TradeTech FX 2025
16 - 18 September, 2025
Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Barcelona
Day Two – 13th September 2019
8:30 am - 8:55 am
Registration and Breakfast
8:55 am - 9:00 am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Michael Melvin -
Executive Director, Rady School of Management, UCSD & Former Managing Director, Blackrock,
Rady School of Management
Michael Melvin
Executive Director, Rady School of Management, UCSD & Former Managing Director, BlackrockRady School of Management
Adjusting To A New Capital Markets Landscape
9:00 am - 9:30 am
In Conversation: How to embrace diversity and inclusion to enrich your workplace and make this your competitive advantage
Julia Streets -
CEO,
Streets Consulting
Andrew Maack -
Head of FX Trading,
Vanguard
Amanda Pullinger -
CEO,
100 Women in Finance
Stefanie Holtze-Jen -
Chief Currency Strategist,
DWS Group
Elke Wenzler -
Head of Emerging Markets and FX,
MEAG
- Assessing what diversity and inclusion means in capital markets - Why is this a big issue and how can it be addressed?
- More than just a tick-box exercise - Why is embracing diversity proven to deliver better results?
- How can you tap into different skillsets and backgrounds and what advantages does this bring with so many external factors changing in FX markets?
- What practical initiatives are you putting in place to create a truly diverse inclusive workplace?
9:30 am - 9:50 am
In Conversation: Redefining the role of the buy side trader and portfolio manager – How have enhanced data and tech innovations, the uptake in low-touch trading, ongoing regulation and an ever evolving market structure shaped the modern-day trader skillset?
Farshad Behvand -
Portfolio Manager,
Tudor Investment Corporation
Benjamin Anderegg -
Head of Foreign Exchange and Gold,
Swiss National Bank
- Which new types of buy side job functions and skill sets are now coming to the fore?
- What fundamental shifts would need to happen to facilitate peer to peer trading and what new skills would be required?
- Will regulatory developments lead the buy side to move to central clearing in the near term?
- Who will be the winners and losers in the evolving FX market structure, and what does the optimal future skill set look like to thrive in the new era?
Farshad Behvand
Portfolio ManagerTudor Investment Corporation
9:50 am - 10:20 am
Keynote: FX Market Structure
Andrew Hauser -
Executive Director for Markets,
Bank of England
10:20 am - 10:40 am
In Conversation: The rise of the corporate treasury trader - How are corporate firms empowering themselves with the management of their own finances?
Joseph Peka -
Deputy Treasurer,
URENCO
Alexandre Dubé -
Head of Financial Markets Trading,
Total
- The view from corporate treasurers - How has reduced risk appetite and fragmented liquidity impacted corporate treasury behavior?
- How are corporate firms combining in-house and external management and how do they decide what FX processes to bring internally?
- Corporate best execution - How are corporates adapting to increased electronification and best execution scrutiny? What is the impact of data and new technology?
- What approach do corporate treasures take to manage their exposure, hedging and currency risk?
- How should treasurers respond to Brexit and other geopolitical risks?
Special Guest Speaker
10:40 am - 11:10 am
Special Guest Speaker: The real Hurt Locker - Counter-terrorist bomb disposal: An inspirational story of extreme pressure, deadly devices and the critical role of risk analysis
Major Chris Hunter -
Bomb Disposal Expert, The Hurt Locker’s real life star, British Army,
British Army
The Hurt Locker's real-life star, Major Chris Hunter QGM had 'the world's most dangerous job, in the world's most dangerous place'. As the British Army's most experienced counter-terrorist bomb disposal specialist in Iraq, he risked his life on a daily basis. During his career he deployed to a number of operational theatres, including The Balkans, Northern Ireland, Colombia, Afghanistan and Iraq, and for his actions during his Iraq tour, he was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. At the time of the London suicide bombings, he was seconded to COBRA, the Cabinet Office's emergency response committee. Chris illustrates a gruelling journey of bravery, strength, leadership and skill where every decision made during his time in Iraq could have been his last.
Major Chris Hunter
Bomb Disposal Expert, The Hurt Locker’s real life star, British ArmyBritish Army
11:10 am - 11:40 am
Morning Coffee Break
11:10 am - 12:10 pm
Private Buy Side Only Workshop: Exploring the inner workings of FX internalization and externalization - How can asset managers, hedge funds and CTA’s ensure they are getting transparent, cost effective access to liquidity?
Mauricio Sada-Paz -
Global Head of eFICC Product and Distribution,
Barclays
Alex Shterenberg -
Global Head of G10 and EM eFX Trading,
Barclays Investment Bank
Assessing the pros and cons of internalization and externalization in light of different trading objectives
- Overcoming common misconceptions on internalization. How can you build a clear picture of internalization models to best understand how to optimize liquidity?
- How can you best understand the market impact of internalization?
- The balance between duration and internalization – what must you take into consideration?
- How FX Algos can tap into the internalization benefits of bank e-distribution?
FX Markets In An Age Of Disruption
11:40 am - 12:00 pm
In Conversation: All you need to know about the Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR): How can you best prepare your business now to be on the right side of regulators and remain competitive?
John Lund -
Director,
JXL Consulting
Paddy Boyle -
Head of ForexClear,
LCH
- The roadmap for UMR - What are the key milestones you should be aware of up to the final September 2020 deadline?
- Meeting the accepted standards of UMR - What are the new legal documents needed and what is the infrastructure required to support UMR going forward?
- With the need to post margin, will real money asset managers finally be more open to using FX prime brokerage?
- A new area for clearing - Will there be an increase in buy side using central clearing via clearing brokers?
12:00 pm - 12:20 pm
Industry Perspective: The disintermediation of the traditional market structure – how has regulatory complexity, cost pressure and the need to differentiate driven firms to fundamentally reevaluate the way they operate?
Carl Slesser -
Head of Product Management, Banks & Brokers,
Nasdaq
Nasdaq, Speaker TBC
- What are some of the key drivers in the evolution of market structure? (regulatory complexity, new obligations)
- How has the need to meet new obligations impacted the cost of operations?
- How can firms remain competitive in this environment?
12:20 pm - 1:00 pm
Oxford Style Debate: The buy side stance on the FX Code of Conduct - Further tweaks are still required to convince buy side firms to sign up – FOR AND AGAINST
Christoph Hock -
Head of Multi-Asset Trading,
Union Investment
Marialisa Cisternino -
Advisor, Monetary Policy and Foreign Exchange Operation Division,
Banca d’Italia
Grigoria Christodoulou -
Senior Manager, FX Policy Strategy, Co-Lead GFXC Secretariat,
Bank of England
- Do the 55 principles within the code of conduct go far enough in terms of changing market participants behavior or are these guidelines just ‘common sense’?
- Last look and pre-hedging - are the guidelines suffice enough to stop misconduct or can it still lead to market manipulation?
- Since its inception in 2017 has the code of conduct actually changed behavior in FX markets?
- Should the code makers be more pro-active or are the guidelines more reactive in their nature?
- The case for and against - Should the buy side sign up to the code of conduct in its current form or are further tweaks to be made before you commit?
Marialisa Cisternino
Advisor, Monetary Policy and Foreign Exchange Operation DivisionBanca d’Italia
Grigoria Christodoulou
Senior Manager, FX Policy Strategy, Co-Lead GFXC SecretariatBank of England
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Networking Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Women In FX Lunch: How can the FX industry better attract, develop and retain top female talent?
Amanda Pullinger -
CEO,
100 Women in Finance
Stefanie Holtze-Jen -
Chief Currency Strategist,
DWS Group
Elke Wenzler -
Head of Emerging Markets and FX,
MEAG
Roundtable Hosts Include: Amanda Pullinger, CEO, 100 Women In Finance; Stefanie Holtze-Jen, Director, Chief Currency Strategist, DWS Group; Elke Wenzler, Head of Emerging Markets and FX, MEAG
- How is the FX industry addressing the aspirations of women to develop in leadership roles?
- How are firms showcasing female talent contributing in the financial sector?
- What does it means to be a woman in the FX industry in 2018?
- How does a gender focus tie in to broader diversity and inclusion initiatives at your firm?
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Private Buy Side Only Lunch Workshop
Hosted by Jefferies - Lunch will be served during this session
Conference Tracks
Chaired By: Julia Streets, Founder & CEO, Streets Consulting
Track A: Fintech Focus
2:00 pm - 2:20 pm Industry Perspective: How is blockchain currently being applied to FX markets to make trading, clearing and settlement more cost efficient? Ajit Tripathi - Partner, Fintech, ConsenSys- Blockchain 101 - How does this technology work, how can you use it and what potential does it have to affect the current capital markets ecosystem?
- Reducing reliance on the clearing system - What does blockchain offer and how have trades already been settled outside the traditional clearing and settlement structure in a legal manner?
- New frontiers of performance - How can blockchain enable faster, more efficient settlement and how will this reduce settlement risk?
- Establishing the winners and losers- How can market participants embrace the benefits of Blockchain technology whilst preserving their role in the capital markets industry?
- Bringing blockchain to the mass market - What are the current deficiencies around scalability and how can they be overcome?
Track A: Fintech Focus
2:20 pm - 3:00 pm Dragons’ Den: Examining the greatest and latest innovations in FX trading technology: Which offer true added value and should be considered in your future investment plans? Julia Streets - CEO, Streets Consulting Denis Popov - CEO, Atto Capital Maria Silvia Scetta - Co-Founder and CEO, DeltaBlock Daniel Huss - Founder, GravityAI Jason Woerz - President, 24 ExchangeOur ever popular Dragons’ den style innovation session returns with demos from pre-selected technology start-ups who will pitch their innovative tech to a panel of experts and you in the audience. The panel of experts will critique and assess their benefits to your business and their likelihood of future success. You will then have the opportunity to vote for the technology start-up you think is the most innovative and adds real value to your business. Will you find the next big thing?
Hosted By: Julia Streets, Founder & CEO, Streets Consulting
Start-Ups: Evan Schnidman, Founder & CEO, Prattle; Denis Popov, CEO, Atto Capital; Maria Silvia Scetta, Co-Founder and CEO, DeltaBlock; Daniel Huss, Founder, GravityAI; Jason Woerz, President, 24 Exchange
Track A: Fintech Focus
3:00 pm - 3:05 pm Chairperson’s closing remarks Michael Melvin - Executive Director, Rady School of Management, UCSD & Former Managing Director, Blackrock, Rady School of Management
Michael Melvin
Executive Director, Rady School of Management, UCSD & Former Managing Director, BlackrockRady School of Management
Chaired By Janet Thomas, CEO, Intellect Design
Track B: Generating Alpha In EM
2:00 pm - 2:20 pm Fireside Chat: Assessing the cases for a bullish or bearish market in 2020 - What drivers will impact your EM investments? Antonio Del Favero - Senior Portfolio Strategist, Rubrics Asset Management Bernd Berg - Global Macro Strategist and Portfolio Manager, Woodman Asset Management- How is political and economic activity in Latin America, South Africa, Turkey and elsewhere influencing the market?
- With rising rates, trade wars and political uncertainty is the sell-off in emerging markets set to continue? How is this affecting emerging market debt? Will there be a repeat of the 2015 crisis?
- Commodity markets, cheap labor, distressed debt, dictators, political instability and many more - What EM themes will dominate the agenda over the nest 12 months?
Track B: Generating Alpha In EM
2:20 pm - 3:00 pm 360 Perspective: Identifying the winners and losers in EM investing - Where will you find the most profitable havens in 2019? Regina Borromeo - Portfolio Manager, Global Macro FI, Robeco Sven Schubert - Specialist Investment Strategy Currencies, Vontobel Asset Management- How will reduced global liquidity affect specific emerging markets, and where are the best investment opportunities for the year ahead?
- With emerging economies set to account for 50% of global GDP by 2030, what is the outlook for the asset class?
- Is there an issue with recycled liquidity in emerging market pairs, and how can this be addressed?
Track B: Generating Alpha In EM
3:00 pm - 3:05 pm Chairperson’s closing remarks Janet Thomas - Managing Director, Infinity Capital Partners
Champagne Roundtables
3:05 pm - 4:00 pm
Chatham House FX Working Groups: Share ideas and best practice processes with your FX peers and walk away with practical solutions which you can apply when you are back at your desk
Alexis Laming -
Senior FX Trader,
Banque de France
Paul Bilokon -
CEO & Founder, Thalesians & Lecturer, Imperial College,
Thalesians
Helen Thomas -
CEO,
BlondeMoney
Amanda Pullinger -
CEO,
100 Women in Finance
Richard Longmore -
Managing Director,
Fineosis
Gregory Armon-Jones -
Managing Partner,
Armon-Jones Partners
Denis Popov -
CEO,
Atto Capital
Roundtable 1: Flash Crashes – Hosted By Alexis Laming, Senior FX Trader, Banque de France
Roundtable 2: Current and future applications of AI – Hosted By Paul Bilokon, CEO & Founder Thalesians, and Lecturer, Imperial College
Roundtable 3: Brexit – Hosted By Helen Thomas, CEO, BlondeMoney
Roundtable 4: How men can help move the needle for women in finance, and why it matters – Hosted By Amanda Pullinger, CEO, 100 Women In Finance
Roundtable 5: Sell Side trader skill sets – Hosted By Richard Longmore, Managing Director, Fineosis
Roundtable 6: Buy Side trader skill sets – Hosted By Gregory Armon-Jones, Managing Partner, Armon-Jones Partners
Roundtable 7: Cryptocurrencies – Hosted by Denis Popov, CEO, Atto Capital
