Talent Rewiring

Asia’s financial system is entering its next transformation. As AI, real-time payments and embedded finance reshape how money moves and financial services are delivered, the boundaries between banks, technology companies and platforms are rapidly dissolving. Yang Peng, CEO of Ant International, and Surendra Rosha, Co-CEO, APAC, HSBC, explore who will build, and control, the next generation of financial infrastructure. The conversation examines how technology and traditional finance will converge, where new sources of competitive advantage will emerge, and whether Asia will pioneer a fundamentally new model for intelligent, interconnected finance.

Across financial services, institutions are competing for scarce AI, cybersecurity and data talent while simultaneously reskilling existing staff and redesigning how work gets done. This panel works through what it takes to grow that talent locally, from training pipelines to public-private partnerships, rather than relying on imported expertise. It gives attendees practical models for building capacity that stays where it is built. One of the key questions the panel will look to dive deeper into: How do you build local capacity rather than importing or offshoring it?

Governments now face a dual bind: rising unemployment alongside a widening skills shortage that education and training systems are struggling to close fast enough. This panel turns to how reskilling, job redesign and workforce planning can be shared across employers, educators and public institutions rather than left to any one of them. Attendees come away with a sharper view of where responsibility for building an AI-ready workforce actually sits. One of the key questions the panel will look to dive deeper into: What is the right split of responsibility between employers, universities, governments and multilaterals for closing the skills gap?

Whether you're a student starting out, a finance professional planning a career pivot, or a startup founder facing a specific business challenge, Pay It Forward connects you with established industry professionals for face-to-face, one-to-one mentorship. It's a chance to get advice from people who have already worked through the challenges you're facing. Sessions are 15 minutes long and take place at the Pay It Forward Lounge in Hall 3, from 18 to 20 November, 12.30pm to 4.30pm. Come with one specific question or challenge, and leave with focused, practical advice.

Nine MUFG Young Innovators from Odisha step onto a global stage.

Made possible through MUFG's support, this session brings students from India's emerging FinTech ecosystem, who have undergone the Certificate in FinTech and InsurTech programme, before an international audience of industry leaders, investors and policymakers. The session features a live showcase from the cohort's winning team, presenting the work that earned them their place here.

A demonstration of what happens when talent is met with opportunity and a look at where the next generation of financial innovation is coming from.

Whether you're a student starting out, a finance professional planning a career pivot, or a startup founder facing a specific business challenge, Pay It Forward connects you with established industry professionals for face-to-face, one-to-one mentorship. It's a chance to get advice from people who have already worked through the challenges you're facing. Sessions are 15 minutes long and take place at the Pay It Forward Lounge in Hall 3, from 18 to 20 November, 12.30pm to 4.30pm. Come with one specific question or challenge, and leave with focused, practical advice.

As GenAI reshapes finance, the decisive constraint isn't the technology—it's talent. Do institutions have the skills, and the pipeline, to keep pace? This session pairs a candid industry dialogue on the widening GenAI capability gap with a showcase of YTP-AIF finalist projects, where students present real AI solutions built for finance.

You will learn: where the most urgent skills shortfalls are emerging, how institutions are building GenAI-ready talent, and where the next generation is already placing its bets. A look at both sides of the talent equation—the gap, and the people who will close it.

Whether you're a student starting out, a finance professional planning a career pivot, or a startup founder facing a specific business challenge, Pay It Forward connects you with established industry professionals for face-to-face, one-to-one mentorship. It's a chance to get advice from people who have already worked through the challenges you're facing. Sessions are 15 minutes long and take place at the Pay It Forward Lounge in Hall 3, from 18 to 20 November, 12.30pm to 4.30pm. Come with one specific question or challenge, and leave with focused, practical advice.

Talent rewiring is redrawing the map itself, institutions now follow people first, capital and headquarters second. Financial institutions increasingly decide where to build based on where the talent already is, not just where capital or headquarters sit. This discussion looks at how that dynamic is redrawing where banks locate technology and operations, and what it means for markets competing to become talent hubs rather than just financial centres. The key question it looks to answer: is tomorrow's bank shaped more by where the talent is than by where the capital is?