NEW YORK, NY, September 28, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The World Business Angels Investment Forum USA Country Office hosted an invitation-only Executive Roundtable, "The Future of Finance: Innovation, Intelligence, and Technology Architecture," in New York on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81).

The high-level dialogue brought together international experts to examine how financial innovation is moving beyond traditional fintech and reshaping the broader financial architecture—from investment and capital formation to banking, payments, digital assets, tokenization, settlement, financial inclusion, and cross-border transactions

"It was a privilege to chair this Financial Innovation event and to convene such an exceptional group of speakers. I am deeply grateful to our distinguished experts for contributing their perspectives to a dialogue that increasingly transcends the boundaries of traditional finance," said Prof. Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes.

The distinguished speakers, listed alphabetically, included Imtiaz Adam, Nafis Alam, Dr. Sindhu Bhaskar, Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld, Amna Usman Chaudhry, John Ho, Dr. Ritesh Jain, Tony Moroney, Dr. Efi Pylarinou and Dr. Karen Wendt.

The roundtable took place as financial innovation has become increasingly prominent on the international economic agenda. The International Monetary Fund is examining the implications of tokenization, digital money and evolving financial infrastructures for the architecture and stability of the financial system. The World Bank continues to advance digital financial services, payment infrastructure and financial inclusion as enablers of economic development. The European Central Bank is advancing tokenized finance through initiatives on digital payments, tokenized assets, and settlement infrastructure.

The discussion also reflected priorities advanced by the G20, including through the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), where responsible financial innovation, financial inclusion, and broader participation in the financial system remain important components of the global development agenda.

Against the backdrop of UNGA 81 and its theme, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All," the WBAF USA roundtable highlighted finance as an enabling architecture for economic and technological transformation.

The dialogue reinforced a central message: the next era of financial innovation will be defined not simply by introducing new technologies, but by the capacity to translate innovation into trusted financial ecosystems and measurable economic and societal impact.

About WBAF

The World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) is an international organization that aims to ease access to finance for businesses from start-up to scale-up, with the ultimate goal of generating more jobs and advancing social justice worldwide. It is committed to collaborating globally to advance economic development by creating innovative financial instruments for innovators, startups, and SMEs.

The Forum engages leaders across society, especially in business and political spheres, to assess needs and set goals, keeping the public interest paramount. WBAF engages a wide range of institutions—public and private, local and international, commercial and academic—to help shape the global agenda.

Media Contact
[email protected]

# # #