Financial Cryptography '98 Conference & Exhibition to Highlight FC

Boston, MA

January 22, 1998 - The International Financial Cryptography Association (IFCA), today announced the 1998 Financial Cryptography Conference and Exhibition (FC98), to be held on February 23-27, 1998 on the island of Anguilla in the British West Indies

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The FC98 Conference

The International Conference on Financial Cryptography is the world's first and only peer-reviewed conference on financial cryptography. Every year, the newest research is presented in internet financial transfers, transaction clearing and network-based financial instruments. This year, invited speakers and panel participants include such industry experts as Dr. David Chaum, holder of several very basic financial cryptography patents and founder of DigiCash Corporation, and Dr. Ron Rivest, who invented the first practical public key cryptography system and founder of RSA Data Security, Inc.

However, the primary focus of the Conference will be the results of financial cryptography research from experts at AT&T Labs, Bell Laboratories/Lucent, CyberCash, France Telecom, JavaSoft, Kyushu University, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Microsoft, MIT, Princeton University, Queensland University, University of Southern California, The US Naval Research Laboratory, Valicert, Verisign and others.

Last year's Conference, FC97, was the subject of an article in the July, 1997 issue of Wired Magazine, an NHK-Japan television program, and was covered by the Financial Times, the New York Times, and Institutional Investor. Financial cryptography was also the cover story of the Setember 8, 1997 issue of Forbes Magazine.

"Everyone knows business on the Internet is growing, but financial cryptography and the vanishing cost of individual electronic transactions will create entirely new forms of business," said Robert Hettinga, IFCA founder and FC98 General Chairman. "Simple examples include the possible replacement of many forms of book-entry financial settlement with digital bearer versions, and, of course, cash settled electronic auctions for anything you can send down a wire," Hettinga continued.

The FC98 Conference Proceedings will be available later in the year from Springer Verlag as part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science series. See the selection of papers for the FC98 conference at http://www.cwi.nl/conferences/FC98.

The FC98 Exhibition

The FC98 Exhibition, which runs concurrently with the Conference, serves as a showcase for the newest financial cryptography products. The presentations, demonstrations, and panels of FC98 Exhibition Program will explain what kinds of financial cryptography services and implementations are available in the market today, while the Exhibition floor will have booths from many of the top companies using and selling financial cryptography today.

The FC98 Workshop for IT professionals and Senior Managers

The Financial Cryptography '98 Conference and Exhibition will be followed by the FC98 Workshop for Senior Managers and IS Professionals, which will be held the week following the Conference and Exhibition, from March 2- 6, 1998, at the same location.

The intensive 40-hour FC98 Workshop gives senior managers and IT professionals an understanding of the fundamentals of strong cryptography as applied to financial operations on public networks, along with hands-on instruction in the integration and implementation of these technologies.

FC98's Affiliations and Sponsorship

Financial Cryptography '98 is held in cooperation with the International Association for Cryptologic Research. Sponsoring organizations include RSA Data Security Inc., http://www.rsa.com/ C2NET, Inc., http://www.c2.net/

Hansa Bank & Trust Company Limited, Anguilla, http://www.hansa.net/

Sicherheit und Privat- International Bank; Offshore Information Services, http://www.offshore.com.ai/ and Shipwright Development Corporation, http://www.shipwright.com/

The FC98 Organizing Committee consists of: Vincent Cate and Robert Hettinga, General Chairs; Rafael Hirschfeld, Conference Chair; Matthew Franklin, Conference Co-Chair; Ian Goldberg, Workshop Leader; Lynwood Bell, Exhibition Steering Committee Chair; and Blanc Weber, Exhibits and Sponsorship Manager.

Registration and Travel

Registration for FC98 can be done directly on the Internet at http://www.fc98.ai/ by calling (264) 497-3255, faxing (264) 497-2756, email with PGP encryption to vince@offshore.com.ai or physically mailing the registration form to 949 Old Ta, The Valley, Anguilla, BWI. Admission to the Exhibition and Conference requires advance payment of the $1,000 admission fee. If you're interested in Exhibition space or becoming an event sponsor, please email Blanc Weber, blancw@cnw.com.

Air travel to Anguilla is typically done through San Juan or St. Martin. There are several non-stop flights a day from various European and US locations. Connection through to Anguilla can be made through American Eagle, through LIAT, or in the case of St. Martin, with a short ferry ride to Anguilla. Consult a travel agent for details or visit our web page at http://www.fc98.ai/