Digital Frontier: Unlocking the Future of Finance and AI Landscape

Jason Cao

General Manager, Banking Industry, Tencent Cloud

Jason Cao is currently the general manager of the banking industry at Tencent cloud. He is a seasoned expert in financial technology and cloud computing with over 20 years of experience in IT consultancy and project implementation. Throughout his career, he has provided IT strategic planning, cloud consultancy, and deployment services for numerous banks, insurance companies, and fintechs. Prior to joining Tencent Cloud, he served as a senior architect at IBM China and as the chief architect for the financial industry at Microsoft Services China.

Zhong Quan

Deputy General Manager, Science and Technology Finance, SPDB

Zhong Quan is deputy general manager of the science and technology finance department at SPD Bank and vice chairman of Shanghai Bund FinTech Economic Development (Bund FTC). He has long been engaged in technology finance services at the bank. He successively served as president of the Zhangjiang Science City sub-branch, and as general manager of the transaction banking, science and technology finance, and inclusive finance department of the Shanghai branch. He is currently responsible for advancing the bank’s technology finance digitalisation and intelligent transformation strategy. In 2019, he participated in the establishment of the “Inhub” community under the Shanghai FinTech Service Alliance. In 2021, he initiated the SPD Zhangjiang Technology Index, which was incorporated into Shanghai’s technology finance service index. In 2024, he led the establishment of the SPDB Zhangjiang InnoCenter incubation base, where 21 start-ups have completed the investment above Series B or later financing or secured funding exceeding RMB 50 million.

Sun Jiajia

Senior Director, Solutions, PingAn ZhinNiao

Sun Jiajia currently serves as head of the solutions and venture business team and senior director of solutions at Ping An ZhiNiao. He has long focused on digital and intelligent transformation for government and enterprise organisations, specialising in the design and implementation of AI-driven solutions. Sun previously worked at Deloitte and PwC, where he was involved in strategy and organisational transformation projects. His work has supported government agencies, major state-owned enterprises, leading private companies and technology firms in areas including strategy development, organisational transformation and talent system development.

Lin Yonghua

Vice President and Chief Engineer, Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence

Lin Yonghua is vice president and chief engineer of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence, where she oversees AI systems research, foundational technologies for large models, open-source initiatives, and industry ecosystem collaboration. She is a member of the IEEE Women in Engineering Asia-Pacific Leadership Team. Previously, she served as director of the IBM China Research Lab and was appointed an IBM Distinguished Engineer, leading global innovation in AI systems. With nearly 20 years of experience, her research spans system architecture, cloud computing, AI systems, and computer vision. She holds more than 50 global patents and has received multiple ACM/IEEE Best Paper Awards. In 2019, she was named one of the “50 Leading Female Tech Leaders in China” by Forbes.

LV Chengze

Head of Retail AI, Research and Development Center, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

Lv Chengze is head of retail AI at the research and development center of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, where he leads the development and implementation of AI use cases across the bank’s retail business. He is a senior engineer and a key technology expert at the bank, with over 15 years of professional experience. He manages a team focused on the bank’s core retail operations, driving the application of AI technologies in understanding customer behaviour, precision marketing and scenario-based operations. His work has helped optimise business processes and improve operational efficiency, providing strong support for the digital transformation of ICBC’s retail banking.

Zhang Jun

Dean, School of Economics, Fudan University

Zhang Jun is a professor of economics and currently serves as dean of School of Economics at Fudan University. He is an expert in a vast array of topics including structural change and economic dynamics, the world economy, China economic review, and comparative economic studies. Zhang is the recipient of the Bergson Prize by the American Association for Comparative Economic Studies. For the past 25 years, he has authored or edited numerous books including Economic Transition with Chinese Characteristics: Thirty Years of Reform and Opening Up, Transformation of the Chinese Enterprises. He was also on the editorial board of about 40 academic journals both in Chinese and English. Zhang is also the founding director of the China Centre for Economic Studies.

Wang Kaijing

Vice President, Fintech Business Unit, SenseTime

Wang Kaijing is vice president of the fintech business unit at SenseTime. He leads the application of the company’s artificial intelligence technologies within the financial sector, providing intelligent and efficient solutions that support the industry’s digital and intelligent transformation. He brings extensive experience in the financial sector alongside a strong technology background. Previously, he worked in the global business services division at IBM, where he was responsible for strategic planning and supported digital transformation initiatives for a number of financial institutions and large state-owned enterprises. Through this work, he has developed a deep understanding of the financial industry’s operating models and technology requirements.

Wen Jianhui

Vice President and Head, Financial Industry, Zhipu Huazhang

Wen Jianhui is vice president and head of the financial industry at Zhipu Huazhang, where he leads enterprise IT solutions and drives the adoption of artificial intelligence across enterprises. With over 20 years of experience in enterprise IT, Wen has built a wealth of practical expertise in digital transformation. Throughout his career, he has provided professional services to dozens of leading firms in the finance, energy, and manufacturing sectors, spearheading initiatives that drive business modernisation and strategic evolution. Prior to joining Zhipu AI, he held vice president positions at prominent technology firms such as VNET Group and Emotibot. As a seasoned AI professional, Wen closely follows advancements in artificial intelligence and continuously explores how AI technologies can be effectively implemented within enterprises, helping them build sustainable core competitive advantages.

Qian Qianying

Vice President and Head, Fintech Business Unit, SenseTime

Qian Qianying serves as vice president of SenseTime Group and head of its fintech business unit. She leads the company’s AI strategy for the financial sector, driving the adoption of large-scale AI technologies across banking, insurance, and other financial institutions. Under her leadership, the team develops and deploys AI-powered solutions that enhance risk management, operational efficiency, and data intelligence capabilities. She also oversees strategic ecosystem partnerships and investment initiatives, supporting innovation and long-term growth in fintech. She concurrently serves as a board representative of the Shanghai Asset Management Association.

David Duan

Vice President of Data, Payment, GoTo Group

Dr. David Duan is the Vice President of Data, Payments at GoTo Group, where he leads both data science (ML & AI) and advanced analytics. He is a strategic data leader with over 15 years of experience helping organisations build and scale data and data science capabilities — from setting up functions from scratch, to defining and executing data strategy, embedding data science into core business processes, and leveraging ML and AI to drive product innovation and growth.

Zhao Jianxin

General Manager, Infrastructure Cloud Solutions Department, JD Cloud

Zhao Jianxin serves as general manager of JD Cloud's infrastructure cloud solutions unit and also leads the large-model product solutions team at JD Technology. He drives enterprise AI solutions from development to deployment, focusing on practical applications that help businesses digitally transform, streamline operations, and make smarter decisions. Before joining JD Tech, he worked at financial institutions such as Ping An, where he specialized in big data and AI research and built deep expertise in fintech integration.

Dong Longfei

Senior Vice President and Founding Team Member, Moore Threads Technology

Dong Longfei currently serves as senior vice president and general manager of the product division at Moore Threads Technology, and concurrently holds positions as a distinguished researcher at the Xinhai River Laboratory for Information Technology Innovation and a member of the China Institute of Communications. With over 25 years of technical experience, including 15 years specialising in GPU technology, he has led the design and full-stack ecosystem development of multiple generations of domestic GPU products. Dong has established a comprehensive technology system spanning chip design, software systems, and industry solutions, achieving commercial breakthroughs in GPU virtualization, cloud-native, and supercomputing cluster technologies. His work has positioned GPUs as a core engine of AI infrastructure and provided strategic support for establishing domestic GPU standards and advancing semiconductor industry upgrades.

Alex Sun

Chief Sustainability Officer, Envision Group

Alex Sun is chief sustainability officer of envision group, vice president of Univers , and general manager of Univers‘ carbon management business, with over 15 years of experience across green energy and digitalisation. He leads the development of the ARK carbon management platform built on the AI-powered zero-carbon digital base-EnOS, delivering integrated net-zero solutions to over 300 enterprises and governments worldwide, enabling emissions reductions of more than one billion tons and driving standards for net-zero industrial parks, factories, and products. Previously, he led the Envision-TotalEnergies joint venture to rank among China’s top three commercial distributed PV players, securing the sector’s first non-recourse project financing of 500 million CNY and its first green loan.

Takeshi Kito

Co-founder & CEO, GFTN Japan

Takeshi is a serial Fintech entrepreneur, and Co-founder & CEO of GFTN Japan, actively spearheading ecosystem building and international collaborations.

Additionally, he sits on the committee for the Government of Japan's Regulatory Sandbox and is a member of the experts group, jointly organized by the Digital Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry focusing on international data governance.

Before starting his own startup in the Fintech industry, Takeshi worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, gaining expertise in capital markets. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, he worked at Boston Consulting Group.

He formerly served as Vice-chair at Fintech Association of Japan, where he played a pivotal role in navigating international collaborations for 6 years.

Makoto Shibata

Head of FINOLAB & Chief Community Officer, FINOLAB Inc.
Audit & Supervisory Board Member, UI Bank

Mr. Shibata is currently in charge of community operations for a financial technology business community, FINOLAB, The FinTech Center of Tokyo. He started his position in July, 2019, when FINOLAB acquired their legal status as incorporated.

He is also serving as an external board member at new digital bank, UI Bank, when it acquired a banking license in 2021

Prior to FINOLAB, Mr. Shibata was leading The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi’s R&D initiatives in emerging technology and planning of innovation, FinTech initiatives, and online / mobile financial services. He worked in the digital banking area for 20 years and he was involved in a wide range of projects in new channels for both retail and wholesale customers. His previous career in banking includes Corporate Planning, Accounting, Corporate Finance, and Retail Customer Services.

Yotaro Katayama

CFO, Preferred Networks

Yotaro Katayama is a multifaceted professional with experience spanning finance, technology, and entrepreneurship. He currently serves as the CFO of Preferred Networks. Beyond his role at Preferred Networks, Mr. Katayama is a co-founder and outside director of MNTSQ, a legal tech startup. His background includes experience in investment banking and a prior role at BEDORE. He was recognized by the Inno-vation program in 2015 (H27).

Adiyan Mujibiya

VP, Preferred Networks

Adiyan Mujibiya is a technology leader with a strong background in research, strategy, and product development. He currently serves as the VP of PreferredAI Products at Preferred Networks (PFN). Prior to this, he served as a Senior Advisor at PFN. Mr. Mujibiya has held significant leadership positions in the Japanese tech industry, including Head of the Technology Strategy Office at LINE Yahoo. He also served in various roles within the Technology Strategy Department at Yahoo! JAPAN. Before joining LINE Yahoo, he was the Executive Manager and CTO of DG Lab at Digital Garage.

Kageatsu Ueno

Global AI Head
Business Development
Preferred Networks

Kageatsu Ueno is a global business development leader and corporate entrepreneur. He has experience building and scaling high-performing teams, driving growth, and fostering innovation in areas such as AI, SaaS, eCommerce, and data-driven solutions. His experience includes launching new business units and offices, including in Japan and the U.S., and expanding market reach across regions like the USA, Japan, EU, and Brazil. He has a background in turning new ventures into profitable businesses, focusing on leveraging technologies like AI and eCommerce data to solve business challenges. His industry experience spans finance, retail, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. He has experience building businesses from the ground up, managing P&L, and scaling operations internationally. He emphasizes creating sustainable growth and long-term value.

Atsushi Saki

Executive Fellow, ispace

Atsushi Saki is an Executive Fellow at ispace, inc. He joined ispace in September 2020 and served as Chief Revenue Officer from December 2021 until November 2024, when he assumed his current role. Mr. Saki has 37 years of experience at Mitsubishi Corporation, including 19 years working overseas in Saudi Arabia, Norway, the UK, Canada, and Singapore.

Jumpei Nozaki

CFO & Executive Business Director, ispace

Jumpei Nozaki is the CFO & Executive Business Director at ispace. He joined ispace in 2017 after working at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities (now BofA Securities Japan Co., Ltd.), where he focused on the Automotive and Oil & Gas sectors, providing advisory services to clients on fundraising, IPOs, M&As, and IR. In 2017, he joined ispace, coinciding with the company's record-breaking 10.35 billion yen Series A funding round. As CFO since 2019, he has led the development of the company's corporate functions, including finance and accounting. In 2023, he led ispace to become the first listed space company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan.

Tomoyuki Nii

Director & Executive Officer,
SBI Investment Co. Ltd

Tomoyuki Nii is the Director and Executive Officer at SBI Investment Co. Ltd, where he plays a pivotal role in investing in fintech companies globally and facilitating their entry into Japan and Asia. He is responsible for establishing joint ventures between SBI Group and portfolio companies to drive growth and innovation. Mr. Nii is also the co-founder of ARUHI (formerly known as Good Loan Co., Ltd. and later SBI Mortgage Co., Ltd.), which was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2017. Under his leadership, the company grew to 200 billion yen in mortgage assets in just six years, creating Japan's first fixed-rate mortgage product and pioneering unique insurance products.

Lauren Nham

Product / Strategiest BD,
Woven by Toyota

Lauren Nham is a Venture Investor and Product Leader focused on the Future of Work, Business Enablement and vertical solutions with a past life in Startups, Management Consulting & Banking. She currently runs Product Strategy on next-gen mobility solutions and smart cities for Woven by Toyota, a division of Toyota Motor Corporation.

She previously led new AI/ML product development and strategic partnerships for a global customer experience agency serving Fortune 500 clients. Prior to this, founded an online travel marketplace for direct air charter booking. She’s a firm believer in design thinking, jobs-to-be-done, agile and lean startup methodologies.

Shinichiro Okuyama

Managing Executive Officer,
Credit Governance and Chief Data Analytics,
Aiful Corporation

Shinichiro Okuyama is a Managing Executive Officer with over 30 years of leadership experience in pioneering new business startups and driving digital innovation and AI automation within financial services. He leads data analytics initiatives across the AIFUL Group, a major Japanese consumer finance conglomerate employing over 5,000 professionals, and serves as Senior Advisor to its Information Systems Headquarters. At Lifecard, AIFUL’s credit card subsidiary with 6 million customers, he leads International Brand and Innovation, aligning global branding with technological advancements. He also serves as a Director at AG Capital and AG Business Support, focusing on SME financial services. A pioneer in data science and fintech, he introduced the concept of "Data Science" to corporate Japan at SAS Institute Japan. His leadership has resulted in successes such as launching a joint venture in Thailand and developing innovative financial products. He is known for his inclusive leadership style, driving organizational change through data-driven decisions and technological innovation.

Paul Jones

CEO, ThinkAR

Paul Jones is the CEO of ThinkAR, an AI-driven innovation firm, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience across the APAC region. A seasoned executive and director, he has a proven track record of success in technology, retail, real estate, and hospitality, with expertise spanning marketing, sales, supply chain, and operations. Skilled in developing and executing strategic plans, he seamlessly integrates insights, creative production, and intelligence.

With extensive experience in technology stack buildouts, from startups to established enterprises, Paul has led acquisitions, asset management, and large-scale developments. His deep expertise in banking, finance, and branding, combined with a vast APAC network, enables him to drive growth and transformation effectively.

Shinsuke Fujii

Joint General Manager,
Sustainable Solution Department,
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

Shinsuke Fujii joined SMBC in 2002. After a stint in domestic corporate sales, he provided support for a wide range of financial events for a total of eight years (including the global financial crisis) in New York and San Francisco as a relationship manager for Japanese and non-Japanese firms. Back in Japan, he spent seven years as a general trading company RM, drawing on his wide-ranging sectoral knowledge to support the balanced pursuit of business portfolio optimization and financial strategy. His current responsibilities include the development of order-made decarbonization solutions through business co-creation with customers and leading-edge climate tech exploration and business development using financing functions.

Megumi Nanya

Manager, Asuene

Prior to Asuene, she worked in management consulting at Kearney and central banking at hte Bank of Japan (BoJ). During her tenure at the BoJ, she worked closely with counterparts of oversea central banks, creating preventative financing schemes to avoid major financial crises, and co-authoring a paper on implication of the launch of central bank digital currency (CBDC) to financial stability.

Manal Rifki

Director,
Roaming Wholesale,
Rakuten Mobile

Manal Rifki is a leader in telecommunications, venture capital, and emerging technologies. She is the Director of Wholesale Roaming at Rakuten Mobile and a Venture Partner at IVC, a Web3 VC firm. Previously, she co-founded Klumi Ventures, the first fully licensed Web3 VC under ADGM, and was an Investment Principal at Tesla Capital, focusing on impact-driven technologies.

She has advised Multiverse Labs, lectured on blockchain at SEGi University, and worked in risk management at Standard Chartered Bank. Currently pursuing a PhD in Digital Assets, Manal is a recognized speaker driving innovation in finance and technology.

Yasuo Sugano

Senior Director,
Portfolio Management,
Sony Ventures Corporation

Yasuo Sugano began his career at Sony Corporation (now Sony Group Corporation) in 1989, working in the Storage Media Business Group. With extensive experience in business planning and controlling, he has managed both consumer and B2B markets. Nearly half of his Sony career was spent overseas, overseeing storage media operations in the U.S. and Europe.

In 2022, he joined Sony Innovation Fund (now Sony Ventures Corporation), leading the Portfolio Management team, including back-office operations and investor relations.

Eriko Kawasaki

Venture Capitalist,
Sony Ventures Corporation

Eriko Kawasaki began her career at Daiwa Securities in 2008, specializing in private equity fund coverage. Over the years, she gained extensive experience across financial functions, including syndication, bond underwriting, and public relations, contributing to the firm’s brand enhancement. More recently, she led SDGs and ESG initiatives in sustainability finance.

In 2024, she joined Sony Innovation Fund as a venture capitalist, focusing on Fintech and Web3 investments.

Yang Wenhui

CEO, TenPay Global (Singapore), Tencent

Yang Wenhui is currently in charge of business development for TenPay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform. The platform bridges world’s payment networks with the Weixin ecosystem in China, providing secure and high-performance financial services that facilitate international capital flows for cross-border consumption, remittance, and e-commerce. Prior to joining Tencent, Yang was the general manager of UnionPay International Southeast Asia, where he led his team in building both domestic and cross-border e-payment infrastructure within the region. Earlier in his career, he was with American Express China, where he focused on business management and development, and was involved in the first batch of American Express issuing projects in China.

Chak Wong

MD, Machine Learning Centre of Excellence, J.P. Morgan

Chak Wong is a managing director at J.P. Morgan and the global lead of the time series and reinforcement learning group within the Machine Learning Centre of Excellence. He is also a professor of science practice in the department of mathematics at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Throughout his career, he has led various business groups as a trader, salesperson, IBD banker, and quant fund manager for various banks and asset managers in New York, London, and Hong Kong. In academia, he previously served as a professor of fintech in the department of systems engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and a professor of finance practice in the department of finance at Business School of CUHK.

Hu Jie

Professor of Practice, Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Hu Jie is currently a professor of practice at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF). His research focuses on fintech, financial institutions and financial markets. He leads a project on the application of blockchain technology in supply chain finance. Previously, Professor Hu worked at the US Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as a senior financial economist, conducting research in finance and economics and contributing to monetary policy analysis. He has also held senior management roles at Bankers Trust (Hong Kong), BankBoston, Precom and the financial business branch of Xunlei.

Li Meng

Professor, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Li Meng is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the intersection of brain science and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous papers in international journals, including two publications in Nature, where his work was described as a milestone in brain science and AI. Before returning to China, he served as a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany. He has been recognised through several national, CAS and Shanghai high-level talent programmes and was named to the 2025 Forbes China “100 Outstanding Young Overseas Returnees”.

Hu Shaoyong

Co-founder and CTO, Guan An

Hu Shaoyong is Co-Founder and CTO of Guan An Information Technology. With nearly 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, he specialises in security standards, technical architecture, big data security and intelligent connected vehicles. He established the company’s innovation research and product development teams and led the development of several security solutions including threat situational awareness platforms, UEBA systems, risk control platforms and data security governance systems. His achievements have been recognised by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Innovation Engineering Award. Hu has also contributed to security standards for the People's Bank of China, China Mobile and State Grid, and served as an external adviser for early security frameworks at Alibaba and Alipay.

Ouyang Tao

General Manager, Fintech, Jiangsu Su Merchants Bank

Ouyang Tao is the General Manager of the fintech department at Jiangsu Su Merchants Bank, where he oversees the bank’s fintech strategy and technology architecture. He has held senior technology roles at several Chinese and international banks and has extensive experience in core banking transformation and distributed architecture. Ouyang focuses on aligning technology with business priorities, advancing data-driven strategies and embedding digital capabilities within secure and compliant frameworks. Under his leadership, scalable fintech platforms have been developed to support innovation in consumer finance and supply chain finance through AI and big data applications.

Dong Jiwei

Vice President and General Manager, Software Business, Tongdun Technology

Dong Jiwei leads the strategic execution and operations of the software business at Tongdun Technology, driving the development and application of AI technologies in financial risk control. He also heads the Intelligent Financial Risk Control initiative under the National New Generation Artificial Intelligence Open Innovation Platform. Previously, he worked at an affiliated institution of the People's Bank of China where he led the development of risk control and anti-fraud systems for financial institutions. A system he developed received the PBOC Science and Technology Development Award. Dong has also served on the Cryptographic Algorithm Task Force of the State Cryptography Administration and as a Master’s Supervisor at Tongji University.

Shen Yan

Deputy Director, Institute of Digital Finance and Professor of Finance, National School of Development, Peking University

Professor Yan Shen is a Professor of Economics / Finance at the National School of Development at Peking University. She is also the Deputy Director of the Institute for Digital Finance at Peking University, Deputy Director of the Centre for Human Capital and National Policy Research at Peking University, Ministry of Education, and Vice President of the Chinese Society for Quantitative Economics. Her main research areas include digital finance, data governance in the digital economy, and empirical and theoretical econometrics. She publishes in top English and Chinese journals, and her policy reports and suggestions has received attentions from academia, the finance industry, and related policy markers.