AMRO-IMF Joint Seminar on Cross-Border Digital Payments

Events

AMRO-IMF Joint Seminar on Cross-Border Digital Payments

Date & Time:

March 2, 2026 | Osaka, Japan

Contact: Tune into the livestream on March 2

Cross-border digital payments are playing an increasingly vital role in supporting trade, investment, and financial inclusion across the region. At the same time, they present evolving challenges for policymakers and regulators, including issues related to interoperability, regulatory coordination, risk management, and consumer protection.

Against this backdrop, AMRO and the IMF jointly organize this seminar on Cross-Border Digital Payments to provide a platform for participants to exchange views on recent developments, emerging risks, and key policy considerations shaping the future of cross-border digital payment systems in the ASEAN+3 region.

Program

Time

Program

*All times below refer to Japan Standard time (GMT+9)

08:45 – 09:00

Welcome Remarks

Kenichi Nishikata, Deputy Vice Minister, Ministry of Finance Japan

09:00 – 10:00

Session 1: The Impact of Stablecoins on Cross-Border Payments and Regulation

Moderator: Tatsuya Sugiura, Advisor, Monetary and Capital Markets (MCM) Department, IMF

Panelists:

Kenichi Ueda, Professor, University of Tokyo
Takahide Habuchi, Co-chair of Policy Development Group, Financial Action Task Force
Peter Goodrich, Member of Secretariat, Financial Stability Board

10:15 – 11:15

Session 2: Enhancing Payment Connectivity in ASEAN+3: Opportunities and Challenges

Moderator: Prashant Pande, Senior Financial Specialist, AMRO

Panelists:

Andrew McCormack, CEO, Nexus Global Payments
Ryan Rizaldy, Executive Director of Payment, Bank Indonesia
Julianne Heng, Regional Head of Payments, Grab

11:15 – 12:15

Session 3: Shaping the Future of Regional and Global Financial integration (Closed Door)

Moderator: Runchana Pongsaparn, Group Head and Lead Economist, AMRO

Panelists:

Dong He, Chief Economist, AMRO
Stephanie Haffner, Digital Money Adviser at BIS Eurosystem Centre, BIS
Yuji Yamashita; Principal Financial Sector Specialist, Office of Chief Economist, Economic Research and Development Impact Department; ADB

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch Break

14:00 – 15:00

Roundtable on Regulatory Framework of Stablecoin (Closed Door)

Moderator: Nobuyasu Sugimoto; Deputy Division Chief of Financial Supervision and Regulation, MCM; IMF

Leader Speakers:

Yuta Takanashi; Director for International Digital Strategy; Coordination and Policy Planning Bureau; Financial Services Agency Japan
Rosemary Lim; Executive Director, Payments Department; Monetary Authority of Singapore
Peter Goodrich, Member of Secretariat, Financial Stability Board

15:00 – 15:15

Coffee Break

15:15 – 16:15

Roundtable on Cross-Border payments (Closed Door)

Moderator: Aziz Durrani, Team Lead & Senior Technical Assistance Specialist, AMRO

Lead Speakers:

German S. Constantino, Jr.; Deputy Director, Payments Policy and Development Department; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Shun Kobayashi; Deputy Director-General, Payment and Settlement Systems Department; Bank of Japan
Naphongthawat Phothikit, Senior Director of Payment Systems and Financial Technology Policy Department, Bank of Thailand

16:30 – 16:45

Closing Remarks

Takashi Nagaoka; Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; IMF

Speakers

Kenichi Nishikata

Deputy Vice Minister, Ministry of Finance Japan

Tatsuya Sugiura

Advisor, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF

Kenichi Ueda

Professor, University of Tokyo

Peter Goodrich

Member of Secretariat, Financial Stability Board

Prashant Pande

Senior Financial Specialist, AMRO

Andrew McCormack

CEO, Nexus Global Payments

Ryan Rizaldy

Executive Director of Payment, Bank Indonesia

Julianne Heng

Regional Head of Payments, Grab

Runchana Pongsaparn

Group Head and Lead Economist, AMRO

Dong He

Chief Economist, AMRO

Stephanie Haffner

Digital Money Adviser at BIS Eurosystem Centre, BIS

Yuji Yamashita

Principal Financial Sector Specialist, Office of Chief Economist, Economic Research and Development Impact Department; ADB

Nobuyasu Sugimoto

Deputy Division Chief of Financial Supervision and Regulation, MCM; IMF

Yuta Takanashi

Director for International Digital Strategy; Coordination and Policy Planning Bureau; Financial Services Agency Japan

Rosemary Lim

Executive Director, Payments Department; Monetary Authority of Singapore

Aziz Durrani

Team Lead & Senior Technical Assistance Specialist, AMRO

German S. Constantino, Jr.

Deputy Director, Payments Policy and Development Department; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

Shun Kobayashi

Deputy Director-General, Payment and Settlement Systems Department; Bank of Japan

Naphongthawat Phothikit

Senior Director of Payment Systems and Financial Technology Policy Department, Bank of Thailand

Takashi Nagaoka

Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; IMF