framework for critical ICT providers? Are concerns in some quarters that the framework introduces extraterritorial rules justified? Has the choice of a sector-specific cyber resilience framework for financial services proven to be the correct approach? Should DORA be subject to efforts to simplify the framework, for example by establishing a central hub for incident reporting? How can we ensure better international cooperation when it comes to cyber resilience?

 Panel

Moderator: Ondrej Kovarik, Former Member of the European Parliament

Speakers:

  • Hendrik Bourgeois, Senior Vice President Government Affairs & Policy, Europe
  • Peter Kerstens, Advisor for Financial Sector Digitalisation and Cybersecurity, DG FISMA
  • Moira Cronin, Partner, PwC
  • Natalya Rey, Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, Google Cloud

Keynote

 

Patrick Montagner, Supervisory Board Member, European Central Bank (ECB)

Lunch Break

Europe’s Digital Autonomy: Between Fault Lines and Vault Lines

 Steven Maijoor, Executive Board Member and Chair of Supervision, Dutch Central Bank

Keynote

 

Verena Ross, Chair, ESMA

Tokenising Securities Markets: From DLT Pilots to Real Transformation?

The European Commission has decided to update its DLT pilot regime. This will in theory facilitate the roll out of DLT-based technological solutions in the areas of securities trading and post-trading. Other jurisdictions are adopting similar approaches. A key component of making the DLT technology work is to legally recognise the tokenised form of securities. In the EU, Luxembourg and Malta have been leading the way but more could be done at a European level.

Panellists will be asked to explore some of the following questions: What is the potential of DLT and tokenised securities to transform European securities and fund management markets? What would be the likely impact of the new DLT proposal? What would be the potential benefits of moving to the recognition and use of tokenised securities? Could this facilitate retail investor participation, such as through fractional securities and direct access to financial infrastructure? What can we learn from the crypto markets? How should the cash settlement of securities transactions be best handled in a new DLT environment: is there a choice between stablecoins and the digital neuro? Is this an area where there is more scope for international cooperation?

Panel

Moderator: Peter Kerstens, Advisor for Financial Sector Digitalisation and Cybersecurity, DG FISMA, European Commission

Speakers:

  • Carlo Comporti, Commissioner, CONSOB and Chair of ESMA Digital Finance Standing Committee
  • Prof. Christopher P. Buttigieg, Chief Officer Supervision, MFSA
  • Mohamad Zaraket, Head of Digital Assets Strategy, EMEA, BNY
  • Paul Brody, Global Blockchain Leader, EY
  • Tom Duff Gordon, Vice President of International Policy, Coinbase

Looking towards a wider world

Moderator: Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consultin

  • Jean-Paul Servais, Chair, International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)
  • Paul Atkins, Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission

Keynote

Burkhard Balz, Member of the Board, Deutsche Bundesbank

Coffee Break

MiCA: One Year In – Are we seeing the First Move Advantage?

At the time of this panel MiCA (the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation) will be in force for a year. Some of the provisions related to stablecoins will even be in force for 18 months. The Commission will have also just released a first evaluation report. Other jurisdictions have been following suit with their own regulatory and supervisory regimes, not least the USA. Views also differ across the world whether to offer public solutions, central bank digital currencies, or leave such solutions to the private sector in the form of stablecoins, at times even turning these into part of a country’s strategic reserve.

This panel will discuss their experiences in the implementation of MiCA. Has MiCA delivered the innovation and market integration that was hoped for? Is the regime still fit for purpose or does it already require updating, such as by incorporating new services, reflecting new decentralised market structures or advancing direct supervision for the largest service providers? What role is there for international cooperation when it seems different parts of the world are pursuing their own strategies when it comes to crypto assets? Should we start and think of crypto assets as a new means of payment or investment asset class and what does this mean for European regulation?

 

Panel

Introductory Statement:

  • Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, Chair, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and ESMA Investor Protection Standing Committee

Moderator:

  • Mattias Levin, Head of Unit, Digital Finance, DG FISMA, European Commission

Speakers:

  • Fabian Astic, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Economy, Moody’s
  • Faryar Shirzad, Chief Policy Officer, Coinbase
  • George Theocharides, Chairman, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and ESMA Risk Standing Committee
  • Rupert Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer Strategy, BaFin

Keynote (Video)

  • Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, Member of the European Parliament

Closing remarks

  •  Nickolas Reinhardt, Director, Afore Consulting
  • John Berrigan, Director General, DG FISMA, European Commission

 

Networking Drink

Speakers

Maria Luís Albuquerque

Maria Luís

Albuquerque

Commissioner
Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union
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Maria Luís Albuquerque
Commissioner
Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union

Maria Luís Albuquerque is the European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. She is a highly experienced Portuguese economist and politician, best known for her role as Minister of Finance in Portugal from 2013 to 2015. During her tenure, she played a critical role in managing the country’s financial crisis.

Prior to her position as Finance Minister, Commissioner Albuquerque held various key positions in the public sector, including as Secretary of State for Treasury.

After leaving politics, she continued her career in the private sector, contributing her expertise in finance and economic policy to international organizations and advisory roles. Her professional experience reflects a deep understanding of fiscal management, economic reform and European financial systems.

Fabian Astic

Fabian

Astic

Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Economy
Moody’s
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Fabian Astic
Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Economy
Moody’s

Fabian Astic serves on Moody’s Ratings Senior Leadership Team as Managing Director and Global Head of Decentralized Finance & Digital Assets, Cyber Credit Risk, and AI Analytics. He leads the group responsible for the rating agency’s preparedness for the digitalization of the global economy, driven by transformative technologies like AI and blockchain. Specific areas of focus for the group include analytics and research, market and policy development, and process, data, and technology.

Prior to his current role, Fabian established and led the group responsible for developing quantitative models and analytical tools used in Moody’s rating process, as well as innovation activities, including advanced capabilities in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Since joining Moody’s in 2006, Fabian has held roles in Credit Policy Research and the Structured Finance Group, analyzing various structured credit products and contributing to rating methodologies.

Fabian holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics with a focus on Mathematical Finance, as well as a Master’s Degree in Mathematics Applied to Economic Sciences and a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and Social Sciences from Université Paris Dauphine. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Science and Executive Engineering from the Ecole des Mines de Paris, where he specialized in Quantitative Finance.

Paul S. Atkins

Paul S.

Atkins

Chair
Securities and Exchange Commission
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Paul S. Atkins
Chair
Securities and Exchange Commission

Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025.

Prior to returning to the SEC, Chairman Atkins was most recently chief executive of Patomak Global Partners, a company he founded in 2009. Chairman Atkins helped lead efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset sector. He served as an independent director and non-executive chairman of the board of BATS Global Markets, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.

Chairman Atkins was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he advocated for transparency, consistency, and the use of cost-benefit analysis at the agency. Chairman Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Before serving as an SEC Commissioner, Chairman Atkins was a consultant on securities and investment management industry matters, especially regarding issues of strategy, regulatory compliance, risk management, new product development, and organizational control.

From 1990 to 1994, Chairman Atkins served on the staff of two chairmen of the SEC, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt, ultimately as chief of staff and counselor, respectively. He received the SEC’s 1992 Law and Policy Award for work regarding corporate governance matters.

Chairman Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He was resident for 2½ years in his firm’s Paris office and admitted as conseil juridique in France.

A member of the New York and Florida bars, Chairman Atkins received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983 and was Senior Student Writing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Wofford College in 1980.

Originally from Lillington, North Carolina, Chairman Atkins grew up in Tampa, Florida. He and his wife Sarah have three sons.

Burkhard Balz

Burkhard

Balz

Member of the Board
Deutsche Bundesbank
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Burkhard Balz
Member of the Board
Deutsche Bundesbank

Burkhard Balz, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank

Burkhard Balz, has served on the Bundesbank’s Executive Board since September 2018 and is responsible for the Directorates General Payments and Settlement Systems, Cash Management, Digital Euro and International Central Bank Dialogue. He is a member of the Eurosystem High-Level Task Force on central bank digital currency. Mr Balz is also a Member of the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures of the Bank for International Settlements. Since January 2024 he is alternate member of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements.

From 2009 up until joining the Deutsche Bundesbank, Mr Balz was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), where he sat on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and was the financial policy spokesman of the European People’s Party (EPP).

Prior to his membership of the European Parliament, Mr Balz held various positions at Commerzbank AG in Brussels and Hanover, where he headed the department for institutional clients. Mr Balz studied law at the University of Göttingen, Germany, and com-pleted a bank apprenticeship.

Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani

Marie-Anne

Barbat-Layani

Chair
Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)
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Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani
Chair
Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)

Marie-Anne was appointed Chair of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers in 2022. Prior to this she was Secretary General of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance.

She has had an extensive career in finance having as Deputy CEO of the Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole, Deputy Director of the Prime Minister Office and as head of the French Banking Federation.

She is Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur and an Officer of the Ordre National du mérite.

John Berrigan

John

Berrigan

Director-General
DG FISMA, European Commission
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John Berrigan
Director-General
DG FISMA, European Commission

John Berrigan is the Director-General of the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA) of the European Commission.

DG FISMA is responsible for EU-level policy-making and legislative initiatives with respect to the financial sector, including Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, sustainable finance, digital finance, anti-money laundering and sanctions. In this context, John represents the European Commission on the Economic and Financial Committee and the Financial Services Committee, which report to EU Finance Ministers. He also represents the Commission on the Financial Stability Board, which reports to G20 Finance Ministers. He attends the European Systemic Risk Board and is a permanent observer on the Single Resolution Board.

John has a master’s degree in economics from University College Dublin. He is married with two children.

Elie Beyrouthy

Elie

Beyrouthy

Chair
European Payment Institutions Federation (EPIF)
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Elie Beyrouthy
Chair
European Payment Institutions Federation (EPIF)

Elie Beyrouthy Chair of EPIF, European Payment Institutions Federation.

Elie Beyrouthy is Vice President of European Government Affairs at American Express since June 2017 where he leads the company’s engagement with European Union Institutions and advises senior leaders on EU regulatory and public policy matters. Elie also represents American Express’ interests in several EU trade bodies and professional associations.

Moreover, Elie is the Chair of the European Payments Institutions Federation (EPIF) since March 2018. Prior to joining American Express, Elie was Director of International Regulatory Affairs at Western Union for 5 years.

From 2007 to 2012, Elie held leadership positions at the World Savings Banks Institute and the European Banking Federation. Elie began his career as an intern at the European Commission and the United States Federal District Court of Minnesota. He holds two Masters Degrees in Law from the University of Minnesota and from the Jean Moulin University (Lyon 3) in Lyon – France.

Elie also holds a diploma from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lyon – France.

Hendrik Bourgeois

Hendrik

Bourgeois

Senior Vice President Government Affairs & Policy, Europe
Mastercard
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Hendrik Bourgeois
Senior Vice President Government Affairs & Policy, Europe
Mastercard

Hendrik Bourgeois leads Government Affairs at Mastercard in Europe.

With more than two decades of experience at the intersection of business, law and policy, Hendrik represents Mastercard with European governments, EU institutions, and public stakeholders on a wide variety of issues, promoting Mastercard´s growth and investment strategy in Europe. He is the former President of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, and he has a long career in the private sector including at Intel, Apple, and Cargill. Before that, Hendrik served for almost two decades in several senior executive positions at General Electric (GE).

Hendrik worked as an attorney in private practice in Washington DC and Brussels, obtained his law degree at the Rijksuniversiteit Gent, Belgium, and has an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School.

Paul Brody

Paul

Brody

Global Blockchain Leader
EY
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Paul Brody
Global Blockchain Leader
EY

As EY Global Blockchain Leader, Paul Brody is responsible for driving initiatives and investments in blockchain technology across consulting, audit, and tax business lines, including the build-out of the first EY global SaaS platform, Blockchain.EY.com.

Beyond being the driving force behind enterprise blockchain innovation at EY, Paul Brody also serves as the Chairman of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA), the leading global community for enterprise blockchain.

Mr Brody has gained global recognition for his commitment to public networks and for his belief that enterprises can and should utilize the core principles of true decentralization and transparency for a better working world. It is that commitment which led Paul Brody to pioneer Nightfall, a breakthrough technology that brings the benefits of privacy to the Ethereum network, and Starlight, a prototype private business logic compiler. Both technologies are open sourced to boost awareness of public blockchains and confidence in their security and transparency.

Prior to joining EY, Paul Brody served as Vice President and Global Industry Leader in Mobile and IoT at a multinational technology company. In 2023, he authored Ethereum for Business, a book to help nontechnical, C-level executives and company leaders understand how and why Ethereum applies to specific use cases. Mr Brody earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a certificate in African Studies, both from Princeton University.

Paul Brody is an established thought leader in the blockchain space and a regular contributor and author to CoinDesk since 2018, with more than 73 published blogs on a broad range of blockchain topics. In addition, he has been a member of the executive board of Fast Company since January 2024.

Jon Bromma

Jon

Bromma

Global head of Payments and Financial Policy
Meta
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Jon Bromma
Global head of Payments and Financial Policy
Meta

Jon Bromma is Global Head of Payments and Financial Policy at Meta Platforms. In this role, he leads and executes Meta’s regulatory and policy advocacy strategy related to payments products and financial issues globally. While at Meta, his work has laid the foundation for numerous payment product launches around the world.

Prior to joining Meta, Mr. Bromma led data and policy analysis for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Fed Financial Services office. He previously spent more than a decade with the US Government in several roles, focusing primarily on countering illicit finance and sanctions evasion. He began his financial services career at the Frankfurt office of the Bank of New York.

Mr. Bromma is based in San Francisco and holds a BA and MA from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Christopher Buttigieg

Christopher

Buttigieg

Chief Officer Supervision
MFSA
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Christopher Buttigieg
Chief Officer Supervision
MFSA

Dr Buttigieg is the Chief Officer – Supervision, responsible for the Supervision Directorate, the Chair of the MFSA’s Regulatory Committee and the AMLCFT Committee and a member of the Authority’s Executive Committee and Risk Committee. He is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of the supervisory and regulatory strategy across all the sectors under the MFSA’s remit.

Prof Buttigieg is a member of the Board of Supervisors of the European Securities and Markets Authority and European Banking Authority. He was the Chair of the ESMA Data Standing Committee (until December 2022) and a member of the EBA Task force on proportionality (2025). He is currently the Chair of the ESMA Proportionality and Coordination Committee and a member of the ESMA Management Board.

He is an Associate Professor in the Banking, Finance and Investments Department of the University of Malta. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier, Germany, and a visiting lecturer at the same institution.

Prof Buttigieg is an active researcher and has published extensively. His latest publications deals with centralisation of supervision of CASPs under the EU Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation.

He is also the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Financial Supervisors Academy, which seeks to bridge academia with financial supervision.

Carlo Comporti

Carlo

Comporti

Commissioner, Chair of ESMA Digital Finance Standing Committee
CONSOB
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Carlo Comporti
Commissioner, Chair of ESMA Digital Finance Standing Committee
CONSOB

Commissioner of CONSOB (Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa) since February 2022. Appointed by decree of the President of the Republic of January 25, 2022.

Carlo Comporti is Consob Commissioner since 7th February 2022.

From 2011 to 2022 he was CEO of Promontory Italy and COO of Promontory Europe (Business Unit of IBM Consulting), after having been Director General of Promontory France.

Previous roles held by Carlo include Acting Secretary General and Senior Advisor to the President at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), and Secretary General at the Committee of the European Securities Regulators (CESR).

He was also previously seconded to the European Commission, DG Internal Market and the European Central Bank.

He graduated from the University of Siena in 1991 and in 1995 obtained a Ph.D. in Banking and Financial Market Law at the University of Siena.

Moira Cronin

Moira

Cronin

Partner
PwC
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Moira Cronin
Partner
PwC

Moira is a recognized leader in digital risk and resilience, with a significant track record driving positive transformation for clients across the financial services, technology and payments sectors.

As a partner at PwC Ireland specializing in Digital Risk & Resilience, Moira brings over 20 years’ experience advising clients on IT governance, operational resilience, digital risk, third party risk management, and regulatory response. She has successfully led multiple complex IT risk and control framework implementation projects, helping organizations break down complex regulations to implement practical solutions that add tangible value beyond compliance. Moira’s experience includes IT internal and external audit, IT financial services regulatory work, Information Technology Governance Framework reviews, Sarbanes-Oxley implementation, and Controls reporting (ISAE 3402/SOC 1). She is highly experienced with leading IT frameworks including NIST, COBIT, NIS, and DORA.

Moira is the lead partner in PwC Ireland’s Digital Risk practice and sits on the PwC Global Crisis and Resilience leadership team. She is also a frequent panel speaker and thought leadership author on topics such as operational resilience, digital risk and third party risk management.

Moira’s deep knowledge and proven leadership provide clients with trusted guidance in navigating evolving digital risks and regulatory demands.

 

Carmine Di Noia

Carmine

Di Noia

Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs
OECD
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Carmine Di Noia
Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs
OECD

Carmine Di Noia is the Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), from 2022.

Previously, he was Commissioner of the Italian Securities and Exchange Commission (CONSOB) from 2016. He was also alternate member of the Board of IOSCO and the Board of Supervisor at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), chair of the Committee of Economic and Markets Analysis (CEMA) and of the Post-Trading Standing Committee at ESMA, and vice chair of the Corporate Governance Committee at OECD.

He had been Deputy Director General at Assonime, member of the board of the Italian Stock Exchange, chairman of the Policy Committee of EuropeanIssuers and head of the technical secretariat of the Italian Corporate Governance Committee.

He was a member of various working groups at the European Commission: European Securities Market Expert Group (ESME), Clearing and Settlement Advisory Monitoring Expert Group (CESAME); Forum Group on Auditors Liability and Securities Expert Group on FSAP.

He is Full Professor of Financial Markets and Banking at the Business School of Luiss University in Rome.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate in Economic Theory and Institutions at Tor Vergata University

Regina Doherty

Regina

Doherty

Former Member
European Parliament
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Regina Doherty
Former Member
European Parliament

Regina Doherty is the Vice-Chair on Subcommittee of the Tax Matters (FISC) and is a Member of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee.  She is a substitute on the Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) Committee and the Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Committee.

Prior to joining the European Parliament, she was the Minister for Employment and Social Protection.

She has extensive political experience having held various roles in Irish political life from being an elected mentor of the Dáil to Deputy Leader of the Senate.

Ms Doherty holds a Master’s degree in FinTech and Financial Innovation from the Dublin City University.

Tom Duff Gordon

Tom

Duff Gordon

Vice President of International Policy
Coinbase
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Tom Duff Gordon
Vice President of International Policy
Coinbase

Tom Duff Gordon is Vice President of International Policy at Coinbase, where he drives the company’s engagement with policymakers in global markets across the UK, Europe, APAC, LatAm, and the MENA region.

Tom previously served as Managing Director at Credit Suisse, Head of Public Policy Europe and UK, where he had responsibility across all areas of regulatory policy and government affairs and chaired the internal global Credit Suisse policy committee, which coordinates positioning on international and cross-border issues. In that capacity, Tom’s areas of focus included EU and UK competitiveness post-Brexit, UK / Swiss trade deal, bank capital reforms, market access and secondary markets, ESG and FinTech. Tom has spoken at many of the key financial services regulatory policy conferences, and also supported Credit Suisse’s most prominent global client relationships with political and regulatory updates. He was on the Board of the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG), the leading, cross-sectoral UK regulatory policy trade association, where he chaired one of the standing committees. For three years he co-chaired the main policy committee for the Association of Financial Markets in Europe (AFME).

Tom holds an MA degree from the University of Oxford. He began his career as a consultant at Accenture.

Viviane Eide

Viviane

Eide

UX Research Leader
Google Payments
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Viviane Eide
UX Research Leader
Google Payments

Viviane Eide is a User Experience Research Leader at Google with over 15 years of experience shaping human-centered innovation for emerging technologies, from automated driving and augmented reality to artificial intelligence. She has been instrumental in defining the user experience for world-class products like Google Assistant and Google Glass.

Currently, as the UXR Lead for Google’s Payments Platform, she is at the forefront of defining the company’s strategy for the future of agentic commerce, built on a deep understanding of consumer and merchant needs and behaviors.

Emmanuel Givanakis

Emmanuel

Givanakis

CEO
FSRA of Abu Dhabi Global Markets
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Emmanuel Givanakis
CEO
FSRA of Abu Dhabi Global Markets

Emmanuel Givanakis is the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM, where he oversees the financial services regulatory framework that governs ADGM and its licenced entities.

Emmanuel joined ADGM in October 2014 as the Head of Policy & Legal and first oversaw the establishment of ADGM’s comprehensive legislative framework, which was a pivotal step in the creation of ADGM as an international financial centre.

His financial services regulatory expertise and management experience span over 26 years.

Prior to joining ADGM, Emmanuel held a number of leadership and management positions in both Australia and the UAE, including senior positions at the Dubai Financial Services Authority and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Joe Heneghan

Joe

Heneghan

Partner & CEO
Revolut Europe
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Joe Heneghan
Partner & CEO
Revolut Europe

Joe Heneghan is Partner & CEO of Revolut Europe, leading the company’s expansion across the continent from 10 million to 50 million customers. With 30 years of leadership experience across banking and fintech, and as part of Europe’s standout fintech success story, he is changing how consumers and businesses engage with money.  He previously held senior executive roles at Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB, progressing through a variety of marketing, product management, and digital banking roles early in his career.

He now plays a central role in shaping the future of financial services in Ireland and Europe. Joe serves on the European Central Bank’s Euro Retail Payments Board and Ireland’s Department of Finance’s Industry Advisory Council. He is also a former Chair and current board member of Financial Services Ireland, representing the broader financial services sector.

Cónal Hickey

Cónal

Hickey

Vice President and Global Cyber Resilience practice leader
Kyndryl
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Cónal Hickey
Vice President and Global Cyber Resilience practice leader
Kyndryl

Cónalis the Vice President and Global Cyber Resilience practice leader for Kyndryl in Strategic Markets. Kyndryl is the worlds largest Infrastructure services company with ~ 4,000 clients and 16bn in annual revenue .

Strategic Markets is one of four externally reported segments within Kyndryl with 3.6bn revenue operating across 50 markets / countries

As Global Cyber resilience leader he is responsible for running the practice across Strategic Markets group dedicated to helping our clients become more cyber resilient in their IT and digital transformation journeys.

As a senior member of the Kyndryl operations transition team , Conal was responsible for leading the IT separation workstream in the Kyndryl spin off from IBM .

Prior to that role Cónalheld a number of senior executive positions in IBM including responsibility for IBM’s Network Services and for all strategic and vended relationships across IBM Technology services organisation associated with Networking. He was previously responsible for running IBM Network services delivery within IBM’s Global Technology services organisation leading a team of 3,000 professionals.

Prior to that he established and led IBM Cloud migration services practice enabling clients transform their workloads to digital and to move their applications across hybrid / multi-cloud environments.

Based in Dublin Ireland, Cónal is married with 4 boys who are all of school going age. Cónal holds a Batchelors degree in Commerce from University College Dublin and a Masters of business studies degree from Smurfit school of business.

He has been appointed as an “ Ad Personam” advisor to the management board of ENISA for a term of two and a half years from 1 August 2025. ENISA is the European Union agency for Cyber Security .

Petra Hielkema

Petra

Hielkema

Chair
European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)
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Petra Hielkema
Chair
European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)

Petra Hielkema is the Chairperson of EIOPA and has been leading the Authority since September 2021, following her appointment by the European Council on 27 May 2021 after confirmation by the European Parliament on 18 May 2021.

In 2025 Petra is chairing the Joint Committee (the role rotates between the ESA Chairs). In that capacity she is also deputy Vice Chair of the ESRB Steering Committee and the ESRB General Board in 2025. Petra was appointed as Vice Chair of the IAIS Executive Committee in December 2024. Besides that, she is the Champion of the IAIS Fintech Forum.

Prior to this role Petra was Division Director of Insurance Supervision at De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB, the Dutch Central Bank) as well as Alternate Member of the EIOPA Board and Chair of the EIOPA Policy Committee. Petra joined DNB in February 2007 as a policy advisor, contributing to the development of Solvency II. In 2013 she became Head Insurance Policy and in 2015 she was appointed as Head of the DNB Expert Centre for Fit & Proper assessments. In February 2017 Petra started as Director of Payments and Market. Prior to joining the Dutch Central Bank she fulfilled several roles working in Central Asia.

Petra has a European Masters in Law & Economics and a Masters in Russian Studies. She is married and proud mother of three children.

Peter Kerstens

Peter

Kerstens

Advisor for Financial Sector Digitalisation and Cybersecurity
DG FISMA, European Commission
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Peter Kerstens
Advisor for Financial Sector Digitalisation and Cybersecurity
DG FISMA, European Commission

Peter Kerstens advises on Technological Innovation, Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. He has led work on the European Commission’s Fintech Action Plan and Co-chairs the European Commission’s Fintech Taskforce. He has extensive experience and expertise in EU policy and regulation covering financial services, digitalisation, security and consumer protection. Earlier in his career, Peter was Finance Counsellor at the EU Embassy in Washington DC.

He has also been a member of the private offices of the Commissioner for the internal market and services and the Commissioner for health and consumer protection. Before joining the European Commission, Peter advised major financial services companies on EU regulatory affairs. He is a Dutch national and holds master degrees in European affairs and political science from the College of Europe in Bruges and the University of Leuven, Belgium

Ondřej Kovarik

Ondřej

Kovarik

Former Member
European Parliament
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Ondřej Kovarik
Former Member
European Parliament

Ondřej Kovarik is a former Czech Member of the European Parliament. He was a member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee, and was the Chairman of the Working Group for Access to Finance for SMEs.

He was also on the transport, budget and civil liberties committees. His portfolio included SME financing, transport and tourism, border management, research and the practical use of new technologies, such as those based on blockchain or artificial intelligence, and broader access and use of digital finance for businesses and consumers.

His career to date has been dedicated to public service, primarily in various roles within the Czech civil service, but also in European public administration.

Mattias Levin

Mattias

Levin

Head of Unit, Digital Finance
DG FISMA, European Commission
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Mattias Levin
Head of Unit, Digital Finance
DG FISMA, European Commission

Mattias Levin is the acting head of unit of the Digital Finance unit of the European Commission’s Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union DG (“FISMA”).

At FISMA, he has previously worked on regulation related to banks, investment firms, conglomerates and financial market infrastructures. Before joining DG FISMA, he was a member of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA), a think tank attached to the President of the European Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, Mattias was a Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

Mattias studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Lund University and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Strasbourg.

Bruce Lowthers

Bruce

Lowthers

CEO and Executive Director
Paysafe
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Bruce Lowthers
CEO and Executive Director
Paysafe

Bruce Lowthers was named CEO of Paysafe in May 2022 and serves as Executive Director of the Board of Directors. He has helmed the transformation journey of the company in becoming a world-class payments organisation by focusing on operational changes, debt reduction, and establishing a clear vision for growth.

Since joining Paysafe, Bruce has made significant changes including recalibrating the company’s growth strategy; streamlining the organizational structure from five business units into two–Merchant Acquiring and Digital Wallets; and recruiting top talent to drive customer experience, product innovation and a sales-centric culture.  These changes have successfully returned the company to growth.

Beginning his career as a certified public accountant, Bruce exhibited a passion for entrepreneurship, successfully co-founding and leading four start-up companies and two payments industry associations – American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC) and Payments 20 (P20), the global payments body. At eFunds, an electronic payments company, he was responsible for all payment and risk products.

Before joining Paysafe, Bruce spent 15 years at FIS, a Fortune 250 company, where he held various leadership positions responsible for directing and modernizing the company’s Banking, Merchant Solutions, and Payments businesses. He was appointed President, guiding the global $15 billion revenue organization with over 65,000 employees to unprecedented growth by accelerating the speed to market of innovative new products and services, amplifying cross selling opportunities, and enhancing the client experience.

He is a passionate philanthropist, who is deeply involved in the community through his longstanding support of the American Heart Association and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Foundation among many other activities.

Bruce holds a BA in business administration from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell. In recognition of his industry expertise and leadership, he was appointed in 2024 to the board of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), a leading advocacy and trade association for the payments industry.

Steven Maijoor

Steven

Maijoor

Executive Board Member and Chair of Supervision
Dutch Central Bank
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Steven Maijoor
Executive Board Member and Chair of Supervision
Dutch Central Bank

Steven Maijoor joined the Executive Board of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) on 1 April 2021. As of 1 February 2024 he is also Chair of Supervision. Steven’s remit includes supervision of banks, supervison policy and legal services. Furthermore, he is a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority. He is also a member of the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation.

Before joining DNB’s Executive Board, Steven was Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), from 2011-2021. Between 2004 and 2011 he was a managing director at the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). Prior to that he was Professor (1994-2004) and Dean (2001-2004) at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University.

Steven graduated from the University of Groningen with a degree in business economics and obtained a PhD in the same subject from Maastricht University in 1991.

Claude Marx

Claude

Marx

Director General
Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)
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Claude Marx
Director General
Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)

Claude Marx was appointed Director General of the CSSF by the Luxembourg government in February 2016. Claude is also a member of the Board of Supervisors of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

Prior to his nomination as Director General of the CSSF, Claude Marx was the CEO of Lombard International Assurance S.A., the largest unit-linked life insurance company, owned by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities. He was also Chairman of the Board of Lombard Intermediation Services S.A. Claude was with Lombard for 4 years.

Prior to that, Claude worked for HSBC for 17 years, and was Deputy CEO of its Private Banking Division.

At the beginning of his career, Claude worked as a lawyer with a local firm that is now Allen & Overy, as well as Arthur Andersen.

Claude is a lawyer by training, he holds a Master of Laws Degree from the University of Paris and a Master of Laws in International Business Law from the University of London. He was admitted to the Luxembourg bar as Avocat à la Cour in 1990.

He is fluent in English, German, French and Luxembourgish.

Patrick Montagner

Patrick

Montagner

Supervisory Board Member
European Central Bank (ECB)
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Patrick Montagner
Supervisory Board Member
European Central Bank (ECB)

Patrick Montagner began his five-year term as a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank (ECB representative) in September 2024.

Before joining the ECB he held various positions at the Banque de France, mainly in financial supervision. He was First Deputy Secretary General of the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution – ACPR) from November 2018 to August 2024.

During the global financial crisis he led the department responsible for supervising large French international banks and foreign banks in France. In this capacity, he was actively involved in international cooperation, both for day-to-day supervision and in various Financial Stability Board (FSB) working groups focusing on the efficiency and effectiveness of banking supervision.

He moved to insurance supervision in 2012 and was Chair of the FSB Cross-border Crisis Management Group for Insurers for four years until 2017. From 2018 to 2024 he was also the ACPR’s representative on the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority’s Board of Supervisors.

Tom Mutton

Tom

Mutton

Director
Bank of England
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Tom Mutton
Director
Bank of England

Tom Mutton is Director of Fintech at the Bank of England. He took on this this positon when it was established in July 2018.

Previously Tom was Head of International Policy and Strategy. His responsibilities included leading the Bank’s strategy on financial sector issues in the G20, Financial Stability Board, European Systemic Risk Board and the Bank for International Settlements.

Tom has also been a Head of Division in Prudential Policy and also worked in supervision of major international firms.

He was educated at the London School of Economics.

Renate Nikolay

Renate

Nikolay

Deputy Director-General
DG CONNECT
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Renate Nikolay
Deputy Director-General
DG CONNECT

Renate Nikolay is Deputy Director-General in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT). In that role, she oversees the enforcement of the digital rulebook for platforms (Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act), the policies on digital connectivity, data, media and audiovisual as well as international and interinstitutional relations.

Between 2014 and 2022, she was Head of Cabinet of Vĕra Jourová in her roles as Commissioner for Justice and Consumers and as Vice-President for Values and Transparency.

Prior to that Renate Nikolay was Head of Unit in DG JUST and served as member in the Cabinets of Cathy Ashton and Peter Mandelson.

Renate Nikolay started her career in the European Commission in 2003 in DG Trade after having worked as a diplomat at the German Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels and at the Federal Economics Ministry in Berlin.

Renate Nikolay has a law degree from the Free University of Berlin (Erstes und Zweites Staatsexamen) and a Master of Laws as Fulbright Scholar from Washington, DC. She also participated in an Erasmus exchange with Grenoble/France.

Nickolas Reinhardt

Nickolas

Reinhardt

Director
Afore Consulting
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Nickolas Reinhardt
Director
Afore Consulting

Nickolas Reinhardt is Co-Founder and Director of Afore Consulting, a premier privately-owned European public affairs consultancy in Brussels specialized in providing services to the financial services and technology sectors.

Having worked in Brussels for more than 30 years, he has built up an extensive network in Brussels, key European member states, the UK and the USA.

His ability to be a strong advocate with commercially astute and user-friendly advice is based on his knowledge of the industry and strong personal relationships with the key decision-makers in Brussels and many European capitals.

Nickolas represents the industry in a range of European and global standard setting bodies and advisory groups. He is regularly invited to speak at Board meetings, private and public events.

Before becoming a consultant Nickolas trained and worked as a merchant banker and securities trader.

He has an MA in Political Science, Economics and History from the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany. He lectured on EU affairs at the University of Limerick and Queen’s University, Belfast. Nick grew up in a bilingual home in Kiel, Germany with a German father and British mother.

Nathaly Rey

Nathaly

Rey

Director of global Regulatory Response
Google Cloud
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Nathaly Rey
Director of global Regulatory Response
Google Cloud

Nathaly is a compliance executive with 20+ years of experience bridging the gap between law, technology, and risk management. As the Global Director for Google Cloud’s Regulatory Response, she leads a team responsible for meeting worldwide regulatory expectations in cybersecurity, resilience, and privacy.

Previously, Nathaly was the Executive Director of the Spanish Cybersecurity Association (ISMS Forum) and served as legal counsel for major multinational corporations. She holds an LL.M. in IT Law and a Ph.D. in Cloud Computing and Privacy.

Verena Ross

Verena

Ross

Chair
EMA
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Verena Ross
Chair
EMA

Verena Ross is the Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). She took up the role on 1 November 2021 and is responsible for representing the Authority as well as preparing the work of and chairing its Board of Supervisors and Management Board.

Between 2011 and 2021 Verena served as ESMA’s first Executive Director, when she was responsible for building up the organisation and overseeing its day to day running.

Prior to this, Verena held a number of senior posts in the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) and was a member of the FSA’s Executive Committee. Verena joined the FSA in 1998 to run the Executive Chairman’s office during the regulator’s start-up phase and was briefly a seconded advisor to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in 2000. She held various positions in the FSA’s Markets Division and was Director of Strategy & Risk Division before becoming Director of the International Division.

Verena is a German national. Following studies in Sinology and Economics in Hamburg, Taipei and London (SOAS) she began her career at the Bank of England in 1994, where she worked as an economist and banking supervisor.

Derville Rowland

Derville

Rowland

Board Member
AMLA
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Derville Rowland
Board Member
AMLA

Derville Rowland is member of the Executive Board of the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA). Prior to her appointment, she was Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Ireland.

She was at the Central Bank of Ireland for over two decades and held various senior roles including as Director of Enforcement and Anti-Money Laundering, Director-General of Financial Conduct and most recently as the Deputy Governor Consumer and Investor Protection.

Derville is a qualified barrister having being called to the Bar of England and Wales and subsequently to the Irish Bar.

Jessica Rusu

Jessica

Rusu

Chief Data, Information and Intelligence Officer
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
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Jessica Rusu
Chief Data, Information and Intelligence Officer
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Jessica joined the FCA as Chief Data, Information and Intelligence Officer in June 2021.

As CDIIO, Jessica is leading the transformation of the FCA’s ability to analyse and use the data, intelligence and information to effectively oversee the 50,000 firms the FCA regulates. Jessica is building and evolving relationships with big tech companies, fintechs and the wider data science community.

Jessica was the Chief Data Officer of Chetwood Financial limited, a digital native, start-up bank, where she spearheaded the use of machine learning. Before moving into fintech, Jessica was Senior Director of Finance & Analytics at eBay in Europe where she built out their advanced analytics and customer insight function.

She previously worked in credit analytics at Ford Motor Company and Stress Testing at GE Capital. Jessica has a degree from Penn State University in Management Science and Information Systems and an MBA from University of Michigan. More recently, she completed the Oxford Said Business School’s Artificial Intelligence programme.

Rupert Schaefer

Rupert

Schaefer

Chief Executive Officer Strategy
BaFin
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Rupert Schaefer
Chief Executive Officer Strategy
BaFin

Rupert Schaefer has been Chief Executive Director of Strategy, Policy and Control at the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) since November 2022.

Before joining BaFin, he worked for the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, where he was Member of the Executive Board from 2015 onwards. Until 2020, he was responsible for the Strategic Services Division and following this was Head of the Recovery and Resolution Division. From 2010 until the end of 2014, he held various senior specialist and manager posts at FINMA.

Mr Schaefer holds a Master Degree in European Law (LL.M.) from Saarland University.

Jean-Paul Servais

Jean-Paul

Servais

Chair
International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)
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Jean-Paul Servais
Chair
International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)

Jean-Paul Servais, Chair, International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Chair of the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA)

Jean-Paul Servais is the Chairman of the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). He is also Chairman of the IOSCO European Regional Committee and he served three successive terms as Vice-Chair of the IOSCO Board between 2016 and 2022 until he was elected Chair of IOSCO Board.

He is also the Chairman of the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), and a board member of several other international supervisory bodies for the financial sector such as the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB). He is also the Chair of the OECD Corporate Governance Committee. He also sits on a number of supervisory colleges that coordinate the cross-border supervision of financial institutions and infrastructures.

Jean-Paul teaches at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, University of Brussels), where he is a part-time professor. He is author or co-author of more than 500 contributions, mostly on European and international systems of financial supervision and regulation issues.

Faryar Shirzad

Faryar

Shirzad

Chief Policy Officer
Coinbase
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Faryar Shirzad
Chief Policy Officer
Coinbase

Faryar Shirzad is Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer. Faryar is responsible for leadingCoinbase’s engagement with policymakers around the world. Prior to Coinbase, Faryar was Global co-Head of Government Affairs at Goldman Sachs.

Faryar previously served in a variety of positions in government, including as deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs for President George W. Bush. In that role, he served as President Bush’s personal representative to the G-8 (the “G-8 Sherpa”). Prior to that, he was assistant secretary for import administration at the US Department of Commerce and international trade counsel to the US Senate Committee on Finance.

Earlier in his career, Faryar practiced law in Washington, DC.

Faryar earned a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, a MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a BS from the University of Maryland, College Park.

George Theocharides

George

Theocharides

Chairman
Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and ESMA Risk Standing Committee
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George Theocharides
Chairman
Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and ESMA Risk Standing Committee

George Theocharides is the Chairman of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). He is also the Chairman of the Risk Standing Committee (RSC). The RSC is part of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the successor of the Committee for Economic and Markets Analysis (CEMA), for which Dr. Theocharides served also as Chairman, between March and December 2022.

He served as CySEC’s Vice Chairman from July 2020 to September 2021 and was previously a CySEC Board member. He has extensive experience working in the wider financial sector.

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

Stéphanie

Yon-Courtin

Member
European Parliament
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Stéphanie Yon-Courtin
Member
European Parliament

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin is a French MEP and a member of the Renew Europe Group. She is the Renew coordinator for the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) Committee and substitute on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee. She is also Vice-President of the Fisheries (PECH) Committee.

Stéphanie was shadow rapporteur for the Renew Europe group on the review of the Solvency II rules for the insurance market. She is also rapporteur on the Retail Investment Strategy.

Her main commitments at European level are the establishment of fair competition rules that are favourable to innovation and business development, as well as the protection of the consumers in the digital world. She was rapporteur on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) for the ECON Committee.

Stéphanie is a former lawyer, admitted to the Paris Bar in 2004. Specialised in competition law, she worked in international law firms. Before that, she worked as a jurist for the European Commission. Between 2007 and 2011, she worked for the French Competition Authority as an international affairs adviser to president Bruno Lasserre.

She is a regional councillor in Normandy and was mayor of Saint-Contest in Calvados until 2019.

Mohamad Zaraket

Mohamad

Zaraket

Head of Digital Assets Strategy, EMEA
BNY
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Mohamad Zaraket
Head of Digital Assets Strategy, EMEA
BNY

Mohamad leads Digital Assets Strategy for EMEA, driving BNY’s digital assets agenda and helping bring new products to market across areas including digital assets custody, tokenization and digital cash.

He has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, covering digital strategy, innovation, and client relationship. Before his current role, Mohamad held various positions in digital within BNY and spent several years at HSBC managing institutional clients.

Mohamad holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Edinburgh and a post graduate degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.

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