Oregon Division of Financial Regulation

09/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/16/2024 09:37

Oregon DFR to host Innovation Hub at OMSI on green finance

Sept. 16, 2024

Salem - The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) will be hosting an Innovation Hub on Oct. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland. This year's theme is "Can innovative technologies make green finance better?"

The event will be hosted by Nicole Ferroux, a senior policy advisor at DFR and Innovation Hub liaison, and will include two panel discussions: Artificial Intelligence and Green Finance, and Blockchain and Green Finance. After the two panel discussions, DFR Administrator TK Keen will host a fireside chat with Washington State Department of Financial Institutions Director Charlie Clark. Their discussion will center on regulating the use of innovative technologies in green finance.

"We are always looking for ways to encourage innovation in Oregon, particularly green finance innovations that help us combat climate change," Keen said. "Our Innovation Hub has allowed us to keep numerous conversations with stakeholders on green finance and green innovations going, and the OMSI event is another avenue for engagement on this important topic."

The first panel includes Jon Down, professor at Portland State University and founder of Gen AI Corp.; Josh Cole, business operations lead at Modernist Financial; and Kirsten Anderson, deputy administrator at the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation.

The second panel includes Alex Murray, assistant professor of management and director of the Intelligent Futures Lab at the University of Oregon; Mike Zajko, co-founder of Lattice Capital; and Brooke Pollack, founder and managing partner at Hutt Capital.

What does this year's theme, "Can innovative technologies make green finance better?" really mean?

"Green finance, which includes any financial product or service created to encourage the development of a more sustainable economy, has come under some deserved scrutiny in recent years," Ferroux said. "Greenwashing scandals, questions regarding the longevity of the financial outcomes associated with these products, and a variety of regulatory issues have raised the question of whether green finance will continue to grow or will shrink away as a fad. This year's event explores whether innovative technologies - namely artificial intelligence and blockchain technology - can help industry and regulators overcome these challenges to move this sector forward."

You can register for the event online. The event is free and refreshments available. The event is limited to the first 150 registrants. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. on Oct. 28.

For more information about the event and to read bios of each speaker, visit the DFR website. OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Ave. in Portland.

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About Oregon DFR: The Division of Financial Regulation is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon's largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit dfr.oregon.gov and www.dcbs.oregon.gov.