Excited to share/reflecting on NUS FinTech Lab collaboration with Ripple for UBRIConnect and participation at APEX
A. UBRI Connect at NUS Computing (10 June)
1. Opening Panel session on Web3 x Asset Tokenization with co-panelists: @ Aaron Gwak from Libeara, Alvin Chia, PhD Chia from Northern Trust, Evy Theunis from DBS Bank, and Rajesh Sreenivasan from Rajah & Tann Asia, moderated by Jungpil Hahn from NUS FinTech Lab
2. Project Demo/sharing by Hao Zhu, Research Assistant, NUS FinTech Lab on Reg-Guru: AI-Powered Regulatory Compliance: A RAG-Enhanced Assistant for Financial Institutions
3. NUS FinTech Lab was awarded UBRI Maverick Award 2025 for recognizing its exceptional contributions to FinTech education, research, and global collaboration. The award is part of the University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI)—a global program launched by Ripple that supports academic institutions advancing innovation in blockchain and FinTech through research, curriculum development, and industry partnerships.
The UBRI network spans over 60 universities across 28 countries, united by a shared commitment to these goals. Each year, member institutions come together at UBRI Connect—a global conference that serves as a platform to present their latest research, share insights, and foster collaboration across the UBRI community.
B. APEX 2025 at Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore (11-12 June)
4. Panel discussion on AI in Financial Services: Who Controls It, Who Benefits, and Who Sets the Rules? With co-panelists Christian Nunez from AnChain.AI.AI, and Prof. Yuichi Ikeda from Kyoto University, moderated by Jungpil Hahn from NUS FinTech Lab
5. Lightning Talk and sharing by Ong Si Hui, student intern from NUS FinTech Lab on Hybrid Security Architecture for Securing Centralized Exchanges: Lessons from the Bybit Breach
6. Academic Innovation sharing by Reshma Balaraman, Research Associate NUS FinTech Lab Lab on NUSwap: Unveiling Trading Behavior Through Data-Driven Insights
7. XRPL Commons Academic Breakfast sharing from Karin H. Bauer, PhD from University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, Jungpil Hahn from NUS FinTech Lab, Ikhlaq Sidhu from IE University, Ali Emdad from Morgan State University, Leid Zejnilovic from Nova School of Business and Economics and Dr. Vera Radeva Hadjieva from XRPL Commons
8. Brief appearance at the CoinDesk livestream at APEX 2025 by Jungpil Hahn, discussing the exciting intersection of fintech, blockchain, and academia, and offering perspectives on technological disruptions, their complex unintended consequences, the pace of innovation, and effective governance.
Big thanks and grateful to Ripple for curating this truly global, high-conviction gathering of senior leaders, builders, regulators, and innovators.
UBRIConnect and APEX continue to raise the bar each year. See you next year!
UBRIConnect XRPLAPEX2025 FinTechInnovation Blockchain Ripple NUSFinTechLab NUS Web3 AssetTokenization AIFinance
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