Events | Seminar

‘Vibrant Exchanges’ at First-Ever DFDL Banking, Finance and Tech Day

On 14 June 2022, DFDL was pleased to host its first-ever Banking, Finance and Technology Day and was honored to welcome an animated audience of business leaders and industry experts to the SOSORO Museum in Phnom Penh.

The standing-room only event – which was DFDL’s first conference since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted two years ago – was a series of top-level workshops, all notable for lively discussions of cutting-edge business issues in Cambodia and Southeast Asia.

As Maricar Altonaga (Regional Marketing and Communications Director) pointed out in her opening remarks, DFDL was proud to have served clients in Cambodia for more than 27 years.

Audray Souche (Regional Managing Partner) said the timing of the event was significant, as DFDL was helping its clients navigate the rapid transformation of the financial industry, including the emergence of e-commerce, fintech and innovations in supply chain financing.

“We want to keep a strong connection to the market, and today has highlighted that the regional market is full of energy, potential and opportunities,” said Audray, who added that she had started her career in Cambodia more than two decades ago.

“At DFDL, we bring knowledge based on experience, but we want to be more than advisors to our clients. We intend to be partners and share insights and strategies for different markets.”

The challenges and disruptions ahead for the financial industry – including regulatory frameworks, licensing requirements, and government oversight – were among the main topics covered in the workshops by DFDL experts. Three guest speakers were also featured at the event: Tomas Pokorny, CEO and co-founder of Pi Pay, Board Director & Secretary General and Community, Membership & Sponsorship Committee Chair of Cambodia Association of Finance & Technology and founder of DQD Consulting and Brixie International, Christopher McCarthy, CEO of MangoTango Asia and Matthew Tippetts, founder and CEO of Clik.

The panel of DFDL experts included Vinay Ahuja (Partner and Head of Regional Banking, Finance and Technology), Nishant Choudhary (Partner and Myanmar Managing Director), Chuan How Tan (Head of Cambodia Banking, Finance and Technology), Nearirath Sreng (Deputy Head of Cambodia Banking, Finance and Technology). 

The workshops were tightly focused on the financial industry’s most pressing issues. The first discussion was on e-commerce and Big Tech, the second on the emergence of major fintech players, and the concluding session was on the shifting landscape of supply chain finance.

Marked by spirited debates, humorous anecdotes, and deeply insightful information, DFDL’s inaugural Banking, Finance and Technology Day was complete success – right down to the concluding cocktail reception.

As Audray said in her closing remarks: “This was a day of vibrant exchanges. Many opportunities have been highlighted, so this might be the start of series of similar DFDL events. When we share strategies and insights, everyone wins!”