2025 Speakers
David Katz
Vice President for Strategy & Public Policy, Asia Pacific
Circle
David Katz is the Vice President for Strategy and Policy for the Asia Pacific region at Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), a global financial technology firm and stablecoin market leader. As a member of Circle’s global and APAC senior leadership teams, his focus is on strategic planning for markets and engaging APAC governments and stakeholders on policies related to Circle’s products and services.
David was the Managing Director of Public Affairs for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) based in Singapore. David led the corporate communications, government relations, corporate citizenship and sustainability functions for KKR across Asia Pacific markets. David was a member of KKR’s Asia Pacific leadership team. David also served as Director of Public Affairs Asia Pacific for Intuitive, the global leader in surgical robotics and manufacturer of the DaVinci surgical robot.
Previously he was the Deputy Head of Global Government Relations and Head of Asia Pacific Government Relations for PayPal Inc. and sat on PayPal’s Asia Pacific leadership team. Prior to PayPal Inc., he worked at eBay Inc., where he managed Asia Pacific GR for both eBay Marketplace and PayPal - then owned by eBay Inc. Before joining eBay, David worked at Visa Inc. where he served as their first head of GR for the Asia region.
David was Chief of Party of a USAID program in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat in Singapore, where he advanced policy and capacity building. David served in the Executive Office of the President for eight years as a Senior Director at the United States Trade Representative (USTR) with responsibility for Southeast Asia, APEC, China and Taiwan trade policy. Prior to USTR, David was an economic officer in the U.S. diplomatic service, with tours in Taiwan, Mongolia, and Singapore, and he was a special assistant to U.S. Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell.
David earned an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and his BA from the University of California at Berkeley.
Speaking At
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10:55–11:45amWed 17 SepSummit StageSummit Stage, (5F), BOT Learning CenterOpen
Others
Turning Everything into Token: Revolutionizing Finance or Creating a Digital Wild West?
Summit StageSummit Stage, (5F), BOT Learning CenterOpen
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David KatzVice President for Strategy & Public Policy, Asia PacificCircle
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Kah Kit YipHead of Blockchain & Digital AssetsUOB
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Dr. Nopnuanparn PavasantAssistant Secretary-GeneralSEC Thailand
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Seker S BHead of Asia PacificBinance
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Angela AngHead of Policy & Strategic Partnerships, APACTRM LabsModerator
About this session
From real estate and bonds to tokenized deposits and stablecoins, tokenization could make both assets and payment flow instantly and globally. While it may promise liquidity, efficiency, and programmable settlement, it also raises questions about regulatory oversight, interoperability, and operational resilience. This panel examines both the potential and the limitations including necessary precaution as tokenization moves into mainstream finance.
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