Speakers

Experience

 • Deputy Governor, Corporate Development, Bank of Thailand

• Assistant Governor, Financial Institutions Policy, Bank of Thailand 

• Assistant Governor, Financial Stability and Corporate Strategy, Bank of Thailand 

• Senior Director, Financial Markets, Bank of Thailand 

• Senior Director, Macroeconomic and Monetary Policy, Bank of Thailand 

• Spokesperson, Bank of Thailand 

• Member, Board of Directors, Krungthai Asset Management 

• Senior Executive Vice President, Global Business and Strategy, Krungthai Bank PCL 

Training 

• National Defence College 

• Director Certification Program, Thai Institute of Directors 

Education

• Ph.D. in economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA 

• A.B. (magna cum laude) in economics, Harvard University, USA 

Board Member

• Member, Board of Directors, Bank of Thailand 

• Member, Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Bank of Thailand 

• Member, Payment Systems Committee (PSC), Bank of Thailand

• Chairman, Banknote Management Committee, Bank of Thailand

• Member, Board of Directors, The Life Insurance Fund

• Member, Board of Directors, The General Insurance Fund

Qualifications:  Ms. Sencia Kaizemi-Rukata holds a Master of Commerce degree in Business Management (Cum Laude), Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree and Bachelor of Commerce in Strategic Human Resources Management, obtained from the University of South Africa (UNISA). In addition, she obtained a Diploma in Commerce and a National Secretarial Certificate from the Polytechnic of Namibia now known as Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). In 2016, she completed the Senior Management Development Programme with the University of Stellenbosch. In addition to the aforesaid, in May 2022 she completed a Global Executive Leadership Programme with Deloitte Alchemy and London Business School. Ms. Kaizemi-Rukata completed specialised training where she obtained a Foundational Certificate in Payments Systems from the Payments Association of South Africa and a Certificate in Fundamentals of Banknote Production from Joh Enschede, Netherlands and Small Countries Financial Management Programme with the Isle of Man, United Kingdom.

Career and Experience: Ms. Sencia Kaizemi-Rukata is a highly accomplished banking professional with 26 years of experience in corporate, commercial, and central banking. As the Director of Currency Management and Banking Operations at the Bank of Namibia, she ensures seamless banking services for the Government, oversee currency management, and upholds the institution's security. With expertise in administration, payments, strategic leadership, and corporate governance, she also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Namibia Post & Telecom Holdings and Epangelo Mining Company. Ms. Kaizemi-Rukata's remarkable contributions make her a revered figure in the Namibian banking industry. At regional level, Ms. Kaizemi-Rukata serves on the CMA Central Bank Digital Currency Cluster and SADC Currency Heads Forum.

Varlam Ebanoidze brings an impressive 17-year track record of professional experience, specializing in risk management and digitalization within the banking sector. Prior to his role at the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), where Varlam focuses on implementing a countrywide FinTech Open Finance strategy and regulatory framework, he held senior positions as a risk manager and auditor at esteemed banks in Georgia and Ukraine. Additionally, he served on the management board of Liberty, a leading retail bank in Georgia.

Varlam's passion lies in the strategic transformation of risk management to align with the evolving paradigm of 'Open Finance'. Supported by a Master's degree from LBS, specializing in Strategy and Leadership, and complemented by his extensive domain expertise, he possesses a unique perspective that enables him to envision and propose secure digitization strategies through the lens of industry development.

A versatile central banker with 26 years plus hands-on experience on implementation of Financial Sector Development Strategy (FSDS), financial sector reform, supervision, macroeconomic analysis. Experience includes nearly seven years with the Economic Research Department of Nepal's central bank dealing with macroeconomic analysis, macro modeling and forecasting, policy brief, special studies on trade & investment etc. Currently working in the Economic Analysis Division at the Economic Research Department of Central Bank and member in the Financial Stability Sub-committee. Expert in policies formulation on Financial Inclusion, MSME Finance Strategy and Microfinance. Track record of meaningful resolutions of problematic financial institutions with developing procedural guidelines on supervisory regime. Adept in applying new tools on financial system including Innovation Centre/Regulatory Sandbox, P2P Lending, Crowdfunding and also check truncation regulations having worthy achievements for Nepal's BFIs with notable payment system regulations. Sound knowledge of Basel I, II & III with international best practices. Several years' experience of academic lectures on development economics, modern banking, corporate governance, communication and leadership skills, public relations etc. Varied experience on formulating youth development programs in an NGO with international development partners; with advocacy and public awareness through using broadcast media i.e. TV talk shows. Trend analyser and commentator of macroeconomic situation, trade, business, investment and external sectors on newspapers, magazines, central bank publications, national and international journals etc. Specialized Keynotes on Open Banking, Open Finance, Fintech, Sustainable and Green Finance, Inclusive Finance with key economic and financial issues including Reserve Management, AML/CFT, Liquidity & Risk Management, Foreign Direct Investment and Trade Diversification, Payment System Strategies, Priority-sector lending at various forums. Conference speaker and panellist on Fintech Regulation, Banking Supervision, Financial Inclusion, Financial Accessibility and Open Banking in Asia Pacific and beyond.

Kennis is General Manager in Institutional Business Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, responsible for strategic development and relationship management of institutional clients.

Before her current role, Kennis served as the Deputy General Manager in Global Corporate Banking Department and held various positions within different departments, such as Commercial Banking Department etc. Kennis has over 20 years of experience in banking industry.

Kennis received her Executive Master Degree in Business Administration and Management from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Bachelor of Arts from University of Hong Kong.

Dr Zhong, PhD in economics, professional researcher. She is the Chief Economist of Bank of China (Hong Kong), concurrently serves as the deputy secretary general, academic committee member and executive director of the China International Finance Society (CIFS), director of the China Society of World Economics (CSWE), and special researcher of the International Monetary Research Institute (IMI) of Renmin University of China. She has been long engaged in research in the fields of global economy, international finance and RMB internationalization. Dr Zhong has published the monograph "Research on RMB International Bond Market—From the Perspective of RMB Internationalization", and also co-authored five books, participated in the translation of two books; hosted or participated as a main participant in a number of significant research projects, and published dozens of academic papers in top publications such as "Studies of International Finance", "International Economic Review", and "China Finance". She was awarded by the first prize in the Scientific and Technological Achievements Competition held by the Ministry of Personnel of the People’s Republic of China, the first prize in the National Outstanding Paper Award of the China Society of International Finance, and the first prize of research paper in the category of financial education research.

Andrew Law is the General Manager of the Custody and Trust Services Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) and the Chief Executive Officer of BOCI-Prudential Trustee Limited (BOCPT), a subsidiary of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited; he is responsible for the overall management of Custody and Trust Services for both BOCHK and BOCPT, which provide services of trusteeship, fund administration, global custody, sub custody, pension administration, share award administration, and corporate trust administration. While BOCPT is one of the major trustees for MPF services, it also provides services to full range of different funds including SFC authorized funds, exchange traded funds, private and offshore funds, alternative funds, virtual asset funds and ORSO schemes. Before he joined BOCHK, he held a number of senior positions during his 17 years of tenure at HSBC Group and acted as CEO and director for a number of HSBC trustee and fund administration operating companies. He managed the Fund Services and Global Custody business as well as the service delivery regionally. When he left HSBC, he was a managing director and head of business for Securities Services in Hong Kong. He has been instrumental in the development of custody, retirement scheme and mutual fund services industry in Hong Kong, in particular Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes and Exchange Traded Funds where he spent significant amount of his time during the past 25 years. In addition, he was a director of the Hong Kong Trustees’ Association as well as being a member of its Executive Committee and the Honorary Treasurer. He is also a member of the Products Advisory Committee of the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong and a member of Custody Council of Hong Kong Exchanges as well as a member of Hong Kong Academy of Finance. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics) from Davidson College, North Carolina, USA; a Graduate Diploma (Urban Estate Management) from University of Technology, Sydney, Australia; a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from University Wolverhampton, UK; and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Michael Cheng is the Head of Economic Research Division at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), responsible for leading teams of economists and data scientists to analyse global economic development, examine implications of topical issues (e.g. central bank digital currency), and set up digitalisation/AI tools for transforming work practices.   
Michael Cheng joined the HKMA in 2008 as an Economist, helping develop and maintain forecasting models of the Hong Kong economy. He was promoted to Senior Manager in 2013 to work for the Chinese Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C. Before taking up the current position in 2020, Mr. Cheng also worked on financial market monitoring and surveillance. 
Michael Cheng holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from the University of Oxford.   

 

Hayk Avetisyan is the Head of the Macroeconomic Directorate at the Central Bank of Armenia. He has over 15 years of professional experience at the Central Bank of Armenia, specializing in macroeconomic modelling, economic analysis, scenario-building, policy design, and monetary policy frameworks. Currently, Mr. Avetisyan leads the efforts in monetary policy, economic research, and statistics at the CBA. He also manages the CBA’s Training and Research Center in Dilijan.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Avetisyan conducted policy-relevant studies and research in various fields, including international macroeconomics and finance, external vulnerabilities and financial crises, and monetary policy frameworks for developing countries.

Recently, he led a project to design a novel Monetary Policy Framework at the CBA, which introduces a risk-management approach as a systemic view of monetary policy under uncertainty. This new framework, called the Forecasting and Policy Analysis System Mark 2 (FPAS II), was launched in January 2024, making the CBA the only central bank in the world to conduct monetary policy based on this approach.

Mr. Avetisyan holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

Sakkapop Panyanukul currently holds the position of Senior Director of Financial Markets Department, overseeing monetary policy operations in the money market and foreign exchange market as well as the financial markets development. He has also worked in various capacities within the Bank of Thailand including macro-economic analysis, monetary policy and financial stability. 

Sakkapop holds Master in Finance and Economics from London School of Economics and PhD in Finance from Warwick Business School.

Mr. Chengdong Zhang joined Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited in March 2022 as Chief Dealer of Global Markets. He has many years of trading experience in various markets with special expertise in the interest rate market. Prior to joining Bank of China HK Ltd., Mr. Zhang worked in CITI Bank.

Mr. Zhang holds Bachelor degree in Mathematics from Fudan University. 

Kiatipong Ariyapruchya is the senior country economist of the World Bank for Thailand. He also covers Myanmar and South Korea. His work focuses on macroeconomic assessment and structural reforms. Prior to joining the Bank, he was also Director at the Capital Market Research Institute at the Stock Exchange of Thailand and economist at the International Monetary Fund where he participated in program negotiation and surveillance missions to Egypt, Georgia, Nepal and South Korea. He also worked at the Bank of Thailand in the Monetary Policy Group and at the Puey Ungphakorn Research Institute.  He also assisted Thailand’s National Reform Council on economic and financial reforms. He holds a PhD in Economics from Columbia University, New York and BA in Economics from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA.

Ali Al Jabri has been at the forefront of payment system innovation and digital transformation in the Sultanate of Oman for over 20 years. As the AGM of the Payment Systems Directorate at the Central Bank of Oman, Ali has played a pivotal role in shaping and implementing the national payment systems strategy, fostering an environment of innovation, and ensuring the effective regulation and oversight of payment systems.

Ali's career is marked by a deep understanding of legal frameworks, regulations, and national policies. He has been instrumental in drafting and enacting the National Payments System Law and its Executive Regulations, aligning the Central Bank of Oman's payment system policies with national goals of digital inclusion and economic advancement. His leadership has driven the successful rollout of critical national payment infrastructures, including the recent 24/7 RTGS, ACH, IPS, Electronic Cheque Clearing, and the OmanNet National Card Payment Switch. Furthermore, he recently led the integration of the local RTGS system with the GCC-RTGS system (AFAQ) and is working towards integrating with the Arab Regional Payment System (BUNA), fostering cross-border payment collaboration.

Ali's expertise extends to managing the operational and developmental aspects of national payment systems. He has successfully steered multidisciplinary teams to ensure the seamless operation and development of Oman’s payment infrastructure.

With an MBA and a BA with Honours in Accounting, Ali's educational background complements his professional experience. He is an active member of several committees and taskforces, including the GCC Payment Systems Committee and the Arab Payment & Settlement Committee. Additionally, he has published a paper titled “Oman’s National Payment Systems and Their Compliance with International Standards and Practices” in the Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, December 2011, vol. 16, no. 3.

He looks forward to sustaining his commitment towards the ongoing development of Oman’s payment systems by facilitating the integration of new technologies to advance the country's economic objectives, suitably benchmarking against international standards, and raising the bar for setting new standards for the payments and fintech ecosystems of the country.

Presently, she is the Additional Director of the Payments & Settlements Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. She has vast experience in Central Banking, particularly in relation to monetary policy formulation and implementation and she has published several research papers and articles on topics relating to monetary policy. She has also worked as a senior officer in the Macroprudential Surveillance Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Before joining the Central Bank, she worked at a commercial bank in Colombo, as the bank’s Research Economist, and prior to that, she was an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of Colombo, teaching Econometrics and Mathematical Economics courses in the Economics Special Degree. She holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Essex, UK, an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and a B.A. Honours Degree in Economics from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.