Hi SupTech Community,
Welcome to the 31st issue of the Cambridge SupTech Lab bi-weekly LinkedIn newsletter, a source for updates on recent innovations, breakthroughs, opportunities, upcoming events in the suptech field, and news from the Cambridge SupTech Lab team.
If you would like to flag any items for inclusion in the next newsletter, please email us at cambridgesuptechlab@jbs.cam.ac.uk. Occasionally, we email our global community of supervisors, data scientists, vendors, and suptech experts to share event invites, news, or new courses—subscribe here.
This edition includes news from the Asian Development Bank, Bank for International Settlements, Bank of England, Central Banking, CGAP, Central Bank of Ireland, Financial Stability Board, Global Government Fintech, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, International Monetary Fund, Regtech Africa, and others.
Suptech Innovations
Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub unveils its 2025-26 work programme, focusing on technological innovation and Central Bank collaboration. The BIS Innovation Hub is currently overseeing 26 active projects, with two new initiatives for 2025: Project AISE, which aims to improve financial supervision using artificial intelligence (AI), and Project Gaia, which will expand on the existing green finance efforts. The programme also emphasises horizon scanning to monitor emerging financial technologies and promote synergies across ongoing projects. Key efforts such as Project Agora explore tokenisation for cross-border payments, while projects like Nexus and mBridge are advancing towards real-world implementation. Read more here.
Central Banking & Technology
Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launches Supervisory Incubator to guide banks in distributed-ledger technology (DLT) adoption. The HKMA has introduced a ‘supervisory incubator’ to help banks adopt DLT while managing associated risks. The platform offers supervisory feedback, live trials, and guidance on risk management, with a focus on tokenised deposits. This initiative aims to ensure smooth integration of DLT with traditional banking systems, promoting industry best practices and enhancing banks’ risk management capabilities. Read more here.
Central Bank of Ireland selects participants for inaugural Innovation Sandbox Programme. The Central Bank of Ireland has chosen seven participants for its inaugural Innovation Sandbox Programme aimed at tackling financial crime. The selected firms, from Ireland, Europe, and the UK, will develop solutions to enhance digital identity verification, anti-money laundering, fraud detection, and transaction security. Over six months, they will receive regulatory support, access to data platforms, and engage in tailored workshops to refine their solutions. Read more here.
The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and Bank of England launch an exchange program to strengthen crypto regulation expertise. This initiative, known as the Transatlantic Regulatory Exchange (TRE), will facilitate the exchange of senior staff between the two institutions, allowing participants to gain firsthand experience in each other’s regulatory environments. Starting in February 2025, the program will focus on fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing on digital asset oversight. The initiative builds on NYDFS’s leadership in crypto regulation and the United Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to explore digital currency frameworks. This partnership aims to strengthen international cooperation and influence global regulatory standards in the evolving digital asset sector. Read more here.
The European Banking Authority’s (EBA’s) Single Programming Document (SPD) for 2025-2027 outlines strategic priorities focused on financial stability, regulatory frameworks and innovation. The EBA’s SPD for 2025-2027 highlights key priorities, including finalizing the Single Rulebook, promoting financial stability, overseeing DORA and MiCAR regulations, enhancing reporting systems, and fostering innovation while ensuring a smooth transition to the new anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework. In 2025, the EBA will refine its data point model and leverage the EUCLID platform to improve data transparency. The authority will also monitor developments in financial innovation, focusing on the use of suptech and regtech, along with AI/ML applications, tokenization, decentralized finance, and value chain changes. Read more here.
The newly formed SupTech Industry Group (SIG) is set to drive innovation and collaboration in the suptech ecosystem, focusing on scaling solutions for government and regulatory use. Founding members include leading suptech vendors such as Proto, FNA, Winnow Technologies, FT Solutions, and EMTECH. With the support of the Cambridge SupTech Lab, the SIG will meet regularly to share best practices, address procurement challenges, and align solutions with growing regulatory demand. By showcasing their technologies at events like SupTech Week 2024, SIG members aim to drive sustainable, large-scale deployment of suptech solutions. Read more here.
The BIS Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) takes further steps to promote ISO 20022 harmonisation for enhanced cross-border payments. The BIS CPMI is advancing the adoption of harmonised ISO 20022 data requirements to improve cross-border payments. In early 2025, CPMI will establish a global panel to maintain these data requirements and support industry efforts to develop fast payment guidelines. The CPMI also encourages payment system operators to implement these requirements by 2027, aiming to enhance payment efficiency and safety globally. Read more here.
Bank of England (BoE) publishes blueprint framework for digital pound. The BoE has released a blueprint for the digital pound, outlining the aims, scope, and design focus areas of its retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. Published on January 14, this blueprint marks the first in the BoE’s “design notes” series, which aims to share insights from the ongoing design phase. The bank emphasised that no decision has been made on whether to proceed with a retail CBDC. Read more here.
CGAP introduces a framework to address exclusion risks in climate-related financial regulation. A new working paper by the CGAP presents a framework to assess how climate-related financial regulations may unintentionally limit access to credit for vulnerable groups in emerging markets. Based on data from Bangladesh, Brazil, and Colombia, the paper calls for a balanced, phased approach to regulation that supports both financial stability and inclusion. Further research is needed to refine regulatory measures and enhance inclusive financial solutions. Read more here.
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has developed a new framework and toolkit to assess climate-related vulnerabilities in the global financial system. The FSB’s analytical framework will help identify and quantify the drivers of climate risks and their financial impact, both in the financial system and the real economy. The accompanying toolkit includes forward-looking metrics such as proxies, exposure metrics, and risk metrics to assess transition and physical climate risks. As the understanding of these vulnerabilities evolves, the framework and toolkit will be refined to address emerging data and methodological challenges. Read more here.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) report calls for clear regulatory framework for crypto assets in Kenya. A new IMF technical assistance report, prepared at the request of Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority, outlines recommendations for regulating crypto assets. It emphasises the need for a comprehensive legislative framework with clear definitions, inter-agency cooperation, and ongoing market monitoring. The report highlights consumer protection through financial literacy and regulatory clarity, urging a framework that balances innovation with financial stability, while leveraging international best practices to enhance Kenya’s regulatory approach. Read more here.
Events
RegTech Africa Conference and Awards 2025: Unlocking Africa’s cross-border payments, trade, and investment opportunities through public-private partnerships (PPPs). This event, scheduled for May 22-23 in Lagos, Nigeria, will focus on leveraging PPPs to accelerate Africa’s economic growth. The event will gather over 1,000 global leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators to tackle key challenges in cross-border payments, trade, and investment. With a focus on PPP-driven solutions, the conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, innovative exhibitions and networking opportunities, alongside the RegTech Africa Awards. This gathering aims to foster collaborations and showcase technologies that will drive Africa’s economic integration and prosperity. Read more here.
The Asian Development Bank Institute-South Asian University (ADBI-SAU) conference will explore strategies for building resilient banking systems in Asia and the Pacific. Set to take place online on January 30-31, 2025, the “From Crisis to Resilience: Shaping the Future of Banking in Asia and the Pacific” conference, cohosted by the ADBI and SAU, will focus on the banking sector’s ability to withstand future crises. Experts will assess lessons from past disruptions, such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis, while addressing emerging risks like cyber threats, climate change, and digital finance. The event aims to foster collaboration among policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders to enhance the stability and resilience of banking systems in the region, supporting sustainable economic growth. Read more here.
The IMF Institute to host a series of training courses at the Singapore Training Institute (STI) in 2025. The IMF, in collaboration with the governments of Singapore and Japan, will offer a range of training programs at the STI throughout 2025. These courses, designed for officials from 38 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, will cover topics such as macroeconomic policy communication, fintech, climate change, and financial sector surveillance. Participation is mainly by application, with certain courses open by invitation, and a self-financed policy for attendees from advanced regional countries. The training aims to enhance regional expertise in navigating complex economic challenges and promoting sustainable growth. Read more here.
The BIS, BoE, ECB, and IMF announce a 2025 conference on global economic fragmentation and its policy challenges. The joint conference, titled “Policy Challenges in a Fragmenting World: Global Trade, Exchange Rates, and Capital Flows,” will be held in Frankfurt on April 29-30, 2025. The event will explore the evolving dynamics of global trade, exchange rates, and capital flows amid rising geopolitical tensions and economic fragmentation. Bringing together recent research in international economics and finance, the conference will focus on the impact of these changes on economic policy, particularly in relation to the international transmission of shocks and the roles of monetary, fiscal, and macroprudential policies. Researchers are invited to submit papers by February 16, 2025. Read more here.
The IMF Institute to offer a series of training courses at South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in New Delhi in 2025. The IMF Institute will host multiple training courses at the SARTTAC in New Delhi, India, throughout 2025. These courses, designed for officials from South Asian countries, will cover topics such as macroeconomics, risk-based audit techniques, and climate-related financial risks. Participants can apply for these in-person courses, with a self-financed policy for candidates from advanced regional countries and international agencies. The training aims to strengthen regional capacity and enhance the effectiveness of financial governance and policymaking. Read more here.
The CPMI-IOSCO workshops highlight the growing need to address climate risks within financial market infrastructures (FMIs). On March 26 and April 16, 2024, the CPMI and IOSCO hosted virtual workshops with over 300 participants to discuss climate risks and their impact on FMIs. Keynote speakers emphasized integrating climate risk management into FMIs’ operations, using the CPMI-IOSCO Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMI) to identify and mitigate risks. Experts stressed the importance of a system-wide approach, improved data, and resilience strategies to protect financial stability against climate-related challenges. Read more here.
AI in Finance: How to Approach Financial Regulation. In this episode of the “Future of Finance” podcast, host Itay Goldstein discusses the benefits of AI in the investment industry – and the ways AI might lead to unintentional collusion. Italy Goldstein is joined by Tobias Adrian, Financial Counsellor and Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the International Monetary Fund. Watch the full conversation here.
