Government, financial and digital-asset leaders convene at SGX to advance trusted, scalable and connected market infrastructure for programmable finance.
Singapore, 9 October 2026 — The second annual Digital Assets Summit 2026 (DAS2026), convened by the Digital Assets Association (DAA), brought together about 500 participants and more than 40 speakers at the SGX Auditorium on 6 October. Under the theme “Programmable Finance: The Next Layer of Global Markets and Systems,” the Summit examined how digital assets can evolve from promising technologies into markets and financial services that work reliably at institutional scale.
From tokenising assets to building functioning markets
Opening the Summit, DAA Co-Chairman Mr Danny Chong called for the industry to move beyond the ability to tokenise an asset and focus on building the markets around it. The practical tests, he said, are whether assets can trade at scale, attract sufficient liquidity, settle effectively and be managed within sound risk frameworks. The emphasis is shifting from technical possibility to institutional usability.
Useful innovation, workforce readiness and safeguards
In his Guest-of-Honour address, Mr Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, underscored that programmable finance must combine useful innovation, trusted infrastructure and a workforce ready for change. He stressed the importance of training, reskilling and upskilling to prepare workers for new opportunities, supported by collaboration among employers, unions and government. Highlighting the risks accompanying technological progress, he noted that it “can also create new dependencies on digital infrastructure and networks that institutions may not have (direct) control or ownership over.” His remarks reinforced the need for clear accountability across interconnected digital systems.
In a fireside conversation moderated by Mr Tan Chong Huat, Chairman of SDAX Exchange and RHTLaw Asia, Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation and former Deputy Prime Minister, highlighted the significant potential of digital finance and tokenisation, while emphasising the need to manage emerging risks. “The truth of the matter is that we are at a very early stage of this digital finance and tokenisation. The possibilities, the potential, is there, but how do you manage the risk?” Mr Heng said. He stressed the importance of appropriate safeguards, robust risk management frameworks and contingency plans to preserve the resilience of financial systems, particularly during periods of stress.
Institutional infrastructure and real-world applications
The programme of two vision keynotes, seven panels and two fireside chats addressed the building blocks of institutional adoption: tokenised capital markets and real-world assets; stablecoins and tokenised deposits; FX, payments and cross-border settlement; market infrastructure and interoperability; institutional custody, cybersecurity and operational resilience; and the evolving intersection of AI and financial systems. A common thread was how financial institutions, innovators and regulators can connect their capabilities.
In a vision keynote, Mr Ivan Han, Chief Risk Officer of SGX Group, pointed to the convergence of digital innovation and traditional market infrastructure. “Today, those paths are not just crossing. They are converging,” he said. He emphasised safeguards and trusted infrastructure as enablers of institutional adoption.
From “whether” to “how”
Closing the Summit, DAA Co-Chairman Mr Chia Hock Lai noted that the conversation is moving from whether digital assets and programmable finance will become part of the financial system to how they can be implemented responsibly and at scale. The Summit underscored cross-sector collaboration as Singapore helps convene discussions on the next layer of financial markets.
Media contact: Melody Faye Jimbangan | [email protected] | +65 9352 5498
Digital Assets Association: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE • 9 OCTOBER 2026 • SHORT VERSION
DAS2026: Building the Next Layer of Global Financial Markets
Summit at SGX highlights the move from tokenisation experiments to functioning, trusted and interconnected financial markets.
Singapore, 9 October 2026 — The Digital Assets Association’s (DAA) second annual Digital Assets Summit 2026 brought together about 500 participants and more than 40 speakers at the SGX Auditorium on 6 October. Themed “Programmable Finance: The Next Layer of Global Markets and Systems,” the Summit focused on the infrastructure and safeguards needed to turn digital-asset innovation into practical financial applications.
Opening the event, DAA Co-Chairman Mr Danny Chong stressed that tokenisation alone does not create a functioning market. Liquidity, effective settlement, scale and risk management will determine whether digital assets become useful institutional financial instruments.
Guest-of-Honour Mr Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, emphasised the importance of training, reskilling and upskilling to prepare workers for technological change, supported by collaboration among employers, unions and government. He also highlighted the new technological dependencies that digital finance can create.
In a fireside discussion, Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation and former Deputy Prime Minister, described digital finance and tokenisation as still being at an early stage, with significant potential that must be matched by responsible risk management.
Across two vision keynotes, seven panels and two fireside chats, participants discussed tokenised capital markets, stablecoins and tokenised deposits, payments and FX settlement, interoperability, cybersecurity, regulatory cooperation and AI’s intersection with financial systems. SGX Group Chief Risk Officer Mr Ivan Han highlighted the convergence between emerging digital capabilities and established market infrastructure.
Closing the Summit, DAA Co-Chairman Mr Chia Hock Lai emphasised the shift from asking whether programmable finance will be adopted to examining how it can be deployed responsibly and at scale. The Summit underscored Singapore’s role in convening the public and private sectors to shape the next phase of financial market development.
Media contact: Melody Faye Jimbangan | [email protected] | +65 9352 5498
Digital Assets Association: [email protected]