With a decade of experience spanning IT, fintech, and cryptoassets domains, Polina is a seasoned professional at the forefront of blockchain technology and data analytics. Collaborating with prestigious institutions such as the United Nations, the Economist, and Cambridge University, Polina brings a wealth of expertise to the table. As the founder of Syntagma Labs, a web3 consulting agency, she excels in startup consulting, strategy development, and decentralization initiatives. Renowned for her proficiency in conducting comprehensive industry research and analyzing blockchain data, Polina delivers actionable insights tailored to the specific requirements of startups and SMEs, with expertise in tokenomics, platform economies, and the strategic integration of AI and blockchain technologies. Polina is a sought-after speaker on topics including blockchain, AI, startup consulting, data analysis, web3, decentralization, and strategic planning, captivating audiences with her depth of knowledge and forward-thinking perspectives.

Puja is a financial services professional with over 17 years of industry experience. Her experience stems from firms such as Digital Currency Group (DCG), JP Morgan, Citi, New York Life, Hertz and McKinsey. Puja has held various roles throughout her career including, Head of Corporate Development, Head of Ideation for AreaX, and Head of External Innovation. She is well versed in strategy, innovation, and establishing partnerships with thought leaders, academics, and the startup ecosystem to unlock new opportunities and explore emerging technologies. She currently serves as the Head of Client Success for Onyx Digital Assets for JPM driving strategy for client experience and solutions. Puja’s expertise focuses on designing and implementing strategic growth initiatives, developing corporate and digital strategies, fostering commercial opportunities, and new product development.

Rachel Fiorill is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s National Security Group. Having served as an Enforcement Section Chief at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and with over a decade of private sector experience, Rachel brings unparalleled experience in economic sanctions, Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML), U.S. government and internal investigations, export controls, and national security matters.Clients seek Rachel’s counsel on their most complex sanctions enforcement and compliance matters, including those in relation to meeting OFAC’s sanctions compliance program expectations. Rachel draws on her previous OFAC Enforcement Division leadership experience and her experiences collaborating with senior management and agency officials within the Treasury Department to provide her clients with practical, risk-based advice regarding sanctions enforcement and compliance.Rachel has extensive experience assisting clients in navigating the evolving financial crimes regulatory landscape in connection with investigations by OFAC, the Department of Justice, the New York Department of Financial Services, Congress, and other federal and international regulators. Her practice focuses economic sanctions, BSA/AML, anti-corruption, export control, and information and communications technology and services (ICTS) matters. She regularly advises global financial institutions, investment companies, and U.S. and non-U.S. companies operating in the technology, payments, and cryptocurrency industries on sanctions and cross-border risk management, compliance program reviews, government inquires and resolutions, internal investigations, corporate transactions, and due diligence assessments.During her time at OFAC, Rachel led the investigation and resolution of hundreds of enforcement actions, including several groundbreaking civil monetary penalties. As Enforcement Division Section Chief, Rachel oversaw all aspects of investigations of possible sanctions violations, including review and clearance of subpoenas, correspondence, case disposition memoranda, penalty notices, settlements, findings of violation, cautionary letters, and cease-and-desist orders. She also gained particular experience with Ukraine/Russia, Iran, and Syria sanctions, coordinated investigative activities with federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and provided technical sanctions guidance and support to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.Rachel received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as the special projects editor for The Tax Lawyer. While at Georgetown, she participated in the Housing and Community Development clinic at the Harrison Institute for Public Law. Rachel concurrently earned her Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University. She graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and politics.

Rani Nagpal is an innovative, tech-centric senior leader with deep expertise building successful startups and growing profitable revenue at large, multinational corporations. Currently, she's the Vice President of Marketing at Front Finance. Rani is passionate about increasing the diversity of founders, advisors and investors in the startup ecosystem. Through her work as a mentor for Andreessen Horowitz and Company Ventures, she advises early-stage startups with diverse founders on building and scaling enduring businesses. Rani is also a Venture Partner at Republic, and a founding member of Chief, a private network focused on connecting and supporting exceptional women leaders.

Rebecca Hirst serves as the Head of Finance at Asymmetric Research and is a results-drivenleader with over 15 years experience in traditional finance, cryptocurrency and digital assets. Rebecca brings a proven track record of developing finance teams into strategic business partners that support growth and add real value to the business. She has held Finance leadership positions at major cryptocurrency exchanges including Huobi (now HTX), Coinbase, and most recently as the CFO of Binance.US. Through these roles, Rebecca has developed extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in crypto asset management and designing investment strategies to meet business objectives. She has also worked closely with financial regulators and auditors to navigate through uncertainty, while maintaining high levels of compliance and strong internal control frameworks.

Rebecca advises financial services, fintechs and digital assets firms  and investors navigating the political and policy regulatory agenda as it impacts commercial decisions. She regularly speaks at conferences and events on the impact of politics and policy on the crypto sector. Rebecca is a Managing Director at Global Counsel, and is a senior adviser to the financial services practice. Rebecca has worked in both law and public policy for over two decades advising businesses and investors on global financial policy and regulation. She was previously Managing Director for the financial services association UK Finance, helping to establish the association and lead is public policy advocacy. She also served as a member of the Executive Committee for the European Banking Federation. Prior to this, Rebecca worked as a solicitor advising investors and asset managers on real asset funds, joint ventures, and investments.

Rita Martin is a seasoned cybersecurity professional and educator with a distinguished career in financial cybercrime investigations. As a former Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service, Rita led high-profile cases targeting high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges and illicit infrastructure that enabled top-tier cybercriminals to operate with impunity. Her investigative work helped dismantle financial networks used by threat actors to facilitate fraud, money laundering, and other cyber-enabled crimes.Beyond her investigative expertise, Rita is a trained network intrusion responder with deep knowledge in digital forensics, malware analysis, and web application security. Her technical acumen has been instrumental in tracking cyber threats and identifying vulnerabilities within the evolving landscape of financial crime.Today, Rita channels her experience into TRM Academy, a global learning platform dedicated to equipping individuals and organizations with the knowledge to safeguard the blockchain ecosystem. She has designed and delivered specialized training for law enforcement agencies worldwide, including at premier institutions like the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEAs), and The CEELI Institute. Through her work, she continues to bridge the gap between cybersecurity expertise and real-world application, ensuring that investigators, regulators, and financial professionals are empowered to combat digital threats in an increasingly complex landscape.

Rita Martins is a results-oriented executive specialised in leveraging the latest technologies and solutions in FinTech and Web3 to transform Financial Services. Rita is the author of "Web3 in Financial Services" Book. She also serves on the Advisory Board of a range of startups in the fields of DeFi, blockchain, digital assets and crypto at the intersection with finance.Previously, Rita held the pivotal role of Global Head of FinTech Partnerships at HSBC, where she played a key role in incubating and accelerating disruptive technologies, carving significant advancements in the FinTech landscape. Her extensive background also includes strategy and digital transformation roles at Accenture and Ernst & Young, where she led large-scale digital transformation projects, helping clients achieve strategic milestones.Rita speaks about how blockchain is transforming traditional finance via new forms of money (stablecoins, CBDCs, tokenised deposits), new infrastructure (via leveraging blockchain technology to drive cost efficiency) and tokenising any asset. You can find out more about rita here: https://www.ritamartins.co.uk/

Rita Riera, Marketing Director at Neverless, brings her unique blend of innovation and strategic creativity to the fintech world. Rita's background is highlighted by award-winning campaigns from her tenures at advertising agencies Ogilvy and R/GA London, where she's given talks about how to blend creativity, technology & strategy.Her diverse educational background in journalism, physics, and digital marketing has helped forge a unique approach to audience engagement.Beyond her professional expertise, Rita is dedicated to writing sitcoms, philosophy and even a launching music career. This eclectic mix not only underscores Rita's professional achievements but also enriches her creative pursuits.

Sabrina boasts 15+ years in top management consulting with PwC, KPMG, Bayer, and AlixPartners across Germany, Switzerland, Sydney, and Singapore. She's led projects for Credit Suisse, Sky/Comcast, and various industries.Now, as Founder of "Unconventional Leaders," Sabrina shares her expertise in Crypto, Web3, and AI. Her mission is to equip founders with insights to avoid traditional finance pitfalls. Known for her prowess in process setup and team leadership, Sabrina is a sought-after speaker in the Crypto/Web3 circuit.Sabrina has spoken at numerous panels on leadership.

Sadie Raney is the co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of quant digital asset hedge fund Strix Leviathan and the Chief Executive Officer of Eve Wealth, a female-founded financial services network that provides women with the resources and opportunities to grow their financial well-being. Sadie also helped found Makara, one of the first SEC-registered automated investment advisors in crypto, which spun out of Strix Leviathan in 2021 and was acquired by Betterment in 2022. Prior to founding Strix Leviathan in 2018, Sadie served as Financial Controller for Blue Box, a cloud computing startup, where she helped lead the finance and administration team through the company’s acquisition by IBM. She has also served in financial controller roles at MTR Western and Aramark and as a Senior Financial Analyst at Grand Bank Yachts. She began her career at Deloitte. Sadie serves as an advisor to Franklin Payroll and Jetson, and is an advisory board member for Veriledger. She is also a mentor for the Barcelona Technology Transfer Group at IESE Business School and a member of the Female Founders Alliance.Sadie was listed as one of Hedge Fund Journal’s 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds in 2023 and was featured in 100 Women in Finance’s 100WFinTech Changemaker series. She has also been featured on CNBC’s Crypto World show and Bloomberg’s What Goes Up podcast, as well as in CNBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, Barron’s, and Financial News, among others. She has spoken at universities and conferences including the University of Washington, IESE, Cyberport Academy, Avalanche Summit, CoinAlts and the IIA Seattle Fraud Conference.Sadie holds a B.A. from Pepperdine University and an M.B.A. from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, during which she attended the IE Business School in Madrid for an International MBA exchange.

Samantha brings 25+ years of experience in financial services as an attorney, regulator, central banker, policy maker and advocate, chief compliance officer, and consultant. She is acknowledged as an international authority on AML and sanctions compliance, payments, and blockchain technology.

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Recently, Samantha has been advising clients on the development of robust compliance programs and leading the compliance function of digital assets startup companies. In addition to her roles at AWIC, she currently serves as the Founder & CEO of Unconventional Consulting and Senior Advisor to several management consulting firms. She has served as CCO at two crypto exchanges and a non-fungible tokens (NFTs) platform. At each company, Samantha established a comprehensive compliance program, oversaw day-to-day compliance activities such as customer onboarding and transaction monitoring, managed registration and licensing, interfaced with regulators, and secured strategic banking partners. Prior to these experiences, Samantha was a Senior Director in the risk and regulatory compliance consulting practice at Guidehouse.

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Samantha launched new strategies and initiatives in financial crime compliance, payments, and innovative technology at BAFT, the international banking subsidiary of the American Bankers Association.  Her efforts significantly increased the association's policy influence and industry visibility. She also produced industry tools that are globally recognized as best practice, including a playbook for obtaining and maintaining correspondent banking accounts, an indemnity agreement for securing the return of funds fraudulently transferred abroad, and a framework for auditing blockchain solutions used in banking.

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Samantha joined the Federal Reserve Board at height of the global financial crisis and FinCEN following the 9/11 terrorist attacks to write regulations implementing the laws which transformed the U.S. financial services industry:  the Dodd-Frank Act and USA PATRIOT Act. At the Fed, she drafted rules governing remittance transfers (Reg. E), mortgage lending and servicing (Reg. Z), check clearing and processing (Reg. CC), and debit card interchange and routing (Reg. II). Samantha also led the retail payments team’s analysis of mobile and cryptopayments, oversight of the Fed’s check, ACH, and payments security systems, and introduction of chip and PIN cards and faster payments in the U.S. In addition to writing regulations at FinCEN, Samantha brought high-profile enforcement actions against financial institutions for Bank Secrecy Act violations and negotiated agreements with foreign counterparts to share financial intelligence information.

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As the global head of regulations and compliance, Samantha built international money transmitter Ruesch’s compliance function from scratch in 15 months to prepare the company for sale. After Travelex acquired Ruesch, she integrated the compliance teams, programs, and technology systems world-wide. Samantha began her career as an attorney at top-tier global law firm of Morrison & Foerster.

As Lockton's Blockchain Advisory Leader, Sarah is focused on positioning Lockton as a trusted advisor, thought leader and solution developer for insuring blockchain and digital asset companies and the risks they face. Lockton has successfully placed coverage for a number of blockchain companies including trading platforms, lenders, decentralized finance companies, mining companies, wallet providers, market makers, liquidity providers, investment managers, asset managers, private equity/venture capital firms, custodians, payment platforms, blockchain technology incubators and others.