Private Lunch - Reinforcing Trust by Unleashing Blockchain in Finance
This panel will discuss how financial professionals have the potential to be the new trust agents. Finance is now more than ever embedded as an integral part of the business strategy, contributing to the business success and becoming enablers, not just number crunchers. As stewards of trust, financial professionals need to leverage trust-enabling technology, such as blockchain, to verify critical information and establish trust. The conversation will explain blockchain’s defining characteristics, explore its potential roles within finance, and help finance leaders understand its benefits. Panelists will share how leading companies use digital assets and blockchain as unique differentiators to gain trust in a volatile business climate, and will discuss the importance of third-party validation, risk management, and governance when leveraging digital assets and blockchain to further the mission of a business. Distinguished speakers on this panel include Lara Abrash (Chair, Deloitte US), Alesia Haas (CFO, Coinbase), Sandra Ro (CEO, Global Blockchain Business Council), and Franz Bergmüller (CEO, AMINA Bank AG).
Lara Abrash
Chair at Deloitte US
Lara Abrash is the Chair of Deloitte US, the largest professional services organization in the United States with more than 170,000 professionals. Lara was elected into this role in June 2023 after serving four years as the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she was responsible for overseeing the US Audit & Assurance (A&A) business. Lara is a member of Deloitte Global’s Board of Directors and Chair of the Deloitte Foundation.
Franz Bergmüller
CEO at AMINA Bank AG
Franz Bergmüller is the CEO of AMINA Bank AG. AMINA Bank (formerly SEBA Bank) is a pioneer in the financial industry and a leading global regulated crypto bank providing a fully universal suite of banking services in the emerging digital economy. AMINA Bank received a Swiss banking and securities dealer license in 2019.
Betsabe Botaitis
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer at Hedera
Betsabe is an internationally accomplished strategist and fintech executive with over 15 years of experience ranging from large financial institutions to blockchain and cryptocurrency startups, and acts as both the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Hedera. Prior to joining Hedera, she held various senior positions at renowned and leading-edge companies including Uplift (leading Buy-Now-Pay-Later ("BNPL") in travel), Kueski (Mexico’s largest BNPL), Lending Club, and Citigroup.
Alesia Haas
Chief Financial Officer at Coinbase
Ms. Haas has served as Chief Financial Officer of Coinbase Global Inc. since April 2018. Prior to joining Coinbase, Ms. Haas served as the Chief Financial Officer of Och Ziff Capital Management LLC (a publicly traded, global institutional alternative asset manager) from December 2016 to April 2018. Prior to joining Och Ziff, Ms. Haas served as Chief Financial Officer of OneWest Bank, NA (a California based commercial bank) from January 2013 until its acquisition by CIT Group Inc. in August 2015.
Sandra Ro
CEO at Global Blockchain Business Council
Sandra Ro is CEO of the Global Blockchain Business Council, where she serves the GBBC and blockchain community to foster education and build bridges across enterprises, governments, and start-ups to help fulfill the potential of blockchain technology to solve real world problems and help society. As a fintech entrepreneur, blockchain / crypto keynote speaker, hackathon judge, crypto trader, angel investor and advisor.