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Networking at the GFTN Forum, Japan

Grow your network, discover opportunities, and exchange insights in a uniquely Japanese setting

Meet policymakers, technologists, business leaders, and investors from around the world at the GFTN Forum, Japan. You can view the 2024 networking events below, stay tuned for updates on 2025!  

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GFTN Forum, Japan x FINOLAB Party

Embrace the fusion of nature and cityscape as you join fellow attendees at this soirée. Hosted at the Otemachi Building, come and join us for a night of networking in a relaxed environment. 

6:00pm - 8:00pm, Tuesday, 5 March 2024
7F, Otemachi Building (1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004)
Open to Pass holders - space is limited, entrance on a first-come, first-served basis 

GFTN Forum, Japan Afterhours at Marunouchi

Head over to the Marunouchi area to continue the networking.
Local bars and restaurants are offering Forum attendees discounts - just show your pass. View the map and list of participating venues. 

6:00pm - late, Tuesday, 5 March 2024
Marunouchi area, Tokyo

Marunouchi map
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Founders ROCK 

Money moves and killer grooves collide!

Dive into "The Founders ROCK", where entrepreneurial minds jam on stage, igniting connections and innovation!

6:30pm - 8:00pm , Wednesday, 6 March 2024
Festival Stage, 2F (Kanda Myojin Shrine, EDO Culture Complex)
Open to all Pass holders

RISING FinTech

The inaugural Rising FinTech day will focus on nurturing fintech ecosystems & driving greater collaboration between fintech hubs. This dedicated community day - which is free and open to all to attend - will pave a way for new partnerships, cooperative ventures and investment opportunities between global and Japanese entities.

The Rising FinTech day is free & open for all to attend including:

  • International & Japanese Founders / Startups
  • Investors / Venture Capitalists
  • Financial Services & Technology Enterprises
  • International & Japanese Financial Centers
  • FinTech Hubs & Associations
  • Rising Talent & students

9:00am - 5:00pm, Thursday, 7 March 2024
3F, SMBC Head Office Building (1-1-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan)  

Speakers

Alex Panican

Alex Panican

Deputy CEO

Luxembourg House of Financial Technology

Alex Panican

Deputy CEO

Alex is a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in Business Strategy, Digital Transformation and Innovation. He’s the Deputy CEO at the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT), where he’s supporting international fintechs to establish and grow their operations in Europe. The aim of the LHoFT is to drive digitalisation and innovation in the Luxembourg financial industry by building a collaborative ecosystem of innovators across all sectors of the domestic and international community. Disrupter at heart, AI advocate and Stoic philosopher, Alex is also a professor in Business Strategy and Digital Marketing. He holds an MBA in Strategy from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada.

Dr Andreas Rung

Dr Andras Rung

Founder & CEO

Ergomania Digital Product Design

Dr Andras Rung

Founder & CEO

A veteran of financial User Experience (UX) with 20 years in the business focusing on business needs and innovation, Dr Andras Rung has worked for various banks, institutions, and Fintech companies since 2002. He founded the Ergomania Product Design Agency and obtained his PhD in linguistics backed with AI in 2012. He is currently focusing on voice technologies and finance-related innovation. He was on stage at Money20/20 in Amsterdam (2021-2023) 3 times.

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Audun Abelsnes

Managing Director

Techstars

Audun Abelsnes

Managing Director

Cyril Armange

Cyril Armange

Deputy CEO

Finance Innovation

Cyril Armange

Deputy CEO

Graduated from Science Po Paris and Paris Sorbonne University, Cyril has led missions in the fields of communication and administrative, financial and legal management of promising and innovative projects in strategic sectors for France. He joined the Louis Bachelier Group in 2008 to manage the financing, the development and the promotion of more than 60 research programs in four societal transitions: environmental, digital, demographic and financial In 2011 he became the Secretary General of the The Louis Bachelier Network, which funds, develops and promotes research excellence in economics and finance. In 2016, Cyril joined the global competitiveness cluster Finance Innovation as Director of Partnerships before becoming Deputy CEO in July 2020. His missions focus mainly on leading and helping to develop R&D projects for innovative companies in the financial ecosystem: banking, insurance, asset management, real estate, sustainable finance, real estate, corporate finance and Web 3.

Dongpyo Hong

Dongpyo Hong

Gloabal Alliance & Partnership, Chair, Korea Fintech Industry Association

Founder & CEO, KnowWhere

Dongpyo Hong

Gloabal Alliance & Partnership, Chair, Korea Fintech Industry Association

Dongpyo Hong is Vice Chairman of Korea Fintech Industry Association and Chair of Global Alliance & Partnership there to bridge Korea and global fintech industries. He is also Founder & CEO of KnowWhere which is providing business matching service in global IT industry.

Jaclyn Tsai

Jaclyn Tsai

Executive Director & Honorary Chairwoman

Asia FinTech Alliance & Taiwan FinTech Association

Jaclyn Tsai

Executive Director & Honorary Chairwoman

Jaclyn has a great deal of experience in both the private sector and the public sector. She had previously served as a District Court judge from 1982 to 1991, after which she worked as IBM's General Counsel in Taiwan from 1991 to 1995, and later the Greater China region from 1995 to 1998. She founded Lee, Tsai & Partners with Dr. Lee in 1998 and specializes in technology law, M&A and investment matters. In 2013, Jaclyn was appointed as the Minister without Portfolio in the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) and became one of the few female ministers in the government. During her term as Minister without Portfolio, she was responsible for a number of inter-ministry affairs, such as the reformation of laws relating to virtual world development, e-commerce, the shared economy, digital convergence, the startup environment, open data, and the maker movement. Jaclyn returned to the firm in 2016, and she is currently the Executive Director of Asia FinTech Association and the Honorary Chairwoman of Taiwan FinTech Association.

Jil Ebanoidze

Jil Ebanoidze

Vice Chair, Board Member

Global Impact Fintech (GIFT)

Jil Ebanoidze

Vice Chair, Board Member

Meet Jil Ebanoidze: A Fintech executive, NLP coach, and visionary Entrepreneur. With a passion for merging Neuroscience and Technology, she champions equality, empathy, and sustainability. Jil pioneers payments innovation and ESG wallet integration within major tech and fintech enterprises, collaborating with industry giants worldwide. As a startup mentor across the globe, she contributes her expertise through affiliations with Cyberport in Hong Kong and Venture builders in the Middle East and Africa. Formerly of eBay, Naspers Group, and Director of Payments at Booking.com, Jil's journey embodies leadership and innovation. As an advocate for female empowerment, she established Maison AVAZA, a personal branding company empowering women to authentically express themselves and share their stories.

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Laura Østergaard Sørensen

Head of Commercial & Global Partnerships

Copenhagen Fintech

Laura Østergaard Sørensen

Head of Commercial & Global Partnerships

Former Fintech Sector responsible at the Danish Embassy in Singapore with a focus on globalisation and partnerships in South East Asia. Experience from the Danish FS working as a management advisor to senior management in Insurance. Extensive experience with strategy, M&A, partnership and change management. Head of Global Partnerships in Copenhagen Fintech.

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Pawel Widawski

President

Fintech Poland

Pawel Widawski

President

Pankaj Singh

Pankaj Singh

Co-founder & Partner

YAN Fund (The Fintech Yatra Fund)

Pankaj Singh

Co-founder & Partner

Reuben Lim

Reuben Lim

CEO

Singapore Fintech Association

Reuben Lim

CEO

Reuben is Chief Executive Officer at Singapore FinTech Association (SFA). He leads the secretariat and works with the executive committee to spearhead initiatives that strengthen the FinTech ecosystem in Singapore.
With over 18 years of experience in business development and management, Reuben has empowered both large enterprises, SMEs and government agencies in uncovering valuable revenue and growth opportunities through active business partnering and strong leadership. He has led teams across the industries of aviation, real estate investment, marine, intellectual property, amongst others.

Reuben graduated from the Singapore Management University in Business Management (SMU), with a Magna Cum Laude. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in IP Management and Innovations Management from Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

Sandeep Jhingran

Sandeep Jhingran

Director

Fintech Convergence Council

Sandeep Jhingran

Director

Sandeep Jhingran is a career banker and has spent over 30 years in BFSI space in India. Over last 5 years years he has been in public advocacy for startups, especially for Fintech. He is currently Director at Fintech Convergence Council (FCC) & connected very closely to startup ecosystem in India. He has been one of the founder members of Global Fintech Fest held annually in Mumbai, which brings together the global fintech ecosystem to India. Part of State supported Incubator programs in various Indian states A members of Karnataka State Startup Evaluation Committee for flagship Elevate and Unnati Startup Programs. He has been leading public advocacy for Digital Payments, Lending, Wealth Management, Digital Banking, Regtech, AgriTech and Insurance in India.

Satoru Miyashiro

Satoru Miyashiro

Deputy General Manager, Digital Strategy

SMBC Group

Satoru Miyashiro

Deputy General Manager, Digital Strategy

After involvement in various functions in SMBC, including SME corporate banking, large cap clients coverage in Shanghai and Osaka, and global HR strategy, he was appointed to Digital Strategy Department in 2022. Currently involved in strategy formulation and organizational management related to new business development and investment in startup and venture capital both in Japan and overseas. He is a founding member of SMBC Asia Rising Fund, supporting collaboration between portfolio companies and SMBC Group. Earned an MBA from London Business School.
Takeshi Kito

Takeshi Kito

Co-founder & CEO

Elevandi Japan

Takeshi Kito

Co-founder & CEO

Takeshi is a serial Fintech entrepreneur, and Co-founder &CEO of Elevandi Japan, actively leading ecosystem building and international partnerships.

Additionally, he serves on the committee for the Government of Japan's Regulatory Sandbox and is a member of the experts group at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry for cross-border data transfers.

Before starting his own startup, Takeshi worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, gaining expertise in capital markets. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, he worked at Boston Consulting Group.

He also held the position of Vice-chair at Fintech Association of Japan, where he played a pivotal role in navigating international collaborations for 6 years.
Ting Ting Wei

Ting-Ting Wu

International Partnership Manager

FinTechSpace

Ting-Ting Wu

International Partnership Manager

Ting-Ting is the International Partnership Manager at FinTechSpace with over 7 years of expertise in FinTech, cybersecurity, and privacy consultancy. She leads initiatives aimed at fostering cross-border collaborations to bolster Taiwan's FinTech ecosystem. Her efforts are focused on forging strategic partnerships to facilitate the expansion of Taiwan's FinTech network while nurturing robust connections with international stakeholders. Before join FinTechSpace, Ting-Ting was a assistant manager in Deloitte & Touche's Risk Advisory Department. During this time, she played a pivotal role in spearheading cybersecurity consultancy projects for esteemed clients such as the Bank Bureau, FISAC Taiwan, and Bank of Taiwan. Her hands-on experience equipped her with the insights necessary to guide FinTech enterprises in navigating cybersecurity requirements, ensuring their readiness to enter and thrive within the Taiwanese market.

Winston Hsiao

Winston Hsiao

Co-founder & Group Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

XREX Inc.

Winston Hsiao

Co-founder & Group Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

With a strong background in economics, Winston Hsiao is a serial entrepreneur and active crypto trader. Winston founded Taiwan’s first Bitcoin exchange BTCEx-TW in 2013 and has invested in seed equity rounds of many crypto startups. Winston is also the Founder and CEO of Verico International, a consumer electronics brand. Born in Taiwan but grew up in India, Winston majored in economics at Savitribai Phule Pune University, where he graduated with FirstClass. In 2018, Winston co-founded XREX Inc. and he currently serves as the Group's Chief Revenue Officer. XREX is a blockchain-enabled financial institution working with banks, regulators, and users to redefine banking together. Winston divides his time between Taipei and India. In 2022, Winston co-founded and is a sitting Board Member at Unitas Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the development of Unitas Protocol, which operates exogenously over-reserved stablecoins pegged to emerging market currencies. These stablecoins unleash emerging market potentials by facilitating foreign investment, cross-border payment, global market access, DeFi participation, efficient USD liquidity, and more.

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Yasin Erol

General Manager

Istanbul Finance and Technology Base Science Park

Yasin Erol

General Manager

Yasin Erol completed his education at Sakarya University in Turkiye, Department of International Relations, with his thesis on "Continental Shelves in International Waters". In 2003, he went to United Kingdom for research, development and entrepreneurship purposes, respectively, in various sectors; He served as branch manager, import-export manager, finance manager and general manager.In addition to his work experiences, also in the United Kingdom; He conducted research and studies within the scope of the technology transfer office and university-industry collaborations. In Turkey between 2013 and 2014; He served as Deputy General Manager of Istanbul Technical University Arı Science Park, and simultaneously as General Coordinator of Istanbul Technical University İTÜNOVA Technology Transfer Office. He served as the General Manager of Istanbul University and Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Science Park between 2015 and 2022. In 2022, he became the General Manager and CEO of the Istanbul Finance and Technology Base (Fintech Zone) Science Park, which was established under the auspices of the Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye, and he still maintains this position.

FINOPITCH 2024

The oldest Fintech Pitch Contest in Japan, 23 startup pitches took place during FINOPITCH 2024 contest, and attendees also enjoyed a short performance of Noh, a traditional Japanese performing art.

Over the years more than 200 startups from Japan and overseas, including companies such as AI inside, ConsenSys, Finatext holdings, FOLIO, freee, Hottlink, Kyash, Loadstar Capital, Money Forward, Moneytree, Paidy, Revolut and Zuu, have participated in the contest.

1:00pm - 8:00pm, Thursday, 7 March 2024
Kanze Noh Theater (GINZA SIX B3F), Tokyo, Japan)  

Finopitch 2024

Attending Organisations

Private and public sector leaders from across the globe are attending GFTN Forum, Japan to engage, connect, and collaborate

Attending Orgs Preview

Elevandi Japan

Elevandi Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of the not-for-profit global FinTech ecosystem builder Elevandi, is playing a strategic role in developing and accelerating the Japanese and North East Asian FinTech ecosystem; promoting Japan's advancement in critical technologies, and connecting Japan with Elevandi's fast-developing global network of initiatives.

2024 International Satellite Events

  • Tuesday, 5 March
  • Wednesday, 6 March
  • Thursday, 7 March
  • Friday, 8 March
  • Monday, 11 March

4:30pm - 5:30pm

FINOLAB, 4F, Otemachi Building (1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004)

Github CTO Circle

GitHub CTO Circle is an exclusive initiative created to cultivate a tight-knit community of startup CTOs and technology leaders. Its primary objective is to promote collaboration, facilitate the exchange of knowledge, and nurture the growth of strong best practices within early-stage and rapidly expanding startup enterprises. 

REGISTER HERE

7:00pm - 10:30pm

Date to be confirmed

Fintech Startup Mixer by Takeoff Tokyo and GIG-A

Takeoff Tokyo is a one-day event for world-conquering founders, visionary investors, influential media and ecosystem players from around the world. Startups will go head to head in a pitch contest, entrepreneurs and investors will share their experiences on panel discussions. 

GIG-A is a fintech company providing a multilingual, 100% mobile, simple and hassle-free bank account to foreign residents of Japan. GIG-A was also Takeoff Tokyo’s pitch contest winner in 2023. 

Registration: Free Entrance 

10:15am - 12:00pm

Morning Tea Session & networking between Australian organization visiting Japan Fintech Week and Japanese players in FinTech, blockchain and DeFi

Organised by: AUSTRADE

By invite only

1:00pm - 6:30pm

Brillia Lounge(東京建物八重洲ビル1F) 東京都中央区八重洲1-4-16 Japan 

Discussing FinTech with Global Leaders

Organised by: Tokyo Tatemono, CFTE, Mizuho and Elevandi Japan

REGISTER HERE

10:00am - 1:00pm

APAC FINOLAB Panel Pitch & Lunch

Organised by: FINOLAB

By invite only

3:45pm - 6 pm

British Embassy Tokyo (102-8381 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Ichibancho, ) 

UK FinTech Meetup event at British Embassy Tokyo

Organised by: British Embassy Tokyo 

REGISTER TO ATTEND

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Growth 1(Event Space),2nd floor, Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Terrace, 6-53,Daimyo 2-chome,Chuo-ku,Fukuoka-shi,Fukuoka 

Fukuoka FinTech Meetup

Organised by: Fukuoka Prefectural Government 

REGISTER TO ATTEND