Empowering the Next Generation of Fintech and Web3 Leaders in Singapore
The Web3 Leader Programme, hosted in Singapore from 6 to 9 November 2025, convened global founders, executives, academics, and policymakers for a four-day exchange on the future of decentralised finance, digital assets, and responsible innovation.
Co-organised by the Global Fintech Institute (GFI), Hashkey Group and Frontier Technology Institute, the programme deepened cross-sector understanding of how regulation, technology, and leadership shape the evolving Web3 ecosystem — fostering collaboration among the next generation of fintech leaders.
Day 1 – Setting the Stage for Responsible Innovation
The programme opened with Prof. David Lee Kuo Chuen 李国权 CFtP, Chairman of GFI, who delivered a thought-provoking address on the macro evolution of Web3, digital assets, and global trust frameworks, setting the tone for a week of high-impact discussions.
Participants also heard from Dr. Zhang Xiao, Founder of zCloak Network and GFI Industry Chartered Fellow, who explored Smart Contracts and Privacy Protection — highlighting the tension between transparency and confidentiality in decentralised systems.
Day 1 captured the programme’s spirit: an open, multidisciplinary dialogue bridging finance, policy, and technology to advance responsible digital innovation.
Day 2 – Inside Singapore’s Fintech Infrastructure
The second day took participants into the heart of Singapore’s fintech ecosystem through an exclusive visit to StraitsX, the nation’s pioneer in regulated stablecoin infrastructure.
Tianwei Liu (CEO), Jason Tay, and Gloria He led an immersive session covering:
- Building a Singapore-compliant stablecoin framework and lessons from the first CBDC pilot
- The founding journey of StraitsX, from startup to ecosystem leader
- Product innovation bridging Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 payment systems
- Digital money interoperability and regulatory collaboration across ASEAN
The visit concluded with a lively dialogue on the evolution of digital payments and how compliance-driven innovation can enable scalable adoption.
The cohort also welcomed 汪静波 (Jingbo Wang), Founder and Chairwoman of Noah Holdings, who shared insights on digital transformation, leadership across regulatory transitions, and the global trajectory of wealth management in a tokenised era.
Day 3 – Industry Perspectives on Digital Assets
Day 3 spotlighted four industry pioneers shaping Asia’s fintech and blockchain landscape. Discussions focused on how digital asset infrastructure, payments, and AI-driven systems are transforming finance — and what effective leadership means in this context.
- Sailor Zhong, Founder & CEO of ChainUp, shared how institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure underpins the future of Web3. Since 2017, ChainUp has grown into a global provider serving 30+ markets, offering solutions in crypto exchanges, liquidity technology, MPC wallets, tokenisation, and blockchain analytics.
- Darius Sit, Founder of QCP, and Stephanie Lim discussed how Asia’s largest digital-asset derivatives firm manages volatility through strategic market-making and risk governance. QCP’s structured products and liquidity frameworks support institutional trust in decentralised markets.
- Jack Li, Founder & CEO of UQPAY, outlined how global payment infrastructure connects digital economies. Licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as a Major Payment Institution and a principal member of Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay, UQPAY illustrates how compliance and innovation coexist in cross-border fintech scaling.
- Zhang Nangeng, Founder & CEO of Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN), closed the day with a forward-looking discussion on blockchain hardware and AI convergence, sharing how Canaan’s AI chipsets advance efficiency and infrastructure scalability in decentralised computing.
Each session concluded with an interactive Q&A where participants debated institutional adoption, liquidity management, and AI’s role in next-generation financial systems.
Day 4 – Finale and Certificate Presentation
The programme concluded at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, where distinguished speakers shared their expertise across the full spectrum of Web3 innovation:
- Jun Du, Founder of Vernal Group, a global blockchain conglomerate and early pioneer in digital-asset exchanges, spoke on exchange ecosystems, market structures, Web3 investment logic, and strategic approaches to market cycles.
- Alice Liu, CEO of dtcpay, a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)-licensed payment institution, discussed the real-world applications of digital asset payments and their role in financial inclusion and seamless commerce.
- Lily Z. King, COO of Cobo, outlined how Cobo operates as a leading digital asset custody and wallet infrastructure provider serving institutional and enterprise clients globally, highlighting security architecture and compliance innovation.
- Shixing “Discus Fish” Mao, CEO & Co-Founder of Cobo, joined Prof. David Lee Kuo Chuen 李国权 CFtP for a fireside chat and participant Q&A on the future of digital asset governance and institutional trust.
- Dr. Cindy Deng, Associate Professor of Practice, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), examined the governance of DAOs, voting structures, and the centralisation debate in Web3 incentive mechanisms.
From stablecoin frameworks to decentralised infrastructure and academic insights, the week-long programme provided an unparalleled opportunity to learn from pioneers driving Asia’s fintech and Web3 transformation.
To mark the close of the programme, participants were awarded completion certificates, recognising their commitment to advancing fintech and Web3 leadership through education and collaboration.
Looking Ahead
The Web3 Leader Programme reflects GFI’s commitment to empowering professionals through education, research, and cross-sector dialogue. Over four immersive days, the programme connected fintech innovators, policymakers, and researchers shaping the future of digital finance — strengthening Singapore’s role as a global hub for responsible innovation.
GFI will continue expanding its Fintech Leadership Series, fostering greater cooperation between academia, regulators, and industry practitioners to build a more inclusive, secure, and sustainable financial ecosystem.
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