Professor George Skiadopoulos, the Academic Lead for SEF Alumni, had the pleasure of hosting two esteemed speakers: Daniele Bianchi, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics and Finance, and Sotiris Syrmakezis, Chief Executive Officer at Throo. The speakers shared their insights.
On March 6th, the School of Economics and Finance held its second 'Hot Topics Lecture' aimed at alumni, focusing on FinTech, and exploring digital currencies and payments in the post-pandemic era. Professor George Skiadopoulos warmly welcomed attendees, who had the privilege of hearing from two distinguished speakers: Daniele Bianchi, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics and Finance, and Sotiris Syrmakezis, Chief Executive Officer at Throo. The event drew over 170 registrations from 25+ countries and was well-attended, with 55 individuals joining for part of the session.
Daniele Bianchi, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics and Finance
With the rising price and public awareness of Bitcoin, commentators and market participants at large, have been drawn to digital currencies (or cryptocurrencies) by the promise of significant returns compared with the paltry or negative yields on offer from cash, fixed income or other traditional asset classes. Yet, regulators and policy makers alike have been increasingly questioning the risks for financial stability should digital currencies become a sizable fraction of traditional financial markets, while at the same time advocating for increasing regulation and the introduction of the so-called Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). In this talk, we will review some of the fundamental risks and opportunities that lie ahead and currently shape the relationship between digital assets and traditional financial institutions.
Sotiris Syrmakezis, Chief Executive Officer at Throo
Gen-Z consider card payments as rather boomeristic. Cards were invented 70 years ago to facilitate payments at restaurants. With the advent of mobile technologies, the cloud, new regulations, open banking and customer demand, card payments are becoming a thing of the past. “Why use a card and a POS terminal if you can do with a mobile device and a QR code?” Let’s see how digital payments are presenting a revolution and how technology is making it happen – again.