Home Policy & Governance Speakers line up for inaugural Global Government Fintech Lab

Speakers line up for inaugural Global Government Fintech Lab

Fintech pioneers (clockwise from top left): Dietze, Cullen, Kukk, Ion, Tamkivi, Hruby and Barragán are among the speakers confirmed for the inaugural Global Government Fintech Lab event

Senior public servants from finance ministries and supervisory authorities across Europe are among the speakers to confirm for our inaugural Global Government Fintech Lab.

As governments’ interest and investment in fintech solutions are accelerating, public authorities are increasingly looking to champion their fintech industries and encourage fintech solutions.

Global Government Fintech’s event, which will be held in Estonia’s capital Tallinn on Wednesday 1 June 2022, brings together those charged with exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by fintech, as well as implementing fintech solutions within public authorities.

Doris Dietze, head of digital finance, payment services and cybersecurity, in Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance; Karen Cullen, head of Ireland’s Department of Finance’s international affairs unit; and Mari-Liis Kukk, head of the innovation department in Estonia’s Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority will feature in the day’s opening panel session: ‘How can governments get organised for fintech?’.

Andrés Barragán, chief of staff in Spain’s Treasury and Ben-Benedict Hruby, specialist in banking and capital market law at Austria’s Ministry of Finance, are confirmed for the day’s second panel session – ‘How can governments help the fintech sector to grow?’ – alongside a private-sector perspective from by Taavi Tamkivi, board member of the European Fintech Association.

Estonia welcomes fintech pioneers

Global Government Fintech’s event is being organised in tandem with the government of Estonia and partnered by Microsoft, whose director of strategy, public finance and industry Valentina Ion is also among the speakers during the event.

Evelyn Liivamägi, Estonia’s deputy secretary-general for financial and tax policy, said the Baltic country’s Ministry of Finance was delighted to welcome the first Global Government Fintech Lab to Tallinn.

“Estonia is known as an innovative country and a digital leader, as well as an excellent location for doing business,” Liivamägi said.

“Our financial technology experts have more than 20 years of greenfield development experience, having established a high-level functional financial system from scratch. Financial IT systems and services in Estonia are highly innovative and user-friendly,” she added. “Further success is expected as Estonia’s expertise in finance and IT, high levels of entrepreneurship and pro-business environment, including regulation, promote rapid development and launch of solutions in areas such as Web3 and artificial intelligence.“

The event is free to attend for all public servants and will be held at the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel. Further information can be found on the Global Government Fintech Lab webpage.

If you have questions, or would like to discuss the event, please contact our co-ordinator, Anne Simonsen, via email: anne.simonsen@globalgovernmentforum.com or phone +44 20 4558 8961. To discuss commercial opportunities, please contact George O’Grady george.ogrady@pendragonim.com.