Financial technology experts, industry market leaders gather for MEFTECH 2016

The future is digital: two-day conference and exhibition to educate banking institutions on innovative tech

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 March 2016: The region’s largest gathering of experts in the financial services industry, MEFTECH 2016, opens on Tuesday 22 March at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), hosting some of the world’s leading companies in the market.

Under the theme of ‘discovering why the future is digital’, the two-day event will offer conference presentations by industry experts, an awards ceremony celebrating success in the industry and a show floor filled with the latest innovative products, allowing visitors the opportunity to see them in action during live demonstrations.

The opening keynote speech will be delivered by Chris Skinner, a ‘FinTech’ guru, CEO of the Financial Services Club and an independent commentator on the financial markets, who will also join the Awards judging panel.

Skinner said: “I have been involved in MEFTECH since its inception and believe it is an incredibly important event, as there is no other meeting of this size, quality and depth in the MENA region.  In particular, it’s a key annual event as the first conference and exhibition focused upon ‘fintech’ in MENA for over a decade. With that track record and pedigree, you cannot afford to miss this key moment of the year.”

MEFTECH 2016 has assembled a world-class line-up of expert conference speakers, including digital banking wizards Michal Panowicz, SVP of Digital Banking at Nordea Bank; Brett King, CEO of Moven; Paolo Bertosini, CEE Retail Head at Bank Austria; Anand Kumar Bajaj, Chief Innovation Officer at Yes Bank; and Gopi Krishnan, Chief Information Officer at Qatar Islamic Bank.

Joining Skinner on the Awards judging panel is banking technology veteran and ex-CIO of Doha Bank, U V K Kumar who will determine the award shortlist and judge the final candidates, lending their wealth of knowledge to choose winners for each of the categories.

The FinTech pavilion will provide innovators in the industry with an opportunity to present a quick-fire seven minute demo, giving them a chance to enthral the show floor with their pioneering industry solutions.

Companies featured in the FinTech pavilion are Sedicii, Call Levels, Augur, IDmission, Luminous Banking and TagPay, which will offer a hands-on demonstration to provide a unique experience for delegates to see the inner workings of their products.

Speaking about the potential solutions Augur could provide the region, Peronet Despeignes from the Special Operations department highlights the need for financial institutions and businesses to assess risk management in an increasingly volatile world.

 “The UAE is part of the global financial system. The entire global financial system currently faces serious challenges - both short-term and long-term.

“Given the massive paradigm shifts under development and potentially around the corner - including from the crypto space - we don't think participants in the conventional banking system have a choice but to become aware of what's going on in this space, reconsider their business processes and begin taking measures to adapt.”

For the first time, MEFTECH is introducing an online scheduling service for delegates and exhibitors. One-to-one meetings can be pre-arranged offering both parties the opportunity to network and grow business prospects.

Chris Fountain, Managing Director of Turret Media, the event organisers said, “MEFTECH 2016 is set to be the largest event in the region for innovators in the financial services industry and, in order to streamline the event, we have introduced a service for exhibitors and attendees to arrange meetings online.

“We encourage delegates to explore the show floor and talk to a selection of exhibitors, but we appreciate that many will have specific business in mind. This system is designed to optimise people’s experience so they can get the most out of what the show has to offer.”