Stablecoins & Institutional Adoption: Building the Infrastructure of Trust
Stablecoins & Institutional Adoption: Building the Infrastructure of Trust
💡 Are stablecoins ready to power the future of institutional finance?
This isn’t just another webinar, it’s a conversation on how financial markets can build the infrastructure of trust around stablecoins.
As institutional adoption gathers pace, the need for clear governance, robust frameworks, and regulatory interoperability has never been greater. This session brings together leaders across finance, compliance, and innovation to explore how stablecoins are reshaping the digital asset landscape in Asia and beyond.
✨ WHY ATTEND?
Hear expert perspectives on the risks and opportunities for institutional stablecoin adoption.
Understand the evolving regulatory environment across APAC and globally.
Explore real-world use cases in payments, settlement, and tokenized assets.
Gain insights into how financial institutions are approaching trust, compliance, and scalability.
Whether you’re an institutional leader, policymaker, or fintech innovator, this is your chance to be part of a forward-looking dialogue that will shape the future of digital assets.
EVENT AGENDA
8:00 – 8:10 PM — Opening Remarks & Introduction
8:10 – 9:25 PM — Panel Discussion: Stablecoins & Institutional Adoption: Building the Infrastructure of Trust
9:25 – 9:55 PM — Audience Q&A
9:55 – 10:00 PM — Closing Remarks
KEY DISCUSSIONS
Institutional interest and market trends for digital assets across APAC
Real-world use cases: cross-border payroll, settlement, tokenized assets
Stablecoins as enablers vs. risks in finance
Challenges and gaps around custody, redemption, and auditability
Regulatory enablement across APAC
Building interoperability and global frameworks for trusted stablecoins
🎤 MODERATOR
Dr. Ernie Teo is Program Director for the Bachelor of Applied Computing in Finance at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and a Senior Lecturer at Nanyang Business School. A blockchain and fintech expert, he has been teaching, researching, and advising in the space since 2014.
Ernie’s work spans academia, startups, and industry. He has published on financial innovation, game theory, and digital asset markets, while also advising fintech ventures and contributing to policy discussions in Singapore and the region. With a PhD in Economics and Game Theory from UNSW Australia, he brings a unique perspective bridging rigorous research with real-world applications.
Recognised as a Chartered Fellow of the Global Fintech Institute, Ernie regularly speaks at industry forums and is actively shaping conversations on blockchain adoption, digital assets, and the future of financial services.
🌟 MEET THE SPEAKERS
Steven McWhirter is the Global Policy Lead at Binance, bringing over 25 years of extensive experience in regulation, policy, strategy, supervision and structural reform. Before joining Binance, Steven spent almost a decade at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). During his tenure at the FCA, Steven was a policy subject matter expert, contributing to UK and international policy development via the ESMA, EBA, EIOPA, BIS, FSB and IOSCO. His policy work included fintech, bigtech, professionalism, management body corporate governance and suitability, systems and controls, operational risk, internal governance, operational resilience, cloud outsourcing, cyber, digital markets and related technology policy.
Steven has previously advised on the creation of the UK Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) and the creation of the UK Banking Standards Board. He was also a member of the policy team responsible for implementing the UK’s Senior Manager and Certification Regime (SMCR), as well as the FCA’s lead on managing the UK Privy Council, UK Royal Chartered professions and the Secretariat of the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN), a network of over 80 financial regulators and observers globally.
Sugandhi Govil is the Director of Compliance, APAC and MLRO at Circle Singapore, where she leads regulatory and financial crime compliance and provides strategic compliance oversight for initiatives across APAC and MEA. With over two decades of experience in risk and compliance, she has built and scaled programs in fast-evolving, high-growth environments.
She is deeply committed to enabling responsible innovation. Her approach combines regulatory clarity, executional rigor, and commercial awareness to support business growth in a risk-managed way. Prior to Circle, Sugandhi held senior compliance roles at Genesis, Scotiabank, and SBI, and is a frequent contributor to industry panels and working groups shaping the future of compliance in financial services.
Adeline Chan has over 15 years of experience in financial services across Asia, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. She specialises in risk committee management, regulatory compliance, and the design and implementation of enterprise risk frameworks, with expertise spanning financial crime, cybersecurity, and technology risk.
As a Industry Fellow of the Global Fintech Institute, Adeline researches digital asset regulations and tokenisation use cases. She contributes to GFI’s thought leadership efforts through webinars and industry dialogues, sharing insights on how regulatory requirements can enable innovation while safeguarding the integrity of financial markets.
Rahul Bhargava is a payments and fintech consultant with over 20 years of experience in banking, technology, and public-private sector initiatives. He has held senior roles at SWIFT, Accenture, FIS, and ICICI Bank, where he focused on cross-border payments, financial market infrastructures, and the evolution of digital money.
At SWIFT, Rahul led the global portfolio for cross-border instant payments, authored the organisation’s CBDC interoperability position paper, and contributed to international initiatives such as Project Nexus and Project Dunbar. Today, he advises central banks, banks, fintechs, and agencies including the World Bank Group on payments strategy and the adoption of stablecoins and CBDCs. He is recognised as an Industry Fellow of the Global FinTech Institute.
About Global Fintech Institute (GFI)
The Global Fintech Institute (GFI) is a non-profit think tank that fosters collaboration among regulatory bodies, corporations, and academic institutions. Headquartered in Singapore, GFI addresses challenges in the fintech landscape through research, whitepapers, and thought leadership discussions that shape policy and industry standards.
Our flagship initiatives include the Chartered Fintech Professional (CFtP) and Chartered Fintech Associate (CFtA) certifications, which equip professionals with essential skills for the evolving fintech environment.
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