Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) and the Swiss Business Hub ASEAN said today that Asia remains an important market for the organisation's clients, internationally oriented Swiss SMEs. In line with this, a Swiss delegation will again be present at this year's Singapore FinTech Festival 2020 (7-11 December) with a digital Swiss Pavilion.
The “virtual” participation of the Swiss delegation in this 2020 event is part of the overarching goal of S-GE to enable Swiss and Lichtenstein SMEs realize their international business potential in new and existing markets as the country remains the first choice of location in Europe for innovative foreign companies.
Switzerland Finance Minister (Federal Department of Finance) Mr Ueli Maurer will lead the Swiss participation with his keynote speech titled “FinTech, Sustainable Finance and Innovation”. The speech will be followed by an in-depth panel discussion on the strengths of the Swiss financial centre with: Mr Thomas Gottstein, CEO Credit Suisse Group AG; Mr Ralph Hamers, CEO UBS AG, and Mr Herbert J. Scheidt, President of the Swiss Bankers Association presenting their views. This session will be telecast “live” from the SIX Convention Point in Zurich on 7 December (5pm SGT).
Registration for the Swiss satellite event can be done at: https://www.s-ge.com/en/registration- form-world-fintech-festival-switzerland. Participants are welcome to join in for free.
Subsequently, Switzerland’s key invited players in the field of green and sustainable finance will present their initiatives at the "SFF Impact Summit" on 9 December (3:50pm SGT).
These efforts will be reinforced by the participation of seven Swiss fintech companies, which will highlight their traditional strengths in financial services technologies including regulation technology, blockchain solutions, big data and analytics, algorithm trading and cybersecurity. The event presents an opportunity for Swiss fintechs their interested stakeholders in Asia to connect and build business linkages in a seamless manner.
The Swiss fintech industry has been highly interested in Singapore, which is seen as a gateway into Asia, and is participating in this festival now in its fourth year. Interest in garnering greater presence in Singapore arises from the republic’s fintech cooperation framework and agreements with ASEAN1, China, India, Japan and South Korea.
Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF), alongside Singapore Week of Innovation & TeCHnology (SWITCH) 2020, will take place in Singapore with more than 40 global satellite events taking place across the world feeding into this event. The 2020 event, organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Enterprise Singapore, aims to provide participants with greater access to the global fintech and deep tech communities who are looking to discover partnerships, draw investments, and boost sales cycles.
H.E. Mr Fabrice Filliez, Ambassador of Switzerland to Singapore, said: “The participation of the Swiss Pavilion at the annual Singapore Fintech Festival is an anchor initiative. In 2020, the participating companies will reflect the robustness of the Swiss finance ecosystem, paving the way for collaborations and partnerships in co-innovation and fresh ventures. With Singapore being Switzerland’s most important trading partner in Asia, Swiss fintech companies view the republic as an important gateway to the wider Asian economic region.”
Renee Koh, Head of Swiss Business Hub ASEAN said: “With Singapore-Swiss bilateral cooperation remaining strong, there is still much room to expand business and economic linkages amid the changing global business climate. Innovation continues to be strong in both these global centres and the Swiss presence at this fintech festival presents an opportunity for both sides to collaborate and propel innovation to greater heights.”
Note: See Appendix B for latest list of Swiss Pavilion participants
1 ASEAN refers to the Association of South-East Asian Nations and comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam
