Overview

The financial sector in UAE & GCC markets face distinct challenges, including intense competition from both local and international players, and the urgent need for digital transformation. Traditional institutions must adapt to the rise of fintech solutions while navigating rapid technological advancements and evolving consumer expectations. This closed-door event will bring together 10-15 senior executives from leading banks in the UAE and GCC markets. The roundtable will feature three 2-hour sessions, each moderated by an industry expert and covering key topics in:

Digitization & Digital Transformation: Exploring the journey of core banking migration to the cloud, including bottlenecks, migration models, best practices, and lessons learned from other markets.

Digital Payments: Addressing KYC, authentication, data governance, and the implications of open banking and API interfaces.

Cybersecurity: Discussing emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and addressing challenges in the new digital landscape.

Together, we will address these pressing issues and define the future of financial industry in GCC market.

Data Governance: Examining data ownership, commercialization, and opportunities within shared national digital ecosystems.

Event Format

Each session will include:

Case Studies

In-depth analysis of successful use cases from other markets.

Roundtable Discussions

Interactive discussions among participants to share perspectives and identify solutions.

Expert Presentations

Insights on industry trends and best practices.

We'll aggregate participant insights through a survey to inform the roundtable proceedings and distribute key points and minutes to attendees and a wider audience under Chatham House Rules.

Abdulla Mashaal

Head of Open Banking

Emirates NBD, UAE

Aleksandra Anna Krajewska

Banking Strategy & Digitization Expert

UAE

Participants

Deepak Sharma

Tech Entrepreneur & CXO Advisor

India

Fahim uz Zaman

Chief Curator

The Leaders Roundtables, UAE

M. Ibrahim Iqbal

SVP, Head of Digital Platforms

Dubai Islamic Bank, UAE

Nitin Bhandari

SVP & Head of Payit Digital Wallet

First Abu Dhabi Bank, UAE

Constanza Guillen

Head of Digital Delivery - Wealth & Personal Banking

HSBC, UAE

Cyrus Daruwala

Chairman and Board Advisor

ASEAN FinTech Forum, Singapore

Fredy Aga

CFO

Trust Bank, Singapore

Nitin Bhargava

COO

Al Masraf Bank, UAE

Dr. Ali Salim Al Shekaili

AGM, Head of Digital & eChannels

National Bank of Oman, Oman

Zein Malhas

CEO

Blink By Capital Bank, Jordan

Lalit Mehta

Co-founder & CEO

Decimal Technologies, India

Yogesh Sharma

President

Decimal Technologies, India

Ahmed Salahy

Head of Strategic Partnerships

Careem, UAE

Haroon Durrani

Head of Cards, Payments & Direct Banking

Commercial Bank of Dubai, UAE

Mohamad Najmeddine

Head of Platfroms, Open Banking, & Data Services - MEA

Citibank, UAE

Mamoun Alhomssey

CTO

Ajman Bank, UAE

Pawel Swiedziewski

VP Portfolio Execution and Change Management

Commercial Bank International, UAE

Amna Al Balushi

Chief Information Security Officer

Bank Nizwa, Oman

Elif Parlak

Co-Founder

Dataroid, Turkey

Melike Kocagozoglu

Senior Sales Manager

Dataroid, Turkey

Ayman Alqudsi

Senior Technology Advisor

UAE

Abdel Hadi Mustafa

Chief Technology Officer

Al Ansari Exchange, UAE

Ahmad Shraim

Head of IT Applications Support and Development

United Arab Bank, UAE

Pramod Veturi

CEO - International

Perfios

Gyorgy Ladics

Regional Managing Director MENASA

Silverlake Axis, UAE

Raul Adreu

Head of AI Digital Transformation

Silverlake Axis, Singapore

David Lim Lai Mun

CEO

Silverlake Axis AI, Singapore

Mohammed Wassim Khayata

CEO

MBank, UAE

Dongyue Ouyang

SVP

Huawei Cloud MECA

Sanjay Bhat

BFSI Director

Huawei, UAE

Partners

Decimal Technologies

Silverlake

Huawei

Lunch Sponsor

Event Highlights

Thank YOU and the wonderful TLR team for the very well-organized event. It was truly insightful, and I enjoyed taking part in this and being around the table with such prominent industry thought leaders. I look forward to the next event.

Zein Malhas
Blink by Capital Bank, Jordan

Testimonials

I would like to thank you and the team for organizing this excellent event. I loved participating as well as sharing and hearing insights from industry leaders.

Nitin Bhandari
SVP & Head of Payit Digital Wallet, First Abu Dhabi Bank, UAE

I extend sincere appreciation to the TLR team for their professionalism, coordination and logistical support. The event's success was further elevated by the skilled moderation. I'm grateful for the recognition and look forward to continued collaboration.​

Fredy Aga
CFO, Trust Bank, Singapore

I’d like to echo the heartfelt thank you to our friends, paritcipants and partners, the UAE Decision Makers Roundtable was indeed and event worth attending. Insightful discussion, collaborative spirit, active paritcipants and interactive session made it a great success.

Gyorgy Ladics
Regional MD MENASA, Silverlake, UAE

I commend TLR for hosting a productive forum on digital banking. The exchange of expertise between global leaders, particularly from Poland, UAE, Singapore, Jordan, India and Oman, was enlightening. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute and look forward to future collaborations.

Aleksandra Krajewska
Banking Strategy & Digitization Expert, UAE

Insightful event, well organized and good networking. ​
Thank you Fahim uz Zaman and The Leaders Roundtables (TLR) team.

M. Ibrahim Iqbal
SVP, Head of Digital Platforms, Dubai Islamic Bank, UAE