Dr. Michael Merz is managing director of PONTON, a software development company with a focus on the energy sector. He has demonstrated his expertise in several projects related to energy trading, grid operation, market platforms and post-deal processing. At PONTON, he has been involved in the development of clearing and settlement systems (SMSS, Equias eSM, SEEGAS), transaction reporting services (Equias eRR), infrastructures for trading platforms (Enerchain, Bearing X, etc.), and grid operation / congestion management (EDA, Gridchain, DA/RE). Michael has also contributed to innovation projects in the energy sector such as NEW 4.0, ETIBLOGG and EDDIE. He is author of several articles and book publications.