Wed 18 Nov4:00–4:30pmPolicy Stage
Who Builds the Bridge Between National Payment Schemes; and Who Owns the Toll?
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About This Session
National instant payment schemes are proliferating around the world, yet most remain valuable only within their own borders. As domestic networks mature, the next source of value lies not in individual schemes, but in the bridges that connect them.
This session explores the emerging cross-border interoperability layer: who is building it, how common messaging standards and technical frameworks make it possible, and how governance, costs, revenues, and risks are shared among the parties involved. The discussion will examine the different models being adopted globally, from bilateral connections to multilateral networks and shared infrastructure platforms.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of where payment interoperability is succeeding in practice, what challenges remain, and the trade-offs between different connectivity approaches.
One of the central questions the panel will explore is: when one country's instant payment scheme needs to communicate with another's, who builds the bridge, and who owns the toll?
- When
- Wednesday 18 November4:00–4:30pm, Singapore time
- Where
- Policy StageHall 3, Singapore EXPO
- Access
- Open Open sessionWith a Delegate, Executive, Startup, Policy, Academic, MeetUp or Trade Visitor Pass. The Trade Visitor Pass is complimentary.Compare all passes
Speakers
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Jawed AshrafChairman, India Trade Promotion Organization; Former High Commissioner of India in Singapore & Ambassador to France & MonacoMinistry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India
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Abdulrahman Hesham Al SowaidiChief Executive OfficerQatar Development Bank
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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu HuanVice ChairmanVietnam International Financial Centre Ho Chi Minh City - VIFC-HCMC
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Sopnendu MohantyGroup Chief Executive OfficerGlobal Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)Moderator
About this session
Technology and capital are no longer neutral conduits of commerce; they are instruments and pressure points in geoeconomic competition. Yet fragmentation has not ended integration. It has made its terms more contested. The Asia–Middle East corridor crystallises the challenge: how to deepen financial and digital connectivity while managing exposure to strategic chokepoints, incompatible systems and concentrated dependencies. Its test is whether interoperable infrastructure and practical cooperation can turn interdependence into resilience and give shape to a more trusted architecture of finance.
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1:45–2:00pmFri 20 NovIgnite StageHall 5, Singapore EXPOOpen
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Anubhav SharmaDeputy Chief - Partnerships, Business Development & MarketingNPCI International Payments Limited
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Bhavna MongaPartnerEY-ParthenonModerator
About this session
As geopolitics redraws trade, capital and data flows, trusted payment infrastructure is becoming a strategic priority for nations. Drawing on experiences from India and ASEAN, the session will explore how countries can build resilient, inclusive and locally governed payment foundations while staying globally connected and examine practical approaches for linking domestic payment systems across bilateral and regional payment corridors.
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2:40–3:10pmFri 20 NovFutureMatters StageHall 5, Singapore EXPOPremium
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From Invisible to Investable: Building the Financial Infrastructure for the Next Billion
FutureMatters StageHall 5, Singapore EXPOPremium
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Allen ForlemuRegional Industry Director, Financial Institutions Group, Asia & PacificInternational Finance Corporation
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Jean-Marie KananuraChief Investment OfficerKigali International Financial Centre
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Munir DuriFounder & Chief Executive OfficerKifiya Financial Technology PLC
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Richard BudelChief Executive OfficerBeyon Connect
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Francesca AlivertiHead of Forums, MEAGlobal Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)Moderator
About this session
Billions of people and small businesses remain outside formal credit because financial institutions cannot reliably identify, assess or price their risk. This panel examines how payment infrastructure, digital identity, transaction data and AI can change that — turning previously invisible economic activity into a basis for lending and investment.
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