Responsible Fintech Institute Appoints Four Executive Fellows and Elevates Distinguished Professor Patrick H. M. Loh to Co-Founder

Appointments of Professor Lawrence Loh, Associate Professor Eugene K.B. Tan, Professor Louis Chen and Farah Jaafar deepen RFI's expertise in law, governance, digital policy and cross-border capital markets

SINGAPORE, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI) has appointed Professor Lawrence Loh, Associate Professor Eugene K.B. Tan, Professor Louis Chen and Ms Farah Jaafar as Executive Fellows. RFI has also elevated Distinguished Professor Patrick H. M. Loh, who joined as an Executive Fellow in April 2026, to Co-Founder, in recognition of his contributions to the Institute's strategic direction.

The appointments come as digital finance goes mainstream and regulators, institutions and technology providers seek to ground innovation in digital assets, AI and cross-border payments in sound legal, ethical and governance foundations.

As Executive Fellows, they will engage regulators and standard-setting bodies, contribute to principles-based industry frameworks, and strengthen RFI's partnerships across the region.

Welcoming the appointments, Chia Hock Lai, Chairman of RFI, said, "Lawrence, Eugene, Louis and Farah bring deep experience in law, governance, digital policy and capital market development, the disciplines that responsible digital finance depends on. I also congratulate Patrick on becoming a Co-Founder, recognising his central role in building the Institute."

Professor Lawrence Loh is Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School, where he leads the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index and the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard project. He holds a PhD in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a regular commentator on governance and sustainability for outlets including the BBC, Bloomberg, CNN and The Straits Times.

"Trust is the foundation of every financial system, and it is built on transparency and good governance," said Professor Lawrence Loh. "I am pleased to help RFI support an industry that grows responsibly and sustainably."

Associate Professor Eugene K.B. Tan is Associate Professor of Law at Singapore Management University (SMU) and an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Educated at the National University of Singapore, the London School of Economics and Stanford University, where he was a Fulbright Fellow, he specialises in constitutional and administrative law and the ethics and policy of artificial intelligence. He served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2012 to 2014 and, from 2019 to 2026, as Singapore's Representative and Alternate Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

"As AI and digital assets reshape financial services, the key questions are about accountability and public trust, not just technology," said Associate Professor Tan. "I look forward to helping RFI develop frameworks that are principled, practical and grounded in the rule of law."

Professor Louis Chen is widely recognised for his contributions to digital governance, sustainable digital economy development and cross-sector institutional collaboration. Through his leadership at the Digital Governance Association (DGA), he has helped advance dialogue on responsible innovation, AI governance and the future of digital ecosystems.

"Trusted digital finance depends on governance that keeps pace with technology," said Professor Chen. "I look forward to helping RFI bring policymakers, academics and industry together towards a secure, interoperable digital economy."

Ms Farah Jaafar is a senior executive, board advisor and governance leader with close to 30 years of experience across capital markets, offshore finance, fintech and digital assets. As former Chief Executive Officer of Labuan IBFC Inc., she led the international positioning of Malaysia's international business and financial centre as a regional hub for cross-border financial solutions. She has chaired risk committees in regulated brokerages and pioneered licensed fintech and digital asset infrastructure in Asia. She chairs the Women in Fintech Group of the Asia Fintech Alliance, which represents fintech associations across 15 Asian markets.

"A rising tide lifts all boats," said Ms Jaafar. "Digital finance can widen access and create opportunity, but only if it earns the confidence of regulators, investors and the public. I look forward to strengthening that collaboration with RFI."

Distinguished Professor Patrick H. M. Loh was conferred the inaugural Singapore Distinguished Professor title by Murdoch University, Australia, in 2024. He is Senior Fellow and Advisory Board Member at the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School, and Chairman of the Advisory Board at Murdoch University in Singapore. He was awarded the Public Service Star (BBM) and the Public Service Medal (PBM) by the President of the Republic of Singapore.

"The calibre of leaders joining us shows that responsible innovation needs collaboration across law, governance, industry and policy," said Distinguished Professor Patrick Loh. "I look forward to expanding RFI's impact across the region and beyond."

The RFI Executive Fellowship is designed for senior leaders with at least 20 years of experience in executive leadership and a demonstrated track record in shaping financial policy or institutional strategy. Fellows are expected to operate with institutional neutrality while contributing to globally aligned and responsible financial systems.

About the Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI)

The Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI) is a global nonprofit organisation based in Singapore. Its goal is to create a safe, trustworthy and reliable future for digital finance by building the digital utilities that support responsible innovation. RFI brings together public and private sector stakeholders to help build the rules and technology needed for new digital financial tools, and to make the digital asset sector sustainable and inclusive. Learn more at responsiblefintech.org.

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Responsible Fintech Institute Appoints Four Executive Fellows and Elevates Distinguished Professor Patrick H. M. Loh to Co-Founder

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharpa, an AI robotics company focused on dexterous manipulation, today unveiled three flagship products at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2026: D01, an integrated robot built for dexterous manipulation; W02, a compact, lightweight dexterous hand with full-hand tactile sensing; and AE01, a haptic exoskeleton data glove for teleoperation and data capture.

The new lineup addresses three connected needs in robotics development: executing coordinated physical tasks, sensing and controlling contact with objects, and collecting human demonstrations to support robot learning. Together, the products expand Sharpa's hardware portfolio for developing robots that can use everyday tools and work in environments designed for people.

D01: the First Integrated Tactile-sensing Robot Built for Dexterous Manipulation    

D01 brings together Sharpa Wave dexterous hands, seven-degree-of-freedom arms and whole-body electronic skin.

Built to combine strength, speed and precision, D01 offers an approximately 1:1 arm payload-to-weight ratio, a maximum end-effector speed exceeding 10.5 meters per second, a communication frequency of 1,000 Hz and end-effector repeatability of 0.2 millimeters. Human-scale spherical wrist joints support manipulation in workspaces and around tools designed for people.

D01's electronic skin extends contact sensing across the body, with a tactile sampling rate of 100 Hz and force resolution of 0.2 newtons. This additional feedback enables the robot to detect physical contact across its body and supports responsive interaction with objects and its surroundings.

W02: a Next-generation, Fully tactile, Ultra-compact and Lightweight Dexterous Hand

Building on Sharpa's W01 dexterous hand, W02 combines 21 active degrees of freedom with a compact structure weighing less than 750 grams. Its smaller, lighter design reduces loading on the robot arm and supports integration into workspaces built around human-hand dimensions.

W02 combines Sharpa's proprietary Dynamic Tactile Array at the fingertips with electronic skin across the fingers and palm. Fingertip sensors provide a force sensing range of 5 millinewtons to 30 newtons and spatial resolution of 1 millimeter. The electronic skin extends tactile coverage with a force sensing range of 0.1–20 newtons and spatial resolution of 5 millimeters.

The hand's zero-gap grasping capability supports the handling of slender objects such as chopsticks and fine cords. IP54-rated protection against dust and water splashes supports use in varied working environments. These features are designed to help robots handle everyday objects and tools while maintaining tactile feedback throughout the interaction.

AE01: a High-fidelity Haptic Exoskeleton Data Glove      

AE01 is a high-fidelity haptic exoskeleton data glove designed for robot teleoperation and egocentric data capture. Its 22-degree-of-freedom design incorporates 22 encoders to capture joint motion, providing movement data for real-time robot control and the collection of manipulation demonstrations.

AE01 provides 256 levels of dynamic vibrotactile feedback at each fingertip, giving operators tactile cues to support adjustments during teleoperation. It also offers fingertip position repeatability of less than 1 millimeter.

The glove requires no additional user calibration and is designed to resist environmental interference, simplifying setup and supporting data collection across different operating environments. By combining motion capture with haptic feedback, AE01 gives researchers and developers a practical interface for guiding robotic actions and collecting training data.

Advancing Dexterous Manipulation to Real-World Tasks

With D01, W02 and AE01, Sharpa is expanding the tools available to develop, control and train robots for tasks involving sustained physical contact. The portfolio supports the company's broader goal of making robotic manipulation useful across increasingly complex workflows, from handling individual objects to completing connected tasks in real-world environments.

Visitors can explore Sharpa's latest products at Booth 514, David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, through Sept. 30, 2026.

For more information, visit www.sharpa.com.

About Sharpa

Sharpa is an AI robotics company focused on dexterous manipulation, building robotic intelligence and full-stack systems designed for real-world deployment. By developing the foundational capabilities needed for general-purpose robots, Sharpa is working to bring them into practical applications. Sharpa believes robots should assist, not replace, humans—freeing people from repetitive and strenuous work so they can pursue more meaningful and inspiring endeavors. Now, Sharpa's products serve robotics companies, research institutions, and real-world applications such as food service. In the future, Sharpa's general-purpose robots will expand into a broader range of applications and, ultimately, into the home—giving people back time.
 

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Sharpa Unveils Three Flagship Products: D01 Robot, W02 Dexterous Hand and AE01 Data Glove at IROS 2026