FMPS:24: “Attacking Challenges in Fragmentation Is the Name of the Game”

The first Finance Magnates Pacific Summit (FMPS:24) kicked off in Australia today. Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney, it is the only event to bring the entire B2B side of the financial services industry under one roof.

Finance Magnates Events Lands in Sydney

Finance Magnates events are known for providing networking opportunities for industry players, allowing them to meet potential clients and catch up with existing ones. Companies can also showcase their products and services from the exhibition floor booths.

In addition, these events host regulators and top industry executives who share their insights and expertise in keynote speeches and panel discussions.

Australia is recognised as a top retail trading market, home to many brokers and technology providers. Now, FMPS:24 has come to the land of these companies, bringing them together in one place. The event is not limited to a local audience, as global company representatives also attend extensively.

The Focus Is on the Center Stage

Day 1 on the exhibition floor started at the Center Stage with a chat on “Regtech in Australia: A Global View” between Dickie Currer, National Lead at Tech Australia Advocates, and Deborah Young, CEO of The RegTech Association.

In parallel, Pepperstone’s Head of Research, Chris Weston, took the Exchange Stage to share his views on “H2 2024 Outlook: Enhance Your Trading Game Facing Market Uncertainty.”

“How is the collective wisdom in the market? How is the aggregated flow of capital moving through?” These are some of the burning questions he addressed at the event.

An All-Stars Panel

The panel discussions at the event also hosted top industry figures. The first panel of the day took place on the Center Stage, discussing “Leaders Kickoff: on Existential Risks and Silver Bullets.” Moderated by Finance Magnates Group’s Chief Commercial Officer, Andrea Badiola Mateos, the panellists included David Jenkins, CTO at Pepperstone; Andrew Ralich, co-founder and CEO at oneZero; Alex MacKinnon, CEO of APAC at Finalto Asia; Gavin White, Group CEO of 26 Degrees; and Joe Li, Chairman of ATFX.

“Regulating was a scary topic in the past, but now it is a validating aspect,” said Ralich. “Attacking challenges in fragmentation is the name of the game.”

You know that the payments sector is booming also big when top payment executives show up at Finance Magnates events. Shannon Scott, SVP and Global Head of Product at Airwallex, took the stage at FMPS to share his views on “Reimagining a New Era of Banking for Businesses.”

"Your Broker’s Growth is Elsewhere"

Are you wondering how to establish and grow your brokerage business? Then catch the panel on “Your Broker’s Growth is Elsewhere.” The participants include Aeby Samuel, CEO & Founder at FYNXT; Nicholas Briscoe Country Manager, Australia at VISA; Andrew Saks, Chief Product Officer at TraderEvolution Global; Dennis Weissert, Head of Technology Business Development at iSAM Securities; Adrian Fyffe, Director – Sales Data & Access at Cboe Global Markets; and Andrew Matushkin, Head of Business Development Department at B2Broker.

“There are brokerages who are not talking openly about how to keep their distinct CFDs clients active,” said Saks, “but also to add other asset classes to do that dynamically. That's the key.”

“The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”

The relationship between brokers and IBs has always been bittersweet. To discuss more on this, Melody Gao, Senior Lawyer at Sophie Grace, James Perry-Keene, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Pepperstone, and Christopher Balanzategui, CEO at N3tworx, took the stage.

“Is there still value in the white label business,” Perry-Keene asked, while Balanzategui answered: “I really think it's a natural progression. If I start my IB business… then the natural progress is to go to the white label with an established broker.”

“Beyond The bASICs”

In another interesting panel, titled “Beyond The bASICs: Regulation and Operations in Australia and Offshore”, the executives discuss the regulatory side of the regulatory aspects of the Australian financial services companies.

The panellists include Eugenio Accongiagioco, Managing Director at APAC Management Consultancy; Courtney Fitzsimmons, CEO, Group Head of Regulatory and Licensing at MEX Markets; Vakul Talwar, GM AU and Global Head of Product - Trading, Onboarding, Commerce at Crypto.com; Quinn Perrott, Co-CEO at TRAction Fintech; Tony Rose, Director at LNP Audit and Assurance; and Paul Derham, Managing Partner at Holley Nethercote.

Did you catch the moments from the exhibition floor? All the booths are packed as the company representatives are busy showcasing their products and services.

The Regulator’s View

Do you want to know what the Aussie regulator thinks about the trading landscape? Catch the panel “Transformation in the APAC Trading Landscape and Beyond,” the participants of which are Eric Blewitt, CEO at Investment Trends; Rhys Bollen, Senior Executive Leader, Digital Assets at ASIC; Michael Bogoevski, Head of Institutional Sales at CMC Connect; and Karin Setchell, General Manager, Product & Investing Solutions at CommSec.

What's Next for Payments?

And here is the last panel of the day, “What's Next for Payments,” moderated by Finance Magnates’ Andrea Badiola Mateos and participated by Sudip Kar, Senior Manager, Financial Services and SME, Global Payments COE, Capgemini Australia, and Vasyl Boroviak, CTO at Flash Payments.

Are you attending the event? Stop by booth #6 to say hello to the Finance Magnates team.