Rahul Bhargava is a globally recognised financial sector business leader, board advisor and COO with experience across international bodies (World Bank, Swift, WEF, GFI), global banks (RBS, ICICI), high-growth platforms (Contour, NTT Data, FIS, Accenture) and public advocacy think-tanks (EPAA, Currency Research, AI 2030). He remains engaged deeply with public-private sector evolution of global transaction value chains - domestic & cross-border - towards a less-paper, less-cash, more interoperable and harmonised future.

Contour Network is a Digital Trade Finance Network recently acquired by XDC, driving digitalization across upstream trade finance transactions, extending to document verifiability and tokenisation, to settlement optionality in fiat or using stablecoins. World Bank Group aims to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development with knowledge, financing, and expertise.

Panel Discussion: What is Next?

This panel explores the next phase of digital currency & payments, examining how CBDCs may move from pilots to scalable public infrastructure, how stablecoins could mature through regulation and institutional adoption, and how tokenized deposits may modernize bank money on-chain. Panelists will discuss where these models may compete, converge, or complement one another across payments, settlement, and capital markets. Attendees will gain a forward-looking view of what the digital currency landscape could look like over the next decade and what it means for financial institutions, policymakers, and market participants.