Starting in 2021, I have been driving RBI’s strategy and R&D efforts, primarily related to the assessment and adoption of Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) through a number of strategic and experimental projects.

Responsibilities:
– Steer strategic initiatives exploring emerging technology topics (e.g., Gen AI, Digital Euro) with a focus on blockchain (e.g., Cryptocurrencies, Tokenized Assets, Blockchain Payments, DeFi), resulting in presentations to senior stakeholders including the Management Board.
– Lead product development from ideation and problem validation to solution design.
– Manage internal (e.g., compliance, risk, IT) and external partners in various projects.
– Advise Elevator Ventures (CVC) on investments in startups.
– Engage with the digital asset ecosystem to identify new opportunities.
– Represent RBI’s Blockchain Hub at various conferences and industry meetings.

Examples of past projects:
– Strategy paper on New Forms of Money: Technological, regulatory, and societal trends have led to the emergence of new forms of money such as retail & wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC), tokenized deposits, and stablecoins. The impact of these new forms of money was assessed, and next steps were proposed.
– Strategy paper on GenAI: With the emergence of ChatGPT, the potential impact of GenAI on various industries, including banking was highlighted. The findings and subsequent steps were presented, evolving into a major transformation project.
– Stablecoin projects: RBI started experimenting with a stablecoin in 2021, creating a stablecoin for intrabank liquidity management and settlement of tokenized fund shares (RBI Coin) and an internal stablecoin (Raiffeisen Euro-backed Stable Token) for internal and educational activities. Since mid-2023, RBI has been actively involved in developing a regulated EUR-stablecoin in collaboration with external parties.