Speakers
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Mr. Agustinus “Nico” Tobing
Mr. Nico is a seasoned expert in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) with over two decades of experience in internal auditing, cloud security, and regulatory assurance. He holds numerous certifications, including Chartered Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists, and Certified Cloud Practitioner, showcasing his deep expertise in financial governance and compliance.
Currently serving as the Country Lead for Compliance & Security Assurance (CSA) at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Indonesia, Nico manages security assurance across multiple emerging markets, ensuring cloud operations align with local compliance standards.
His previous roles include senior leadership positions at AIA, Sun Life, and Commonwealth Life, where he spearheaded compliance initiatives, risk management, and fraud investigations. Nico holds a Doctor Degree in Strategic Management from Universitas Pelita Harapan and a Master’s in Finance from Rotterdam Business School.
Ms. Sunita Kannan
Ms. Sunita is currently the Global Lead of AI Strategy at Microsoft. She is also the Azure Quantum Ambassador. She has a wealth of experience in managing & delivering Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence work for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. She also works with clients on their Quantum AI journey.
Prior to Microsoft, Sunita was leading the space of Data, Analytics and Al across a number of leading consulting firms, with the most recent being Accenture in which she was the Al Advisory and Responsible Al Lead for ASEAN.
Before consulting, Sunita was a PhD Quantum Physics student at the University of Colorado (Boulder). She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, a Master of Science in Quantum Physics from the University of Colorado (Boulder), and a Bachelors in Mathematics and Physics (distinction and honors) from Wellesley College (MA, USA).
Mr. Kher Tean Chen
Mr. Kher Tean Chen is the Managing Partner and General Manager of the Greater China Group and Korea，IBM Consulting. He is leading the team to embrace an open way of working, bringing a diverse set of voices, experiences and technologies like Hybrid Cloud and AI together to accelerate clients’ business transformation. Kher Tean is a member of IBM Global Acceleration Team and IBM Consulting Global Leadership Council.
He has over 26 years of experience in the consulting industry and is a global business leader skilled in cross-border transformation. He is an expert in life sciences, consumer goods, automotive, transportation, tourism, industrial products, and infrastructure industries, and has keen business insights and profound industry experience.
Mr. Kher Tean joined IBM in 2022 after serving at Accenture for 24 years. In his 24 years, Kher Tean held several leadership roles across the Asia Pacific region, spanning multiple industries, products, and service areas, demonstrating outstanding leadership skills, and accumulating rich management experience and business expertise. In his last role in Accenture, he served as the Country Managing Director of Accenture Indonesia, member of Accenture’s Global Leaderships Council.
Mr. Reginaldo Anthony B. Cariaso
Mr. Reginaldo “Reggie” Cariaso is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation. With nearly 30 years of experience in institutional and investment banking, he brings a wealth of expertise in equity and debt capital markets, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate banking, payments, and banking operations.
Prior to his appointment as Deputy President and CEO, Mr. Cariaso headed RCBC’s Operations Group, where he launched several initiatives to improve customer experience across the different platforms. This includes enhancements in the bank’s digital onboarding system, our award-winning Branch of Today and Customer Care. He was also part of BancNet Operations Committee and is now serving as RCBC’s representative Director and as Treasurer of BancNet.
Before joining RCBC in 2023, Mr. Cariaso worked as Senior Vice President at the Bank of the Philippine Islands for BPI Capital Corporation and the Institutional Banking Group. Earlier in his distinguished career, Mr. Cariaso held Executive Director positions for J.P. Morgan as well as Nomura International in Hong Kong. Mr. Cariaso graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and honourably served six years as a lieutenant in the United States Navy Submarine Force.
Ms. Sonomi Tanaka
Ms. Tanaka took over as the Country Director, Bhutan Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank (ADB) with effect from 29 October 2024. Ms. Tanaka has over 30 years of professional experience, including 25 years with the ADB. In 2020, she was appointed as Country Director of ADB’s Resident Mission in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where she led the formulation of the CPS 2024-2028 and advanced critical policy reforms in collaboration with the World Bank and other partners to address macroeconomic challenges.
She previously served as Chief of the Gender Equity Thematic Group, responsible for overseeing and advising on ADB-wide operations to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. Ms. Tanaka has worked extensively on gender and development, poverty reduction, social analysis, social protection, and community participation issues in Asia and the Pacific. Her sectoral expertise spans education, finance, health, infrastructure, natural resources management, public sector management, and urban development. Prior to joining ADB, she held roles in the World Bank’s South Asia Department and in development institutions in Japan.
Ms. Tanaka is a national of Japan and holds a Master of Arts on Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University and a post-graduate diploma on development studies from the Institute of Developing Economies Advanced School in Japan. She has a bachelor’s degree on International Relations from the University of Tokyo.
Mr. Eric Tan
Mr. Eric is Head of Bank & Remitters Business Development for Visa Direct, where he drives growth initiatives with financial institutions across Asia-Pacific. Working closely with Account Executives and in-market Visa Direct teams, he engages senior decision-makers at banks and remittance companies to build a strong regional pipeline of cross-border payment programs — spanning Pay to Account, Pay to Wallet, and Pay to Card solutions. Under his leadership, the team also focuses on scaling and optimizing existing programs to maximize adoption and impact.
A seasoned banker with over 23 years of experience, Eric has held leadership positions across international and regional banks. Before joining Visa, he was based in Hong Kong as Head of Transaction Banking, North Asia & Greater China. From 2016 to 2020, he served as Head of Transaction Banking Taiwan at ANZ, strengthening the bank’s payments and cash management capabilities. Earlier at ANZ, Eric led a 28-member team tasked with building new digital banking solutions and managing an Asia-wide Implementation team, delivering mandates for both ANZ and ABN AMRO clients.
Throughout his career, Eric has worked in Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, and Hong Kong, developing deep expertise in transaction banking, payments, and money movement across multiple markets.
Mr. Frederic Cabay
Mr. Frederic Cabay joined MUFG Bank on 27 April 2015, and is the Global Co-Head of Financial Institutions and is based in Singapore. In his role, Mr. Cabay manages a team of RM covering Banks, Insurance, NBFI, SWF and Institutional investors. He is an experienced banker who has held senior regional roles in both Corporate Banking and Global Treasury Services. Prior to joining the banking entity under the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), he was Managing Director, Treasury Services, at JPMorgan, where he was in charge of NBFI (non-bank financial institutions) sales for the APAC region as well as being the head of sales for banks in ASEAN.
He was with ING Group from 1996 to 2010 where his most recent position was Head of Relationship Management for South and South-East Asia. Before ING, Mr. Cabay practiced law in Brussels as a member of the Brussels Bar.
Mr. Cabay earned his Law degree from the Catholic Unversity in Louvain La Neuve, Belgium, and has a Master’s Degree in International Business Law from University College London, England. He also received a Certificate of General Management from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium.
Mr. Rajan S. Narayan
Mr. Rajan Narayan is a seasoned growth leader with over two decades of experience in driving business growth and digital transformation in the payments and banking technology space.
As CEO of Cyberbeat Rajan brings a deep understanding of the challenges financial institutions face in modernizing their legacy technology infrastructure while remaining agile in a competitive and fast-evolving market. With extensive regional expertise and a track record of delivering complex solutions across diverse markets, Rajan plays a key role in helping clients embrace innovation, improve customer/employee engagement, and future-proof their payments ecosystems.
Cyberbeat provides VkenPay solution to Banks and Fntechs to provide convenience and confidence to enable their cardholders to make contactless digital payments by providing dynamic virtual payment tokens for payment which expires upon authorization. Thus, keeping the issued card private throughout the transaction acquiring path and invalidating reuse of the VkenPay token.
Dr. Ashish Kakar
With over 20 years of banking and insurance experience and an award-winning doctorate with a thesis in defining asset management algorithms, Dr. Ashish Kakar heads the Financial Insights practice for IDC across the Asia Pacific. In his career, He led large transformation projects with investments exceeding $50 million, standardized systems and operations, and helped launch new retail banking businesses. He was also active in private markets with his risk management startup.
Currently, He focuses on advising numerous financial services firms on their technology strategies, linking these strategies to the current geopolitical situation. He is passionate about sustainability and inclusiveness.
Dr. Ashish’s work in sustainability and inclusiveness includes keynote addresses, briefing banks and regulators on inclusiveness, partnering with academia on sustainability, and advising certain VC funds on the right sustainability bets. Dr. Ashish has also visited the House of Lords, UK, as part of a smart cities project that championed the sustainability cause.
Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah
Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah is an Alumni of Price Waterhouse Coopers, SriLanka. He is a Fellow Member of CA SriLanka as well as CIMA (UK). He obtained his MBA from Cranfield School of Management, UK and had a highly successful career in Banking both in the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.
During a 38 year career, he spent the last 16 years as CEO of Three private sector licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka and had the opportunity of contributing significantly towards policy advocacy issues such as Corporate Governance Framework for Banks, Basel III adoption and fair Value Accounting by Banks, Financial Inclusion and more recently development of Fintech Sand Box framework for Banks.
During his tenure as a Bank CEO, Mr. Theagarajah also served as the Chairman of The Asian Banks Association (2011-12), Chairman Sri Lanka Banks Association, Chairman Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (2017-19), Chairman Lanka Financial Services Bureau, Director Colombo Stock exchange, Lanka Clear Pvt. Ltd. and Sri Lanka Institute of Directors. He was personally profiled by Wileys publication of “Asia’s 25 Banking CEOs in 2008 (ISBN 9780470823590) and was the recipient of the Qatar Financial Authority (QFC) Outstanding Leadership in Banking -SriLanka twice (2007-9 & 2010-12).
Mr. Amit Darda
Mr. Amit Darda is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Modefin, a leading provider of digital banking solutions. With a background in computer science and an MBA in marketing, he brings a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen to the fintech industry.
Over two decades, he has been instrumental in executing more than 100 projects across Asia and Africa, driving digital transformation and promoting financial inclusion. A passionate advocate for the fintech sector, he is a respected voice on topics like data-driven personalization and the future of banking.
Mr. Oliver Hoffmann
Mr. Oliver is Erste Group Bank AG’s Managing Director & Head of Asia, based in Hong Kong. He is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Asian Bankers Association (ABA) and served as the ABA’s Vice Chairman from 2021 to 2023. He also is a Member of the Board of Directors and the Treasurer of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong & Macau.
He started his banking career in 1987 with Deutsche Bank AG in his native Germany. In 1989, he joined Bayerische Vereinsbank AG, which in 1998 became Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank AG (HVB) and in 2005 UniCredit Bank AG (UCB). He was made a member of UCB’s Global FIG Executive Committee in 2013 and served as the bank’s Hong Kong Branch Chief Executive and Regional Head of the Financial Institutions Group Asia-Pacific until December 2015, prior to joining Erste Group Bank AG in January 2016.
Mr. Oliver has been living and working in Hong Kong since March 1997. During his career, he held senior positions in Syndications & Structured Lending, Trade Finance, Corporate Finance, and Financial Institutions Business, as well as directorships in banking subsidiaries in in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei. He holds degrees in Banking from Friedrich-List-Berufsschule Ulm and in Business Administration & Economics from Verwaltungs- und Wirtschaftsakademie Munich. He is an alumni of The Pacific Rim Bankers Program at the University of Washington.
Mr. Damith Pallewatte
Mr. Pallewatte is a distinguished banking and risk management professional with 30 years of experience in the banking industry. He is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB), one of Sri Lanka’s most respected financial institutions. Over the course of his career, He has held several key leadership roles at HNB, including Acting CEO, Deputy General Manager – Wholesale Banking Group, Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and Chief Information Security Officer. Before joining HNB, he served as the CRO of Nations Trust Bank PLC.
He holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Management from the London School of Economics, University of London. He is a Financial Risk Manager and certified Sustainability and Climate Risk professional from GARP, as well as a Fellow of CIMA (UK) and CGMA.
Beyond his executive role, Mr. Pallewatte is the Chairman of HNB Investment Bank, Lanka Ventures PLC, and LVL Energy Fund PLC, while also serving as Director of Lanka Pay Pvt Ltd and Vice President/Director of ICC Sri Lanka. He has contributed to the industry through leadership roles in CIMA, AICPA, MESANA panels, and as past President of the CRO Forum.
Ms. Ee Ling Ooi
Ms. Ee Ling leads Business Development for the Asia-Pacific region at Oberthur Cash Protection (part of Oberthur Fiduciaire), a global leader in banknote, security printing and sustainable cash protection technologies.
With extensive expertise in Intelligent Banknote Neutralization Systems (IBNS), she has played a key strategic role in collaborating with Central Banks across the region to drive policy-level discussions and adoption of innovative, technology-enabled security solutions.
Mr. Amar Lkhagvasuren
Mr. Amar leads policy advocacy, industry coordination, and international engagement at the Mongolian Bankers Association. He brings over 17 years of professional experience, having served as an Economics Officer at the Asian Development Bank and as a Banking Supervisor at the Bank of Mongolia. His career spans central banking, financial sector development, and international finance, making him a key figure in Mongolia’s economic and banking landscape.
He holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the Luxembourg School of Finance, in partnership with NYU Stern, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration from the National University of Mongolia.
Mr. Mohamed Shareef
Mr. Mohamed Shareef is an accomplished banking professional with over 25 years of leadership experience at the Bank of Maldives. He has served as Operations Director, COO, and Deputy CEO, where he pioneered digital banking, card services, and mobile payments in the country.
Notably, he led the successful nationwide “Aharenge Bank” programme and has extensive expertise in governance, risk management, and retail banking. He is also a graduate of the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School.
Mr. Shirish Pathak
Mr. Shirish Pathak is the Managing Director of Fintelekt Advisory Services, a firm dedicated to strengthening the fight against financial crime by equipping banks, financial institutions, regulators, law enforcement, and other stakeholders with essential skills and capabilities.
With expertise spanning risk management, business strategy, and anti-money laundering, he has been at the forefront of addressing critical issues such as money mule accounts and financial crime compliance. Under his leadership, Fintelekt has become a trusted partner in building stronger, safer financial ecosystems across the region.
Mr. Abhisheik Vishwakarma
Mr. Vishwakarma is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience in business strategy, product management, and business development in the banking and financial services sector. He has successfully driven growth and innovation across transaction banking, digital lending, digital business, and risk solutions.
He is currently the CEO – Analytics at CARE Analytics and Advisory Pvt. Ltd. (a subsidiary of CareEdge Ratings), where he oversees growth and operations.
He holds a Global Executive MBA (PGPMAX) from the Indian School of Business, with international exposure at the Wharton School and London Business School, and is also a graduate of ISB’s AMPPP and SPJIMR’s PGPM programs.
Dasho Karma Yonten
Dasho Karma Yonten heads the The Office of Performance Management under His Majesty’s Secretariat and is a member of the Core Working Group for the Gelephu Mindfulness City. He was the founding CEO of Druk Holding and Investments from 2007-2014. Prior to that he served as the founding CEO of Bhutan Electricity Authority, the regulator for the electricity sector, and as project manager of Basochu hydropower project I. He resigned from the Civil Service in 2006 and for a short period was a partner in a local consultancy firm.
Dasho recently completed two terms as Chairman of the Bank of Bhutan, and he currently is the Chairman of Gerab Nyed Yon (the investment company for the Central Monastic Body), Bhutan Agro Industries Limited, Bhutan Lottery and is a board member of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, and the Desuung Skilling Program.
A Fulbright Scholar, he holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas, and an MBA from Hitotsubashi University, Japan, as a Monbusho Scholar. Dasho Karma was conferred the honor of the Red Scarf by His Majesty in 2023.
Ms. Ugyen Choden
Ms. Ugyen Choden was appointed as the Deputy Governor of the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan (RMA) on December 1, 2023. She brings over two decades of experience, having joined the RMA in 2003 and serving in multiple leadership roles, most recently as Director of the Department of Financial Regulation & Supervision since 2022. Throughout her career, she has developed deep expertise in financial regulation, supervision, and intelligence, complemented by strong skills in project management, market analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
In her current role, She plays a pivotal part in strengthening financial stability, inclusion, and integrity in Bhutan’s financial sector. She has actively contributed to numerous technical committees, advancing key policy and regulatory initiatives that foster a sound and transparent financial system.
Academically, Ms. Ugyen holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Canberra, Australia (2024), a Graduate Diploma in Business with a major in Professional Accounting from Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (2012), and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi, India (2003). Her professional journey reflects both dedication and vision in driving Bhutan’s financial sector modernization and resilience.
Mr. Ujjwal Deep Dahal
Mr. Ujjwal is the Chief Executive Officer of Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), Bhutan’s sovereign wealth and commercial arm entrusted with stewarding investments across diverse sectors. Under his leadership, DHI is advancing its bold “10X Journey”—a transformative agenda to accelerate Bhutan’s economic growth through strategic investments and innovation, aligning with emerging technologies and in line with GMC’s vision. He champions future-focused growth by driving the development of diversified renewable energy infrastructure as the foundation for a technology-led economy, while fostering national and global investment partnerships.
Central to the 10X Journey is building a vibrant innovation ecosystem, elevating “Innovation” as a central pillar of the economy alongside portfolio and investment excellence. His vision is rooted in building together an economy which is value-based and technology-driven anchored in sustainability and economic diversification that resonates with next generation.
Holding a Bachelor’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from PSG College of Technology (India), an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick (Canada), and an Executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business, he further honed his expertise as a Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow in Technology and Policy Management at MIT—complementing his credentials as a Project Management Professional (PMP). With over two decades of experience spanning project management, energy strategy, innovation, and R&D, Ujjwal previously worked for the Bhutan Power Corporation – an Electrical utility in various capacities and led DHI’s Innovation and Technology (InnoTech) Department where he has played a key role in advancing Bhutan’s technological aspirations.
Mr. Dorji Phuntsho
Mr. Dorji Phuntsho, a financial professional from Bhutan, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan. He holds MBA in Corporate Strategy and Economic Policy from Maastricht School of Management and a Masters in Economics from Fergusson College, Mr. Phuntsho has played a pivotal role in shaping Bhutan’s financial markets.
His previous roles at the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan included oversight of securities regulation and financial institutions supervision. Supported by a comprehensive array of international certifications in banking supervision, investment banking, financial regulation, and corporate governance, Mr. Dorji also contributes his expertise as a member of various boards and committees both within Bhutan and across regional associations.
Mr. Ugyen Tenzin
Mr. Ugyen Tenzin is a technology leader at the forefront of Bhutan’s digital transformation. Before taking on DK Bhutan leadership role, Ugyen Tenzin served as both the CTO of DK; as well as the Chief for Data Science and AI at the GovTech Agency in Bhutan. He has initiated the nation’s first large-scale AI project, spearheaded the development of DK bank’s core digital banking platform; implemented the automated risk assessment and secure digital financial services; and collaborated with industry bodies to establish digital banking standards in Bhutan.
Recently, he led the integration of Binance Pay for crypto payments for tourism, strengthening the bank’s digital asset capabilities. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Statistics and IT from Bharathiar University, India and a Masters Degree in Economics from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan.
Mr. Dorji Nima
Mr. Dorji Nima is the Chief Operating Officer of Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), where he leads portfolio management and drives operational transformation across the Group’s companies. He oversees reforms, shared services integration, and digital capability enhancement under the DHI 10X framework, fostering execution, accountability, and strategic alignment.
Mr. Nima holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Madras University, India.
Ms. Tshering Dolkar
Ms. Tshering Dolkar is the Director of Tourism Operations at the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority (GMCA). She leads the development of tourism and guest experiences that embody mindfulness and sustainability, while being deeply rooted in Bhutanese values. Her work brings partners together, raises hospitality standards, and nurtures the next generation of mindful tourism professionals.
Before joining GMCA, she worked in the private sector and was part of the team that revived the Trans Bhutan Trail, where she focused on sustainability and destination management. She holds an MBA from the University of Canberra and a BBA from the University of New Brunswick.