The Middle East Banking Innovation Summit with IBM as Lead Sponsor has brought together some of the biggest names in banking and technology under one roof to discuss the banking technology roadmap in the Middle East. The summit held at Palazzo Versace witnessed over 450 senior delegates in attendance from the leading banks in the Middle East region and across the globe.

The banking technology landscape in the region has grown considerably over the past few years. Traditional banking methods have been replaced with innovative technology-led processes and applications that have reduced inefficiencies and made banking a more secure and convenient experience.

In its sixth year, over 20 industry experts explored the factors further influencing the usage of innovative banking solutions, trends, best practices, and the impact of technology in banking. The summit witnessed an opening address from Lead Sponsor IBM’s Naveed Minhas, followed by an address from Przemyslaw Bogusz of Comarch Middle East, Platinum Sponsor of the event.

Sagheer Mufti, Chief Operating Officer, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank delivered a keynote address on the topic ‘Business Continuity, Backup & Recovery Provisioning: The Importance of being Prepared’, while Naveed Mihas, Banking Industry Leader MEA and Turkey, Global Business Services, IBM presented on the use of analytics at Wimbledon by IBM to drive a greater customer experience and the lessons that banking can learn from it.

Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “The banking industry in the Middle East has been on an upswing. Technology remains a key driver for banking transformation, with banks in the Middle East being at the forefront of technology adoption. The sixth edition of the summit will set a benchmark in exploring pressing trends in the industry and reveal new age technology-led banking innovations.”

The session on growing opportunity for innovation in Dubai and the region was addressed by Pedro Cardoso, Senior Vice President, Head – Multichannel, CRM & Digital Transformation, Emirates NBD. His session was followed by Maciej Salata, Business Solution Manager, Comarch presenting on the topic titled enhancing the corporate banking experience.

Industry experts Aref Al Ramli, Head of Digital Banking, Mashreq; Marwan Elnakat, eBanking & eCommerce Director - MEA, Gemalto; Sudhesh Giriyan, COO, Xpress Money participated in an interactive panel discussion titled ‘Getting Ready for eBanking & eCommerce digital transformation’ focused on embracing innovation and the readiness of a bank’s digital journey.

The Innovation Lounge had over 20 leading technology providers including IBM, Comarch, PinPay, IMTF, Gemalto, VMWare, ApPello, Xpress Money, Pennant Technologies, Wacom, to name a few displaying their products and solutions.

The second day of the summit will witness presentations from eminent industry leaders including Siamak Amirghodsi, VP - Data Management & Advanced Analytics, OCC; Gokhan Alakus, Head of Digital & Alternate Channels, First Gulf Bank and Roshdi Osman, Deputy CISO, Banque Saudi Fransi, to name a few.