The Forum of Innovative Financial Technologies FINOPOLIS 2017, held on 5–6 October 2017 in Sochi, opened with a welcome address from Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina.
This was followed by a talk delivered by well-known futurologist, bestselling author on the banking sector and the future of business, and co-founder and CEO of Moven, Brett King. In his talk, King set out his vision of the near future for financial services companies and their clients, and talked about how large-scale transformations in technology would impact both individual businesses and the industry as a whole.
The first plenary discussion of the event, which was moderated by Elvira Nabiullina, was devoted to the new economy within a single digital space. Among those invited to participate in the discussion were Deputy President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank Olga Dergunova and President and Chairman of the Board of Rostelecom Mikhail Oseevsky, as well as other Russian and international experts.
Key technology trends on the financial market and the cost of digitally transforming the sector were the topics for the second plenary discussion, which was moderated by President of the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo Andrei Sharonov.
The full Forum programme included a range of breakout sessions and roundtables. Among the main topics discussed were cyber security and digitization, financial ecosystems and market places, new technologies in external auditing, digital currencies and ICO, cooperation between banks and telecoms companies in developing financial technologies, and bots, aggregators, and their role in promoting financial literacy and the accessibility of financial services.
There was also a plenary session on artificial intelligence and the changes that it would bring to the financial sector.
As per tradition, FINOPOLIS featured a focus on projects for young people. The first day of the Forum was Youth Day Fintech, and included competitions, lectures, and master classes for young participants, as well as some case study analysis.
Among the key speakers at FINOPOLIS 2017 were Elvira Nabiullina, Governor of the Bank of Russia; Brett King, futurist, author of multiple books on the banking sector, and CEO and co-founder of Moven; David Birch, Director of Innovation at Consult Hyperion; Susan Athey, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and member of the Board of Directors at Ripple; Ram Sewak Sharma, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India; and the directors of major Russian and international finance and IT companies. Altogether, more than 160 speakers and moderators participated in discussions and debates at the Forum.
The event brought together around 1,400 participants, including government officials, representatives from the financial and IT sectors, the media, and the expert community to discuss the role of digital technologies in the financial markets, to present new products and solutions, and to discuss global trends in financial technology in a professional setting.
The FINOPOLIS Forum of Innovative Financial Technologies is held by the Bank of Russia.
The Forum is organized in partnership with the Roscongress Foundation.
