Financial Cryptography 1998 Press Announcement

[Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>]

Please pass this along to any member of the press you may know. Or anyone
else you can think of. :-).

Thanks,
Robert Hettinga

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For Immediate Release

Press Contacts:
Christopher D. Gerath      Robert Hettinga
Gerath & Associates, Inc.  International Financial Cryptography Association
(978) 264-4707             rah@shipwright.com
chris@gerath.com

Financial Cryptography '98 Conference & Exhibition to Highlight FC
Technology and Use

Second Annual Event is World's Leading FC Showcase

Boston, MA, January 22, 1998 - The International Financial Cryptography
Association (IFCA), today announced the 1998 Financial Cryptography
Conference and Exhibition (FC98), to be held on February 23-27, 1998 on the
island of Anguilla in the British West Indies.

The FC98 Conference

The International Conference on Financial Cryptography is the world's first
and only peer-reviewed conference on financial cryptography. Every year,
the newest research is presented in internet financial transfers,
transaction clearing and network-based financial instruments.  This year,
invited speakers and panel participants include such industry experts as
Dr. David Chaum, holder of several very basic financial cryptography
patents and founder of DigiCash Corporation, and Dr. Ron Rivest, who
invented the first practical public key cryptography system and founder
of RSA Data Security, Inc.

However, the primary focus of the Conference will be the results of
financial cryptography research from experts at AT&T Labs, Bell
Laboratories/Lucent, CyberCash, France Telecom, JavaSoft, Kyushu
University, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Microsoft, MIT, Princeton
University, Queensland University, University of Southern California, The
US Naval Research Laboratory, Valicert, Verisign and others.

Last year's Conference, FC97, was the subject of an article in the July,
1997 issue of Wired Magazine, an NHK-Japan television program, and was
covered by the Financial Times, the New York Times, and Institutional
Investor.  Financial cryptography was also the cover story of the Setember
8, 1997 issue of Forbes Magazine.

"Everyone knows business on the Internet is growing, but financial
cryptography and the vanishing cost of individual electronic transactions
will create entirely new forms of business," said Robert Hettinga, IFCA
founder and FC98 General Chairman.  "Simple examples include the possible
replacement of many forms of book-entry financial settlement with digital
bearer versions, and, of course, cash settled electronic auctions for
anything you can send down a wire," Hettinga continued.

The FC98 Conference Proceedings will be available later in the year from
Springer Verlag as part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science series.
See the selection of papers for the FC98 conference at
<http://www.cwi.nl/conferences/FC98>.

The FC98 Exhibition

The FC98 Exhibition, which runs concurrently with the Conference, serves as
a showcase for the newest financial cryptography products. The
presentations, demonstrations, and panels of FC98 Exhibition Program will
explain what kinds of financial cryptography services and implementations
are available in the market today, while the Exhibition floor will have
booths from many of the top companies using and selling financial
cryptography today.

The FC98 Workshop for IT professionals and Senior Managers

The Financial Cryptography '98 Conference and Exhibition will be followed
by the FC98 Workshop for Senior Managers and IS Professionals, which will
be held the week following the Conference and Exhibition, from March 2-6,
1998, at the same location.

The intensive 40-hour FC98 Workshop gives senior managers and IT
professionals an understanding of the fundamentals of strong cryptography
as applied to financial operations on public networks, along with hands-on
instruction in the integration and implementation of these technologies.

FC98's Affiliations and Sponsorship

Financial Cryptography '98 is held in cooperation with the International
Association for Cryptologic Research.  Sponsoring organizations include RSA
Data Security Inc., <http://www.rsa.com/>; C2NET, Inc., <http://www.c2.net/>;
Hansa Bank & Trust Company Limited, Anguilla, <http://www.hansa.net/>;
Sicherheit und Privat- International Bank; Offshore Information Services,
<http://www.offshore.com.ai/>; and Shipwright Development Corporation,
<http://www.shipwright.com/>.

The FC98 Organizing Committee consists of: Vincent Cate and Robert
Hettinga, General Chairs; Rafael Hirschfeld, Conference Chair; Matthew
Franklin, Conference Co-Chair; Ian Goldberg, Workshop Leader; Lynwood Bell,
Exhibition Steering Committee Chair; and Blanc Weber, Exhibits and
Sponsorship Manager.


Registration and Travel

Registration for FC98 can be done directly on the Internet at
<http://www.fc98.ai/>, by calling (264) 497-3255, faxing (264) 497-2756,
email with PGP encryption to <mailto:vince@offshore.com.ai> or physically
mailing the registration form to 949 Old Ta, The Valley, Anguilla, BWI.
Admission to the Exhibition and Conference requires advance payment of the
$1,000 admission fee.  If you're interested in Exhibition space or becoming
an event sponsor, please email Blanc Weber, <mailto:blancw@cnw.com>.

Air travel to Anguilla is typically done through San Juan or St. Martin.
There are several non-stop flights a day from various European and US
locations.  Connection through to Anguilla can be made through American
Eagle, through LIAT, or in the case of St. Martin, with a short ferry ride
to Anguilla.  Consult a travel agent for details or visit our web page at
<http://www.fc98.ai/>.

 ###

Service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their
respective owners.

-----------------
Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com), Philodox
e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/
Ask me about FC98 in Anguilla!: <http://www.fc98.ai/>