The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it will host its third FinTech Forum on March 9, 2017, at the University of California, Berkeley.
The FinTech Forum series is part of the FTC’s ongoing work to protect consumers taking advantage of new and emerging financial technology. With technological advancement, the ways consumers can store, share, spend, and borrow money also expands. In the wake of such rapidly developing technologies, the FTC said that it is working to keep consumers protected while encouraging innovation for consumers’ benefit.
According to the official release, this year, the forum will be focusing on the consumer implications of two innovative technologies: artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain.
The half-day event will provide a platform for industry participants, consumer groups, researchers, and government representatives, to collaborate and examine the ways in which these technologies are being used to offer consumers services, the potential benefits, and consumer protection implications as these technologies continue to develop.
In advance of the forum, the FTC will be developing panels of experts, academics and others for the event. The event is free and open to the public and no pre-registration is needed. A full schedule and other details will be announced shortly, the agency said.
Created in 1914, the FTC is the only federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy. It pursues vigorous and effective law enforcement; advances consumers’ interests by sharing its expertise with federal and state legislatures and U.S. and international government agencies; develops policy and research tools through hearings, workshops, and conferences; and creates practical and plain-language educational programs for consumers and businesses in a global marketplace with constantly changing technologies.
