Blockchain
Singapore and Switzerland Co-Organise Point Zero Forum to Discuss Innovation in Digital Financial Technology
The Swiss Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) and Elevandi, today announced the launch of the inaugural Point Zero Forum, to be held on June 21-23 in Zurich, Switzerland. This in-person event will provide a platform for global leaders across the public and private sectors to drive the meaningful exchange of ideas and knowledge to advance FinTech and Web3.0 in the digital economy. Key topics of discussion include advances in Decentralised Finance, Embedded and Open Finance and Sustainable Finance, implications for policymakers, and opportunities for FinTechs.
The three-day Forum is organised in cooperation with the BIS Innovation Hub, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Swiss National Bank (SNB). The Forum will also be supported by Finance.Swiss, Milken Institute and Switzerland Global Enterprise.
The inaugural forum will be jointly opened by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Heng Swee Keat and Switzerland’s Federal Councillor and the Head of the Federal Department of Finance, Ueli Maurer.
Mr Heng said,
“Digital technology has tremendous potential to change the world for the better, especially through finance. To unlock this potential, we must find new ways to collaborate, and partner one another to tackle key global challenges and ride the new wave of opportunities. Singapore and Switzerland have worked together to organise the inaugural Point Zero Forum, bringing together global technologists, financial institutions and regulators. Through this Forum, we can add to the global FinTech momentum and strengthen the global movement for innovation and change.”
Mr Maurer said,
“As one of the world’s leading and innovative financial centres, Switzerland is an ideal host to bring international financial market and supervisory authorities together with new players from the world of FinTech. Switzerland has long maintained an intensive financial dialogue with Singapore. Together, we are committed to open markets, international competition and constant innovation. The Point Zero Forum is intended to help ensure that innovation in digital financial technology can flourish and thrive in a secure framework for the benefit of all.”
First speakers, with more to be announced, include:
- Heng Swee Keat, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies
- Ueli Maurer, Switzerland’s Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Finance
- Thomas Jordan, Chairman of the Governing Board, SNB
- Urban Angehrn, CEO, Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)
- Ravi Menon, Managing Director, MAS
- Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President & CEO, Women’s World Banking
- Ralph Hamers, CEO, UBS
- Philipp Rickenbacher, CEO, Julius Baer
- Joanne Hannaford, Chief Technology & Operations Officer and Executive Board Member, Credit Suisse
- Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO, FTX
- Dr. Gabriela Maria Payer, Vice-Chairwoman, Sygnum
- Ben Zhou, Founder & CEO, Bybit
- Jos Dijsselhof, CEO, SIX
- Stefan Klestil, General Partner, SpeedInvest
- Jo Ann Barefoot, CEO & Co-Founder, Barefoot Innovation
- Jason Thompson, CEO, Partior
- Dr. Darian McBain, Chief Sustainability Officer, MAS
- Eric Lim, Chief Sustainability Officer, UOB
- Ericson Chan, Group Chief Information and Digital Officer, Zurich Insurance
- Teana Baker-Taylor, Chief Policy Officer, Chamber of Digital Commerce
- Oliver Bussmann, CEO & Founder of Bussmann Advisory, Former CIO & Group MD of UBS
- Dr. Iwa Salami, Reader (Associate Professor), Centre of FinTech, Department of Law & Criminology, Royal Docks School of Business and Law
- Pinar Özcan, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Oxford University
Point Zero Forum guests can choose to discover the Switzerland FinTech Ecosystem through an additional day of tours to innovative companies and labs to learn about the latest developments in Web3.0 and Zug.
Point Zero Forum is an invitation-only forum for senior leaders from government and regulators, financial institutions, technology companies, digital asset and blockchain networks, academia and investors. To register interest, or to nominate a guest please visit www.pointzeroforum.com.
State Secretariat for International Finance
The State Secretariat for International Finance represents Switzerland’s interests in financial, monetary and tax matters not only vis-à-vis partner countries but also in the competent international bodies. It is committed to good framework conditions to ensure that Switzerland can have an innovative, interconnected and sustainable financial centre and business location that is among the world leaders. The State Secretariat is responsible for implementing the financial market policy of the Swiss Government.
Elevandi
Elevandi, which means to ‘lift up’ or ‘raise up’ was set up by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), to bring together the global public and private sectors to advance FinTech in our digital economy. Elevandi is building the future of finance by connecting businesses and people, insights and ideas. Our flagship product is the Singapore FinTech Festival alongside fast rising platforms including the World FinTech Festival and Point Zero Forum.
SOURCE Elevandi
Blockchain
Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 23, 2025 – EDPB, Binance, MicroCloud, Nile Coin, TruaBroker
Welcome to Blocks & Headlines, your daily op-ed–style briefing on the most significant developments in blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency industry. Today’s dispatch spotlights landmark privacy guidelines from the European Data Protection Board, Malaysia’s engagement with Binance’s founder to turbocharge digital finance, a groundbreaking blockchain reconstruction solution from MicroCloud Hologram, the impending launch of Nile Coin on Solana by Hyperscale Data’s subsidiary BitNile.com, and Trua’s AI-driven TruaBroker compliance platform. These stories underscore how regulation, infrastructure innovation, token launches, and compliance automation are shaping Web3’s next chapter.
1. EU’s Privacy Guardrails: EDPB Proposes Blockchain Data Access Guidelines
Source: Decrypt
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has published draft guidelines aimed at reconciling blockchain’s immutable architecture with GDPR’s privacy mandates. Key directives include avoiding on-chain storage of personal data when it conflicts with Data Protection by Design and by Default, conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for high-risk processing, and implementing organizational and technical measures to limit default data access to an “indefinite number of persons” Decrypt.
Op-Ed Insight:These guidelines mark a pivotal moment. By mandating privacy-by-design and off-chain anchoring of sensitive information, the EDPB effectively pressures projects to adopt hybrid architectures—where on-chain transparency coexists with off-chain confidentiality. While defenders of pure decentralization decry potential censorship, privacy advocates hail these guardrails as essential to prevent authoritarian misuse of immutable ledgers. Ultimately, projects that bake data protection into their smart contracts and storage layers will secure both regulatory compliance and user trust.
2. Malaysia Taps Binance’s CZ for a Blockchain Finance Overhaul
Source: Bitcoin News
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has initiated high-level discussions with Changpeng Zhao (CZ), Binance’s founder and former CEO, to position Malaysia as Southeast Asia’s preeminent hub for tokenization and digital finance. The dialogue focuses on leveraging blockchain to modernize capital markets, streamline cross-border payments, and foster regulatory sandboxes that attract global Web3 startups Beamstart.
Op-Ed Insight: Engaging CZ signals Malaysia’s ambition to leapfrog legacy financial architectures by importing Binance’s exchange expertise and compliance playbooks. Yet success hinges on crafting balanced regulations that encourage innovation without compromising investor protection. If Malaysia can marry CZ’s technical insights with proactive oversight—such as clear licensing pathways for decentralized exchanges—it could catalyze a shift in regional capital flows from traditional finance hubs like Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.
3. MicroCloud Hologram’s VSS-Powered Blockchain Reconstruction Solution
Source: PR Newswire
MicroCloud Hologram Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLO) unveiled an innovative blockchain reconstruction solution that employs Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) technology to split and distribute private key shares across distributed nodes. Four core components—VSS-based key sharding, redundant node storage, dynamic participant verification, and incentive-driven reward/penalty mechanisms—enable rapid, trustless restoration of blockchain data integrity following attacks or node failures PR Newswire.
Op-Ed Insight: As DeFi and on-chain finance proliferate, uninterrupted availability and data consistency have become paramount. MicroCloud’s VSS approach transforms reconstruction from a centralized recovery process into a decentralized protocol, minimizing reliance on any single custodian. This paradigm could redefine disaster-recovery benchmarks: imagine an exploited smart contract whose state is instantly rebuilt through pre-sharded secrets, preserving transactional continuity without manual key escrow.
4. BitNile.com to Launch Nile Coin on Solana Blockchain
Source: GlobeNewswire
Hyperscale Data, Inc. (NYSE American: GPUS) announced that its social gaming subsidiary BitNile.com will launch Nile Coin on Solana on May 1, 2025. Solana’s high throughput and low fees position it as an optimal platform for BitNile’s gaming ecosystems, where Nile Coin will fuel in-game economies, reward completions, and facilitate peer-to-peer transactions. Further details on tokenomics and utility are expected in the coming weeks GlobeNewswire.
Op-Ed Insight: While new token launches are ubiquitous, Nile Coin’s Solana-native design leverages one of the fastest blockchains for scalable micro-transactions—a critical requirement for social gaming. Success will depend on robust token utility, partnership integrations, and community incentives. If BitNile.com can embed Nile Coin across multiple entertainment verticals (e-sports, virtual concerts, NFTs), it could ignite a network-effect flywheel, bolstering both user engagement and on-chain liquidity.
5. TruaBroker: Automating Compliance with AI-Powered Trust Credentials
Source: PR Newswire (via Benzinga)
Trua, a leader in digital trust credentials, launched TruaBroker
, a cloud-based platform that automates compliance for broker-dealers and Registered Investment Advisors. Built on Trua’s patented Continuous Evaluation engine, TruaBroker delivers real-time monitoring of FINRA, SEC, and NFA records; identity verification; and continuous credential checks—all without IT integration. Its AI algorithms flag licensing gaps, disciplinary histories, and civil actions, enabling firms to maintain audit readiness and mitigate risk proactively Benzinga.
Op-Ed Insight: In an era when on-chain transactions intersect with regulated financial activities, seamless compliance is non-negotiable. TruaBroker’s model—issuing reusable, verifiable digital credentials anchored by blockchain—offers a blueprint for how KYC/AML processes can evolve into dynamic, trustless workflows. As DeFi platforms eye tokenized securities and on-ramps, integrating similar continuous-evaluation mechanics could become a competitive differentiator, blending self-sovereign identity with regulatory assurance.
Conclusion
Today’s headlines illustrate blockchain’s multifaceted evolution: from regulatory frameworks enforcing privacy and consumer rights, to infrastructure innovations that ensure resilience; from national strategies enlisting industry titans to drive tokenization, to platform launches forging new digital economies; and from compliance automation transforming institutional trust to AI-powered credentialing.
As the space matures, successful projects will be those that:
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Embed privacy and compliance by design—aligning with GDPR and global regulations.
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Invest in self-healing architectures—leveraging cryptographic primitives like VSS.
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Cultivate vibrant token ecosystems—anchored on high-performance chains.
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Adopt continuous, AI-driven governance—bridging the gap between Web3 innovation and traditional financial oversight.
Stay tuned to Blocks & Headlines for incisive commentary and daily updates on the blockchain stories that shape tomorrow’s decentralized future.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 23, 2025 – EDPB, Binance, MicroCloud, Nile Coin, TruaBroker appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
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