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FINTECHNZ HUI TAUMATA
Programme
Explore our 1.5 day conference programme filled with inspiring keynote presentations, engaging panel discussions, and plenty of networking opportunities in the company of digital identity leaders from Aotearoa and around the world.
Touchdown & Tour Day | Wednesday 11 March
The Hui begins with a half‑day of experiences designed to immerse delegates in the energy of Wellington, Aotearoa’s capital of decision‑making and innovation. Through guided visits, sector roundtables, and networking opportunities, attendees will gain valuable insights into New Zealand’s fast‑scaling fintech sector and connect with leaders across government and industry.
Stream One | Ecosystem Tours
Explore Wellington’s fintech and innovation scene with visits to Xero and Booster, plus an opportunity to meet with Sharesies Co‑founder and CEO Leighton Roberts and his leadership team.
1.30pm – Registration and Welcome
Hosted by CreativeHQ
2.00pm – Site Visit One
Venue to be announced
3.00pm – Site Visit Two
Hosted by Booster
4.00pm – Site Visit Three
Hosted by
5.00pm – Touchdown Networking Event
Venue to be announced
Stream Two | Insights Forum
A high‑impact roundtable with senior national and international leaders focused on accelerating our Open Finance and Open Data journey.
1.30pm – Welcome
Venue to be announced
1.50pm – Insights Forum; Shaping Aotearoa’s Open Finance future
As Aotearoa advances on its journey toward Open Finance and a broader Open Data economy, collaboration between government, regulators, and industry has never been more critical. The Insights Forum brings together senior national and international leaders to explore how New Zealand can accelerate this transformation and define a shared vision for its digital financial future.
Through high‑impact discussion and facilitated breakout sessions, participants will examine global developments, identify opportunities within New Zealand’s evolving framework, and shape practical pathways to innovation.
This session will surface the ideas, priorities, and partnerships needed to position Aotearoa as a globally recognised fintech nation — one that balances innovation, inclusion, and trust at the heart of financial progress.
Panellists include:
Janine Grainger | ex CEO, Easy Crypto / FinTechNZ Board
Dr Scott Farrell | Strategic Counsel, King & Wood Mallesons
Camille Blackburn | Director, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Anton Ruddenklau | Head of Financial Services Advisory, KPMG Singapore
Jerome Faury | CEO, Immersve
Richard Tong | Founder, TNE.ai
Steve Wiggins | Chief Executive, Payments NZ
Graeme Muller | CEO, Tech New Zealand
5.00pm – Touchdown Networking Event
Venue to be announced
The Main Hui Taumata | Thursday 12 March
The full Hui day brings together the entire fintech ecosystem for an action‑oriented programme of keynotes, panels, masterclasses, and networking. From open finance and AI to regulation, inclusion, and scaling, this is where Aotearoa forges ahead in shaping the future of finance.
8:00am – Registration and Morning Networking
9:00am – Mihi Whakatau
Peter Jackson
9:10am – Welcome from MC
Vanessa Ronan-Pearce | Head of Marketing and Communications, Payments NZ
9:20am – Welcome from FinTechNZ
Jason Roberts | Executive Director, FinTechNZ
9:25am – Ministerial Address
Hon Scott Simpson | Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
9:40am – The Rise of Agentic Commerce: How AI is Rewriting the Rules of Finance
As artificial intelligence becomes more autonomous, a new wave of “agentic commerce” is emerging, a wave where AI agents can negotiate, transact, and execute financial decisions without human intervention. This keynote explores how intelligent systems are reshaping the way value flows through the economy, from real‑time payments to personalised financial services.
Anthony Jones will explore what this evolution means for business, regulation, and trust and how Aotearoa New Zealand can prepare for an era where machines and humans collaborate to power a more connected, efficient, and inclusive digital economy.
Anthony Jones | Vice President, Head of Products & Solutions, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, Visa
10:00am – Reflections in Action: Building Momentum toward Open Finance and Open Data
Facilitators and participants from the Pre-Hui Roundtable session will reflect on the conversations had, highlighting shared priorities, emerging themes, and the actions identified to accelerate Aotearoa’s progress toward an Open Finance and Open Data economy.
Hear how government, regulators, and industry leaders are aligning to build a trusted, digitally enabled financial system. This session sets the tone for the day ahead, connecting the strategic outcomes of the roundtable with the next phase of discussion and collaboration at the Hui.
Panellists:
Samantha Barress | Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
Plus more to be announced
10:30am – Morning Tea Break
11:30am – Masterclasses Round One
Delegates will choose ONE of the below masterclass sessions to attend
- Digital Assets and Tokenisation: Unlocking Cross-Border Payments for New Zealand
Hosted by Chapman Tripp & KPMG, this masterclass explores how digital assets, tokenisation, and distributed ledger technology (DLT) are reshaping cross-border payments for institutions and SMEs. By looking to international developments and real-world use cases, the session will examine how these innovations are improving speed, transparency, and efficiency across financial networks.
Participants will gain practical insights into the emerging market and regulatory landscape for digital assets in Aotearoa New Zealand and what steps local firms can take to prepare for a more connected, technology-driven financial future.
Session Format: Moderated panel with Q&A
Target Audience: Any industry member that makes, or is part of the value chain providing, cross-border international payments. - Modernising Payments: Connecting the Dots
Hosted by Payments NZ, this masterclass explores how safety, trust, and core infrastructure intersect to shape the future of payments in Aotearoa New Zealand. As expectations for faster, always-on experiences grow—and fraud and scam risks evolve—the sector must balance innovation with resilient systems, strong governance, and solutions that work for everyone.
Delivered as a fireside chat, the session will connect the dots between the practical building blocks of payments modernisation, from collaboration and standards through to the infrastructure needed to support new capabilities at scale. The discussion will be followed by an interactive Q&A, giving delegates the chance to dig into what’s changing, what’s needed next, and where collective action can accelerate progress.
Session Format: Fireside chat + interactive Q&A
Target Audience: Payments and banking leaders, fintechs, risk/fraud and compliance teams, product and technology leaders, and policymakers. - Session hosted by Visa
Details to be announced soon! - Session to be announced
12:15pm – Masterclasses Round Two
Delegates will choose ONE of the below masterclass sessions to attend
- Rebuilding Finance: Why TradFi needs Web3 and what happens when they finally converge
Hosted by Paul Quickenden, Swyftx New Zealand Country Manager, this masterclass explores why traditional finance is fast reaching its limits and why Web3 is becoming essential infrastructure for the next era of money. As pressure mounts on legacy rails, blockchain-based systems offer faster settlement, programmable value, and entirely new models of economic activity.
The session examines what needs to change for this convergence to happen – including regulatory guardrails to the technical foundations – and why institutions are increasingly moving toward digital assets. Paul unpacks the ‘wicked problems’ only Web3 can solve, and what becomes possible for New Zealand if the future of finance is built on the right rails.Session Format: TBC
Target Audience: Founders, tech partners, developers, banks and regulators
Paul Quickenden | Swyftx New Zealand Country Manager Scaling Up: Growth Strategies for Kiwi Fintechs
As New Zealand’s fintech sector matures, local innovators are charting ambitious paths toward global impact. This session dives into how Kiwi fintechs can move from early success to sustainable scale — covering capital raising, operational growth, and navigating both government and private support frameworks.
Founders and investors will share real‑world insights from Series A/B funding rounds, international expansion, and scaling teams across multiple markets. Discover what it takes to grow with purpose, attract strategic capital, and compete confidently on the global stage while staying rooted in Aotearoa’s strengths of trust, innovation, and collaboration.
Session Format: TBC
Target Audience: Ideal for startup and scale‑up leaders, investors, and ecosystem enablers focused on turning Kiwi fintech innovation into global success.- Session hosted by NEC
Session details to be announced soon! - Session hosted by Hudson Gavin Martin
Session details to be announced soon!
1:00pm – Lunch Break
2:15pm – Consumer Data Right in Aotearoa: The Road Ahead
Alan Carnaby and Lisa Ringleff from MBIE’s Consumer Data Right Delivery team will share what’s ahead in the next chapter in New Zealand’s Consumer Data Right and open banking journey.
Alan Carnaby | Director, Smart Data Economy, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
Lisa Ringleff | Business Innovation Manager | Smart Data Economy, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
2:25pm – Quickfire: Trio or Trilogy? Harmonising data, payments, and identity in an innovation economy.
Hosted by Scott Farrell, this keynote explores how the three foundational elements of the digital economy — data, payments, and identity — can be harmonised to create a more connected and innovative financial ecosystem.
Drawing on global experience and policy insights, Scott will examine how alignment across these domains can drive trust, efficiency, and competitiveness, and what this could mean for Aotearoa New Zealand’s future.
This forward‑looking keynote sets the stage for collaboration between government, regulators, and industry — to align data, payments, and identity into the foundational infrastructure of an open, inclusive, and forward‑thinking digital economy.
Dr Scott Farrell | Strategic Counsel, King & Wood Mallesons
2:45pm – High Quality Speaker Address
Session details to come
3:05pm – Payments: From Global Shifts to Local Action
Building on the global insights shared earlier in the day, this panel explores what New Zealand can do locally to accelerate innovation in payments.
Industry leaders and policymakers will discuss how international trends in real‑time payments, digital identity, and open data can translate into practical steps for Aotearoa’s financial ecosystem.
The conversation will highlight challenges around infrastructure, regulation, and collaboration — and identify the opportunities for New Zealand to lead in delivering faster, smarter, and more inclusive payment systems that work for everyone.
Moderator:
Nicola Raynes-Pene | National Industry Lead – Financial Services, KPMG
Panellists:
Richard Copus | Head of Digital, Innovation & Partnerships, General Manager Enterprise Architecture, ANZ
Emma Geard | Senior Associate, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Chad Haighmark | Head of Strategy, Payments NZ
and more to be announced
3:25pm – Afternoon Tea Break
4:00pm – What’s slowing down the digital asset revolution?
Led by Jason Titman, CEO of Swyftx, this keynote explores what New Zealand must do to unlock the next wave of financial and digital innovation.
As global fintech advances accelerate, New Zealand faces a widening regulation, legislation, and information gap that risks slowing progress and investment. Jason will examine how we can modernise our frameworks to encourage innovation while maintaining strong consumer protection and trust.
This session challenges policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators alike to consider what needs to change — and how we can work together to build a future where innovation and safety move hand in hand.
Jason Titman | CEO, Swyftx
4:20pm – Building the Future of Global Finance
Imagine a world where money and assets move as freely as information does across the internet. The “Finternet” is a bold new vision for a borderless, fully interconnected financial ecosystem — one that replaces today’s fragmented systems with an open, programmable, digital infrastructure.
Advocated by institutions such as the Bank for International Settlements, the Finternet leverages unified ledgers, tokenisation, and distributed ledger technology to break down silos between banks, payment networks, and capital markets. The goal? Frictionless global value exchange — any asset, any amount, anywhere, in real time.
This session explores what the Finternet means for Aotearoa, its policy and technology implications, and how open collaboration can position New Zealand as a trusted contributor to this next‑generation global network.
Huw Davies | CEO and Co-founder, Ozone API
Jerome Faury | CEO, Immersve
and more to be announced
4:40pm – Closing Keynote – International
5:00pm – Event Summary and Closing Karakia
Vanessa Ronan-Pearce | Head of Marketing and Communications, Payments NZ
5:10pm – Networking Function