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Steve Vallas
Chief Executive Officer
Blockchain APAC
Driving strategic growth and regulatory clarity within the digital asset sector is the core focus of Steve Vallas, CEO of Blockchain APAC. With a background as a qualified lawyer and management strategist, Steve guides enterprises through the evolving blockchain landscape. His leadership extends to key roles as APAC Policy Advisor for the GBBC and Director at the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, reflecting a commitment to global industry development.
Steve’s influence extends globally, with a proven track record of shaping policy and fostering robust regulatory frameworks across key international markets. In Australia, he engages with bodies such as ASIC, Treasury and the RBA, while internationally his work has included meetings, roundtables, events and speaking roles in the US, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE. This involves direct engagement with leading international authorities and partnerships with diverse global organisations. His deep cross-jurisdictional experience is critical for navigating a rapidly changing global environment.
His unique perspective, cultivated through lifelong economic study and early adoption of emerging technologies, enables him to translate complex blockchain concepts into actionable strategies, ensuring innovation is responsibly integrated into the global economy. Steve remains dedicated to advancing a clear and sustainable future for digital assets.
Speaking at
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1:30–2:45pmTue 24 MarPublic-Private RoundtablesUniClub - Roundtable Room 1Invite-Only
Blueprint for Digital Assets
[Closed-Door Roundtable] Indo-Pacific Digital Money Infrastructures - Building the Next Wholesale Payment Rails
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Alvinder SinghHead, Innovation Acceleration OfficeMonetary Authority of Singapore
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Doulos LeeManagerBank Negara Malaysia
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Kylie StewartDigital Currencies Senior ManagerReserve Bank of Australia
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Dr. Mark StaplesChief Technology OfficerDigital Finance CRC
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Robert PorterHead of Digital Asset Services (Business)Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ)
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Steve VallasChief Executive OfficerBlockchain APAC
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Victoria RichardsonPartnerID Partners
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Maha El DimachkiChief Executive Officer, GFTN SolutionsGlobal Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)Moderator
About this session
Wholesale digital money is moving from experimentation to infrastructure. Across the Indo-Pacific & Europe, central banks, regulators & financial institutions are testing tokenised settlement models to improve cross-border payments, liquidity efficiency & risk management through initiatives such as Project Acacia (Australia), Project Guardian and BLOOM (Singapore).
This closed-door session convenes senior leaders from policy, banking, market infrastructure, and technology providers to compare takeaways from leading pilots and align on what it will take to move from proofs-of-concept to interoperable, secure, scalable wholesale settlement rails across jurisdictions.
The roundtable builds on GFTN’s recently launched Digital Money principles, emphasising interoperability, sovereignty, resilience, trust, and inclusion. Participants will also consider enabling foundations underpinning trusted digital markets. -
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11:15–11:55amWed 25 MarSummit StageWinthrop HallOpenModerator
Next-Gen Transactions
Regulation as Enabling Infrastructure - Trust, Interoperability & Investment-Ready Markets
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Jag FooChief Security and Policy OfficerSafeheron
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Jannah PatchayExecutive in Residence & Board MemberGlobal Digital Finance
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Nina SkewesPrivacy Deputy CommissionerOffice of the Information Commissioner WA
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Steve VallasChief Executive OfficerBlockchain APACModerator
About this session
The next economy will be built on rules, standards, supervision & cross-border interoperability that make innovation safe to scale. This session reframes regulation as enabling infrastructure by reducing uncertainty, protecting consumers, preventing systemic failure & unlocking capital. Attendees leave with greater clarity on what “investment-ready” markets require in the next 12–24 months.
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3:00–4:15pmWed 25 MarPublic-Private RoundtablesUniClub - Roundtable Room 2Open
Blueprint for Digital Assets
[Roundtable] Tokenized Trade & Investment Advantage - Making Real-World Assets Liquid & Trusted Across Borders
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Dr. Andy TingFounderHela Labs
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Prof. Bill RoscoeDirectorUniversity College Oxford Blockchain Research Centre
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Josh HuntDirector and General CounselProspEx Group
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Julia BuchholzChief Marketing OfficerBlocksquare
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IGP Rahman DesyantaChief Executive OfficerBaliola
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Steve VallasChief Executive OfficerBlockchain APAC
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Scott WallerAsia Pacific Assurance Blockchain LeaderEYModerator
About this session
Tokenisation is moving from experimentation to industrial advantage - but only for organisations that can translate pilots into real workflows and profitable business models, compliant structures & interoperable cross-border trade corridors. From critical minerals & energy to carbon credits, inventory, invoices & high-value goods like art, tokenized assets can reduce friction, accelerate settlement, improve provenance & unlock new financing models.
This roundtable focuses on execution: where tokenization truly beats current systems, how to start with the right use cases, how to design compliant structures & how to build pilots that scale across borders. Western Australia’s position in critical minerals, resources, agriculture, First Nations art & energy makes it a natural launchpad for Indo-Pacific tokenized trade corridors. -
