Professor Lawrence H. White to kick-off the 2009 Digital Money Forum

[Dave Birch] Lawrence White is the F. A. Hayek Professor of Economic History and the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the author of, amongst other things, “Currency and Competition” and “Free Banking in Britain 1800-1845”, books that changed my view of both the history and future of payments, so I am utterly delighted to be able to announce that Larry will be in London to give the kick-off talk at this year's 12th annual Digital Money Forum on 31st March and 1st April 2009. You can view the full agenda online over at the Digital Money Forum or you can download it here (248.3K).

The Forum is now in its twelfth year, and once again promises the combination of discussion and debate, learning and fun, that has earned it the reputation as the place to be for people interested in the future of retail electronic payments. It continues to be a unique event, where interaction and invention replace product announcements and “death by Powerpoint” sales pitches. This year we are moving the agenda forwards again to look at some of the issues and drivers around the evolution of technology the electronic payments world.

As you may know, this is a not-for-profit event that supports a variety of charities. This year we are supporting BUFFER (which provides specialist diagnostic equipment for breast cancer), Action Medical Research and Jubilee Action which helps children worldwide. This years Forum is made possible by the kindness of our sponsors Visa Europe, Monetise, WebMoney and VoicePay with support from our charity tournament sponsor ACI Worldwide.

Once again we have decided to structure the Forum around four sessions followed by a variety of expert panels.

• Session one recognises that the future of payments is linked to the future of money. if cash goes away, the cost of new entrants falls. What might they be? Private or public? Commodity or community?
• Session two looks at the specific issue of security to see if biometrics and other technologies might be moving into position to make a significant impact on the payments world in the coming year.
• Session three examines how successful payment schemes change societies and marketplaces, and takes an ethnographic perspective to help us to learn more about introducing new payment systems.
• Session four looks at innovation in different ways: new processes, new technology and new frameworks. How can the payments sector take all of these imminent changes on board and make real innovation work.

Some come and join our experts from the World Bank, Financial Services Authority, The Economist, European Payments Council, Transport for London, Nationwide, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Sidley & Austin, O2, The Guardian, Innovaro, Masabi, EAT, ABI, Finextra, Disruptive Analysis and the Free University of Brussels at the 12th annual Digital Money Forum in London on 31st March and 1st April at the Guoman Charing Cross hotel and come away with the kinds of new concepts, new friends and new business ideas that many of you have come to expect from this unique event. All delegates will receive a copy of our popular Digital Money Blook (the most interesting posts from this blog over the last year) along with "The Nudge Factor".

The generosity of our wonderful sponsors means that I am able to offer a delegate place for the event -- worth an almost negligible FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE pounds plus VAT -- as a competition prize. So if you are going to be in London on those dates and you'd like to come along to hear Larry White and a variety of experts in field, then all you have to do is be the first person to respond to this post with the number of years that Tom Paine lived in Lewes before he went to America and began stirring up trouble amongst the colonials.

In the traditional fashion, this competition is open to all except for employees of Consult Hyperion and members of my immediate family, is void where prohibited and may be carbon-offset depending on circumstances. The prize must be claimed within three months. Oh, and no-one can win more than one of the Digital Money Blog prizes per calendar year.

These opinions are my own (I think) and presented solely in my capacity as an interested member of the general public [posted with ecto]

payments

Comments

[Dave Birch]

Who am I to argue against the consensus Craig! I too think that six years is the right answer. Send me your details and I will arrange for your delegate place.

[Craig Anderson]

The Google consensus is six years (although Lewes District Council are out on a limb with seven)