By: Tom Wagner

At a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill, Members of Congress gathered with financial industry experts from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Wunderlich Securities to discuss the state of the cybersecurity industry today and the role of America’s capital markets in funding cybersecurity initiatives.

Cybersecurity represents one of America’s most pressing challenges, evidenced in recent years by the soaring rate of attacks – a year-over-year increase of 154% in 2015, according to a report from PwC. The roundtable focused on ways in which the financial services industry is helping to develop the tools necessary for mitigating the risk posed by cyber hacktivists, criminals and terrorists.

Roundtable participants also discussed how cybersecurity must evolve in order to effectively combat cyber threats, current trends and investments as well as the future of the understaffed cybersecurity workforce.

See also:

Cybersecurity Roundtable: A Conversation with Congress and the Financial Services Industry
Fact Sheet: Effective Cybersecurity Starts with Public-Private Partnerships
Cybersecurity Roundtable Press Release
Project Invested: Markets in Action – Addressing Threats Every Day

SIFMA would like to extend a special thank you to our roundtable participants who provided their expertise and delivered insights into this important segment: Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI); Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX); Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA); Representative Jim Himes (D-CT);  Representative Randy Neugebauer (R-TX); Byron Collie, Technology Fellow & Head of Cyber Intelligence, Goldman Sachs; Melissa Gorham, Vice President, Software Equity Research, Morgan Stanley; Ryan McDonald, Senior Analyst in Enterprise Software and Cyber Security, Wunderlich Securities; and Keith Weiss, Managing Director, Head of U.S. Software Equity Research, Morgan Stanley.

Tom Wagner is Managing Director, Financial Services Operations for SIFMA.