February 2016

Financial Services in the Age of the Internet

he European Digital Forum convened the High-Level Roundtable on Financial Services in the Age of the Internet. Policymakers, expert researchers, stakeholders and industry participants debated and discussed the way digital technology will revolutionise the provisioning of financial services, providing unique challenges and opportunities for consumers, market participants and regulators alike. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, moderated and delivered opening remarks. Sergey Filippov, associate director of the Lisbon Council and author of Financial Services in the Digital Age, a European Digital Forum policy brief; David Rutter, founder and CEO of R3 CEV, a fast-growing cryptofinance, exchanges and venture group; and Álvaro Martín, head economist of digital regulation at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Research, kicked off the discussion with fascinating keynotes. Sébastien de Brouwer, executive director for retail, legal, economic and social policy at the European Banking Federation; Clive Cooke, director of global alliances at R3 CEV; Thierry Derungs, wealth management chief digital officer and head of digital solutions at BNP Paribas; Fernand Dimidschstein, managing director for FinTech innovation Europe, Africa, Latin America at Accenture; Gerrit de Graaf, director for digital economy and co-ordination at the European Commission’s DG for communications networks, content and technology; Katarzyna Hanula-Bobbitt, senior public affairs officer at Finance Watch; Leanne Kemp, CEO and founder of Everledger, a startup that tracks and registers diamonds through a distributed ledger; Katharina Lüth, head of Europe at SavingGlobal Raisin, a fast-growing crossborder financial-services platform; Mario Nava, director for regulation and prudential supervision of financial institutions at the European Commission’s DG for financial stability, financial services and capital markets union (DG-FISMA); Tomas Peeters, chief strategy officer at ING-DiBa and chief operations officer at ING Bank Germany; Mirjam Plooij, policy adviser for cash and payment systems and retail payments policy at De Nederlandsche BankOlivier Salles, head of unit for retail financial services and payments at DG-FISMA; and Julian Wilson, vice-president for operations and technology, digital and mobile at Barclays, presented an array of ideas on the digitisation of retail financial services and discussed the interplay between the European Union’s digital single market strategy and emerging action in the area of retail financial services. The European Digital Forum, a multidisciplinary research hub and policy network, is co-managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta.