BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Eventin//Event Calendar//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:ff4f179806f23ac05aa463699b7ab21c@fitc-ng.com
SUMMARY:Digital Currency\, Blockchain\, and the Future of Financial Service
 s Industry: Implications for Regulators and Operators
DESCRIPTION:Background\nThe financial services industry is undergoing a fun
 damental transformation driven by the rise of digital currencies and blockc
 hain technology. What began with cryptocurrencies challenging traditional n
 otions of money has evolved into a broader re-examination of how value is c
 reated\, stored\, transferred\, and regulated. Digital currencies now exten
 d beyond speculative assets to include central bank-led initiatives such as
  Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)\, which aim to modernise legal ten
 der while improving payment efficiency\, inclusion\, and monetary policy ef
 fectiveness.\nBlockchain technology sits at the core of this evolution\, pr
 oviding a decentralised and cryptographically secure infrastructure for rec
 ording and validating transactions. Its attributes- transparency\, immutabi
 lity\, and resilience- have enabled new financial use cases such as smart c
 ontracts\, asset tokenisation\, faster settlement systems\, and alternative
  financing models. These innovations have the potential to significantly re
 duce operational inefficiencies\, lower transaction costs\, and unlock new 
 sources of value across the financial ecosystem.\nFor regulators\, the emer
 gence of digital currencies and blockchain presents both opportunity and co
 mplexity. Traditional regulatory frameworks\, built around central intermed
 iaries and jurisdictional boundaries\, are being tested by decentralised ne
 tworks\, near-instant cross-border transactions\, and new categories of dig
 ital assets. Regulators are therefore required to strike a careful balance 
 between encouraging innovation and safeguarding financial stability\, consu
 mer protection\, market integrity\, and the prevention of illicit financial
  activities\, often through adaptive\, technology-enabled supervisory appro
 aches.\nFor financial institutions and market operators\, these development
 s create strategic imperatives. Digital currencies and blockchain offer pat
 hways to enhance product offerings\, improve operational efficiency\, and r
 emain competitive in an increasingly digital economy. However\, realising t
 hese benefits requires robust governance\, investment in technology and ski
 lls\, and close collaboration with regulators.\nGiven their inherent comple
 xity and rapidly evolving nature\, Digital Assets have elicited concerns as
  to their implications for consumer and investor protection\, including iss
 ues about data privacy and security\; financial stability and systemic risk
 \; money laundering/crime\; national risk\; the ability to exercise human r
 ights\; and financial inclusion. With these concerns and the opportunity th
 at digital currency and blockchain present\, regulators and operators must 
 work together to create a financial system for the African economy where tr
 aditional institutions\, digital currencies\, and blockchain-enabled platfo
 rms coexist\, thus reshaping how finance is regulated\, delivered\, and exp
 erienced.\nIt is against this background that FITC is organizing a 5-day pr
 ogramme on Digital Currency\, Blockchain\, and the Future of Financial Serv
 ices Industry: Implications for Regulators and Operators for regulators and
  operators who seek to navigate the future of finance with confidence and i
 ntegrity.\n \nTarget Audience\nThis course is ideal for those who view dig
 ital currency not as a replacement for the financial system\, but as the hi
 gh-speed "rails" upon which a more inclusive\, transparent\, and integrated
  African economy is built.   \n\nCentral banks and financial regulators\
 nSupervisory authorities: NDIC\, SEC\, NDPA\nExecutives in banks\, payment 
 service providers\, FinTechs\, and Development Finance Institutions\nSenior
  Professionals in the financial service industry who want to be Architects 
 of the Future Finance\nPolicy makers and financial infrastructure operators
 \nData Scientists & AI Developers\nLegal and Compliance Officers in financi
 al institutions\n\n \n \nLearning Outcomes\n\nUnderstand the underlying t
 echnology powering digital currencies\nDevelop strategic insight into CBDC 
 design models and trade-offs\n\n\nAssess regulatory\, supervisory\, and sys
 temic risk implications of digital currencies and blockchain\n\n\nBuild app
 ropriate structures and establish best‑practice approaches to regulating 
 digital currency ecosystems.\nDesign transformation roadmaps for institutio
 ns and regulatory bodies\n\n \nLearning Objectives\n\nExplain the foundati
 onal technological and economic forces driving digital currency adoption.\n
 Evaluate the rise of CBDCs and implications for monetary systems\nExamine t
 he strengths and limitations of digital currency and blockchain relevant to
  regulatory and operational contexts\nExplore risk‑based regulatory tools
  to support innovation while protecting the system.\nSupport regulators and
  operators with a blueprint for safe and effective oversight\n\n \nProgram
 me Content \n\n Overview of Digital Currencies and Emerging trends\n\n\nMon
 ey: from physical cash to programmable money\nDigitisation of financial ser
 vices\nEmergence of digital currencies\nEvolution of payment systems and fi
 nancial market infrastructures\nDrivers of digital currency adoption (effic
 iency\, inclusion\, geopolitics)\nRole of trust\, intermediaries\, and cent
 ral banks\nEmerging trends in the development of Digital currencies in othe
 r jurisdictions\; USA\, Japan\, South Africa\, The Caribbean\, Ghana.\n\n 
 \n \n\n Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT)\n\n\nDefiniti
 on of Blockchain\nBlockchain fundamentals: public vs private\, permissioned
  vs permissionless\nConsensus mechanisms (Proof of Work (PoW)\, Proof of St
 ake (PoS)\, BFT models)\nSmart contracts and tokenisation\nInteroperability
 \, scalability challenges\, and governance trade-offs\n\n \n\n Cryptocurre
 ncy Ecosystems and Market Structure\n\n\nBitcoin\, Ethereum\, stablecoins\,
  altcoins\nToken classifications: payment\, utility\, security\, governance
 \nCrypto exchanges\, wallets\, miners\, node operators\, validators\nLendin
 g\, staking\, yield markets\nMarket manipulation and integrity issues\nRisk
 s: volatility\, liquidity\, custody\, cybersecurity\n\n \n\n Central Bank 
 Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and Stable Coins\n\n\nRetail vs. wholesale CBDCs
 : Implications for financial stability\, bank disintermediation\, and monet
 ary policy transmission\nMotivations for CBDCs: financial inclusion\, effic
 iency\, control\, geopolitics\nDesign choices: account‑based vs. token‑
 based\nCBDC architecture options: direct\, hybrid\, intermediated\nCase stu
 dies: China\, EU\, Nigeria (eNaira)\, Bahamas\, etc.\nImplications for comm
 ercial banks and payment operators\nAML/CFT compliance in CBDC ecosystems\n
 The Stablecoin Ecosystem: Exploring collateralization models (Fiat-backed v
 s. Algorithmic) and the systemic risks of Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC)\n
 \n \n\n Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and Embedded Finance\n\n\nDeFi protoc
 ols: lending\, exchanges\, staking\nEmbedded finance and platformisation\nR
 ole of smart contracts in financial intermediation\nThe Convergence: How in
 cumbents (Goldman Sachs\, J.P. Morgan) are integrating DeFi protocols into 
 traditional capital markets\n\n \n\n Digital Assets\, Tokenization\, and t
 he Future of Capital Markets\n\n\nAsset tokenization (equities\, bonds\, re
 al estate\, commodities)\nSecurity tokens and regulatory classifications\nD
 ecentralized finance (DeFi): platforms\, protocols\, risks\nAutomated marke
 t makers (AMMs) and decentralized exchanges\nTokenized money market funds a
 nd digital bonds\nImpacts on liquidity\, settlement cycles\, and market eff
 iciency\n\n \n\n Risk\, Stability\, and Financial Integrity\n\n\nFinancial
  stability risks of digital assets\nAML/CFT challenges in crypto ecosystems
 \nTravel Rule and transaction traceability\nCyber risk and operational resi
 lience\nRisks in DeFi\n\n\nCase study - FTX collapse: regulatory and superv
 isory lessons\n\n\nRisk-based AML/CFT Approach to Digital Currencies\n\n\nR
 isk based approach to AML/CFT in the Virtual context\nThe scope of the FATF
  Standard and the application of the standard on countries of competent aut
 horoties\nApplication of the FATF Recommendations to convertible virtual cu
 rrency in the context of VCPPS\nUpdated FATF guidance for a risk-based appr
 oach to virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs)\nListed 
 activities under the FATF Recommendation\, the travel rule requirement\nRec
 ommendation 15 of FATF for global AML / CFT Standards for virtual assets an
 d VASPs.\nThe implication of the FATF Risk-based AML/CFT standard on regula
 tors and supervisors\n\n \n \n \n \n\n9. Regulatory and Supervisory Fra
 meworks and Global Standards\n\n\nPrinciples-based vs rules-based regulatio
 n\n\n\nGlobal emerging frameworks (FATF\, BIS\, IOSCO\, IMF)\nAML/CFT compl
 iance in digital finance\nLicensing regimes: VASPs\, exchanges\, custodians
 \, stablecoin issuers\nPrudential and market integrity considerations\nEval
 uating the Investment Securities Act (ISA) 2025\; EU MiCA\, UK FCA\, MAS fr
 amework\n\n\nCross-border coordination and regulatory harmonisation\n\n\nCo
 nsumer protection frameworks\nData privacy and cybersecurity obligations\nS
 andbox and innovation-friendly regulatory approaches\n\n \n\n10. Payment S
 ystems Innovation and Digital Financial Infrastructure\n\n\nEvolution of do
 mestic and cross‑border payments\nRole of fintechs\, super‑apps\, card 
 networks\, and new digital banks\nBlockchain-based payment rails\nInteroper
 ability with legacy systems (RTGS\, ACH\, card schemes)\nRole of digital id
 entity and KYC innovations\nOpen banking and APIs in digital currency ecosy
 stems\n\n \n\nThe Future of the Financial Services Industry\n\n\nConvergen
 ce of AI\, blockchain\, IoT\, quantum computing\nTokenized economies and pr
 ogrammable money\nFuture of banking\, insurance\, and capital markets\nThe 
 geopolitics of digital currency and global power shifts\nRegulatory innovat
 ion and cross‑border cooperation\nStrategies for banks\, FinTechs\, and r
 egulators\n\n \nField Visits & Experiential Learning\nParticipants will ga
 in real-world exposure through curated visits and engagement sessions in Na
 irobi
LOCATION:Nairobi
DTSTAMP:20260423T182304Z
DTSTART:20260419T230000Z
DTEND:20260424T180300Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR