The Federal Reserve will host a "Payment Innovation Conference" bringing together Wall Street and cryptocurrency giants to discuss the outlook for digital currencies.

The Federal Reserve will hold a "Payment Innovation Conference" on October 21st to discuss how innovative technologies are reshaping the payment system and the form of currency in the digital age. Confirmed speakers include Ark Invest founder "Cathie Wood," BlackRock, Inc. COO Rob Goldstein, Circle (CRCL.US) Chief Legal Officer Heath Tarbert, Coinbase (COIN.US) CFO Alesia Haas, Fifth Third Bank CEO Tim Spence, and Federal Reserve Governor Wall. The core theme of the conference focuses on the accelerated convergence of traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi), with a focus on the application of stablecoins in the payment field, new business models, and the tokenization of financial assets. The Federal Reserve intends to explore the potential benefits of digital assets in cross-border payments, financial inclusion, and real-time clearing. Wall is expected to emphasize that payment innovation should continue to be led by the private sector, and reaffirm that competition, not regulation itself, is the key driver for making payment systems safer and more efficient. At the time of the conference, the Federal Reserve is advancing the FedNow instant payment system scheduled to launch in 2023. Although FedNow was initially positioned for interbank payments, this summit is expected to serve as a window to observe whether its application will extend to programmable currency and tokenized environments. Meanwhile, U.S. regulators are facing pressure to develop regulatory frameworks for stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and digital dollar experiments, and the market is closely watching whether this conference will release policy direction signals. Innovators in the industry will also share how to strike a balance between technology breakthroughs and system stability at the conference. Wood is expected to continue emphasizing the long-term role of cryptocurrency assets in improving global financial efficiency; Goldstein, as a senior executive of the world's largest asset management institution, may focus on institutional asset tokenization and its impact on portfolio management. The participation of former CFTC chairman and current head of legal at Circle, Tarbert, highlights the company's increasing influence in the global payment landscape. Coinbase is expected to discuss the balance between compliance and innovation, while traditional bank representative Spence will discuss strategies for digitalization and real-time payment demands. The conference will be live-streamed on the Federal Reserve's official website and YouTube channel to increase transparency and participation. With top Wall Street and crypto circle figures on the same stage, the Federal Reserve clearly sees payment innovation as not only a topic of changing Americans' payment methods but also a strategic starting point for reshaping the operation of the financial system in the digital age.