Global Trends in ETFs & Opportunities for Exchanges

Mr. Charlie Ryder

Regulatory Affairs Manager, The World Federation of Exchanges

Charlie is a Regulatory Affairs Manager at the WFE, working on central clearing policy, ETF matters, and systemic risk. In this role, he coordinates the WFE's CCP Working Group, in addition to the annual clearing and derivatives conference WFEClear.

Mr. Robert Marrocco

Senior Director, Listings, Cboe Global Markets

Robert Marrocco is the Senior Director on the Listings Team at Cboe Global Markets, one of the world’s largest exchange holding companies, offering cutting-edge trading and investment solutions to investors around the world. In his role, Mr. Marrocco is responsible for supporting the company’s Global Listings franchise by developing strategy, business development, collaborating with issuers to list their securities in the US & Europe, and overseeing market quality incentive programs. Cboe is one of the largest U.S. markets for the trading of exchange-traded funds (ETF) and the largest pan-European equities exchange by market share and value traded.

Mr. Marrocco began his career at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) where he held several positions, most recently as on the Global Index and Exchange Traded Products team. 

Mr. Marrocco graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Saint John’s University.

Mr. Jason  Warr

Global Co-Head of ETF Markets, BlackRock

Jason is a Managing Director and Global Co-Head of ETF Markets. The ETF Markets encompasses the Global Markets and Product Engineering teams within EII Markets and Investments ("Engine") of BlackRock's ETF and Index Investing (EII) organization. The EII Markets and Investments teams drive investment integrity and market quality in Blackrock's ETF and index portfolios. Global Markets and Product Engineering together strive to safeguard ETF trading, evolve the ETF ecosystem and develop best-in-class products with enduring integrity that promote clients' financial well-being. Prior to joining Blackrock in September 2016, Jason spent the previous 15 years at Morgan Stanley in a variety of Delta One trading roles including Cash, Swaps and Futures. Most recently Jason was Head of European ETF Trading at Morgan Stanley and responsible for managing the revenue, technology and client relationships of the European franchise.

Mr. Mo Sparks

Director, Exchange Traded Products, New York Stock Exchange

Mo Sparks leads the New York Stock Exchange’s strategic initiatives and related activities for asset managers engaged in the development of ETFs. Prior to joining the NYSE, he spent nearly a decade at The Vanguard Group working in several different roles within the Product Management & Strategy functions responsible for oversight of Vanguard’s global ETF and mutual fund lineup. Mo most recently served as the Head of Product Technology & Analytics where he was responsible for designing and leading a portfolio of initiatives focused on enhancing the product development, launch, and monitoring processes globally. Mo also served as a founding member of the leadership team for the Global Product Management function and was the Head of Product Management Shared Services where he engaged in go to market strategy development, product development and sales distribution efforts for the global ETF business. Mo received his undergraduate degree from Clemson University and is a holder of the Certified ETF Advisor (CETF®) designation.

Mr. Yao Zeng

Assistant Professor of Finance, Golub Faculty Scholar, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Yao Zeng is an Assistant Professor of Finance and the Golub Faculty Scholar at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Zeng's expertise lies at the intersection of asset pricing and corporate finance, emphasizing financial intermediation and financial stability risks. His research delves into the interactions between banks and diverse non-banks such as mutual funds, ETFs, and various FinTech companies. This work has been published in leading journals like the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Review of Financial Studies. In addition to his academic contributions, Zeng is a policy consultant for numerous central banks, including the New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve, the Financial Stability Board, the Central Bank of Brazil, and the Reserve Bank of India. 

Zeng has been honored with the Wharton MBA Teaching Excellence Award in 2021 and 2022. Zeng received a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.