Title : The State of Capital Markets | Capital Markets in the Post Covid Era

The US capital market presents several challenges and opportunities as the economy continues to show a positive outlook with real GDP rising at an annualized rate of 6.4% in the first quarter of 2021.

During the post-Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) rate-setting meeting press conference on April 28, 2021, Fed Chair Powell reiterated the view that inflation is likely to be transitory and that the Fed will remain accommodative until the labor market completely heals.

While relative valuations have been favorable to US Equities even in the diversified mix of Growth and Value, Fixed Income portfolios seem to attract shorter duration exposure with a focus on credit relative to government bonds.

On the other hand, many financial institutions and tech firms are implementing systems that will play a major role in managing economic data and financial-market performance in a post-pandemic economy. The distributed ledger technology and its capabilities have gradually moved from the margins to the mainstream adoption.

Most of the world’s major central banks have announced research programs on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), and a few smaller countries have launched live CBDCs. In many ways, it appears that distributed ledger technology (DLT), of which blockchain is the most common architecture will continue to disrupt and challenge the inefficiencies arising from legacy technologies and operations.

The FENG will bring together experts in the capital market to explore these dynamics and how they will shape the future of capital markets in the age of the post-pandemic global economy.

Vince Molinari | CEO Fintech.TV | Digital Assets Board Member at Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness at U.S. Chamber of Commerce | www.Fintech.tv

Vince Molinari is the Founder and CEO of FINTECH.TV, PBC , a global media company focused on fintech, blockchain, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing. He was previously the CEO of Templum Markets, (FINRA Registered Broker Dealer and ATS) and Co Founder of its parent company, Templum, Inc. Where he led the regulatory advocacy that resulted in pioneering and securing the first broker dealer and ATS approvals for digital securities in the United States . Vince also established an early innovative Transfer Agent for digital assets, Templum TA Services, LLC.

He has been invited to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Capital Markets, and Government Sponsored Enterprises. He is a globally recognized thought leader on the modernization of securities law and the intersection of breakthrough innovation and technology solutions, and is an active Global Speaker on Market Infrastructure, Capital Formation, Blockchain, Digital Assets, Impact Investing, and The JOBS Act. He is a speaker for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as well as the U.S. Department of State- International Visitor Leadership Program

Morry C Davis | Investment Baking | Capital Markets | www.clking.com

Morry C. Davis serves as an advisor to U.S. public and global private companies on issues ranging from the capital markets, corporate and project finance, strategy, public policy and corporate governance. He has been a licensed investment banker since 2014, working with several boutique investment banks on numerous transactions including securities underwriting, private placements and M&A.  Morry brings over 25 years of diverse Fortune 500 and banking experience in the energy, utility, clean-tech, manufacturing, financial services, consumer/retail and TMT sectors. Morry holds FINRA registrations in the Series 7, 79 and 63. 

Prior to entering the investment banking industry, Morry served as Director of Government Relations for Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private-sector coal company, he operated as a liaison with state legislatures and constituent groups, as well as led educational community and political outreach programs. He was also a key team member in advancing the Prairie State Energy Campus, the largest U.S. greenfield coal generating facility and adjacent mine to be developed in 40 years. 

Morry holds finance-focused degrees from Purdue University and Washington University of St. Louis (WUSTL). He served as Treasurer on the boards of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) and the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), and is a past board member of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Jeff Bernstien | Managing Director | ICR Capital LLC | www.icrcapital.com

Jeff is a Managing Director at ICR Capital, where he leads the Firm’s technology, internet, and eCommerce practice. ICR Capital is the leading IPO Advisory firm for Venture Backed Companies. Just since March 2021, ICR Capital has advised Olo, ACV Auctions, Coursera, UIPath, and the Honest Company on their successful IPOs. 

Jeff is a former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, helping to execute IPO’s in the technology, media, and communications sectors from 1990-1999 as Head of Technology Equity Sales. From 2000-2011, Jeff was a long/short equity portfolio manager and Director of Research for his own fund and for The Galleon Group, with a focus on finding winners and losers as a result of disruptive innovation across all industries. In 2012 Jeff started a multi-family office with several former Goldman Sachs Partners, and in 2017 he relocated with his family to San Francisco and started Wayfare Capital Partners to invest in and advise early stage companies across all sectors, as well as M&A and Capital Advisory for late stage private companies. Jeff started his career in 1985 in Investor Relations at Irving Bank Corp, through it’s acquisition by The Bank of New York, and then served as an equity analyst at BNY, following the fledgling cellular industry, prior to joining Goldman Sachs.

Jeff applies his over 30 years of experience to guide founders, management teams, and Board’s of Directors through critical capital events – helping them to optimize decision making and preserving optionality throughout the process. His intimate knowledge of both Wall Street Investment banking and capital markets, as well as being an active institutional and private investor for two decades, helps clients maintain control of what is often a daunting process, and helps them find the right structure for a transaction, and the right stakeholders for the next phase of their growth.

Jeff holds a BA in History from Cornell University, and an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.