Applying Blockchain to Financial Inclusion - Identity, Ownership, Lending & Payments

Blockchain has been one of the most talked-about innovations of the last decade. Big ambitions for this secure ledger technology are evolving into early roll-outs in financial services and beyond. Visionary financial inclusion organizations also have launched initiatives with blockchain. These include personal identity verification (eg, a globally portable, biometrics-based ID), property ownership demonstration (real estate, mortgages), ethical supply chain (demonstrating the source and journey of textiles, agricultural products, precious gems), loan tracking, and trans-national payments using crypto-currencies.

This panel presents speakers who are on the leading-edge of blockchain projects for financial inclusion goals. They will provide commentary on where the best application opportunities are, what challenges to adoption exist, and how organizations like yours should be considering a future involving blockchain.

Speakers:

• Carlos Acevedo, Crypto Community Project, is a renowned NYC high school teacher featured in the Washington Post for his work introducing students in the South Bronx to cryptocurrency. He is the founder of Crypto Community Project, a company dedicated to educating under-served communities in the practical use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Carlos also works as a content creator for Never Stop Marketing, a company focused on examining the intersection of blockchain and marketing technology.
• Susan Joseph, the panel's moderator, is Executive Director of Diversity in Blockchain, whose mission is to empower everyone from all walks of life to engage with blockchain technology. Susan has a JD/MBA and is a former General Counsel who consults in the blockchain space in the areas of identity, financial services/insurance, and humanitarian concerns. She sits on the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance Identity Working Group and is a member of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance legal working group. Susan advises on projects to design and align token strategies and incentives regarding digital rights.  
• Prakash Santhana, Deloitte, Managing Director. Prakash co-leads Deloitte's blockchain and cryptocurrency community and has worked for more than 20 years on fraud and risk management in financial services.
• Fennie Wang is a lawyer and entrepreneur, currently serving as Associate General Counsel at the blockchain project, MakerDAO. MakerDAO is an open source, bank-free monetary system that enables anyone to generate a stable-value cryptocurrency called Dai that facilitates peer-to-peer payments and supports financial identity and inclusion. Currently, users have issued about $90 million of Dai against approximately $500mn of crypto-assets. Recent pilots include using Dai as cash aid distribution in a program with Oxfam in the Pacific islands. Fennie also co-founded ixo, a blockchain protocol for tokenizing social impact outcomes (e.g. educational activities or carbon credits) as digital assets.

Agenda:

• 6:00 - 6:20 Registration and Networking
• 6:20 - 7:40 Discussion
• 7:40 - 8:00 Additional Networking with light refreshments
  

Location:

ENTRANCE DIRECTIONS

30 Rockefeller Center is between 5th and 6th Ave, and between 49th and 50th St. Enter 30 Rockefeller Ctr. from the main entrance – Plaza Level (directly across from the ice skating rink) and proceed to the elevator bank for the 40th floor.  The main security desk inside the entrance can direct you to the proper elevators. There will be a Deloitte staff member at the elevator bank to greet you and direct you to the 40^th Floor. There will also be someone on arrival on the floor that will direct you to the Empire Room ABC. We will monitor info@impactcapitalforum.org should you need assistance until 6:20.