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Michael Schlein
President & Chief Executive Officer
Accion
Michael Schlein brings nearly 30 years of extensive international banking, management, and public service experience to his role as President and CEO of Accion. He is responsible for creating and implementing Accion’s strategy, managing its global team, and maintaining a high-performing organization.
Michael’s strategic leadership has built Accion into a leading early-stage investor in fintech for inclusion and an expert in the digital transformation of financial service providers. During his tenure, he has cultivated partnerships that strengthen Accion’s work to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions for underserved people globally.
Michael joined Accion in 2007 as a member of its Board of Directors and in 2009, became Accion’s President and CEO. Prior to his employment at Accion, Michael served as President of Citigroup’s International Franchise Management, where he managed the bank’s network of 100 Chief Country Officers. Before that, he ran communications, philanthropy, government relations, branding, and human resources for Citigroup. He served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Clinton Administration and in New York’s City Hall in the Dinkins and Koch Administrations. He began his career in investment banking.
From 2014 until Jan. 2021, Michael served as the Chairman of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which encourages economic growth throughout New York City’s five boroughs and facilitates investments that build capacity, generate prosperity, and catalyze the economic vibrancy of city life as a whole. Michael has graduate and undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Speaking at SFF 2026
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1:15–1:50pmWed 18 NovFounders StageHall 2, Singapore EXPOPremium
Capital Rewiring
What Will the Strongest and Weakest Moats Look Like in 2027?
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Nobutake SuzukiPresident & Chief Executive OfficerMUFG Innovation Partners Co., Ltd.
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Ganesh RengaswamyManaging PartnerQuona Capital
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Michael SchleinPresident & Chief Executive OfficerAccion
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Yashish DahiyaChairman & Group Chief Executive OfficerPB Fintech
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Victor AlexievPartnerships & Investments, Private CreditCitiModerator
About this session
Rapid advances in foundation models and automated engineering have flattened traditional competitive moats. McKinsey's 2026 State of AI report found nearly a third of enterprises now choose to build functionality in-house with AI agents rather than buy it, the clearest signal that a product-level moat alone no longer holds. Defensibility is consolidating around regulatory licenses, proprietary data integrations, and entrenched distribution. This session challenges investors to evaluate the structural integrity of modern technology moats: which advantages endure, and which are eroding under platform pressure. Source: McKinsey & Company, The State of AI 2026.
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10:45–11:20amFri 20 NovFestival StageHall 1, Singapore EXPOPremium
Capital Rewiring
Rewiring Global Capital: Unlocking the Next Wave of Growth
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Katsumi HataoDeputy Chief Executive OfficerSBI Holdings
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Abror Mirzo OlimovDeputy Chairman & Member of the BoardCentral Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan
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Will OswaldManaging Director, Total Portfolio Strategy GroupGIC
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Michael SchleinPresident & Chief Executive OfficerAccion
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Neil ParekhGroup Deputy Chairman, Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN); Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific, SMBC & Former Nominated Member of Parliament, SingaporeGlobal Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)Moderator
About this session
Capital is on the move. Changing interest rates, shifting trade ties and the growth of private markets are leading investors to rethink where they put their money. At the same time, fast-growing companies in Asia and other emerging markets want to expand abroad. Capital alone will not get them there. They need the right investors, partners and regulators on their side.
This session brings together views from leaders representing central banking, a sovereign wealth fund, fintech investing and inclusive finance. The panel will explore where the best opportunities lie today, what growth companies need to scale across borders, how good regulation builds investor confidence, and how AI is changing the way deals are made. -
