Abstract

The aim of this first conference is to bring together academics and practitioners in a number of domains of great interest for both. The ambition is to arrive at new insights and solutions for the new challenges facing the financial world. In over 7000 years, a worldwide network has grown connecting people, cities and countries worldwide by foot, car, boat, airplane and what more. In the last 25 years or so, this network has been complemented by the virtual e-network, causing enormous changes in the way we interact and changing the dynamics within societies and between societies. And our -old- ways of thinking are not sufficient anymore. The dynamic network society we are living in needs new ways of thinking, both in theory and in practice. Curacao has a long history as a physical hub with a huge natural harbour, a modern airport, an important financial services industry a well-developed touristic sector and much more. Curacao is also continuously investing in its e-infrastructure, thus offering many opportunities for being a virtual hub for many new activities and industries. This is the reason why the University of Curacao teams up with the local financial sector and with the EURO Working Group on Commodities and Financial modelling to organize a twin theme conference.