Hi, Konnichiwa — I’m Vero Estrada-Galiñanes, an independent scientist and former associate professor in computer science, working at the intersection of decentralized technologies, governance, and digital society. I’ve worked in Argentina, Switzerland, Japan, the USA, Norway, and Denmark, and have been recognized as an awarded international scholar by multiple national scientific agencies. I’m recognized as an interdisciplinary expert, with a focus on blockchains, distributed storage and computing, and decentralized governance in complex systems. I completed my graduate studies at the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Tokyo, and pursued my doctoral research at the University of Neuchâtel and UC Santa Cruz, where I developed my long-standing interest in resilient digital infrastructures, data protection, and the design of self-organizing systems. I have actively served on the program committees of EuroSys, Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS), the Science of Blockchain Conference, Distributed Infrastructures for Common Good, among others. Earlier in my career, I led the development of Argentina’s national satellite vessel monitoring system and worked on information systems, including pattern analysis and data visualization, to support sustainable economic activities in the Argentine Sea and in areas of international cooperation. Since 2013, I’ve been contributing to peer-to-peer (p2p) networks, and since 2015, to Web3 ecosystems — most notably Swarm, the original storage layer of Ethereum, and IPFS. Some of my current work explores how decentralization and crypto-economic mechanisms can support novel business models, communities' capacity building, and new forms of institutional design — key themes for the FinTeAchIn workshop. I frequently give invited lectures on technology, digital governance, and the future of institutions, combining academic depth with practical insight from years of hands-on experience.

Claudio J. Tessone is Professor of Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies at the Informatics Department, University of Zurich. He is the co-founder and Chairman of the UZH Blockchain Center. He is also in charge of NetSci Society. He holds a PhD in Physics (on complex systems) and an Habilitation on "Complex socio-economic systems" from ETH Zurich. He is an expert in the modelling of complex socio-economic, and socio-technical systems from an interdisciplinary perspective. He is interested in the link between microscopic agent behaviour and the rules these agents abide to, and the global, emergent properties of socio-economic and socio-technical systems. Blockchain-based systems and cryptocurrencies are the main pillar of his research (being among the first to study them). This includes crypto-economics (from financial aspects to meso- and macro- properties, such as withstanding, emergent centralization), big-data blockchain analytics and forensics, design of blockchain-based systems, and characterization of economic incentives that are present (by design or set inadvertently) in them. He is the director of the Summer School: Deep Dive into Blockchain and of the Certificate of Advanced Studies on Blockchain at the University of Zurich.

As a practitioner, I am the Founder of Lightbulb Capital in Hong Kong and Singapore. Previously, I was the CIO of the Modular Blockchain Fund at Modular Asset Management and the COO of HSBC Securities in Singapore. As an academic, I am an Affiliate Faculty Member at Singapore Management University where I teach courses on Blockchain & Digital Assets, and Decentralized Finance (DeFi). I am also a Lecturer in ESSEC’s top-ranked Master in Finance program. Previously I was a visiting professor at IE business school, where I received the teaching excellence award. My research work investigates blockchain in the financial markets context, and has been published by various academic journals by Springer and MIT Press. I am also the founding Associate Editor-in-Chief of World Scientific Annual Review of Fintech journal. I am completing my PhD in Finance at Erasmus University, and hold Master degrees in Innovation (SMU) and Finance (IE). I am the co-author of the book "Decentralized Autonomous Organizations: How Finance Can Interact With Blockchain-based DAOs”

Sandy is an Associate Instructor and Advisor to Lightbulb Capital, a Singapore and Hong Kong-based firm that collaborates with the financial industry to learn and adopt transformational technology. She is Affiliate Faculty of Singapore Management University and teaches classes on blockchain, digital assets, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). She is the co-author of the new book ‘Decentralized Autonomous Organizations: How Finance can Interact with Blockchain-based DAOs’. Sandy is also Co-Founder of Nomadism, a Design consultancy. Prior to discovering blockchain and its myriad applications, Sandy held senior fixed income sales roles in HSBC, Jefferies, ING, Commerzbank, and J.P Morgan. She has an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.

Dr. Johnnatan Messias is a Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS) with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MPI-SWS, completed in collaboration with Saarland University in 2024. His research focuses on blockchain technologies, decentralized finance (DeFi), mechanism design for decentralized applications, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Dr. Messias has made significant contributions to advancing fairness and innovation in blockchain protocols, covering topics such as transaction prioritization, liquid staking tokens (LSTs), and decentralized governance. His work has been published in top-tier venues, including FC, IMC, WWW, and CSCW, and he received the Best Paper Award at MARBLE 2024 for his research on automated market makers. Dr. Messias has also gained industry experience through a 6-month research internship at Chainlink Labs, focusing on improving decentralized price feeds, and his role as a Research Scientist at Matter Labs, where he led projects on Sybil resistance, airdrop design, and blockchain data research. Additionally, he has contributed to impactful machine learning projects in risk prediction and health insurance forecasting, including one recognized as Brazil's most innovative health software in 2019 by IT Forum 365. As an active member of the academic community, Dr. Messias has served on program committees and frequently reviews for leading conferences in blockchain research such as AFT, WWW, FC, CAAW, and FinTeAchIn. He has also presented his work at prominent events such as the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC), SBC DAO, and Ethereum Zürich, where he discussed the pitfalls of airdrops, current fairness issues on DAOs, and the boom of inscriptions.

Derek Ariss is the Head of Innovation Education at INNOVENTIEM, where he is responsible for building the advisory and education practice. His focus is on fostering creativity, grit, adaptability, change management, design thinking, and creating a culture and mindset conducive to innovation within corporations. Before this role, Derek served as an Advisory Board Member for Lightbulb Capital, where he also held the position of Head of Innovation Education for six years. In this role, he drove innovation education programs for financial services organizations across South East Asia, including Manulife, MetLife, Julius Baer, Schroders, UOB, DBS, and UBS, in markets such as Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Prior to joining INNOVENTIEM, Derek was the Head of Innovation at LendLease, where he designed processes to improve products and systems, nurtured a culture of innovation in Asia, and developed productive relationships with organizations focused on innovation and growth. He has over eight years of experience in facilitation and previously held the role of Head of Retail Operations, overseeing retail assets across Asia. Derek is also a passionate educator. He teaches courses on Innovation Culture Catalyst and Mindset, FinTech and Innovation, Creativity in Business, and Adaptability in Times of Disruption at Singapore Management University and Emeritus. Derek holds an MBA in International Marketing and Strategy, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Windsor, Canada. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology (Honours) from McMaster University. Since 2019, Derek has been a regular contributor to Banking Insight Magazine, where he writes articles on topics such as Innovation Culture, Mindset, Grit, Adaptability, Creativity, and Change.