Dr. Steven Hu is the Head of Digital Assets, Trade and Working Capital at Standard Chartered. In this role, he spearheads the digital assets strategy for international businesses, driving strategic initiatives across real-world assets (RWA) tokenisation, stablecoins, tokenised deposit, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Steven has been at the forefront of several industry digital assets initiatives aimed at supporting the real economy, including the issuance of Asset-Backed Security Tokens in Project Guardian with the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the use of decentralized finance (DeFi) tools for SME financing in Project Dynamo with the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub and Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Steven spearheads the industry business workstream for the Guardian Wholesale Network (GWN), an integrated, efficient, and secure platform that facilitates wholesale financial transactions involving multiple assets and currencies.
Before joining Standard Chartered, Steven led the distributed ledger technology (DLT) program at HSBC liquidity and cash management business. As the chief designer and project lead, Steven and his team invented HSBC’s award-winning on-chain payment solution, fulfilling payment needs in next generation asset networks. His prior experience includes working with international banks, including BNP Paribas as well as technology companies driving the digital transformation agenda.
In addition to his professional roles, Steven serves as a Professional Council Member at the Global Fintech Institute, an Advisory Council Member at the Global Digital Finance, and a Founding Member of Digital Assets Association. He is the Guest Editor of the journal of World Scientific Annual Review of Fintech. He has participated in advisory and working committees for central banks, contributing to the design and technical standards of wholesale and retail CBDCs.
In 2024, the Asset magazine named Steven “Innovation Leader of the Year”, recognizing his contribution to asset tokenisation, emerging technologies and new business models in the financial service industry.
Steven earned his Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore. He holds multiple fintech and technology patents and has published journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences on the future of money and assets, including the Singapore FinTech Festival, Hong Kong Fintech Week and Point Zero Forum. His recent publications include the book chapter of "Central bank digital currencies: opportunities and challenges in the Post-pandemic Era" and the industry whitepaper of “Real-world asset tokenisation: A game changer for global trade”.
