Connect.
Share. Inspire.

In-Person | Toronto | October 12–13

UBRI Connect brings scholars, researchers, and thought leaders in the UBRI network to showcase blockchain initiatives, share knowledge, and inspire future research.
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UBRI Connect

UBRI Connect

On October 12-13, join in‑person to hear the latest and update your knowledge base on the following topics:

  • Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)
  • Decentralized Finance and DEX
  • Tokenization
  • Identity
  • Applications & Use Cases
  • Blockchain for Good - Sustainability

Speakers

Speakers

Aanchal Malhotra

Head of Research
Ripple

Adrien Treccani

CEO
Metaco SA

Ahmed Zawia

Graduate student
University of Waterloo

Andreas Veneris

Professor
University of Toronto

Ariel Zetlin-Jones

Associate Professor of Economics
Carnegie Mellon University

Arno Pernthaler

Chairman
DEC Institute

Chu Wei Rong

Team Lead, Blockchain Department, NUS Fintech Society
National University of Singapore

Daniel Rabetti

S. Dhanabalan Chair in Quantitative Studies & Assistant Professor of Finance
National University of Singapore

Dave McKay

Technical Lead, Cybersecurity Research Lab
Toronto Metropolitan University

Dawn Song

Professor
UC Berkeley

Elaine Shi

Associate Professor
Carnegie Mellon University

Flaviene Scheidt de Cristo

PhD Student
University of Luxembourg

George Mocsary

Professor of Law
University of Wyoming College of Law

Gregory Landau

CEO & Co-Founder
Regen Network

Guiwen Luo

Postdoc
University of Waterloo

Gustavo Salaiz

Professor
ITAM

Henry Kim

Associate Professor & Director, Blockchain.lab
Schulich School of Business, York University

Hitesh Tewari

Assistant Professor
Trinity College Dublin

Hyunok Oh

Professor/CEO
Hanyang University/Zkrypto

Ignacio Amores

PhD Student
University of Bern

Ikhlaq Sidhu

Dean of the School of Science and Technology
IE University

Jefferson Colombo

Assistant Professor
Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) / São Paulo School of Economics

Jillian Grennan

Associate Professor
UC Berkeley

Joe Vollono

Director, Business Development CBDC
Ripple

Julian Kanjere

Founder & CEO
Mandla Money

Keith Lim

Co-Director, Blockchain Department, NUS Fintech Society
National University of Singapore

Ken Weber

VP, Social Impact & Sustainability
Ripple

Laura Chioda

Director of Research
UC Berkeley

Leid Zejnilovic

Academic Co-Director / Assistant Professor
Data Science Knowledge Center / Nova School of Business and Economics

Marcos Simplicio

Associate Professor
Universidade de São Paulo

Mariarosaria Barbaraci

PhD Student
University of Bern

Moazzam Khoja

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
University of Texas at Austin

Mohamad Sadegh Sangari

Postdoctoral Researcher
Cybersecurity Research Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University

Nicholas MacGregor Garcia

Co-Director, NUS Fintech Lab
National University of Singapore

Qihong Ruan

PhD Candidate
Cornell University

Radu State

Professor
University of Luxembourg

Rasa Karapandza

Professor of Finance & Economics/Vice Dean Education
New York University Abu Dhabi & EBS Business School

Roberto Caparroz de Almeida

Professor
FGV Direito Sp

Rudrapatna Shyamasundar

INAE Distingusihed Professor
IIT Bombay

Sagar Shah

Head of Custody
Ripple

Sangita Gazi

Senior Research Fellow, Fintech and Blockchain Program
Rutgers Law School

Sara Rouhani

Assistant Professor
University of Manitoba

Sarah Hammer

Professor and Executive Director
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Say Keong Poh

Student
National University of Singapore

Scott Hendry

Senior Director
Bank of Canada

Shihao Yu

Postdoctoral Researcher
Columbia University

Stu Alderody

Chief Legal Officer
Ripple

Vito Tumas

PhD Candidate
University of Luxembourg

Walter Hernandez

Research Fellow
DLT Science Foundation

Yuliya Guseva

Professor of Law
Rutgers Law School

Venue

Venue

The two day conference will be hosted at the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Ted Rogers School of Management

Toronto Metropolitan University
Ted Rogers School of Management

55 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2C3

Accommodations

Accommodations

Ripple has reserved a block of rooms for UBRI attendees at the Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, which is located right next door to TMU in the Ted Rogers School of Management.  The deadline to book a room within the UBRI block has passed, however, you may still be able to reserve a room at the Marriott by calling 416-597-9200.

Alternative hotel options nearby are linked below:

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Toronto Downtown

108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G1R3

Chelsea Toronto Hotel
33 Gerrard Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G1Z4

Agenda

Day 0

Day 0

October 11

Oct 11, 2023 7:00 AM

Welcome Happy Hour

To Be Announced

|

Welcome Happy Hour

Oct 11, 2023 5:00 PM

Day 1

Day 1

October 12

Oct 12, 2023 7:00 AM

Global Hub Breakfast

F&B Hospitality

Global Hub Breakfast

Oct 12, 2023 8:00 AM

Welcome Remarks: Canadian Hosts

Main Plenary

|

Welcome Remarks: Canadian Hosts

Anwar Hassan, Atefah Mashatan and Andreas Veneris

Oct 12, 2023 9:00 AM

Welcome Remarks & Morning Keynote: Revolutionizing Traditional Finance: From CBDC's to On Chain Innovations

Main Plenary

|

Keynote

Welcome Remarks & Morning Keynote: Revolutionizing Traditional Finance: From CBDC's to On Chain Innovations

Lauren Weymouth, Dawn Song and Aanchal Mallhotra

Oct 12, 2023 9:05 AM

Unpacking the Future of Finance with the Bank of Canada's Digital Loonie

Main Plenary

|

Fireside Chat

Unpacking the Future of Finance with the Bank of Canada's Digital Loonie

Andreas Veneris and Scott Hendry

Oct 12, 2023 9:45 AM

CBDC Workshop

Main Plenary

|

CBDC Workshop

CBDC Workshop

Joe Vollono (Ripple Host), with Kenichi Uedai, Julian Kanjere, & Marcos Simplicio

Oct 12, 2023 10:25 AM

Coffee Break

F&B Hospitality

Coffee Break

Oct 12, 2023 10:55 AM

Breaking Through the Blocks: Decentralized Trade and Supply Chain Finance

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Talks

Breaking Through the Blocks: Decentralized Trade and Supply Chain Finance

Mohamad Sangari

Oct 12, 2023 11:15 AM

Mastering Virtual Asset Regulation: A Deep Dive into Risks, Stakeholders, Models, and Technological Integration

Breakout Room 1

|

Regulation Talks

Mastering Virtual Asset Regulation: A Deep Dive into Risks, Stakeholders, Models, and Technological Integration

Ikhlaq Sidhu

Oct 12, 2023 11:15 AM

Regulation Talk

Breakout Room 1

|

Regulation Talks

Regulation Talk

Sarah Hammer

Oct 12, 2023 11:35 AM

Demystifying Frontrunning on XRP Ledger

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Talks

Demystifying Frontrunning on XRP Ledger

Ignacio Amores and Vito Tumas

Oct 12, 2023 11:40 AM

Governance and the Digital Economy: Unpacking Stablecoin and CBDC Regulations

Breakout Room 1

|

Regulation Talks

Governance and the Digital Economy: Unpacking Stablecoin and CBDC Regulations

Sangita Gazi

Oct 12, 2023 12:00 PM

Understanding the Impact of Perpetual Smart Contracts

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Talks

Understanding the Impact of Perpetual Smart Contracts

Shihao Yu & Qihong Ruan

Oct 12, 2023 12:05 PM

Lunch

F&B Hospitality

Lunch

Oct 12, 2023 12:25 PM

US Governance

Main Plenary

|

Fireside Chat

US Governance

George Mocsary and Stu Alderoty

Oct 12, 2023 1:25 PM

Competition of Liquidity in Centralized vs. Decentralized Markets

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Presentations

Competition of Liquidity in Centralized vs. Decentralized Markets

Moazzam Khoja

Oct 12, 2023 1:55 PM

Distributed Cryptography and Blockchain: A Perfect Match

Breakout Room 1

|

Cryptography

Distributed Cryptography and Blockchain: A Perfect Match

Mariarosaria Barbaraci

Oct 12, 2023 1:55 PM

Revolutionizing Remittances: DeFi's Transformative Impact in the Latam Region

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Presentations

Revolutionizing Remittances: DeFi's Transformative Impact in the Latam Region

Gustavo Salaiz

Oct 12, 2023 2:15 PM

A New Class of Trapdoor Verifiable Functions

Breakout Room 1

|

Cryptography

A New Class of Trapdoor Verifiable Functions

Ahmed Zawia

Oct 12, 2023 2:15 PM

The Collaboration with Ripple: Made Zk-SNARK Possible in Hook

Breakout Room 1

|

Cryptography

The Collaboration with Ripple: Made Zk-SNARK Possible in Hook

Radu State & Pavel Pantiukhov

Oct 12, 2023 2:40 PM

Oracles Enhance Interoperability Among Integrated DeFi Protocols

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Presentations

Oracles Enhance Interoperability Among Integrated DeFi Protocols

Daniel Rabetti

Oct 12, 2023 2:40 PM

Unlocking Efficient zkSNARKs: Advancements in Multi-Scalar Multiplications & Pippenger's Algorithm

Breakout Room 1

|

Cryptography

Unlocking Efficient zkSNARKs: Advancements in Multi-Scalar Multiplications & Pippenger's Algorithm

Guiwen Luo

Oct 12, 2023 3:00 PM

Challenges and Best Practices in Creating a DEX in DAO Based Approach

Breakout Room 2

|

DeFi Presentations

Challenges and Best Practices in Creating a DEX in DAO Based Approach

Roberto Almeida

Oct 12, 2023 3:00 PM

Coffee Break

F&B Hospitality

|

Coffee Break

Oct 12, 2023 3:20 PM

Building a Professional Society for Blockchain and DeFi Practitioners

Main Plenary

|

Building a Professional Society for Blockchain and DeFi Practitioners

Arno Pernthaler (DEC)

Oct 12, 2023 3:40 PM

Liquidity Provisions in DeFi Markets

Main Plenary

Liquidity Provisions in DeFi Markets

Ariel Zetlin-Jones

Oct 12, 2023 4:20 PM

Custody

Main Plenary

|

Fireside Chat

Custody

Sagar Shah (Sr Director of Custody) & Adrien Treccani (CEO, Metaco)

Oct 12, 2023 4:45 PM

Closing Remarks

Main Plenary

|

Closing Remarks

Oct 12, 2023 5:15 PM

UBRI Celebration

University of Toronto | Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship

|

UBRI Celebration

Oct 12, 2023 6:30 PM

Day 2

Day 2

October 13

Oct 13, 2023 7:00 AM

XRPL Workshop

F&B Hospitality

|

Workshop

XRPL Workshop

Oct 13, 2023 8:00 AM

Creative Application of Blockchain for Global Impact Goals

Main Plenary

|

Panal Discussion

Creative Application of Blockchain for Global Impact Goals

Ken Weber (Host) with Jillian Grennan & Gregory

Oct 13, 2023 9:00 AM

Pandemic Wealth and Digital Assets: An Exploration of Cryptocurrencies and Financial Inclusion

Main Plenary

|

Panal Discussion

Pandemic Wealth and Digital Assets: An Exploration of Cryptocurrencies and Financial Inclusion

Laura Chioda (Host) with Henry Kim, Rasa Karapandza and Juliet Elu

Oct 13, 2023 9:40 AM

Privacy in Commercial Level Blockchain Applications: zkVoing and zkPoR

Main Plenary

|

Keynote

Privacy in Commercial Level Blockchain Applications: zkVoing and zkPoR

Hyunok Oh

Oct 13, 2023 10:20 AM

Coffee Break

F&B Hospitality

|

Coffee Break

Oct 13, 2023 10:40 AM

Digital Cows: Tokenizing Australian Cattle

Breakout Room 1

|

Use Case

Digital Cows: Tokenizing Australian Cattle

Scott Chamberlain

Oct 13, 2023 11:10 AM

Biometrics in Decentralized Identity

Breakout Room 2

|

Next Gen Identity

Biometrics in Decentralized Identity

Hitesh Tewari

Oct 13, 2023 11:10 AM

Decoding the New Wave of Asian FinTech: The Crypto Spring and DeFi Through the Lens of Singapore

Breakout Room 1

|

Use Case

Decoding the New Wave of Asian FinTech: The Crypto Spring and DeFi Through the Lens of Singapore

Nicholas Garcia

Oct 13, 2023 11:40 AM

Effective and Secure Blockchain Interoperability

Breakout Room 2

|

Next Gen Identity

Effective and Secure Blockchain Interoperability

Sara Rouhani

Oct 13, 2023 11:40 AM

Unlocking Transparency in Football Transfers: The Power of Blockchain and Smart Contracts

Breakout Room 1

|

Use Case

Unlocking Transparency in Football Transfers: The Power of Blockchain and Smart Contracts

Gabriel Silva Cogo

Oct 13, 2023 12:10 PM

Design and implementation of Trust Registries for Decentralized Digital Identity

Breakout Room 2

|

Next Gen Identity

Design and implementation of Trust Registries for Decentralized Digital Identity

Dave McKay

Oct 13, 2023 12:10 PM

Lunch Demos

F&B Hospitality

|

Demo

Lunch Demos

Jefferson Colombo, Say Keong Poh, Chu Wei Rong & Keith Lim Hyunok Oh, Julian Kanjere

Oct 13, 2023 12:30 PM

Oblivious Ram (Pre-record)

Breakout Room 1

|

Think Outside The Box

Oblivious Ram (Pre-record)

Elaine Shi

Oct 13, 2023 1:30 PM

Approach for Concurrency Testing of XRPL Consensus Algorithm

Breakout Room 2

|

Advanced DLT Techniques

Approach for Concurrency Testing of XRPL Consensus Algorithm

Annibale Panichella

Oct 13, 2023 1:30 PM

NLAC: A Self-Maintained Trust Overlay for the XRP Ledger

Breakout Room 2

|

Advanced DLT Techniques

NLAC: A Self-Maintained Trust Overlay for the XRP Ledger

Flaviene Scheidt de Cristo

Oct 13, 2023 2:00 PM

Natural Language Processing and Blockchain toward ESG

Breakout Room 1

|

Think Outside The Box

Natural Language Processing and Blockchain toward ESG

Walter Hernandez

Oct 13, 2023 2:10 PM

Taxonomy of Blockchains Based on PoS: BFT, Forking, Finality and Fairness

Breakout Room 2

|

Advanced DLT Techniques

Taxonomy of Blockchains Based on PoS: BFT, Forking, Finality and Fairness

RK Shyamasundar

Oct 13, 2023 2:30 PM

BBF Evaluation of benchmarking XRP and Ethereum Protocols

Breakout Room 1

|

Think Outside The Box

BBF Evaluation of benchmarking XRP and Ethereum Protocols

Klitos Christodoulou and Marios Touloupou

Oct 13, 2023 2:35 PM

Coffee Break

F&B Hospitality

Coffee Break

Oct 13, 2023 2:50 PM

DAO Workshop

Main Plenary

|

DAO Workshop

DAO Workshop

Ripple Host with Jungpil Hahn and Leid Zejnilovic

Oct 13, 2023 3:25 PM

UBRI Awards Ceremony

Main Plenary

|

Close

UBRI Awards Ceremony

Oct 13, 2023 3:55 PM

UBRI NETWORK

The UBRI Network

  • Australian National University
  • Arizona State University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Delft University
  • Duke University
  • EPITA
  • ETH Zurich
  • Fundacao Getulio Vargas
  • Georgetown University
  • IE Madrid
  • Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
  • Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM)
  • International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad
  • Korea University
  • Kyoto University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Morgan State University
  • National University of Singapore
  • Northeastern University
  • NOVA School of Business and Economics
  • NYU Abu Dhabi
  • Princeton University
  • Portland State University
  • Reykjavik University
  • Royal University of Bhutan
  • Rutgers University
  • Stanford University
  • Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson)
  • Trinity College Dublin
  • Tsinghua University
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  • University of Bern
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  • University of Michigan
  • University of Nicosia
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  • University of Oregon
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Sao Paolo
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • University of Tokyo
  • University of Trento
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Waterloo
  • University of Wyoming
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  • Victoria University

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