Global FinTech Leader of the Year candidates

As part of the Finnies, we've opened voting for our Global FinTech Leader of the Year award. This award recognises an individual from the Global FinTech community who has demonstrated a commitment to innovation that directly and positively impacts Australia, and also improves the delivery of a financial service to businesses or consumers using technology.FinTech Australia has nominated three candidates for this award:

• Imran Gulamhuseinwala
• Blythe Masters
• Jack Ma

Please, vote in our Twitter poll, before Friday 10pm AEST

Who do you think should be @ausfintech's inaugural Global #Fintech Leader of the Year? #finnieawards https://t.co/IwgIbhOI2i

FinTech Australia (@ausfintech) May 24, 2017

 We'll announce the winner next week. Imran GulamhuseinwalaImran has been a key driver for open financial data frameworks across the world, including Australia.In April 2017, Imran was appointed the Implementation Trustee for the Competition and Market Authoritys Open Banking remedies. He is on secondment from EY, where he is the Global Lead for FinTech.Imran is leading Open Banking, the organisation that the major banks were ordered to create and fund by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to develop the common technical standards underpinning open banking.Imran Gulamhuseinwala has worked with groups like Innovate Finance and advocated on behalf of the importance of Fintech to the UK economy.Gulamhuseinwala believes has encouraged traditional banks to embrace a top-down culture that supports innovation. For banks to adapt to disruptive finance he believes that leadership is key and there is no such thing as a risk-free bet.In December 2016, he earned an Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Financial Services.Imran Gulamhuseinwala has been nominated due to his early contribution to Australias own Open Data regime. Both Imran and his team at EY have advised FinTech Australia and Federal Treasury since last June on the UKs progress in Open Banking, and have shared their early thinking about key issues and challenges such a regime would need to address. Blythe MastersBlythe Masters is CEO of Digital Asset Holdings, a New York headquartered financial technology company that builds distributed, encrypted straight through processing tools for wholesale financial service providers using distributed ledger technology. She is also Chairman of the Governing Board of the Linux Foundations open source Hyperledger Project, member of the International Advisory Board of Santander Group, and Advisory Board Member of the US Chamber of Digital Commerce.In January 2016, Digital Asset Holdings announced that it had been selected by ASX Limited (ASX) to develop solutions for the Australian market utilizing Distributed Ledger Technology. The initial focus will be on post-trade (clearing and settlement) services in the cash equities market. ASX has also joined 12 other global financial services leaders and made a minority investment in Digital Asset.The announcement was a highly significant one in the emerging Blockchain community, immediately catapulting Australia onto the world stage and into the spotlight. Jack MaJack Ma is the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a family of successful Internet-based businesses. Alibaba provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses that provide products, services and digital content to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers. Jack has helped build strong links between the Australian and Chinese fintech industries, including by:

• Opening a branch office of Alibaba in Australia (Melbourne)
• Working with Australia Post on a pilot program to use blockchain to identify counterfeit food
• Being the Gold Partner of the China Australia Millennial Project, which CAMP aims to strengthen the Australia/China relationship by transcending borders, empowering millennial talent and forging long-lasting cultural connections.
• Giving $20 million donation to University of Newcastle for research purposes.

Cast your votes now!