Louise is a director in Mastercard’s Global Policy team, with responsibility for digital assets and blockchain. Prior to working at Mastercard, Louise spent 14 years in central banking – leading on the UK Digital Pound consultation paper and working in the BIS Innovation Hub Nordic Center.

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Mastercard operates one of the world’s most trusted payments networks and for close to a decade has been exploring how new forms of digital money can complement existing payment systems in a way that is safe, resilient and trusted

How interoperability can unlock the potential of digital asset innovation

Over the past decade, blockchain-based ecosystems have sparked transformative innovation across money, payments, and financial markets. Driven by rising consumer demand for instant digital services, central banks, financial institutions, market infrastructures, payment providers, and fintechs are reimagining how the financial system should operate. While bold visions of unified platforms and “big bang” transformations are compelling, true progress depends on interoperability with today’s global financial infrastructure. This session explores how we can bridge traditional and digital ecosystems, unlocking efficiency gains while safely navigating the new digital borders shaping the future of finance.