About this conference 

Blockchain is changing the way we transact. Combining digitalization and distribution, it has the potential to invigorate competition, with new, alternative products for consumers and businesses, lower cost structures and faster reaction time. The funding challenge is real and promises investment opportunities, particularly where entrepreneurs are able to scale up. Crossborder trade is likely to benefit from this evolution.

All this holds true only if industry and regulators deliver the right and economic and regulatory ecosystem, nurturing innovation without compromising on consumer safety and financial stability.

The EU has moved at pace to be one of the first jurisdictions to enact a comprehensive framework on crypto assets and infrastructure making use of distributed ledger technology (DLT). The new Market in Crypto Assets Regulation (MICA), gives services providers a passport to 450 million consumers across the EU, with solid operating conditions and consumer protection requirements. The DLT Pilot allows blockchain based infrastructure to operate on a commercial basis with the necessary legal certainty. The EU has moved in line and alongside international standards of the Financial Stability Board.

Why should you participate? 

• Hear first-hand from regulators, entrepreneurs and academics about the new EU ecosystem for cryptoassets.
• Learn about some exciting retail and wholesale business cases.
• Share views and meet with investors and companies.

Speakers

• Mairead McGuinness, EU Commissioner for Financial services, Financial stability and Capital Markets Union
• Jan Ceyssens, Head of Digital Finance, European Commission
• Ivan Odonnat, Deputy Director General Financial Stability and Operations, Banque de France
• Per Nordkvist, Deputy Executive Director, Banking division, Swedish FSA
• David Durouchoux, Deputy CEO Société Générale Forge
• Mark Kepeneghian, President & Founder of Kriptown
• Tram Anh Nguyen, co-founder of CFTE (Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship
• Rhian Lewis, Software engineer, former digital journalist at The Times and author of "The Cryptocurrency Revolution" 
• Christian Steiner, Head of Regulatory, Bitpanda, and Author of Cryptoassets and supervisory law (tbc)
• Christoph Hock, Head Multi-Asset Trading, Union Investment (tbc)

High-level programme (for full agenda click here)

• The big picture: crypto-assets as part of the broader EU financial services strategy, keynote speech (pre-recorded) by Commissioner McGuinness
• Everything you always wanted to know about the EU crypto-framework, Jan Ceyssens in discussion with Rhian Lewis (discussion and Q&A)
• Consumer at the heart: consumer experience, education and protection (panel discussion)
• Entrepreneurship and the wholesale usercase (panel discussion and Q&A)

About the Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom

Our Delegation is one of 143 EU diplomatic missions around the world. We were established following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on 1 February 2020 to represent the EU and engage with the UK government, political actors, media, academia, business and the British public. 

The core mission of the EU Delegation to the UK is to build and strengthen the new EU-UK relationship post-Brexit. The United Kingdom is an important strategic and economic partner for the EU, with significant people-to-people links and shared values.  It is the EU's third-largest trading partner after the US and China and has a population of almost 5 million EU citizens who live, work and study across the country.