Looking back at Curious Thinkers 2025

Curious Thinkers 2025, Cuscal’s annual invite only client event, brought together clients and partners for two days of insights, discussion and collaboration. It was held on 20 and 21 October 2025 in Sydney at the Grand Hyatt, the event continues a tradition first launched in 2018, providing a platform for leading voices to explore the trends shaping payments, data and innovation.  

This exclusive, invite-only conference is designed to challenge perspectives and help organisations navigate change with confidence. Across the program, speakers explored the intersection of technology, regulation, human experience and trust in a rapidly evolving digital world. 

Curious Thinkers 2025 Event Overview 

The two-day event took place at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney, with an evening networking experience hosted at the Zephyr Bar, providing space for deeper connection and conversation beyond the formal sessions.  

Curious Thinkers 2025 was designed to balance keynote presentations, panel discussions and interactive sessions, enabling both strategic thinking and practical insights. 

Key themes included: 

• Global economic trends and their impact on payments 

• Digital identity and trust as critical infrastructure 

• Customer experience in the age of AI and regulation 

• Fraud, scams and the human impact of cybercrime 

• Cyber resilience and organisational responsibility 

• The future of payments and technological change  

Curious Thinkers 2025 Agenda  

The agenda was structured to guide attendees from macro trends through to practical application and leadership capability. 

Day one highlights 

• Opening keynote exploring the future of technology, the economy and digital identity 

• Economic insights on global forces shaping the payments landscape 

• Sessions on customer experience at the intersection of AI, trust and regulation 

• Deep dives into fraud, scams and the psychology of cybercrime 

• Evening networking event at Zephyr Bar  

Day two highlights 

• Cyber resilience and responsibility in a digital world 

• Panel discussions on AI, regulatory change and the future of payments 

• Leadership perspectives on navigating transformation 

• Sessions on scaling AI while maintaining a human-focused approach  

Explore the full Curious Thinkers 2025 agenda to view of all sessions, speakers, and timing details. 

Curious Thinkers 2025 Speakers 

Curious Thinkers 2025 featured a mix of local and international experts across technology, government, academia and business. 

The conference was hosted by Adam Spencer, who guided discussions and moderated panels throughout the event.  

Speakers included: 

• Dr Adam Fraser, The Energy Factory 

• Adam Jacobs, THE ICONIC 

• Adam Spencer, MC & Well-known speaker  

• Angela Powell, Cuscal 

• Brad Daffy, KPMG 

• Bronwyn Yam, Cuscal 

• Dr Catherine Ball, Futurist & Author 

• Craig Kennedy, Cuscal 

• Dom  Thurbon, Entrepreneur & Author  

• Prof. Edward Santow, UTS Human Technology Institute 

• Erwin Schuttinga, Cuscal 

• Evan Craig, Cuscal 

• Freya Smith, Cuscal 

• Heidi Richards, Better Regulation Advisory 

• Jonathan MacDonald, SELF 

• Dr Jordan Nguyen, Psykinetic 

• Marie Austenaa, Visa 

• Michael Blomfield, Cuscal 

• Pauline Nguyen, Award Winning Author 

• Philipp Kristian, Digital Humanist 

• Reece Corbett-Wilkins, Atmos 

• Simon Baptist, Visa 

• Sue-Lin Wong, The Economist 

• Trudy Vonhoff, Cuscal 

• Hon. Victor Dominello, Future Government Institute