The SuperBridge Summit 2024, hosted by the Dubai World Trade Centre and SuperBridge Council and held in conjunction with GITEX Global, concluded its second and final day featuring insightful sessions and discussions on the future of investments, sustainable technology and the trends shaping the global economy. The opening remarks were given by Sarah Cocker, emcee of the event. H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications in the UAE, delivered the ministerial keynote, which was followed by an opening keynote address from Shane Tedjarati, Co-Founder of SuperBridge Council and Chairman of VS Partners. The event continued with a series of impactful panel discussions that explored the evolving landscape of ASEAN, impact of technology and green energy on global economies.
The final day of the summit began with a discussion about ASEAN’s economic potential, titled ‘What’s Next for ASEAN’ with experts pointing out how the region is on track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030, owing to its abundant natural resources, large population, and improving business and governance conditions. The session, which was moderated by Yan Duan, Founding Partner, Simple Steps, featured speakers namely Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s Group of Companies, Hong Kong S.A.R./UAE, Dee Poon, President, Brands and Retailing, Tessellation, Hong Kong S.A.R., Poonam Balan, Founding Partner at TACT INVEST Group and DiversityisPOWER, Germany, and Tony Á. Verb, Founding Partner, Carbonless Asia, Singapore. The group emphasised the serious risks posed by climate change and underscored the need for significant collaborations to manage the region’s energy transition.
This was followed by another informative session, titled ‘Banks of 2050: Enabling the Digital Future,’ which discussed how financial institutions can take the lead in digital transformation. The session featured panellists from UAE namely Ronit Ghose, Head of Future Finance, Citi, UAE, Miguel Rio Tinto, CIO, Emirates NBD, UAE, and Prateek Vahie, Chief Commercial Officer, Wio Bank, UAE, and was moderated by Suvo Sarkar, Founder and CEO, 3D Advisory, UAE. The discussion focused on the dual challenges of disruption and innovation, urging banks to keep up with digital demands.
The summit continued with a session titled ‘Fintech 3.0: Architecting the Future of Global Finance,’ which discussed fintech’s critical role in driving Web 3.0 infrastructure. Experts discussed ways to overcome regulatory obstacles and promote inclusive growth, while also emphasising the value of cooperation between banks, regulators, and investors in paving the way for global leadership in the evolving digital economy. The panel was moderated by Joshin Raghubar, Chairperson, iKineo Ventures, UVU Africa, and Inves Group, South Africa, and featured speakers Mohammad Alblooshi, CEO, DIFC Innovation Hub, UAE, Faisal Al Hammadi, Managing Partner, Further Ventures, UAE, Gaurav Dhar, CEO, Marshal Fintech Partners, and Board Member of the MENA FinTech Association.
Another key session, titled ‘The Digital Future Is Powered by Green Energy’ presented how renewable asset-backed cryptocurrencies are transforming the financial sector. The session highlighted how the green energy market is booming, with investments expected to total USD 11 trillion by 2050. Speakers of the session included Nathalie Capati, Co-Founder and CEO, Jasmine Energy, United States, Dr. Noshin Omar, Chairman and Founder, Avesta Holding, Belgium, Leon Gerard Vandenberg, CEO and CTO, Sunified Group BV, The Netherlands, and Michael Levesque, President and Chief Technical Officer, AstralENERGY Renewables Ltd., Canada/UAE. The session was moderated by Marcel Kasumovich, Deputy CIO, Coinbase Asset Management, UAE/USA.
The next session, ‘Disrupt or Be Disrupted: The New Paradigm of Financial Intermediation’ looked at how blockchain-enabled services are transforming traditional banking models. Industry leaders discussed the use of alternative data sources, advanced analytics, and innovative risk assessment models to democratise access to capital. Marcel Kasumovich, Deputy CIO, Coinbase Asset Management, UAE/USA, moderated this enlightening session, which had Sean Kiernan, CEO and Founder, Greengage, UK, Lina Hediah, CEO and Co-Founder, CXDA, UAE, Jose J. Perez Aguinaga, CTO and Co-Founder, Tungsten, UAE, and Tin Pei Ling, Co-President, MetaComp, Singapore, as speakers.
Tin Pei Ling commented, “Being a part of the SuperBridge Summit 2024 was truly exciting, as it paved the way for us to actively contribute to the development of a future in which finance is accessible to everyone. Eliminating long-standing obstacles, democratising capital access, and creating a more inclusive financial ecosystem are all being made possible by the integration of alternative data sources, advanced analytics, and innovative risk assessment methods. It is essential to stimulate strategic dialogue to advance these efforts and support the digital future.”
The final session, titled ‘India: The Promised Land,’ focused on India’s potential to reclaim its title as the fastest-growing large economy, as well as its emergence as a ‘G3’ member alongside the United States and China. The session focused on the structural challenges that India needs to overcome to maintain strong growth and maintain its status as a global economic powerhouse. The speakers included Abid Junaid, Chairman and Managing Director, Radiant Star Group, and Vish Narain, Managing Partner, Pulsar Group (ex- TPG Growth), India. The session was expertly moderated by Vanessa Xu, Executive Chairman and CIO of VS Partners and Co-founder, SuperBridge Council, Hong Kong S.A.R.
The day concluded with a closing ceremony and keynote address led by Sarah Cocker, event emcee, that summarised the summit’s key takeaways and inspired attendees to apply their newly gained insights in future endeavours. The SuperBridge Summit 2024 successfully convened industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers to discuss the trends that will shape the future of finance and global economies, as well as groundbreaking initiatives to guide the new generation. More importantly, the event laid the groundwork for future collaborations and offered invaluable networking opportunities for all participants.
