The Buttonwood Gathering

A new wave of digital innovation is starting to transform the finance industry. This may be the most important change to emerge from the aftermath of the financial crisis. The emergence of a new wave of finance entrepreneurs seems to offer a positive contrast to all the talk of too big to fail institutions and regulatory entrepreneurs. Established firms and start-ups are both embracing disruptive new technologies, from smartphones to “big data” analytics to Bitcoin and the blockchain that underpins it. This promises big changes not just to banks, insurers and investment firms but to the real economy served by the finance sector.

This conference will bring together leading thinkers and practitioners under the chairmanship of editors at The Economist to explore what this digital revolution will mean not just for finance but for the broader economy. Participants will debate big questions such as: Is traditional money in its final days, and if so, what does that mean for everything from shopping to crime? Can crowd finance empower a new generation of entrepreneurship, by lower the cost of capital and improving access to money through innovations such as peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding? Will financial services optimised for mobile phones accelerate economic growth in the developing world by dramatically expanding financial inclusion?

Note: Registered attendees will be able to receive an 80% refund up until one month before the event. Within one month of the conference, we will only be able to substitute another individual on the day of the event or provide credit for another event of similar value.