E77: FinTech Frontiers, Digital Dollars & Disruption
Rob Rowe, Global Head of Research, explores FinTech frontiers with Peter Christiansen, Citi's U.S. FinTech and Digital Assets analyst, and Alex Saunders, Citi’s' Decentralized Finance analyst and Global Macro Quant head. Their discussion ranges from evolving use cases in digital financial technology to agentic commerce and how these developments could affect the dominance of the U.S. dollar.
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Robert Rowe, Global Head of Research, Citi
Rob Rowe is the Head of Citi Research’s Global Strategy & Macro Group (GSMG) as well as the Global Head of Citi Research. GSMG unites all of Citi’s Economists with Fixed Income, FX, Equity and Commodities strategists to create a common team providing research on the world’s major economies and asset classes. Rob has been with Citi for 35 years in various capacities. He originally joined Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Company in 1989 working in investment banking, fixed income sales, and research. In addition to his overall responsibilities, he continues to provide portfolio strategy for select clients as part of his previous role overseeing the Global Bond Portfolio Analysis team. Rob is a graduate of Hartwick College with a BA in European History and the Theatre. He is also a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Alex Saunders Decentralized Finance & Global Quant Macro Strategy, Citi
Alex Saunders is a Director with Citi Research and heads the Quantitative Global Macro and Asset Allocation team. Prior to joining Citi in 2021 he spent more than 15 years on the buy side as a researcher and portfolio manager for quantitative investment strategies. His most recent position covered asset allocation and US credit for Itau Asset Management. Before that, he worked for QS Investors and Deutsche Asset Management across a variety of asset classes. Alex holds an MA degree in Economics from London Metropolitan University and a BSc from the University of Liverpool.
Peter Christiansen U.S. FinTech and Digital Assets Analyst, Citi
Peter Christiansen is an Analyst at Citi Research, covering FinTech Services with a focus on FinTech Info Services, LendTech, and Digital Assets. Prior to joining Citi in 2016, Peter worked at UBS for four years covering IT Hardware and Services. Previously, Peter had been with BofA Merrill Lynch for 12 years working in several roles including Equity Derivatives Research and covering the Alternative Energy space. Peter earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Villanova University in 1999 and has achieved the Chartered Market Technicians (CMT) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations.
