5th Annual Middle East Banking Innovation Summit starts tomorrow

Dubai, September 13, 2015: The stage is set for the 5th Annual Middle East Banking Innovation Summit 2015, the largest banking technology summit in the region, with Visa as the Title sponsor. The summit draws together the who’s who of this industry for intense discussions on ideas, trends and innovations that is driving the Middle East region’s banking industry. Over 450 participants from across the GCC are expected to attend the two-day summit that is set to begin tomorrow at Sofitel, The Palm Resort & Spa in Dubai. With the core agenda to discuss and influence the growth of the banking technology landscape in the region, the summit will bring together global perspectives that will shape the industry.

The day 1 session of the summit will begin with Mr. Nilanjan Ray, Managing Director – Global Consumer Banking, NBAD’s address on Trending Themes on Innovation: Where do Banks Stand?, that will be followed by a series of sessions and a panel discussion on Smart Payments Strategy that will involve Amru Kotb, Senior Vice President - MEA, Cryptomathic; Dr. Haroun Dharsey, SVP- Head of Technology & Projects, Dubai Islamic Bank; Ehsaan Ahmed, Head of GTS and Corporate Strategy, Noor Bank; Gary Collins, Head Mobile Banking, Westpac Pacific and Jassim Al Tamimi, Head of Payment Solutions & Business Innovation, Commercial Bank of Dubai.

The day 2 session begins with Pedro Cardoso, Head of Multichannel and CRM, Emirates NBD focusing on UAE’s Success in Digital Payments. The panel discussion, sponsored by Visa will focus on Today’s Smart City: How Digital Payment is Displacing Cash in the Real and Virtual World, involving panelists Hadi Raad, Head of Emerging Payments & Innovation for Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA), Visa; Paresh Buch, Regional Finance Manager, Spinney’s; R. Sivaram, SVP – Head of Retail Assets and Cards Business, Emirates NBD and Samer Soliman, Executive Vice President - Product and Innovation, Network International.

Over the course of the two days, the Summit will feature more than 30 key banking and technology influencers, including top names such as Paul McCrea, Vice President, Head of Products, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEMEA), Visa; Jonathan Duncan, ITB MEA Director for Integrated Solutions & Data Center Applications, Schneider Electric; Gary Collins, Head Mobile Banking, Westpac Pacific; Naveed Minhas, Banking Industry Leader MEA and Turkey, Global Business Services, IBM; Amol Shah, Head of Bancasurrance Products, Consumer Banking Group – FGB and Kartik Taneja, Global Head - Credit Cards, Standard Chartered Bank, to name a few.

The Summit is supported by more than 40 sponsors who will showcase their product innovations and solutions at the Innovation Lounge, making it a hub to collaborate with industry peers and connect with other like-minded people in the industry.