Description
To register for this event, please click hereBitcoin has entered 2018 at a price of USD 15,000. Less than a year ago, the cryptocurrency was valued at less than USD 1,000. The recent growth of cryptocurrency, and in particular Bitcoin, has led to countless news pieces on the phenomena, worldwide interest and significant profits for many of those involved. The success of Bitcoin has, however, also generated many concerns. Will the currency challenge the hegemony of state-backed currencies? Is it just a Ponzi scheme destined to crash? And how extensivlyis the currency being used for illicit purposes?
Join the British Chamber of Commerce in China, and the China-Britain Business Council, at the bar of the British Embassy – The Bell, as we debate this topical issue of ‘Bitcoin is the greatest scam in financial history?’ Following the Oxford-style debate format, the audience will vote before and after hearing from both sides of the debate from our panel of experts. The winning team will be the one that produces the largest swing in opinion from the room.
Agenda
18:30 Registration / Preliminary vote
19:00 Opening Remarks – Steven Lynch, Managing Director, British Chamber of Commerce in China
19:05 Introduction to the speakers, topic and debate rules
19:10 Round 1: Each speaker has 4 minutes to present their argument
19:30 Round 2: Rebuttal – opposing team disputes opposing the argument
19:50 Round 3: Questions from the audience
20:20 Burden of Proof: Audience casts vote to decide the winner
20:30 Debate end / Networking
The Debaters
For
Jamie Stevenson (Co- Chair of the Finance Forum)
Jamie is an internationally experienced banker and asset management specialist who is currently head of merchant banking for a Hong Kong based financial services company. Mr Stevenson has worked for a number of the leading investment banking firms as awell as asset management, and has experience working in New York, Middle East, London, South Africa and Japan, as well as almost 10 years experience in China including 5 years as the only foreign director within ICBC China. In addition to Mr Stevenson’s role within ICBC, he was a board director of two ICBC subsidiaries in Europe.
Stuart Rankin (Co- Chair of the Finance Forum)
Associate Partner
Stuart is a Chartered Wealth Manager who has been working with St James’s Place Wealth Management in China for the past seven years. St James’s Place is the UK’s largest provider of private client financial advice and Stuart helps advise clients upon tax, trust and investment planning. Alongside a degree in International Business he holds the Diploma for Financial Advisers from the Institute for Financial Services, the advanced Certificate in Private Client Investment Advice and Management and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.
Against
Neil Woodfine
Chief Growth Officer
Neil has been working in the bitcoin industry since 2014. He entered the industry with China’s largest exchange, OKCoin, before co-founding the cross-border payment startup Remitsy. Remitsy was later acquired by San Francisco-based Wyre, where Neil now leads the company’s growth in Asia. Neil is organiser of Beijing’s long-running Bitcoin Meetup. He regularly contributes to publications such as WSJ, Bloomberg and SCMP on the topic of bitcoin. He has worked in China for over ten years.
To register for this event, please click
hereAdvance registration is required. Please note that due to the security regulations at the British Embassy, registration for the event will close 24 hours beforehand at 2:00pm on Tuesday 6th February. All attendees will be required to bring their passport, Chinese ID (身份证) or other accepted photo ID to gain access to the event.
Event Details
Start date: 2018-02-07
Start time: 18:00
End time: 21:00
Venue: The Bell Pub, British Embassy Beijing
Directions: 11 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
北京建国门外光华路11号 英国驻华大使馆
