The eighth edition of the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit, with IBM as Title Sponsor got underway yesterday. Organized by global conference organizers, the two-day event Expotrade covers over 45 subject matter experts delve deep into discussions on the latest trends, developments and emerging technologies in the banking sector in the region.
For the first time, the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit will host roundtable discussions after the conference sessions, with topics on Building blocks to World Class Financial Solutions in the UAE, Scaling digital-Moving from strategy to execution, The Future of Collaborative Finance, Getting the most out of Machine Learning and AI in Banking, and Disruptive innovations in the banking industry.
International speaker Pedro Pinto Coelho, Chairman and Chief Executive, BANCO BNI EUROPA delivered the opening address on the topic Traditional Banks VS FinTech. Another highlight of this year’s event was the fireside chat with Paolo Barbesino, Senior Vice President & Head of Multi-Channel Banking, Emirates NBD; Noman Rasheed, Chief Information Officer, Noor Bank; Naveed Minhas, Banking Industry Leader MEA, IBM Global Business Services and Nabilah Annuar, Editor, Banker Middle East. The discussions focused on how banks are adapting with the digital transformation processes underway, how the role of a CIO is contributing to transformation in the UAE banking sector and on concepts such as open banking, amongst others.
Mr. Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, organizers of the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit, said:
“As fintech has moved beyond just being a buzzword, the banks in the region have begun their visionary journey to move from nascent implementations to pathbreaking success. Technologies such as blockchain, IoT, AI and advanced analytics have penetrated into the UAE banking sector, thereby helping the banks to enhance their services in line with customer centricity. Against this backdrop, the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit provides a platform for experts to share insights on how technology has wholly transformed the way consumers use the banking services.”
The first day of the event covered topics pertaining to how successful banks approach digital transformation to guarantee the best customer experience, convergence of transformative technologies in banking, four pillars of the digital-first bank by subject matter experts from Comarch, Microsoft and Backbase, respectively. Daragh O’Byrne, Global Head of Marketing and Alliances at Nucleus Software, shared the company’s views on the next phase in the revolution in financial services at a session titled “Transforming Financial Services Beyond Digital.”
“We have been present in the MEA region for over a decade and are working with more than 45 financial services companies. At Nucleus, we are committed to leveraging the power of new technologies including AI, Bots, Analytics and Cloud in lending our solutions to help banks in the Middle East drive transformation beyond digital. Our unique portfolio of offerings including FinnOne Neo, Lending Analytics and Digital Portal will enable banks to enhance their end to end lending processes to offer an unmatched personalized experience to their customers.”
Over 50 companies have sponsored this event, with IBM as Title Sponsor, Comarch as Platinum Sponsor, and Microsoft as Strategic AI & Cybersecurity Partner, along with a host of leading technology companies based locally and across the globe supporting this event. The second day of the event will cover 10 sessions in total with international speaker Julian Wilson, Product Owner Group Innovation, and Barclays UK opening the event.
Source Zawya