The WFE's Annual Meeting

Conference Programme


DAY 1 - Tue 27 Sep

  • 08:00 - 20:00:

    Registration

    All participants

    Venue: Hilton Malta Hotel

    Registration will take place in the lobby of the hotel

    Dress code for all events: Business casual

  • 09:00 - 12:00:

    WFE Working Committee Meeting

    WFE Members only



  • 12:00 - 14:00:

    Lunch

    WFE Working Committee Members and Board of Directors only
  • 14:00 - 15:40:

    WFE Board of Directors Meeting

    WFE Board Members only

  • 17:30 - 19:15:

    Walking Tour of Valleta

    Description of the tour available in the Social Programme

    16:45 - 2 Coaches will leave from near the Hilton Hotel with the participants who will be going on the Valletta tour.  The buses will stop near the Phoenicia Hotel which is the meeting point where the participants will meet the Tour guides.

  • 19:30 - 21:30:

    Welcome Reception

    All participants

    19:00 - 2 coaches will leave from the Hilton Hotel for participants who did not participate in the Valletta tour but will be coming to the Reception at the Malta Stock Exchange.

    22:00 - 4 Coaches will be waiting for the participants to take them back to the Hilton Hotel.

DAY 2 - Wed 28 Sep

  • 08:00 - 16:00:

    Registration

    All Participants

    Venue: Lobby of Hilton Malta Hotel

    Dress code for all events: Business casual

  • 08:00 - 10:30:

    WFE General Assembly

    WFE Members only
  • 10:30 - 10:45:

    Opening Ceremony of the Annual Meeting and Welcome Remarks

    All Participants

    • Nandini
      Nandini Sukumar Chief Executive Officer The World Federation of Exchanges
    • Joseph
      Joseph Portelli Executive Chairman Malta Stock Exchange
  • 10:45 - 11:00:

    Session 1: Opening Address: Dr Robert Abela, The Prime Minister of Malta


    Speaker
    • Dr Robert
      Dr Robert Abela The Prime Minister of Malta
  • 11:00 - 11:15:

    Session 2: Keynote Speech: Summer Mersinger, Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission


    Speaker
    • Summer
      Summer Mersinger Commissioner Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • 11:15 - 12:15:

    Session 3: Resilience & Recovery: The Role of Market Infrastructure through the pandemic and beyond

    As the pandemic struck, exchanges and CCPs moved swiftly and smoothly to operate remotely, running markets, both big and small, virtually. What were the greatest challenges and how did the industry conquer them? What lessons have we learned from the last few years? How has that changed us an industry? What were, and are, the greatest opportunities? What hasn’t changed for the industry? As operational resilience remains a focus for all, how can market infrastructures help the sell-side and others in the ecosystem? Which of the pandemic themes, like ESG, the rise of the retail investor and the growth of tokenized securities, will endure? What are some of the new public markets, like carbon markets, that will emerge in coming years? What policy levers do we need to nurture & grow public markets given incentive structures currently favour private or OTC markets to the detriment of transparency? What does the future look like?

    Moderator
    • Summer
      Summer Mersinger Commissioner Commodity Futures Trading Commission

    Speakers
    • Edward T.
      Edward T. Tilly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cboe Global Markets, and Chairman The World Federation of Exchanges
    • Jos
      Jos Dijsselhof Chief Executive Officer SIX Group
    • Laura M.
      Laura M. Cha Chairman Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing
  • 12:15 - 12:45:

    Session 4: Fireside Chat: Professor Edward Scicluna, Governor, Central Bank of Malta in conversation with Nandini Sukumar, Chief Executive Officer, The World Federation of Exchanges


    Speakers
    • Nandini
      Nandini Sukumar Chief Executive Officer The World Federation of Exchanges
    • Prof. Edward
      Prof. Edward Scicluna Governor Central Bank of Malta
  • 12:45 - 13:30:

    Lunch

    All Participants

  • 13:30 - 13:45:

    Session 5: Keynote Speech: Marie E. Dzanis, Head of Asset Management EMEA and Chief Executive Officer, Northern Trust Asset Management


    Speaker
    • Marie E.
      Marie E. Dzanis Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management, EMEA Northern Trust Asset Management
  • 13:45 - 14:45:

    Session 6: L is for Liquidity

    Liquidity is the fundamental building block of healthy, thriving markets. What brings liquidity to an exchange? How can exchanges design markets to maximise liquidity? Does venue competition lead to liquidity fragmentation? What does the rise of the retail investor mean for liquidity in markets?  What does the crypto market teach us about liquidity? Can there ever be too much liquidity? How can emerging markets build liquidity effectively and how does that differ from large, developed markets?

    Moderator
    • Oscar
      Oscar Onyema Group CEO Nigerian Exchange Group

    Speakers
    • Paul
      Paul Jiganti Managing Director of Business Development IMC
    • Marie E.
      Marie E. Dzanis Chief Executive Officer, Asset Management, EMEA Northern Trust Asset Management
    • Richard
      Richard Balarkas Chairman Saxo Capital Markets UK
    • Emil
      Emil Framnes Global Head of Equity Trading and Transition Norges Bank Investment Management
  • 14:45 - 15:45:

    Session 7: Squaring the circle - global markets and fragmenting regulation

    Even as the last three years demonstrated how interconnected the world is, regulation continues to fragment markets and impede their ability to function effectively. Which issues are most damaging? Which are avoidable? How can exchanges and CCPs help solve some of these issues? How can the ecosystem work together to resolve some of the impediments? As sanctions are likely to be part of life for years to come, how can market infrastructures work with regulators, investors and other stakeholders to find a solution to common problems? What is the importance of high-quality market data in achieving better outcomes for investors? Will regulatory fragmentation affect developed and emerging markets differently? Will it affect large, mid-size and  small markets differently? What are the regulatory themes that will shape markets in years to come?

    Moderator
    • Edward
      Edward Knight Executive Vice Chairman Nasdaq

    Speakers
    • Paul A.
      Paul A. Leder Of Counsel Miller & Chevalier Chartered
    • Dr Michelle
      Dr Michelle Mizzi Buontempo Acting CEO Malta Financial Services Authority
    • Nicoletta
      Nicoletta Giusto Independent Member of the CCP Supervisory Committee and Director for Central Counterparties (CCPs) European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
  • 16:00 - 17:15:

    WFE Board of Directors Meeting

    WFE Board Members only

  • 18:30 - 22:00:

    WFE Gala Dinner

    All Participants

    18:30 - 4 Coaches will be waiting near the Hilton Hotel to pick up the participants together with the MSE staff accompanying them.

    18:45 - Coaches will leave for Xara Lodge, Rabat, Malta for the Gala dinner.

    22:30 - Coaches will leave from near Xara Lodge, Rabat, Malta to the Hilton Hotel, St Julians.  

DAY 3 - Thu 29 Sep

  • 08:30 - 16:00:

    Registration

    All Participants

    Venue: Hilton Malta Hotel

    Dress code for all events: Business casual

  • 09:00 - 10:00:

    Session 8: Innovation in Technology

    Technology is the lifeblood of modern markets. As the industry seeks to serve investors and stakeholders better, what are the trends shaping modern market infrastructure? As public markets move to the cloud, what comes next? What is the role of DLT? How can we guard against cyber threats as they remain in constant evolution? What’s the next big technological innovation?

    Moderator
    • Simon
      Simon Zammit Chief Executive Officer Malta Stock Exchange

    Speakers
    • Nils-Robert
      Nils-Robert Persson Founder & Chairman Vermiculus Financial Technology AB
    • Antoine
      Antoine Larmanjat Technical Director, Office of the Chief Technology Officer Google
  • 10:00 - 10:15:

    Session 9: Keynote Speech: Tajinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)


    Speaker
    • Tajinder 
      Tajinder  Singh Deputy Secretary General International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
  • 10:15 - 11:15:

    Session 10: The Crypto Market: so near and yet so far

    Amid the hype, the scandal, the fear and the greed, what does the rise of the crypto universe tell us about financial markets? What are potential structures for an exchange that wants to operate a crypto business? How are the true exchanges, regulated as such, innovating to extend into this asset class? What would be an optimal market design for a regulated crypto exchange? What can exchanges learn from the phenomena? How would appropriate regulation and investor protection look like for this market? How can we as an industry balance innovation with our role as the trusted guardians of financial markets to ensure we bring crypto investors onto exchange?

    Moderator
    • Ittai
      Ittai Ben-Zeev Chief Executive Officer Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE)

    Speakers
    • Dr Christopher P.
      Dr Christopher P. Buttigieg Chair of the Regulatory Committee and Member of the Authority’s Executive Committee and Risk Committee Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA)
    • John
      John McPartland Senior Advisor Hidden Road Partners LP
    • Tajinder 
      Tajinder  Singh Deputy Secretary General International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
    • Mary Anne
      Mary Anne Scicluna Senior Executive Director, Supervision Financial Services Regulatory Authority Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
  • 11:15 - 12:15:

    Session 11: Building the Market Infrastructure of the Future - Into the Next Decade

    Technological innovation has forced regulators and industry to re-examine some fundamental questions about how market infrastructure operates and how it can evolve to meet new demands. New trading platforms offering cheap execution and easy access, with or without a central node; new tokenized stocks that can be traded 24/7; or disintermediated clearing models promising democratized access to clearing, are just three examples of new market paradigms often presented in a narrative that mixes technological novelty with libertarian aims, but which tends to ignore the considerable risks involved, the lack of standards, or the absence of investor protections. How should exchanges respond to these changes so they can remain at the front of market innovation while preserving trust in the system?

    Moderator

    Speakers
    • Pinar
      Pinar Emirdag Global Head of Digital Client Services for Markets Operations JP Morgan
    • Dr Yazid M.
      Dr Yazid M. Sharaiha Global Head of Systematic Strategies Norges Bank Investment Management
    • John W.
      John W. Pietrowicz Chief Financial Officer CME Group
  • 12:15 - 12:30:

    Session 12: Keynote Speech: Hon. Clyde Caruana, Minister for Finance and Employment, Ministry for Finance and Employment


    Speaker
    • Hon. Clyde
      Hon. Clyde Caruana Minister for Finance and Employment Ministry for Finance and Employment
  • 12:30 - 13:30:

    Lunch

    All Participants

  • 13:30 - 14:30:

    Session 13: Indexing the Future

    ‘’Successful investing is anticipating the anticipations of others,’’ said John Maynard Keynes. The index business is core to market infrastructure and to the innovation and services that exchanges offer. What do trends here have to show us about the future? How did the index industry deal with the stress test that was the pandemic? Does the market structure work? How has the surge in demand for ESG products changed the industry? Is the appetite for ESG indexes insatiable? What is the future for fixed income indexes?  What do exchanges need from index providers and vice versa?

    Moderator
    • Rajeeva
      Rajeeva Bandaranaike Chief Executive Officer Colombo Stock Exchange

    Speakers
    • Jason
      Jason Warr Global Co-Head of ETF Markets BlackRock
    • Umesh 
      Umesh  Gajria Global Head of Index-Linked Products Bloomberg
    • Tim
      Tim Brennan Head of Capital Markets & Exchange Strategy Standard and Poor Dow Jones Indices
  • 14:30 - 14:45:

    Session 14: Keynote Speech: Gabriela Figueiredo Dias, Chair, International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)


    Speaker
    • Gabriela
      Gabriela Figueiredo Dias Chair International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)
  • 14:45 - 15:45:

    Session 15: What is Green?

    As ESG continues to dominate the policy agenda, the definition of ‘green’ remains a significant challenge. What is the role of the exchange and our industry in this debate? How do we define green across the spectrum of financial market innovation? How do we reduce green washing? With disclosures and ratings coming increasingly into focus, the need for an accepted framework is pressing. Yet debate continues around the extent of disclosures and how they should be verified. How can we verify better? The panel will assess where the financial services industry is on this journey and how further progress can be made.

    Moderator
    • Robert
      Robert Scharfe Partner & Chair, Financial Services & CEO Practice Odgers Berndtson, Luxembourg

    Speakers
    • Gabriela
      Gabriela Figueiredo Dias Chair International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)
    • Dr Rupini Deepa
      Dr Rupini Deepa Rajagopalan Head of ESG Office Berenberg Wealth and Asset Management
    • Dr James
      Dr James Zhan Senior Director, Investment and Enterprise United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
    • Tarik
      Tarik Senhaji Chief Executive Officer Bourse de Casablanca
  • 15:45 - 16:15:

    Closing Remarks, thanks to the host and invitation to the 2023 Annual Meeting

    All Participants

    Venue: Hilton Malta Hotel


    Speakers
    • Nandini
      Nandini Sukumar Chief Executive Officer The World Federation of Exchanges
    • Joseph
      Joseph Portelli Executive Chairman Malta Stock Exchange
  • 16:30 - 19:00:

    WFE Farewell Reception

    All Participants

DAY 4 - Fri 30 Sep

  • 09:15 - 22:15:

    Post-Assembly Tour

    Hotel check-out on Saturday 1st Oct at 12pm.

    Post-Assembly Tour (The assembly tour is at a separate fee to the conference fee. More information is provided here)