Singapore, 19 November 2020… The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) announced today that more than 40 global satellite events will take place across the world as part of the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) x Singapore Week of Innovation & TeCHnology (SWITCH) 2020.

2.     To be held from 7 to 11 December, SFF x SWITCH 2020 will feature a unique hybrid format that combines a 24-hour online event platform with global satellite events around the world. This new hybrid model will provide participants with greater access to the global FinTech and deep tech communities who are looking to discover partnerships, draw investments, and boost sales cycles.

3.     SFF x SWITCH has worked with a network of global partners to host the global satellite events (refer to Annex A). They comprise physical events in selected cities in accordance with local safe distancing measures as well as digital-only events. They will bring together content from innovation hubs and tech showcases around the world, and provide in-person attendees access to networking opportunities with industry leaders and sponsors. In collaboration with MAS and ESG, SingEx Group will manage the physical and digital experiences for attendees and ensure a seamless execution of the FinTech and innovation showcases across the cities.

4.     SFF x SWITCH will feature a 24-hour online experience over five days. This online event platform will feature a digital city, supported by partners including Accenture, Microsoft and Pico Art International. The digital city will feature more than 800 speakers from around the world, including leaders in finance and technology, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and officials from multilateral agencies. Participants can access live content broadcasts running round-the-clock and on-demand sessions. Some of the confirmed speakers include:

SFF

• Dr Abhijit Banerjee, 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
• Guo Shuqing, Chairman, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission
• Hong Feng, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, Xiaomi
• Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO, Thrive Global, Founder, Huffington Post
• Sallie Krawcheck, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Ellevest
• Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft
• Nandan Nilekani, Co-Founder and Chairman, Infosys
• Henry M. Paulson, Jr, Founder and Chairman, Paulson Institute
• Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, Google and Alphabet
• Dr Raghuram Rajan, Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, University of Chicago’s Booth School
• Eric Yuan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Zoom

SWITCH

• Albert, Co-Founder, Traveloka
• Dr Chi Youngcho, President and CIO, Hyundai Motor Group
• Timothy Draper, Founding Partner, Draper Associates
• Arvinder Gujral, Managing Director SE Asia and Senior Director Business Development - APAC, China, Australia, Twitter
• Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise
• Lei Ming, Co-Founder, Baidu; Former CEO and Founder, Kuwo Science and Technology; Founding Partner, AIBasis Ventures
• Henry Ma, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, WeBank
• Candice Ong, Chief Commercial Officer, ShopBack
• Lars Reger, Group Chief Technology Officer, NXP Semiconductor Germany GmbH
• Professor Sir Adrian Smith FRS, Institute Director and Chief Executive, The Alan Turing Institute
• Professor H.S. Philip Wong, Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering, Stanford University
• Ye Gang, Group Chief Operating Officer, Sea Ltd

5.     The SFF Global-Common Channel will feature five global summits on the themes of: economics, infrastructure, impact, investor, and talent. They will focus on driving cross-border commercial activity to support pandemic recovery, and how financial institutions should position themselves in 2021. The SWITCH Global Channel, curated by SWITCH’s global innovation partners (refer to Annex B), allows participants access to market knowledge, opportunities, insights and tips on business culture from over 42 cities in 31 countries across Africa, Asia (China, India and Southeast Asia), Europe, Middle East, North America and Northeast Asia & Oceania.

6.     A digital map will show all SFF x SWITCH activities across Singapore, with dedicated zonesThe digital map will feature dedicated areas for various SFF x SWITCH activities, comprising the SFF x SWITCH Content Channels, International Zone, MAS Zone, Sponsor and Exhibitor Zones, Early Stage FinTechs Zone, Growth Stage FinTechs Zone, APIX, Talent Pavilion, Blockchain Zone, SME Zone, SFF AI Summit @Bridge+, Networking Zone, SWITCH Village and SG Blockchain Village. for various activities, including an international zone, early stage and growth stage FinTech zones, talent zone, technology showcase zones, and a networking zone. Participants will be able to visit locations on the map via a searchable and interactive directory of organisations and activities, tailored to their interests and profiles. Participants can meet and network with attendees on the event platform and schedule 1-on-1 meetings, by leveraging on the platform’s business matching functionality.

7.     Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, MAS, said, “The global pandemic has led to a reimagination of how we can deliver SFF x SWITCH as a global platform. To recreate the connectivity, collaboration and networking that have become the hallmarks of SFF x SWITCH, this year’s unique hybrid format will break new ground to create a truly global and inclusive event for the FinTech community. We are delighted to work with key global partners to deliver over 40 global satellite events for attendees across the globe, and Microsoft and Accenture to design this first-of-its-kind global platform for the FinTech community to innovate and forge new connections, anchored on the delivery of a powerful, new digital experience at scale.”

8.     Edwin Chow, Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Innovation & Enterprise), Enterprise Singapore, said, “While SFF x SWITCH is being run in a new, unprecedented way, our aim to enable networking and collaboration has not changed. In fact, we are very pleased to see that SWITCH has attracted even more global innovation partners this time, with established names such as 500 Startups, Sunway Group and VinaCapital joining us at various thematic panel discussions. This digital format not only enables the deep tech and innovation community to access deep market knowledge; it allows us to connect across geographies and time zones at a much faster pace, making this event a truly global one.”

9.     “Together with our partners we’ve designed the entire customer journey identifying critical touchpoints for optimal experiential engagements, paving the way for a bold new format that’s driven by customer insights. We’re proud to be the nerve centre for SFF x SWITCH orchestrating the global event experience across the satellite cities, online and offline, through our hybrid events studio in Singapore as well as robust capabilities in content, digital and operational excellence. We look forward to showing the world a new standard of audience engagement made possible with our established network of community partners from around the world”, said Aloysius Arlando, Chief Executive Officer, SingEx.

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About the Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is Singapore’s central bank and integrated financial regulator. As a central bank, MAS promotes sustained, non-inflationary economic growth through the conduct of monetary policy and close macroeconomic surveillance and analysis. It manages Singapore’s exchange rate, official foreign reserves, and liquidity in the banking sector. As an integrated financial supervisor, MAS fosters a sound financial services sector through its prudential oversight of all financial institutions in Singapore – banks, insurers, capital market intermediaries, financial advisors, and stock exchanges. It is also responsible for well-functioning financial markets, sound conduct, and investor education. MAS also works with the financial industry to promote Singapore as a dynamic international financial centre. It facilitates the development of infrastructure, adoption of technology, and upgrading of skills in the financial industry.

About Enterprise Singapore
Enterprise Singapore is the government agency championing enterprise development. We work with committed companies to build capabilities, innovate and internationalise.

We also support the growth of Singapore as a hub for global trading and startups, and build trust in Singapore’s products and services through quality and standards.

Visit www.enterprisesg.gov.sg for more information.

About SingEx Group
SingEx provides a comprehensive range of customer insights-driven audience engagement solutions, each uniquely designed for industries and communities to achieve their business goals. With a 40-year track record in curating innovative experiences, expanding global business networks and enabling cross-industry collaboration, and with offices in China, India and Indonesia, our solutions drive high-touch engagement to connect and empower the communities of tomorrow. 
 
Enriching this engagement is SingEx’s ownership and management of a series of trade exhibitions and conferences in Singapore across global themes such as Industrial Transformation; Innovation and Technology; and Sustainability. Headliners include Singapore FinTech Festival x Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SFF x SWITCH) and Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC. 
 
An expert in the venue management and consultancy of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) facilities, SingEx has also been managing Singapore’s largest purpose-built MICE venue Singapore EXPO and MAX Atria since 1999 and 2012, respectively. 
 
For more information, visit www.singex.com .

About the Singapore FinTech Festival
Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) is the world’s largest FinTech event and a global platform for the FinTech community comprising FinTech players, technopreneurs, policy makers, financial industry leaders, investors including private equity players and venture capitalists, and academics. In 2019, SFF and the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) saw more than 60,000 participants from almost 140 countries and featured highlights such as the FinTech Conference, the FinTech Awards, Global FinTech Hackcelerator, Innovation Lab Crawl and Industry Networking and Workshops. The SFF is organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in partnership with The Association of Banks in Singapore and in collaboration with SingEx Holdings. Find out more at www.fintechfestival.sg .
 
About SWITCH
The Singapore Week of Innovation & TeCHnology (SWITCH) is the leading tech festival for the Global-Asia innovation ecosystem. It is a one-stop platform where innovation meets enterprise, with access to global startups, investors, corporates, innovation community and ecosystem players. It focuses on these key industries – Health & Biomedical Sciences, Smart Cities & Urban Solutions, and Trade & Connectivity.

SWITCH is a week-long event featuring Exhibitions, Conferences, Workshops, Lab Crawls, and partner activities such as startups pitching competition, SLINGSHOT 2020, and open innovation platform, TechInnovation. Together with the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF), SFF x SWITCH convened over 60,000 participants from 140 countries, hosted 569 speakers and 1,000 exhibitors in 2019.

SWITCH is supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF).

Find out more at http://www.switchsg.org/ .