Network of Global Future Councils

Global Future Council on Decentralized Finance

About the Global Future Council on Decentralized Finance

Decentralized Finance has demonstrated explosive growth underscoring the viability of DeFi as an alternative to traditional finance. The integration of blockchain technology and smart contracts has enabled unprecedented transparency and efficiency in financial transactions.

How can we understand the trajectory of DeFi's potential within the broader financial ecosystem?

Co-Chairs

Christine Parlour

Professor and Chair, Finance and Accounting, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley

Kevin Werbach

Liem Sioe Liong/First Pacific Company Professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Members

Amy Kim

Policy Lead, Blockchain, Crypto and Digital Currencies (BCDC) at PayPal

Candace Kelly

Chief Legal Officer at Stellar Development Foundation

Christine Parlour

Professor and Chair, Finance and Accounting at Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley

Daniela Barbosa

Executive Director at LF Decentralized Trust at LF Decentralized Trust

Daniel Castano Parra

Professor of Law at Universidad Externado de Colombia

Eswar Prasad

Professor at Cornell University

Gordon Liao

Chief Economist; Head, Research at Circle Internet Financial, LLC

Kevin Werbach

Liem Sioe Liong/First Pacific Company Professor at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Lyle Horsley

Head of Fintech at South African Reserve Bank (SARB)

Marion Laboure

Managing Director and Macro Strategist at Deutsche Bank

Marta Belcher

Chairperson; President at Filecoin Foundation

Marwan Alzarouni

Strategic Advisor, Special Projects Management, and Chief AI Officer at Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism

Michal Paprocki

Miguel Diaz Diaz

Deputy Head and Head, Strategy, BIS Innovation Hub at Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

Nilmini Rubin

Chief Policy Officer at Hedera Council

Sophie Gilder

Managing Director, Blockchain & Digital Assets at Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Yasmeen AlSharaf

Director, Fintech and Innovation Unit at Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB)

Council Manager

Sandra Waliczek

Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems, World Economic Forum

Forum Podcasts

Davos 2026: Geopolitical Risks Outlook for 2026

Global Risks...

The web is ‘fragile.' How to protect the world’s information - and how crypto can help

Geo-Economics and Politics

Halfway through 2025, reasons to be optimistic in a turbulent year

Explore all of the councils

The network convenes over 700 experts from academia, business, government, civil society and international organizations, operating as a time-bound think-tank, grouped in expertise-based thematic councils, to identify and disseminate transformative ideas with the potential for positive global impact.

Part of the Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems

Learn more about the Centre's work.

Global Future Council on Decentralized Finance

Insights