Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum to Advance Singapore's Next Digital Economy

Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum to Advance Singapore's Next Digital Economy

Executive forum and strategic regional partnerships bring together leaders in AI, digital finance and blockchain to accelerate cross-border innovation

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and digital assets move into the financial mainstream, Singapore is well positioned to lead the next chapter of digital innovation. Against this backdrop, Singapore Innovation Centre and Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and inaugurated the Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum at SMEICC 2026, bringing together leaders from government, finance, academia and technology to explore how AI, blockchain and digital finance are transforming business, capital markets and the wider digital economy.

Held on 6 August 2026 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, the half-day forum will provide a platform for discussions on Agentic AI, decentralised finance (DeFi), tokenised real-world assets, trusted digital infrastructure and the regulatory frameworks needed to support responsible innovation across Asia. The event will also serve as the official media session for the upcoming Singapore Blockchain Week scheduled for November 2026.

SMEICC 2026 features Guest of Honour - Mr. Chee Hong Tat, Minister for National Development. Under this year's theme, "Beyond Partnerships: Where Growth Comes Next," SMEICC is expected to welcome more than 5,000 business leaders from across the region, while the Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum will host approximately 250 invited participants representing the digital finance ecosystem.

More than another industry conference, the Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum reflects Singapore Blockchain Week's growing role as a regional platform where leaders from blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech and digital assets come together to exchange ideas, foster partnerships and shape the future of innovation. As technologies continue to converge, the forum aims to encourage practical collaboration that extends well beyond the conference itself.

The programme will feature distinguished speakers from organisations including the Anchorage Digital, Alpha Ladder Group, BitGo, Chainalysis, Canton Foundation, FOMO Pay, MetaComp, National University of Singapore, Singapore FinTech Association, StraitsX, R25, Xapo Bank, Zenith and other regional ecosystem partners. Discussions will examine how autonomous AI agents are reshaping financial decision-making, the rise of tokenised assets, cross-border digital finance, decentralised identity, post-quantum security and the governance frameworks needed to support trusted innovation.

[Photo] "Hybrid Agentic Embedded Finance" keynote presentation by Dr. Bo Bai - Chairman of Alpha Ladder Group.

[Photo] "The Rise of Digital Asset, Real-World Assets & Tokenized Economy" panel discussion featuring Ms. Belle Leung - Head of Asia, Xapo Bank ; Mr. Aaron Thian - Director of Institution Sales, Anchorage Digital ; Mr. Sean Chung - Vice President, Global Business Development, R25 ; Mr. Thomas Chou - Head of APAC, Canton Foundation ; Ms. Angela Ang - Managing Director, BitGo.

Associate Professor Edward Tay, Chairman & Director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Office at the National University of Singapore School of Computing, Council Member of the Singapore Accreditation Council and Chair of the Expert Panel of Singapore Blockchain Week believes Singapore's leadership in AI governance and accreditation provides a strong foundation for the next phase of digital finance. He noted that close collaboration between academia, industry and regulators, together with Singapore's internationally recognised research excellence, positions the country to lead the responsible adoption of Agentic AI and digital assets while reinforcing its standing as a trusted global financial centre.

[Photo] "Singapore and Asia's Digital Economy Opportunity" Speech by Professor Edward Tay - National University of Singapore.

"Singapore's strength has always been its ability to connect people, capital and ideas across borders. As AI and blockchain become increasingly interconnected, the opportunity is not simply to adopt new technologies, but to build trusted partnerships that accelerate responsible innovation. The Agentic Finance Forum brings together leaders across policy, finance and technology to shape meaningful collaboration and the future of autonomous financial systems."

— Heslin Kim, Chair of the Organising Committee of Singapore Blockchain Week and Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer of Zenith

[Photo] "The Convergence of AI x DeFi - Building the Next Digital Economy " panel discussion featuring Ms Holly Fang - President, Singapore Fintech Association ; Mr. Liu Tian Wei - Co-Founder, StraitX ; Mr. Diederik Van Wersch - Regional Director for Asean, Chainalysis ; Mr. Zack Yang - Co-Founder, FOMO Pay ; Ms. Tin Pei Ling - Co-President, Metacomp.

"Singapore's rise as a trusted digital finance hub has been built on close partnership between regulators, financial institutions and innovators. That public-private collaboration will only matter more as Agentic AI and blockchain converge with digital finance. The Singapore FinTech Association looks forward to working with our fellow stakeholders to ensure this next wave of innovation is harnessed responsibly. The Agentic Finance Forum gives us exactly that platform, a place for bold ideas and honest conversations that will keep Singapore at the forefront of financial innovation."

— Holly Fang, President of the Singapore FinTech Association

"The next digital economy won't be built around human users alone, it will increasingly include AI agents participating in commerce. To unlock that future, we need trusted financial infrastructure that allows AI to transact securely, compliantly and at scale. With its strong digital and regulatory foundations, Singapore is well positioned to lead this transition."

—Tianwei Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of StraitsX

"MetaComp is honoured to be part of the Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum, curated by Singapore Blockchain Week at SMEICC 2026."

— Tin Pei Ling, Co-President, MetaComp

Payments are the foundation of a resilient digital economy, and Singapore's position as a trusted, well-regulated hub gives it a real advantage in shaping how that infrastructure develops across the region. We're seeing growing institutional confidence in that regulatory clarity, and forums like this are where that confidence turns into practical, cross-border collaboration. Singapore Blockchain Week, MetaComp and many other partners are each doing their part to solidify Singapore's position as the region's leading digital finance hub, as we lead up to the ASEAN summit in 2027.

[Photo] Memorandum of Understanding ceremony featuring (from left) Dr. Kamal Anand - Founder, Bingold Inc ; Mr. Zhang Hai Sheng - COO, Singapore Innovation Centre ; Dr. Jia YiFan - CEO, AIDX ; Ms. Phoenix Chen - Co-Founder, China-Singapore AI Association ; Dr Charlie In - Founder, Raffles Capital ; Mr. Qiu JingYing - Director-General of Singapore Representative Office, HICOOL Global Entrepreneur Summit by Beijing Overseas Talents Association ; Richard Hobbs - Founder, VIA Labs with Animoca Brands ; Ms. Wendy Yew - Secretariat, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce And Industry.

Turning dialogue into collaboration, the Agentic Decentralized Finance Forum will also mark an important milestone for Singapore Blockchain Week through the signing of a five-party Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with organizations spanning agentic commerce, international entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence.

The collaboration brings together Singapore Blockchain Week with , Raffles Capital, VIA Labs with Animoca Brands, AIDX Tech, China-Singapore AI Association (CSAIA) and HICOOL Global Entrepreneur Summit - China's leading international innovation and entrepreneurship platforms by Beijing Overseas Talents Association (BOTA). Together, the partners aim to strengthen cross-border collaboration, expand innovation networks and create new opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs and technology communities across Singapore and Asia.

The partnership will support several strategic initiatives, including the deployment of an AI-powered Agentic Commerce Ticketing Platform developed by VIA Labs in-collaboration with Animoca Brands for Singapore Blockchain Week, deeper engagement with Raffles Capital's AI x DeFi Convergence Pitch Competition and HICOOL's international ecosystem, and stronger collaboration with the China-Singapore AI Association to connect AI, DeFi researchers, enterprises and innovators across Singapore and China.

Collectively, the five organisations share a common vision of accelerating responsible technology adoption while fostering greater cooperation between industry, academia and innovation ecosystems. This reflects Singapore Blockchain Week's broader ambition to serve as a regional platform where ideas, partnerships and emerging technologies converge to shape Asia's next digital economy.

As the boundaries between AI, blockchain and financial services continue to evolve, the conversations taking place at the Agentic Finance Forum are intended to extend well beyond the conference hall anchored by host and moderator from AIXcellerator and CNBC. Through new partnerships, shared expertise and cross-border collaboration, Singapore Blockchain Week aims to help build an ecosystem where innovation is not only discussed but realised.

Photo : (Left) Singapore Blockchain Week Call For Collaboration Presentation by Ambassador Ms. Sann Carrière - Founder of Orobo and Executive Committee - Director of Manufacturing & Digital Passport, Asia Blockchain Association. (Right) Token of Appreciation to Ms. Joanna Ossinger - Managing Editor, CNBC ; Dr. Marcus Tan - Founder of AI:Xcelertor.

About Singapore Fintech Association

Singapore FinTech Association is a cross-industry, non-profit initiative that serves as a platform to facilitate collaboration among market participants and stakeholders across the FinTech ecosystem with one of its subcommittees focuses on Web3. Supported by a distinguished group of industry and government leaders including :

• Patron: Mr. Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development
• Strategic Advisory :
  - Ms. Ong Chen Hui, Assistant Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority
  - Mr. Soh Leng Wan, Assistant Managing Director, Enterprise Singapore
  - Mr. Neil Parekh, Deputy Chairman, Global Finance & Technology Network
  - Mr. Sanjoy Sen, Managing Director and Group Head, DBS

Their collective leadership supports the asociation’s efforts to foster innovation, collaboration and the development of Singapore’s FinTech ecosystem, both locally and internationally.

For more information, visit https://singaporefintech.org

About StraitsX

StraitsX is the issuer of XSGD and XUSD, Singapore Dollar- and US Dollar-denominated stablecoins that are backed 1:1 by their respective fiat reserves. Licensed as a Major Payment Institution by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, its infrastructure supports stablecoin issuance, payments, settlement, treasury management and connectivity across blockchain networks and traditional payment rails.

With more than US$30 billion in stablecoin transactions and over 3.6 million transactions processed, StraitsX is backed by prominent financial and strategic investors including NTT DOCOMO, Standard Chartered, SC Ventures and InterVest, and secured a further US$10 million strategic investment from UQPAY in 2025 to accelerate its stablecoin and cross-border payments infrastructure across Asia.

For more information, visit https://www.straitsx.com

About Metacomp

MetaComp is a Singapore-based digital finance platform bridging traditional finance and digital assets through regulated, secure and technology-enabled infrastructure. As a Major Payment Institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, MetaComp provides Digital Payment Token and cross-border payment services, alongside solutions spanning trading, custody, payments, stablecoins and digital asset management.

Backed by Alibaba, MetaComp has raised US$35 million in Pre-A funding in 2026, and is expanding its StableX Network while developing AI-enabled infrastructure for the emerging financial economy.

For more information, visit https://www.mce.sg

About Singapore Blockchain Week

Singapore Blockchain Week (SBW) is a government- and association-supported platform connecting Agentic Commerce, Decentralized Finance, Digital Infrastructure, Emerging Technologies, Institutional Tokenisation and Real World Assets accelerating innovation and cross-border collaboration across the region.

Positioned as the world’s first cross-border Blockchain flagship event, the programme spans across Republic of Singapore and Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone in Southern Malaysia. Bringing together policymakers, regulators, entrepreneurs, investors, enterprises and innovators from around the world to foster meaningful dialogue, strategic partnerships and cross-sector collaboration to accelerate responsible innovation and strengthen it’s position as a global hub for the digital economy.

Taking place 13–17 November 2026, SBW will feature conferences, industry forums, networking events and ecosystem initiatives, connecting the people, ideas and technologies shaping the future of finance, technology and digital innovation across Asia.

For more information, visit https://singaporeblockchainweek.org

Join The Singapore Blockchain Week Movement

​Follow our official channels for upcoming regional roadshow, community engagements and event announcements.

• ​Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/singaporeblockchainweekofficial
• ​X : https://x.com/SingaporeBWeek
• ​Telegram :https://t.me/SingaporeBlockchainWeek
• Luma : https://luma.com/singaporeblockchainweek

Singapore Blockchain Week is a community driven flagship event supported by association and government. Join us and play a part in amplifying and shaping the conversations that matter.

• For Key Opinion Leader (KOL) and Influencer :Share your perspectives and co-curate what matters as a thought leader : https://forms.gle/8RTT1nFZR2VQQypd9
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Media Contact

Ms. Faralynn WongAsia Investor RelationsEmail: [email protected]Mobile: +65 8308 1616

Ms. Angelina TanSingapore Blockchain WeekEmail: [email protected]Mobile: +65 8959 2812