Finance and Technology Conference 2021 on Crypto-assets and Asset Tokenization
November 5th, 2021, Swiss Tech Convention Center, EPFL
Decentralized Ledger Technology has the potential to reshape the traditional financial system. An example is decentralized finance, which allows people to combine open-source building blocks into sophisticated financial products utilizing DLT. Central banks, as another example, face growing competition from private actors offering their own digital alternative to physical cash. However, the current lack of clear legal and technological standards prevents market players and institutions from fully exploiting the potential DLT.
This conference features latest research and insights on crypto-assets and asset tokenization, and their impact on banking and financial market infrastructures. The event combines a broad spectrum of stakeholders, which combine legal and regulatory, technological, financial and economic as well as civil society perspectives. It addresses academics and practitioners alike, and shall foster the public dialogue and interaction across institutions.
The onsite conference will by invitation only and limited to 100 participants.
ONLINE OPTION: However, the event will be broadcasted as a Zoom webinar. To obtain your Zoom link for the webinar please click below to register. Registration is free but mandatory.
This event is organized jointly by the Swiss Finance Institute @ EPFL and the Center for Digital Trust, EPFL.
Featured Talks & Speakers
11:05 – 11:30
Dr. Christian Catalini, Diem Association & MIT
Stablecoins
13:15 – 13:40
Prof. Rachid Guerraoui, EPFL
Asset Transfer Protocols
09:05 – 09:30
Fedor Poskriakov, Lenz & Staehelin
Swiss DLT Law
13:40 – 14:05
Dr. Jean-Philippe Aumasson, Taurus SA
Security of digital asset platforms
14:05 – 14:30
Prof. Alessandro Chiesa, EPFL
Privacy and scalability challenges of using digital assets
15:00 – 15:25
Dr. Thomas Moser, SNB
Keynote on Central Bank Digital Currency
10:15 – 10:40
Prof. Fabian Schär, University Basel
Decentralized Finance
Schedule
Introduction
08:30 – 09:00
Foyer Garden Patio
Registration and welcome coffee
09:00 – 09:05
Salle Garden 5ABC
Welcoming words
By Damir Filipovic, Professor, Head of the Swiss Finance Institute, EPFL
Legal & regulatory session
09:05 – 09:30
Salle Garden 5ABC
DLT law and financial market infrastructure – a paradigm shift?
By Fedor Poskriakov, Partner at Lenz & Staehelin
Abstract
In the age of digitalization, legal transactions should be capable of being concluded on a purely digital basis. Recognizing this need, Switzerland has amended several federal laws in order to improve the compatibility of legal concepts with evolving technological capabilities. With the entry in force of the DLT law, rights and claims can now be issued and managed as “ledger-based securities” using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). These amendments improve legal certainty and pave the way for the emergence of fully integrated financial market infrastructures for fully digital financial instruments and assets, across the full value chain, from issuance, to custody, trading and settlement.
09:30 – 09:55
Salle Garden 5ABC
[To be defined]
By Joe Doe, Legal Expert
09:55 – 10:15
Foyer Garden Patio
Coffee break
Finance & economics session
10:15 – 10:40
Salle Garden 5ABC
Decentralized Finance: Blockchain- and Smart Contract-Based Financial Markets
By Fabian Schär, Professor for DLT and Fintech, Managing Director of the University’s Center for Innovative Finance
10:40 – 11:05
Salle Garden 5ABC
Crypto brokerage
By Damien Ackerer, Senior Quantitative Researcher at Covario Prime Brokerage
11:05 – 11:30
Salle Garden 5ABC
From Cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and Diem to CBDCs
By Christian Catalini, Chief Economist, Diem Association at MIT
Abstract
The talk will provide an overview of the evolving cryptocurrency, stablecoin and CBDC landscape, and focus on the economics of the technology and some of the core trade-offs it involves. It will also cover the economic Design of Diem and the implications the network may have on competition and innovation in payments and financial services.
11:30 – 12:15
Salle Garden 5ABC
Moderated panel discussion: Does asset tokenization create or destroy value?
Moderated by Damir Filipovic, Professor, Head of the Swiss Finance Institute, EPFL
12:15 – 13:15
Foyer Garden Patio
Lunch break
Technology session
13:15 – 13:40
Salle Garden 5ABC
Asset transfers: AT2 – an alternative to consensus protocol in distributed systems
By Rachid Guerraoui, Professor and Head of Distributed Computing Lab, EPFL
13:40 – 14:05
Salle Garden 5ABC
Security of digital asset platforms
By Jean-Philippe Aumasson, Co-Founder & CSO at Taurus SA
14:05 – 14:30
Salle Garden 5ABC
Privacy and scalability challenges of using digital assets
By Alessandro Chiesa, Associate Professor and Head of the Laboratory for Computation Security, EPFL
14:30 – 15:00
Foyer Garden Patio
Coffee break
Keynote
15:00 – 15:25
Salle Garden 5ABC
Is CBDC the New Kid On The Block?
By Thomas Moser, Alternate Member of the Governing Board, Swiss National Bank
Abstract
Central banks in several jurisdictions are studying and experimenting with CBDC issuance. One of the open questions is whether central banks should use blockchain technology to do this, and if so, what kind. Key challenges are scalability and privacy, which are easier to address without blockchain technology. I will argue that CBDC does not necessarily need blockchain, but that blockchain is likely to need CBDC.
Closing panel discussion
15:25 – 16:10
Salle Garden 5ABC
Trust in Crypto-Assets and Asset Tokenization?
Moderated by Daniel Saraga, Scientific Writer and Founder of Saraga Communications