Rene Michau

Global Head, Digital Assets

Standard Chartered

René Michau is a visionary leader in digital finance, serving as the Global Head of Digital Assets at Standard Chartered Bank, where he spearheads the bank’s innovation and delivery of secure digital asset solutions for institutional clients. Based in Singapore, René plays a key role in shaping the future of finance by integrating cryptocurrencies, tokenization, and stablecoins into the bank’s ecosystem.

Since joining Standard Chartered in 2016, René has held several influential positions, including Head of Fintech Client Advisory where he established the Fintech Banking business within CIB.

His expertise in fintech, crypto and digital payments is backed by an extensive career across major banks, including HSBC, ANZ, and National Australia Bank, where he led groundbreaking projects such as the launch of a cloud-based merchant platform and the development of a carbon trading capability.

René’s leadership extends beyond banking, as he is deeply embedded in the global fintech and crypto communities. He co-chairs the Global Digital Finance (GDF) Financial Institutions Crypto Working Group and the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Digital Assets Forum, driving industry-wide conversations on the future of digital assets. He is also an active member of the Digital Asset Markets sub-committee within the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Global Markets Advisory Committee, influencing regulatory discussions at the highest level.

A former officer in the Australian Army, René brings a disciplined and strategic approach to leadership. His passion for fintech goes beyond innovation—he is a strong advocate for empowering women in crypto and fintech, actively championing diversity and inclusion in the industry.

René is not only shaping Standard Chartered’s digital asset strategy—he is helping define the future of digital finance globally.

Speaking at

12:00–1:30pmTue 23 JunGFTN InsightsRoundtable Room 3, Ground FloorOpen
Blueprint for Digital Assets

Agorá - How Moving Money Matters

GFTN InsightsRoundtable Room 3, Ground FloorOpen
About this session

Project Agorá tests the hypothesis that a multi-currency settlement mechanism that leverages tokenization and programmability could mitigate inefficiencies and frictions in cross-border payments, making them faster, more transparent and safer.
To examine this, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Institute of International Finance (IIF) combined forces to convene seven central banks and over 40 international financial institutions to test the tokenization of commercial bank deposits and central bank reserves on a unifying ledger. The roundtable will bring together Project Agorá public and private sector participants to reflect on the project and lessons learned.
4:00–6:00pmTue 23 JunLaunchpadLaunchpad Room, Level 1Open
Others

In the Spotlight: Agentic AI in Institutional Finance

LaunchpadLaunchpad Room, Level 1Open
About this session

A 2-hour curated session exploring how AI is redefining institutional finance; From infrastructure and risk to next steps execution, we are at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets with AI. Through a series of concise discussions, industry leaders will share actionable insights on autonomous systems, institutional adoption, and the future of digital finance.
Bringing together leading voices from across the ecosystem, the session will deliver actionable discussions on the future of digital finance, highlighting the opportunities and pathways required to drive institutional adoption at scale.
4:00pm – 4:05pm
Welcome & GFTN Opening Remarks
Speaker(s): Bernice Neo, Client Engagement Manager, GFTN
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4:05pm – 4:35pm
Panel: Protecting the Future Agentic Economy: Rethinking Compliance for Autonomous Finance - Powered Jointly by Solana Foundation, Standard Chartered Bank and Collisionless
Speaker(s): Dina Mainville, Founder & President, Collisionless, Lu Yin, President of APAC, Solana Foundation, Rene Michau, Global Head, Digital Assets, Standard Chartered Bank
As autonomous agents reshape financial decision-making, compliance, identity, and trust are being redefined. This session brings together banking and blockchain perspectives on fraud prevention, agent identity, and on-chain payments. It explores how regulated institutions and decentralized infrastructure are adapting to autonomous finance, and what governance and security frameworks are needed for safe adoption.
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4:35pm – 5:05pm
AI in Compliance: Accountability, Governance and the Art of the Possible - Powered by Elliptic
Speaker(s): Mark Aruliah, Head of Government Policy & Regulations, Elliptic, Josef Jelinek, Co-Head of Content, Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)
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5:05pm – 5:35pm
Next Wave: Agentic Wealth Management - Powered by OpenWealth API
This session explores how wealth management is moving beyond traditional applications towards AI agents as a new interface layer for advisers and clients. It examines how the OpenWealth API, as an industry-driven standard, enables interoperability across custodians, portfolio management systems and client platforms, and introduces the OpenWealth Model Context Protocol (MCP) as a governed, auditable and permissioned tool layer for agentic use cases. In a live showcase attendees will see a wealth manager agent query portfolios, detect investment strategy drift and initiate rebalancing through OpenWealth MCP. The discussion will then look ahead to the governance, liability and multi-custodian implications of agent-ready wealth infrastructure, while inviting banks, fintechs and AI providers to engage with the OpenWealth community and help shape the next generation of our API standard.
Speaker(s): Dominic Greenwood, Chief Innovation Officer, Expersoft, Dr. Simon Alioth, Vice President, OpenWealth Association & Managing Director, Synpulse8, Raphael Bianchi, President, OpenWealth Association & Co-CEO Synpulse8 (Moderator)
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5:35pm - 6:00pm
Closing & Networking
3:00–3:30pmWed 24 JunWorkshopWorkshop Room, Level 1Open
Others

AI and Blockchain: Powering Innovation, Managing Risk, Shaping the Future - Powered by TRM Labs

WorkshopWorkshop Room, Level 1Open
About this session

AI is driving progress across all sectors, including blockchain-powered financial services—accelerating efficiency and unlocking analytical capabilities that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. The same capabilities transforming financial services are equally critical in managing the risks that come with them—from financial crime and illicit flows to smart contract vulnerabilities, operational and custody failures, and emerging threats to market integrity.
In this interactive workshop, leaders from financial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and global regulation come together to share what AI-powered risk management looks like on the ground today—the wins, the lessons, and the open questions. Rather than debating frameworks, this session will allow for honest exchange: what's being built, how it's landing, and what the path to responsible, explainable AI adoption might need from policymakers tomorrow.
This session aims to define the urgent, concrete steps needed to make AI-powered risk management a foundation — not an afterthought — of the digital economy.
1:00–2:00pmThu 25 JunLaunchpadLaunchpad Room, Level 1Open
Others

From Experiments to Execution: Practical Convergence in Market Structure - Powered by Partior

LaunchpadLaunchpad Room, Level 1Open
About this session

Global finance is moving beyond simple payment rails. The next generation of financial market infrastructure must support a broader universe of digital liabilities, assets, and ledgers - across institutions, asset classes, and jurisdictions.
This panel will explore how multi-chain, multi-asset orchestration connect diverse ledgers and enable practical convergence without relying on a single monolithic platform. Leaders from major global institutions will discuss the implementation of digital cash including tokenised deposits for example with Partior; the LSEG DiSH Trust Account model; and how banks, FMIs, and technology providers are jointly delivering live use cases.
Join this session to see how the industry has productionised services to seamlessly synchronise interbank liquidity as a resilient foundation for the next generation of global financial market infrastructure.

Featured speakers

Hosted by

Rene Michau

Speaking at

Agorá - How Moving Money Matters

In the Spotlight: Agentic AI in Institutional Finance

AI and Blockchain: Powering Innovation, Managing Risk, Shaping the Future - Powered by TRM Labs

From Experiments to Execution: Practical Convergence in Market Structure - Powered by Partior