The signature event of the week took place at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, with GibFin London. “The Gibraltar International Fintech Forum (Gibfin) is the primary symposium for the Gibraltar DLT Ecosystem and GibFin London is now bringing that forum to the QEII conference centre in the centre of London, giving the widest possible audience the chance to join the global visionaries who are forging the DLT future and to experience Gibraltar’s world-leading DLT community.”
The event was opened by The Hon Fabian Picardo, QC, MP, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, followed by Albert Isola MP, Minister for Commerce. Jonathan Garcia commented – “The Hon. Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister, and the Hon. Albert Isola, Minister for Financial Services, Government of Gibraltar, has just addressed the audience at GibFin London. GibFin London is bringing together internationally recognised and respected speakers from around the world to investigate and discuss the very latest developments in the world of blockchain, DLT and tokenomics.
Joey Garcia delivered one of two keynote addresses, a presentation on global regulation and developments in the dlt space, covering the global regulatory developments in store for 2019 and the impact this will have on the DLT market. Jonathan Garcia commented online that “Lots of topics covered, from AML and KYC to consumer protection and the current focus on security tokens. It is clear though, that the technology cannot be harnessed productively without new rules and new approaches to legal thinking. This is how Gibraltar distinguishes itself from other jurisdictions – it has enacted legislation purposely built for this space rather than rely on legacy frameworks which are not strictly fit for purpose”
Later in the day, ISOLAS’ Emma Lejeune moderated an interesting and engaging discussion panel providing a fascinating insight into the future of family offices and private individuals investing in the space. The robust discussions centred around Cryptocurrencies as part of a diversified portfolio and direct investment into blockchain ventures. The widespread opportunities, as well as some of the legal issues surrounding blockchain-based investments were also discussed.
The concluding panel was one of the highlights of the day discussing the story of the DLT regulations from initial theory to becoming a reality, offering a viable framework for businesses operating in Gibraltar that are storing or transmitting digital assets. Jonathan Garcia also commented further, saying “what a privilege it is for ISOLAS LLP to have Joey Garcia, introduced earlier in the conference as one of the pioneers in the DLT space, addressing the crowd on the unique points of this regulatory structure. Great for ISOLAS LLP to have shared this journey with Coinfloor, the UK’s oldest cryptocurrency exchange, also participating in the panel discussions, in becoming the first licensed DLT Provider in Gibraltar and great hearing from Obi Nwosu, CEO and Co-Founder of Coinfloor, on how such a landmark achievement has been accomplished and why Coinfloor decided to make Gibraltar its home.
