Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/946236
43 Events maltatoday SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2018 University hosts first blockchain hackathon in Malta THE Faculty of ICT will be buzzing with crea- tivity this weekend as students share their brain power to kickstart efforts to programme block- chain-based smart contracts in the first such hackathon on the island. Over the course of the weekend students will be working with new technologies as they're guided on creating smart contracts built on top of Ethereum blockchain and using tools to create decentralised applications. This event is being organised by the Blockchain Research Group at the University of Malta in as- sociation with the Faculty of ICT; the faculty based students' organisation ICTSA; the cryp- tocurrency provider Cubits, MITA and the In- ternational Conference on Information Systems and Management Science ISMS 2018. "Cubits strongly believes Malta can be one of the leaders, in the EU and globally, when it comes to the adoption of blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies, as well making its regulation a priority," Cubits founder Julian Mautner said. Known as the "Bitcoin Portal" in Europe, Cu- bits has established a presence in Malta and is looking to grow its team further as it as envisions a future where blockchain technologies and smart contracts change the way people operate. "We view Malta as a key player among other governments that support cryptocurrencies, and Cubits is working closely with local academic in- stitutions, including the University of Malta, to spread skills and knowledge in this area," Maut- ner said. FinanceMalta sponsors Nextgen Payments Forum 2018; members benefit from discounted ticket prices FINANCEMALTA is sponsor- ing this year's Nextgen Payments Forum, which will be focusing on the online payment ecosystem exploring the areas of regulation, security, technology, and how to keep your competitive edge at a minimum cost. The forum is the ultimate gathering for senior executives involved in financial transactions and digital pay- ments operations. The event will be held on the 27th and 28th Feb- ruary at Le Meridien St Julian's Hotel & Spa, St Julian's starting at 09.00 and finishing at 18.00hrs The forum will bring together representatives from leading re- tail banks, industry shakers, and regulators with European (on- line and mobile) merchants in a close setup. During the forum the delegates will be discussing the current industry ecosystem, plac- ing payments at the heart of the conversation to further advance strategic industry collaborations. Other topics include a focus on Regtech solutions: Minimising costs and maximising opportuni- ties with the use of AI in compli- ance issues, open banking and its uptake, and an interactive session on the challenges and opportuni- ties which Brexit will bring about for the payments industry? Commenting on Finance- Malta's support for this event, company chairman, Kenneth Farrugia said that, "the support towards this forum forms part of our commitment to facilitate discussion on new developments taking placed in the financial services industry." Farrugia add- ed that the Nextgen Payments Forum will help those financial services professionals navigating this complex and rapidly chang- ing environment to understand and come to terms with some of the issues and latest innovations." Over the two days, the Next- gen Payments Forum 2018 aims to provide delegates with exclu- sive insights from leading in- dustry experts in an engaging and interactive format of pres- entations and panel discussions. The forum will be chaired by Peter Oakes, Founder of Fintech Ireland and will see the partici- pation of international speak- ers including David Gyori, CEO of Banking Reports, Subas Roy, Global Chairman of Interna- tional Regtech Association, Paul Alfing, Senior Consultant Retail, Payments Advisory Group & Co- Chair and ERPB Working Group on Payment Initiation Services, Ecommerce Europe, Marius Jur- gilas, Board Member of the Bank of Lithuania, and Pascale Marie Brien, Senior Policy Adviser, Pay- ments and Digital from the Euro- pean Banking Federation Current FinanceMalta mem- bers are entitled to 40% off the standard registration fee. More information can be found on the FinanceMalta website. Harvest launches technology academy with the University of Malta HARVEST, the technology division of Hili Ventures, has launched a technology academy in partnership with the University of Malta and the Faculty of Economics, Manage- ment and Accountancy (FEMA), in a bid to bridge the gap between the professional and academic spheres. By imparting applied knowledge to students, the Harvest Technol- ogy Academy also aims to attract talent to the group through a col- lection of career opportunities. Harvest is a multi-disciplinary group, comprising IT solutions provider PTL, payment gateway specialist APCO Systems, automa- tion and security company APCO Ltd, business applications provider Stride, business analytics company Eunoia, and POANG, a joint ven- ture engaged in game app develop- ment. The Academy's first initiative is a course in Contemporary Technol- ogy Management led by Harvest Chief Technology Officer Godwin Caruana for first- and second-year students at FEMA. The course be- gan in early February. Running to the end of May, the Contemporary Technology Man- agement course delivers a generalist view on technology. As an elective study unit, it provides a solid un- derstanding of enabling technolo- gies and the respective applications in delivering business value. The course programme also deals with managing the technology land- scape in a business context from four key driving forces or 'nexuses': business, software/application, data and technology. Caruana, a senior visiting lecturer at the University of Malta, joined Harvest last year to apply his vast knowledge base in various informa- tion technology research, adoption, implementation and governance areas to the multi-faced business. He is a member of the research community at the University of Brunel within the Electronic and Computer Engineering Group, an independent expert and evaluator on the European Horizon 2020, European FP7 programmes, and a member of EU COST (European Cooperation in Science and Tech- nology). In Malta, he is an appoint- ed court expert on information technology. Caruana is a post-graduate from the University of Liverpool and the University of Brunel, where he graduated with a Master of Science with distinction in Information Technology and a PhD with a re- search focus on high-performance computing, algorithms and ma- chine learning. "Bridging the academic and pro- fessional constructs is a great way to bring more value to both aca- demia and industry," Caruana said. "In this way, students are able to be better prepared for post-academic life, real-world work environments and challenges. The industry is also better positioned by having access to employees who can engage bet- ter and more rapidly within an en- terprise." The Dean of FEMA, Professor Frank Bezzina, has reciprocated Harvest's initiatives by extending a strong collaborative arm. "The Faculty recognizes and strongly encourages such academia-indus- try relationships that forge lasting learning experiences and transfer of knowledge at all levels, spanning from teaching to research initia- tives," he said. The Academy plans to co-spon- sor the FEMA Dean's Awards, further strengthen its internship programme in technical and busi- ness fields, and provide support through technical expertise and equipment to students as they write their dissertations in liaison with academic supervisors. In the next few months, the Academy will of- fer a wider spectrum of accredited courses which will be more special- ised and technical in nature and aimed at advanced students. Harvest Chief Executive Rudolph Mifsud Saydon (left) and Chief Technology Officer Godwin Caruana (right) with Professor Frank Bezzina, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, at the University of Malta