Singapore FinTech Festival 2023 closes with a record 66,000 participants

By Daniel Ngiam

Singapore FinTech Festival 2023 (SFF 2023) registered a record 66,000 participants, up from 62,000 attendees in 2022, while convening leaders and experts worldwide in finance, technology and public policy.

The eighth edition of the event, held at Singapore Expo from November 14-17, 2023, was organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore’s central bank and integrated financial regulator, Elevandi, and Constellar, in collaboration with The Association of Banks in Singapore. 

SFF 2023 extended its global reach this year, with participants hailing from 150 countries and regions, an increase from the 115 countries represented in 2022.

In addition to focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI), SFF 2023 facilitated dialogues on re-architecting the financial system, preparing for future risks in technology and climate, and powering entrepreneurs and the future tech workforce.

AI in focus

With generative AI alone expected to boost global GDP by US$7 trillion in the coming decade, alongside widespread adoption of AI in enterprise operations and considerable caution around inherent risks in AI, SFF 2023’s central theme was centred on ‘AI for good. AI for good?’

On this note, SFF 2023 highlighted AI’s promise and pitfalls, providing a platform to explore a unified vision for the future and harnessing AI’s benefits while mitigating its risks. 

SFF 2023 also capitalised on earlier discussions around driving low-carbon transitions, expanding financial access for underserved populations, bolstering digital economic resilience, and scaling promising AI and Web3 solutions regionally and globally.

Held by invitation only on November 14, the Elevandi Insights initiative attracted 1,500 regulators, policymakers, industry leaders and investors in a full-day programme featuring 28 deep-dive roundtables focused on charting a course for technology adoption in financial services in the year ahead. Critical outcomes for each roundtable will be published by Q1 2024.

800+ speakers

The SFF Conference, which ran from November 15-17, featured 800+ speakers across 300+ hours of content, covering eight themes: Responsible Tokenisation, Beneficial AI, Accelerating ESG, Efficient Payments, Scaling Insurance and Pension, Digitising Inclusion, Advancing Talent, and Empowering Entrepreneurship.

Headline speakers at the conference included Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank; and Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore.

The SFF Exhibition hosted 700 exhibitors and 36 international pavilions across five thematic zones – Technology, ESG, Founders, Regulation and Talent.

International pavilions from the Middle East region included the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Bahrain Economic Development Board.

There were personalised meeting opportunities for attendees to connect with top-level investors in the Founders Zone, industry leaders and mentors in the Talent Zone, and regulators and central bankers from over 30 jurisdictions in the Regulation Zone.

Held from November 14-17, The Innovation Lab Crawl allowed attendees to explore 25 innovation labs across Singapore and witness up-and-coming projects and innovations in the fintech industry.

The Big Spark

SFF 2023 also saw the launch of The Big Spark, a new business TV show produced by MediaCorp in partnership with SFF and TiE Global Summit.

The eight-episode series highlights Southeast Asia startups – throughout the series, pre-seed to Series-A startups will gain real-world business advice from industry mentors and experts as they pitch to seasoned investors who have committed to invest more than S$1 million in these emerging enterprises. The filming for the show started at SFF 2023, and the show is set to air on Channel NewsAsia in 2024.

Designed to foster impactful connections and collaborations, the SFF is a global platform where policy, finance, and technology communities network to explore the intersections of cutting-edge financial solutions, evolving regulatory landscapes, and the latest technological innovations.

The ninth edition of SFF 2024 will be held from November 6-8, 2024. Elevandi Insights, the curtain raiser to SFF 2024, will be held from November 4-5, 2024. 

Featured image: SFF 2023 featured scores of on-stage dialogues. Image: Monetary Authority of Singapore

Last Updated on 1 year by News Desk 1