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Digital Financial Services (DFS) Workshop

27 April 2017|Event

The primary purpose and objective of this workshop is to continue providing Caribbean stakeholders from various sectors with interactive sessions along the theme of utilizing technology innovations towards the goal of improving financial transactions and financing arrangements

DFS Digital Banner

DFS Digital Banner
DFS Digital Banner
ECLAC Caribbean

The DFS Workshop that will be carried out from 27 to 28 April 2017, serves as a follow up to the Financial Technology (FinTech) workshop held in Trinidad 1st -3rd June 2016. Video coverage from last year's workshop is available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGZB1Uq4dhN0YJKf1VWNQSA

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

  • Policy makers & leaders  seeking greater participation in the digital economy
  • Financial and telecommunications/ICT regulators
  • Academia and institutions critical to research and development of the innovation sector
  • Entrepreneurs seeking to develop and use innovative financial solutions
  • Mobile network operators, banks, financial service providers, mobile financial services platform providers
  • International organizations, NGOs involved in financial inclusion programmes and civil society.

 

DAY 1 – Mr. Peter Nicholls (ECLAC) Chair/MC

Time

Session Type

Topic

Presenter/Panelist

8:00-9:00

Registration

 

 

9:00-10:00

Opening Ceremony

Welcome and conference roadmap

  • Opening speeches

  • Photo

  • Minister feature address

Speakers:

 

 

Vote of Thanks: Dr. John Prince (TATT)

 

MC: Selby Wilson (CTU)

10:00:10:15

PHOTO

 

 

10:15-10:45

Coffee

 

 

10:45-12:00

SESSION 1

Mini-case exploration: Encouraging participation in the digital economy

 

 

 

  • What is the opportunity (local and intl. payments)?

  • Traditional merchant payment solutions and alternatives

  • Perception amongst SMEs

  • Adequacy of existing solutions

  • Need for better solutions?

  • Presenters:

    • Hon. Melford Nicholas (Antigua & Barbuda)

    • Robert de Gannes (Entrepreneur)
      [Presentation]

  • Respondents:

    • Jason Julien (FCB)

    • Glynis Alexander-Tam (InfoLinx)

  • Moderator: Shiva Bissessar (Pinaka)

12:00-12:45

SESSION 2

Presentation:

The ITU Focus Group - Digital Financial Services (FG DFS) update

 

Outcomes of the ITU FG DFS initiative

  • Accomplishments

  • What’s next

12:45-1:45

Lunch

 

 

1:45-3:00

SESSION 3

Panel discussion: Caribbean challenges and the need for new payment solutions

 

  • Challenges

    • Correspondent banking

    • Financial exclusion

    • Inefficiency of Commerce

  • How can tech/innovation assist?

    • G2P /PATH (Jamaica)

  • Creating functional / productive national payments committees

 

  • Presenter : Dr. Damien King (CaPRI)
    [Presentation]

  • Respondents:

    • Dr. Maurice McNaughton (UWI Mona)

    • Leslie Ann Des Vignes (CBTT)

  • Moderator: Robert Bobby Williams (ECLAC)

 

 

3:00-3:30

Coffee

 

 

3:30-4:45

SESSION 4

Panel Discussion: FINTECH 3.0 Getting the regulatory environment right

 

 

 

 

  • Does regulatory uncertainty stymie innovation?

  • Enabling innovation

    • ‘No objection’

  • Banks led models vs. Non-banks & regulators’ remit

  • Consumer Protection

  • Interoperability

  • Presenter: Dr. Maurice McNaughton
    (UWI Mona) 
    [Presentation]

  • Respondents:

    • Terrence Clarke (BidRate)

    • Nigel Stoddard (FIU)

  • Moderator: Nigel Cassimire (CTU)

4:45 – 5:00

Recap and close

 

 

 

DAY 2 – Mr. Nigel Cassimire (TATT) Chair/MC

8:00-8:25

Registration

 

 

8:25 - 8:45

 

  • Recap of DAY 1

  • Tribute to Michel Stéphane Bruno

  • TATT

  • Jacqueline Morris

8:45-10:00

SESSION 5

Mini Presentations: Mobile Money implementations in the Caribbean region: Consumer Protection Focus

 

 

  • Consumer Protection

  • Tiered service provision

  • Effects to products offered

  • Jamaican ‘mobile money’ license

  • Security & Privacy concerns

10:00-10:30

Coffee

 

 

10:30 -11:15

SESSION 6

Presentation:

  • UK Regulatory sandbox

  • Digital Identity

Experience of participating in the UK regulatory sandbox & digital identity

 

11:15 -12:30

SESSION 7

Panel discussion: Financing aspects

  • Next generation funding models for emerging market startups and SMEs

  • OECS Electronic Payment Forum

  • Crowd funding workshops (Presentation, Updates from the OECS)

  • RegTech

  • Presenter (REMOTE): Ms Telly V. Onu (Quintessence Consulting) [Presentation]

  • Respondents:

    • Marlon Marie (OECS)

    • Rachel Simms-Sealy (TTSEC)

  • Moderator: Glynis Alexander-Tam (InfoLinx)

 

12:30-1:30

Lunch

 

 

1:30-2:45

SESSION 8

Mini Presentations:

Digital Currency - Caribbean Landscape

 

  • What is the opportunity to bring relief to customers?

  • Consumer protection

  • KYC/AML

  • Challenges?

    • Becoming operational

    • Regulatory response

  • Digital Fiat

  • Distributed ledger protocol in financial inclusion

  • Blockchain-based settlement frameworks

 

  • Moderator: Dr. Damian King (CaPRI)

2:45-3:15

Coffee

 

 

3:15-4:30

SESSION 9

Plenary: Next Steps

  • Can we emulate other countries towards better payments e.g. Jamaica mobile money

  • What is required at policy regulatory and legislative levels?

  • How can national payments councils be improved?

  • Is a more inclusive approach required?

  • Is it a question of capacity? Prioritization of issues?

  • Where does it fit into regulator’s agenda at present?

 

  • Panelists:

    • Hon. Darcy Boyce (Barbados)

    • Vashti Maharaj (Attorney General Office, Trinidad)

    • Shiva Bissessar (Pinaka)

 

  • Moderator: Kwesi Prescod

4:30 – 4:45

  • Wrap up

  • Vote of thanks

  • Close