Transforming the Fintech Revolution: MIT Sloan to host a conference in Argentina exploring trends in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity, and robo advising

Cambridge, Mass., April 23, 2018––The MIT Sloan Latin American Office (MSLAO), in collaboration with the Institute for Business Development of Argentina–widely known as IDEA will host a conference in Buenos Aires on emerging trends and innovations in financial technology.

The theme of the conference, "Transforming the Fintech Revolution," aims to highlight the many ways in which the nascent fintech industry is upending segments of the financial world, including currencies, securities, lending, payments, and wealth management.

"Over the past decade, fintech has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the technology industry and today is at the forefront of innovation," said Roberto Rigobon, the faculty director of the MSLAO and Professor of Applied Economics at the school. "We are honored to join forces with IDEA to shine a light on the promise of fintech to lead to more transparent, secure, and inclusive financial services for millions around the world."

The conference, which takes place on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, is expected to draw hundreds of business leaders, policymakers, regulators, academics, and entrepreneurs from the region. Its agenda includes presentations and workshops led by a diverse and eclectic array of omconomists, to computer scientists, to development experts.

"At its core, fintech is about using technology to solve pressing financial problems," said Rigobon. "This includes everything from helping investors make better decisions on where to put their money, to employing data analytics to drive business efficiency, to accelerating entrepreneurship through blockchain, to expanding the use of mobile payments in the developing world to make the economic system more fair. Our agenda showcases the most current and cutting-edge fintech applications and charts a course for its future evolution in Latin America and beyond."

Christian Catalini, the Theodore T. Miller Career Development Professor and Assistant Professor of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (TIES) at MIT Sloan, will speak about his new research on blockchain technology.

"Blockchain has the potential to dramatically shift how organizations source talent, capital, and ideas throughout the digital economy," he said. "My talk centers on the economic impact of the technology, as well as the challenges linked to its implementation."

John Williams, Professor of Information Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, will speak about the problem of applying machine learning techniques to cyber security. Tavneet Suri, Associate Professor of Applied Economics at MIT Sloan, will give a talk on how digital technologies can help bring the more than two billion unbanked poor into the formal and regulated financial system.Other speakers include: 

• Lucas Llach, Vice President, Banco Central de la República Argentina
• Silvio Micali, Ford Professor of Engineering, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
• Chester Spatt, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Golub Center for Finance and Policy (GCFP), MIT Sloan 

The conference marks MIT Sloan's first-ever large-scale event in Buenos Aires. "Argentina-with its capacity for innovation and impressive recent advancements in the area of fintech-is uniquely positioned to be the locus for this kind of dialogue," says Lee Ullmann, Director of the MSLAO. "We look forward to an enlightening and exciting conversation."

The conference is part of MIT Sloan's commitment to supporting the advancement of management education and practice in Latin America. Founded in 2013, the MSLAO strives to develop and nurture meaningful activities throughout the region, such as faculty and student visits, admissions recruiting events, and conferences. Prior forums have focused on topics including: healthcare, social impact, technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and energy.

Members of the media are invited to attend the event. Click here for more information on the conference or to register. The conference's sponsors include: Accenture, Foxbit, Colon, Gradus Management Consultants, and Talenters.
Contact:

Belén Millán
millanb@nuevacom.com.ar
54 11) 6841-0141 / 4393-3214
 54 911) 4497-9172 (m)