.png)
Our Speakers in 2023.
Your Inspiration.
Peter Grosskopf
Co-Founder & CTO at Unstoppable Finance
Peter is Co-Founder and CTO at Ultimate (by Unstoppable Finance), a Berlin-based company with the mission to empower people around the world to access, interact with and unlock financial opportunities of the decentralized economy. Before he was CTO and MD at Börse Stuttgart Digital Exchange, the first regulated digital asset exchange in Germany. Before he was CTO and co-founder at solarisBank. Peter has technology and entrepreneurial background. In 2008 he founded a software engineering consultancy with a focus on digitization projects and grew it to profitability to 30 employees. In 2014 he came to Berlin to join the company builder Hitfoxgroup and finleap which focuses on #fintech as CTO. Blockchain and decentralization fascinates him from the moment he got in touch at the end of 2016. Since then he has shaped the vision to bring decentralized finance to reality.
Cyrus Fazel
Founder & CEO Swissborg
Cyrus Fazel is the founder and CEO of SwissBorg. A multicultural fintech professional with 15 years of experience in asset management and algorithmic trading, he also managed and advised UHNWI on all asset classes as a Portfolio Advisor and Senior Business Developer for top hedge funds. He holds degrees in International Business Management and Finance. At SwissBorg, he and the founding team raised 50M CHF at their 2017 ICO. Today, SwissBorg has built Europe’s top crypto wealth management app with over 650,000 active users. A thought leader and influencer in the crypto and blockchain space, Cyrus is a frequent speaker spreading the gospel of crypto around the globe, or the idea that a decentralised, meritocratic system can reshape the future and create a more vibrant and equitable world of finance.
Alexander Bechtel
Head of Digital Assets & Currencies Strategy at Deutsche Bank
Alexander Bechtel is Head of Digital Assets & Currencies Strategy at Deutsche Bank (Corporate Bank). He has done a PhD at the University of St.Gallen, where he still holds a position as external lecturer. Alexander regularly publishes articles, podcasts, and research on monetary policy and digital currencies. He has worked as an external consultant at the European Central Bank and spent a research stay at Stanford University.
Stephan D. Meyer
Co-Founder and Co-CEO at FQX
Stephan is an open-minded entrepreneur, attorney-at-law and notary public. Previously, Stephan worked for an insurance group for six years and was core team member within an SNSF research project on the regulation of cryptocurrencies at the ZHAW School of Management and Law. He completed his doctorate on 'Rights to and from Blockchain-based Crypto Tokens' at the University of Zurich, winning the Issekutz Prize 2020. Currently, Stephan is Co-Founder and Co-CEO at FQX, a global decentralized debt infrastructure startup. Also, he has been advising clients as Associate and Counsel with MME's DLT team for over five years, mainly on tokenization and decentralized governance. On his academic track, he is leading the Masters' course on "Blockchain & Smart Contracts" at University of Lucerne, and teaches at HWZ and ZHAW on blockchain and law. Finally, Stephan is Operational Legal Advisor in the rank of a Major within an active Swiss Armed Forces Division Staff.
Florence Guillaume
Professor Faculty of Law, University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland)
Florence Guillaume is a Full Professor of civil and private international law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) since 2006. Her research and publications cover a wide array of topics, including international corporate law, international business litigation, international intermediated securities law, national and international succession law, international trust disputes, and legal issues of digitalization. She is the author of several publications on the legal treatment of smart contracts and DAOs as well as on decentralized justice. She has also been a Member of the expert group Coala for the Model Law for DAOs (2019-2022). She founded in 2020 the LexTech Institute, which is an academic center dedicated to research and training in digital technologies. Professor Guillaume has been the Dean of the Faculty of Law (2011-2014) and she is currently member of the Council of the University. She has been a Visiting scholar at Stanford University (CodeX) (2022) and a Professor on secondment at The Hague Conference on Private International Law (2014-2015). Before entering academics, Professor Guillaume practiced as a lawyer at the Geneva Bar and the Zurich Bar (2000-2006). She also worked as a Deputy to the Head of the Private International Law Department at the Swiss Federal Ministry of Justice.
_for%20events_edited_edited.jpg)
Eva Kaili
Vice President, European Parliament
Eva Kaili is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), part of the Hellenic S&D Delegation since 2014. She is the first woman to chair the STOA Panel and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence (C4AI). She is a Member of the Committees on Industry, Research and Energy, Economic and Monetary Affairs, Budgets, the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age, and the recently created Committee of Inquiry into the use of the Pegasus Spyware. She has been the draftsperson of legislation in the fields of blockchain technology, online platforms, big data, fintech, AI, cybersecurity, as well as EFSI2, the InvestEU programme, and FuelEU Maritime. She is also a member of the delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (DACP), the delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula (DARP), and the delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (DNAT). Prior to her election as MEP, she was a Member of the Greek Parliament (2007-2012). Before her political career, she worked as a journalist and newscaster.
Alexander Valtingojer
CEO and Co-Founder of Coinpanion
Alexander Valtingojer is CEO of the crypto fintech Coinpanion. He was already intensively involved with cryptocurrencies during his school days, which led him to actively work on various projects in this scene. The first project he developed was a Bitcoin PayPal marketplace. Later in his studies, he started actively trading cryptocurrencies and also worked on his own ICO, for which he spoke on the panel at the C³ Crypto Conference in Berlin. After that, Alexander founded a sole proprietorship for software services. For about four years, Alexander has been intensively involved with the financial markets and, due to his skills, was also a trader on the previous version of Coinpanion. Coinpanion has now grown into a company with 30+ employees and aims to help everyone get started in the crypto market with smart and data-driven portfolios.
Philippe Naegeli
Co-Founder & CEO GenTwo
Philippe Naegeli is an experienced business leader and investor with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and extensive experience in trading, investment and merchant banking and corporate governance. Philippe has worked in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. over the course of three decades. 2014 he was appointed CEO, Managing Partner, and Vice President of the Board at Forstmann & Co. USA, a financial institution that builds partnerships and value chains together with industry leaders, philanthropists, governmental and non-governmental organizations to support the true entrepreneur. In 2018 he co-founded GenTwo, the creator of next-generation financial products, providing innovative Securitization as a Service. Today, Philippe acts as the CEO of GenTwo and Member of the Board at GenTwo, GenTwo Digital, and SAS Security Agent Services AG.
Mauro Casellini
CEO Bitcoin Suisse Liechtenstein & Head of Bitcoin Suisse Europe
Mauro Casellini joined Bitcoin Suisse in July 2019 as CEO Bitcoin Suisse (Liechtenstein) AG, where he is responsible for the European Business. Before joining Bitcoin Suisse AG, he was working as Head of Blockchain and PSP at Bank Frick, where he has successfully implemented a corporate strategy in the field of blockchain banking, and also established the Blockchain and Payment Service Provider department. Mauro is also a Board Member of the Crypto Country Association, an organization dedicated to supporting the blockchain and crypto currency sectors in Liechtenstein.
Alireza Siadat
Partner at Annerton
Alireza Siadat, M.J.I., is a partner at Annerton Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH. He advises banks, financial services providers, capital management companies, FinTechs and start-ups on regulatory issues and specialises in market entry advice, passporting within the EEA, compliance and the regulatory oversight framework of cryptocurrencies. Alireza Siadat is known as a co-founder and board member of Luxembourg-based thinkBlocktank a.s.b.l., board member at the EU Commission's Blockchain Association INATBA, and advisor to the Blockchain Founders Group. Alireza is co-editor of the Journal of Digital Economy Law (Wolters Kluwer) and author of numerous publications on crypto assets. He regularly teaches business leaders and government officials on crypto issues.
Emi Lorincz
Business Development Director at Ledger & President CVA
Emi Lorincz started her career in traditional financial services at Morgan Stanley, then moved to aircraft financing at GE Capital and later to commodity trading at Eni. Since 2017 Emi’s focus has been directed towards the ever evolving world of digital assets and blockchain technology. Bringing a wealth of work experience from the traditional markets and the field of cryptocurrencies, - she combines these two worlds to help companies benefit from both.
She is passionate about advancing the case of Bitcoin, so much so that she talked on TEDx about how Bitcoin can be the “Guardian Angel” of privacy. Dedicated to increasing the usage and adoption of cryptocurrencies, Emi is currently engaged in rolling-out the institutional solution of security company Ledger, while serving on the council of the Bancor Foundation, Linum Labs and as the president of the Crypto Valley Association.
Jean-Claude Spillmann
Partner of PwC Switzerland
Jean-Claude Spillmann is a Partner of PwC Switzerland. He is leading the asset & wealth management as well as the banking regulatory practice of PwC Legal. He graduated from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) as Master and Doctor in law and is admitted to the bar as an attorney-at-law. Jean-Claude is advising traditional financial institutes as well as fintechs and start-ups in the digital assets space in all kind of financial regulatory questions. His expertise ranges from the structuring, authorization and issuance of products (e.g. investment funds, certificates or tokens), the setting-up and licensing of financial institutes (e.g. banks, fintech companies, securities firms and asset managers) to supporting established financial services providers in establishing and introducing digital assets service offerings. Before joining PwC he was a senior associate with a lawfirm in Zurich and Zug. Next to being a regular speaker at conferences and a publisher of technical articles Jean-Claude is also supporting different leading industry associations as an expert.
Guido Buehler
Owner of GILOCA AG
Guido is the owner of GILOCA AG, an Investment and Advisory firm, conducting direct investments in FinTech, Real Estate, Early Stage Companies and Art. Guido is the Co-Founder of SEBA Bank AG, the first global “New Generation Financial Institution”, based on blockchain technology. Guido raised successfully CHF 230 mio. in three investment rounds, whilst he was acting as CEO until recently.
Prior to joining SEBA, Guido was the Chairman and Founding Partner of award-winning B&B Analytics AG, a boutique risk analytics and research firm. Guido was also the CEO and Founding Partner of B&B Wealth Solutions AG, a Zug based multi-family office and the CEO of Hérens Partners AG, a FINMA licensed asset manager company which he helped reposition. Among several mandates, he served as a Board Member of UBS Investment Bank in London, was Chairman of the European Central Bank’s “Operations Managers Group” in Frankfurt, and Non-Executive Board Member of DTCC/DerivServ, as well as member of the DTCC Compliance & Operational Risk Committee in New York. Currently, he is Board Member of Swiss Blockchain Federation, sponsored by the Swiss Government.
Salama Belghali
Head of Business Development at BitMEX
Salama is Head of Business Development & Partnerships at BitMEX, one of the leading crypto trading platforms and the inventor of the famous perpetual swap. With a MSc in Financial Mathematics and Computer Science, she found her footing in Derivatives Structuring and Sales at various Swiss TradFi institutions. Her enthusiasm for crypto was ignited in 2016 when she was part of structuring the first certificate on Bitcoin to be launched by a Swiss Bank. Since then, she has been a true believer in the power of crypto/blockchain to bring a positive impact. Salama is happiest outdoors and traveling back/bike-packing.
Aléksa Mil
Managing Director WACEO
Aleksa is a multi-disciplinary legal professional who has built a career in operational roles at tech and fintech startups. Her focus are DAOs, DAO Governance and Operations design, and the legal and compliance aspect of the decentralized industry.
Aleksa is the Managing Director at WACEO, a DAO-focused non-profit that provides DAOs with a framework for compliance, legality, risk management and prevention that enables them to operate in a centralized manner while maintaining a significant level of decentralization, and mitigating various risks and liabilities the community members might be exposed to.
She is an advocate for inclusion and equal opportunities for everyone. Aleksa strives to change the usual narratives of the lack of female presence in the blockchain industry by educating women on Web3 and supporting them to establish themselves as professionals in the space.
Markus Büch
Expert Consultant Decentralized Corporate Structures & Cooperations at mm1 Consulting.
As a lawyer, Dr. Markus Büch deals intensively with legal issues of peer-to-peer networks, cooperations, communal resources and decentralized organizational structures. In addition, he lectures at the Blockchain Competence Centrum Mittweida (BCCM) in the Master of Science program "Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT)", works as a lawyer and as an Expert Consultant for Decentralized Corporate Structures for mm1 Unternehmensberatung. He is part of the Bitcoin project netpositive.money and one of the founders of the European Data Cooperative polypoly.coop.
Mark J. Valek
Fund Management & Research at Incrementum AG
Mark is Partner at Incrementum AG, responsible for portfolio management and research. His passion is to apply interdisciplinary thinking in the field of asset management. In particular, he is fascinated by the Austrian School of Economics, monetary history, and the foreseeable paradigm shift in the global monetary order. While working, Mark studied business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and has been working continuously in the areas of financial markets and asset management since 1999. Prior to founding Incrementum AG, he worked for Raiffeisen Capital Management for ten years, most recently as a fund manager in the area of inflation protection and alternative investments. He gained entrepreneurial experience as co-founder of Philoro Edelmetalle GmbH. Since 2013, he has been a lecturer at Scholarium in Vienna as well as a lecturer at the Vienna Stock Exchange Academy. In 2014 he published the book "Österreichische Schule für Anleger".
Alexander Tkachenko
Founder & CEO at VNX
Founder of Luxembourg VC fund 2be.lu. Co-chair of VC club at Luxembourg’s PE/VC association and Executive Council member at Digital Banking and Fintech Cluster in Luxembourg Banking Association. Serial entrepreneur, business angel. MBA from London Business School and Columbia University.
_edited.jpg)
Till Rügge
Co-CEO at heartstocks
Till loves the blockchain, NFTs and all crypto assets that exist. He comes from the financial industry and was able to see a lot from the inside through insights in asset management, private equity and the first tokenized financial products, which he now wants to make better with heartstocks.
Nicolas Vanhoutteghem
Partner at NUMEUS
Nicolas brings over twenty years of professional experience in a career spanning both investment management and consulting industries. Nicolas was previously a founding partner of Argentière Capital, a volatility-focused multi-strategy hedge fund where he was a Senior Portfolio Manager focusing on volatility strategies across equities and FX. He was a member of the firm’s Risk Management Committee and was instrumental in building many of the tools and processes employed by the firm across investment and risk management functions.
Prior to launching Argentière, Nicolas was a Portfolio Manager in JPMorgan Chase’s Equity Proprietary Trading Group in London. He previously spent nine years at Bain & Company, where he was a Manager running consulting projects in the areas of corporate strategy, M&A, private equity and operational improvements for clients in Europe, US and Japan.
Matthias Langer
Partner & Co-Founder at actus ag
Matthias Langer is an entrepreneur and tax advisor whose work focuses on contextualizing the characteristics of disruptive technologies and the consequences of decentralized finance through legal frameworks, bodies, and international tax law. His consulting work, research, and writings are rooted in Liechtenstein, Swiss, German, and Austrian tax law and span the areas of national tax law, corporate law, FinTech, and DLT. His public lectures address the impact of the rapid adoption of blockchain technologies and the emergence of MetaFi on the day-to-day business of tax advisors and the legal framework in which they operate. As co-founder of the research-driven tax consulting firm actus ag, he strives to further solidify his vision of a new generation of international tax frameworks for the Defi space and contemporary advisory services adapted to the digital age.
Thomas Dünser
Director of the Office for Financial Market Innovation & Digitalisation of the Principality of Liechtenstein
Thomas Dünser is the Director of the Office for Financial Market Innovation and Digitalisation of the Principality of Liechtenstein. He is the spiritus rector of the Liechtenstein Blockchain regulation and was responsible for developing and implementing the TVTG. He also developed and implemented the Liechtenstein Innovation Framework, a unique governmental measure to foster innovation in the financial market. Before his engagement for the Principality of Liechtenstein, he worked in leading positions in Industry, Banking and Consulting. He is regularly publishing and speaking about blockchain, innovation and regulation. His latest book is “Stable Money – What we can learn from Bitcoin, Libra and Co.”.
Max Heinzle
Founder & CEO at 21finance
Max J. Heinzle holds an M.Sc. in Global Banking & Finance. He gained extensive capital market experience as an investment analyst at a leading VC firm and later as Head of Capital Markets at a CF firm. In 2015, he co-founded Mezzany (OneCrowd Securities GmbH), a pioneer in crowd investing in Germany with a transaction volume of more than EUR 100 million and over 90,000 registered users. In March 2017, he founded 21.finance AG.
Ben Hoezl
Co-Founder at FTW DAO
Ben is the co-founder of FTW DAO, a Swiss-based DAO with a community-based approach to find, fund, and foster diverse founding teams with world-changing ideas at an early stage globally. At Deutsche Bank and UBS, he held various leadership roles in corporate and private banking in Germany, Switzerland, and the US. Ben holds a Master’s degree in Business Innovation from the University of St. Gallen and also advises Web2 companies entering Web3 on strategy and marketing.
_edited_edited.jpg)
More Speakers will be announced soon.
#fintechli2022
Speakers from the last few years:
