Media Advisory: Don Tapscott, Joi Ito, and Brian Porter set to take center stage at Canada’s largest payments conference
OTTAWA, April 5, 2017 – Canada’s largest payments conference will feature some of the biggest names and news in business, banking, digital ID and blockchain this May 24 – 26 in Toronto. The payments space, which is evolving rapidly thanks to new technology, consumer demand and international competition, is now garnering greater attention from business leaders who are experiencing firsthand how a strategic approach to payments can boost the bottom line.
This year, the Payments Canada SUMMIT will tap into some of these hot-button issues and more, with keynote addresses from renowned speakers such as Don Tapscott, award winning blockchain author, Joi Ito, venture capitalist and Director of the MIT Media Lab, and Brian Porter, President and CEO of Scotiabank. The three-day program will also feature the latest findings from internationally-recognized blockchain research project Jasper, a joint initiative between Payments Canada, the Bank of Canada, financial institutions and innovation firm R3.
The FinTech Cup:
The Payments Canada SUMMIT also provides a forum for exposure and growth for Canadian start-ups through the annual FinTech Cup competition. With cash prizes, coaching and exposure opportunities, the event features Canada’s up-and-comers and an impressive selection panel including senior business leaders from 500 Startups, MIT Media Lab, Omers Ventures, Information Venture Partners and CIBC. The deadline for FinTechs to apply to participate is April 28, 2017. Details can be found at payments.ca/summit/fintech-cup.
Media are invited to attend The SUMMIT.
When: May 24 -26, 2017
Where: The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto ON, Canada
Keynote speakers include:
- Opening keynote from the award-winning author of Bitcoin Revolution and Wikinomics, Don Tapscott.
- Joi Ito, Venture Capitalist, early Investor in Twitter, Flickr, Kickstarter and Director of the MIT Media Lab.
- Brian Porter, President and CEO of one of Canada’s “Big Five,” Scotiabank.
- Payments with Purpose sessions featuring Kosta Peric, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Mahar Arar, CEO of CauseSquare.
- Greg Wolfond, founder and CEO of SecureKey Technologies, which is at the centre of the recently announced digital ID and authentication initiative with IBM.
- Leaders from Ethereum (Consensus), Hyperledger (IBM) and Corda (R3) appearing together to present the future of blockchain for business.
- Leading representatives from Shopify, PayPal, ADP, Mastercard, IBM, Interac, R3 LRC, SWIFT, Walmart and many others.
The full list of speakers can be found here and the agenda here.
For media inquires, please visit the Media Centre.
About Payments Canada
Payments Canada ensures that financial transactions in Canada are carried out safely and securely each day. The organization underpins the Canadian financial system and economy by owning and operating Canada’s payment clearing and settlement infrastructure, including associated systems, bylaws, rules and standards. The value of payments cleared and settled by Payments Canada in 2016 was C$51 trillion, or C$201 billion every business day. These encompass a wide range of payments made by Canadians and businesses involving inter-bank transactions, including those made with debit cards, pre-authorized debits, direct deposits, bill payments, wire payments and cheques
