By Strategic Marketing and Communications
February 18, 2022
The free event, held online on March 4–5, 2022, attracted 600+ attendees and was co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz
The Lam-Larsen FinTech Initiative at San Francisco State University teamed up with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Center for Analytical Finance at the University of California at Santa Cruz to host a virtual conference that gave participants an in-depth look at the future of banking. The FinTech: Innovation, Inclusion, and Risks Conference was held online on March 4–5, attracting 600+ attendees. The free event featured sessions exploring such topics as stablecoins, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. There was also a long list of expert speakers and panelists, including Princeton Economics Professor Markus Brunnemeier and RippleX General Manager Monica Long.
“This conference is important because the financial system is changing radically, and discussion is required to ensure that we navigate this transition safely,” said San Francisco State Professor of Finance Todd J. Feldman, who helped create and plan the conference. “It will give our students and whoever else wants to join in the chance to see speakers who are actively involved in shaping the future of money and finance, which impacts us all.”
The conference also helped build connections with people outside SF State, ending with a successful dinner that helped bridge connections with other local universities such as Santa Clara University and industry.
Because the conference was virtual and such a success, the SF State Lam Family College of Business held an additional one day in-person conference on May 13, 2022. The college partnered again with CAFIN at UCSC. Keynote speakers included two women who are powerhouses in Fintech – Morgan McKenney, CEO of Provenance Blockchain Foundation (previously COO at Citi), and Christine Parlour, Full Professor at Berkeley Haas.
The Lam-Larsen FinTech Initiative is one of five initiatives created in the Lam Family College of Business at SF State from the Lam-Larsen Fund for Global Innovation. The mission of the FinTech Initiative is to become the educational leader in fintech/cryptocurrency in the San Francisco Bay Area to prepare students to join the world’s top fintech companies.
