Summit Agenda

Official Opening of MEBIS 2026
Opening of the 17th Middle East Banking Innovation Summit and welcome by the Master of Ceremonies

Sarah Cocker, Official MC, Amplify

Welcome Address by IBM

Lula Mohanty, Managing Partner for MEA, IBM

Welcome Address - UAE Banks Federation, Official Supporting Partner of MEBIS 2026
The opening perspective from the UAE banking sector and a welcome to MEBIS 2026

Jamal Saleh, Director General, UAE Banks Federation

FIRESIDE CHAT

Building a Future-Ready Private Bank: The Emirates Investment Bank Transformation Journey with Finacle

Sriranga Sampathkumar, Global Head of Sales, Infosys Finacle
Vinod Yadav, Chief Information Officer, Emirates Investment Bank

AI, GenAI and Intelligent Automation in Middle East Banking

Banking has evolved through waves of technology - from core banking and Big Data to RPA, AI, and now Agentic AI. Yet every wave has added another layer, another system, another piece to the puzzle. Fintech has only accelerated this fragmentation. Now, the question is no longer what technology can do. It is how we bring it all together.

This session explores how banks can connect the pieces, unlock the value of AI, and rethink how banking works for the next era.

Arvind Kaushal, Chief Technology Officer, PayNways Worldwide

What Does AI Make It Possible for a Bank to Become?

Banking has become dramatically more digital, efficient, and convenient, but in the process, much of the customer relationship has shifted from helping people decide what to do financially toward simply executing transactions.
This session explores a bigger opportunity for AI: enabling banks to once again become the place customers turn to for trusted financial knowledge and guidance across their entire financial lives. Josh Weisman and Tameem Samawi will examine why this vision has historically been difficult to achieve, what has now changed technologically, and what it could mean for the future role of the bank.

Josh Weisman, Chief Operating Officer, Monstro
Tameem Samawi, Chief AI Officer, Monstro

FIRESIDE CHAT

Inside a Digital-First GCC Bank: Lessons from the Transformation Journey

As banks across the GCC race to modernise, a few have successfully evolved into true digital first institutions. This session takes you behind the scenes of that transformation, exploring what it really took in culture, leadership, technology and delivery to build a bank designed for speed, intelligence and customer centricity.

Moderator: Shukri Eid, VP & General Manager - Gulf Levant & Pakistan, IBM
Noman Rasheed, Chief Information Officer, Dubai Islamic Bank
Norman Tambach, Group CFO, Mashreq

Lessons Learned from a Major Financial Fraud Case that Started from a Mobile App Attack

The world is changing. Cyberattacks that were once a crime that combined high risk with deep technical knowledge required to execute. Nowadays, many more actors are engaged in organized cybercrime. Larger budgets, more organization, democratization of reverse engineering knowledge that came with proliferation of LLMs - all heavily influence the cybersecurity scene. This session examines a major financial fraud case that originated through a mobile banking application, tracing the attack from initial compromise to financial loss. Attendees will learn how a cyberattack targeting a mobile banking application is structured, what are the early and late signs of an attack, and why not every application protection solution is the same.

Suyash Bele, Solutions Engineer, Guardsquare

PANEL DISCUSSION

Data, AI & Intelligent Banking: Powering Trusted AI and Better Customer Experiences

As banks accelerate AI adoption, trusted, accessible and well-governed data has become the foundation for delivering intelligent banking and superior customer experiences. This panel explores how financial institutions are building Data-First strategies that enable trusted AI, predictive decision-making and innovation at scale.

• Building Data-First foundations to power AI, intelligent automation, AI agents and predictive decision-making.
• Strengthening data quality, governance, lineage and ownership to ensure trusted AI outcomes and regulatory compliance.
• Unlocking value through advanced analytics, fraud detection, conversational intelligence and data-driven customer experiences.

Moderator: Hande Erbay, Data & AI Business Head, IBM
Adil Belhouri, Senior Vice President/Head of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science & Analytics, Riyad Bank - Saudi Arabia
Atul Chandorkar, Head of Data Science & AI, Qatar Islamic Bank - Qatar
Hani Khalil, Chief Business Transformation Officer, National Bank of Iraq - Jordan
Islam Gomaa, Chief Technology Officer, Arab African International Bank - Egypt
Mohamed Roshdy Elbastaweesy, Chief Technology Officer, Reem Bank
Srinivasan Sampathvenkat, Executive Director, Head of Voice Transformation, Emirates NBD

PANEL DISCUSSION

Building the AI-Ready Bank

AI success is not a product, it is a capability. This panel examines what banks must build internally to support AI long term, including data maturity, cloud architecture, governance and workforce readiness.

• Operating models and technology foundations that enable sustainable AI adoption
• How to modernise legacy environments without disrupting core banking stability
• Talent, skills and upskilling required to become an AI confident organisation

Moderator: Niraj Naetsawan, General Manager Middle East, Financial Services Technology, Additiv
Fernando Plaza Lopez, Group Chief Digital Officer, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB)
Moataz Gad, Core Banking Development Manager, Al Rajhi Bank - Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Shooqur, AVP Data Science, National Bank of Kuwait
Manoj Bhojwani, CIO and Operating Member, Standard Chartered Ventures
Vikram Sandhu, Group Head of Digital Experience and Transformation, Emirates NBD Digital
Zsombor Brommer, Chief Compliance Officer, United Arab Bank

Your Next Privileged User Isn't Human

Through 2026, AI agents at leading research labs acted well beyond their authority. One fabricated online identities to pressure an open-source maintainer into approving malicious code. Another exploited an unknown security flaw and ran over 17,000 unauthorised actions against a live platform across four and a half days. A third diverted GPU capacity to mine cryptocurrency. None was instructed to do any of it.
Banks are now giving comparable agents read, write and transaction-routing authority over core systems. The frameworks meant to govern them were built for human employees and static integrations, not for non-human actors that acquire their own credentials. This session covers what happened, which safeguards held, and what banks should do now.

Antanas Daujotis, Head of AI UK, Synechron

From GenAI to Agentic Banking: The Autonomous Enterprise Bank

Ahmad Jishi, Data & AI Squad Leader, Gulf Business Machines (GBM)

AI as Embedded Intelligence Inside the Trusted Banking Platform, Workflows, Controls and Products

Christos Panagopoulos, BSG Director, Temenos

PANEL DISCUSSION

Beyond Legacy, Designing Scalable Data and Cloud Foundations

Banks are shifting away from legacy cores to build modern cloud and data platforms that support AI, agility and real time experience delivery. This discussion explores how architecture modernisation enables faster innovation and stronger performance across the digital bank.

• How cloud and data platforms accelerate AI adoption and product delivery
• Approaches to modernising legacy systems without operational disruption
• Designing infrastructure that scales with growth, demand and innovation

Moderator: Yasir Siddiqui, FSI Sales Director, Snowflake
Dr. Mohamed Hamed, Head of Strategy, National Bank of Umm Al Quwain
Ferenc Böle, Head of IT, National Bank of Oman
Gyan Prakash Srivastava, Senior Vice President, Head - One Data & Financial Reporting, Mashreq
Hamza Zaheer, COO Transformation Senior Manager, SAB - Saudi Arabia
Islam Nabil Awad, Expert Enterprise Architect, BSF - Saudi Arabia
Luca Piezzo, VP | IT Operations Lead, Bank ABC - Bahrain

Stop Selling. Start Helping: The Next Role of the Digital Bank

Customers don’t fundamentally want banking products - they want help achieving their goals and navigating financial decisions. This session explores how banks can move beyond product-led personalisation towards genuinely personal banking, using AI and customer context to recognise meaningful moments, provide proactive guidance and connect that guidance to digital action. The result: a more helpful digital bank, stronger customer relationships, and more sustainable commercial outcomes.

Ahmed Khidhir, Regional Director, Finshape

Day 2 Opening
Welcome and opening remarks from the Master of Ceremonies, with a look ahead at the key sessions and conversations on Day Two.

Sarah Cocker, Official MC, Amplify

Building Trust in the Age of AI: The Ombudsman’s Role in Strengthening Confidence Across the UAE Financial Sector

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in financial products, services and decision-making processes, maintaining trust and confidence across the sector is more important than ever.
In this keynote, Faiza Alawadhi, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Sanadak, will examine the evolving role of independent dispute resolution and accountability mechanisms in supporting a transparent and trusted financial sector. Drawing on Sanadak’s unique position within the UAE’s financial ecosystem and the MENA region, she will explore how institutions can embrace technological innovation while maintaining fairness, transparency and effective governance.

Faiza Alawadhi, CEO and Managing Director, Sanadak

AlTareq: Accelerating Open Finance Across the UAE

As the UAE enters the next phase of financial innovation, Nebras is providing the national Open Finance infrastructure that is enabling banks, fintechs, and financial institutions to securely exchange customer-permissioned data and services (known as AlTareq). This session explores how the platform is transforming collaboration, driving innovation, and creating a more connected financial ecosystem across the region.

Jonathan Holman, Chief Executive Officer, Nebras Open Finance

Building the Cyber-Secure & Intelligent Bank: From Digital Identity to Continuous Financial Intelligence

As banks become increasingly digital and interconnected, resilience requires both strong cybersecurity and smarter use of financial information. This session explores how protecting digital identities and managing identity-driven cyber risks can strengthen digital trust, while transforming fragmented financial information into continuous intelligence can enhance control, enable timely action and support better decision-making.

Hamza Soldi, Director - AI Financial Intelligence, Crowe
Shahnawaz Sheik, Director - Cyber Threat Management, Crowe

Reimagining SME Banking: From Digital Journeys to Intelligent Relationships

How AI-native SME banks can move from selling products to understanding SME outcomes

Nisha Chatlani, Director - Delivery, Nagarro
Zainual Bhutto, Director - Business Growth, MENA, Nagarro

PANEL DISCUSSION

Customer Experience in Banking, What Defines Excellence Now

Customer experience is now the main driver of loyalty, digital adoption and customer value. This discussion explores how banks are creating experiences that feel effortless, personal and emotionally engaging through better design, faster service and intelligent interaction.

• How AI and data enable personalised journeys and predictive service
• Reducing friction across onboarding, support and fulfilment paths
• Building trust through human like experience, transparency and reliability

Moderator: Marco Lopes, Territory Lead Evangelist, Camunda Services GmbH
Mais Kayed, Customer Experience, Business Excellence and Customer Care Head, Capital Bank of Jordan - Jordan
Salwa Bseis, Customer Experience Manager, Bank al Etihad - Jordan
Sarah Al Mageni, Head of Customer Experience Governance & Business Development, Bank Muscat - Oman
Shorouk M. Ali, Customer Experience Manager, Boubyan Bank - Kuwait
Thiru Pillay, Head of Vehicle Finance | Banking, Predictive Analytics & AI-Enabled Mobility, QNB - Qatar
Zahra Eid, Customer Excellence & Change Management, Kuwait Finance House - Kuwait

Risk, Fraud and Cybersecurity: Defending the Digital Bank

Cyber threats and identity attacks are evolving as digital adoption surges across GCC markets. This session investigates behavioural analytics, fraud monitoring and AI-driven threat intelligence as defence layers for the modern bank. It focuses on preventative controls, automated detection and trust-by-design identity frameworks.

Ross McNaughton, Chief Information Security Officer, Gulf Bank - Kuwait

PANEL DISCUSSION

From AI Assistants to AI Agents: Autonomous Banking, Governance and Trust

Generative AI is rapidly evolving beyond chatbots and copilots into intelligent agents capable of executing tasks, orchestrating workflows and supporting decision-making. This discussion explores how banks can harness agentic AI to improve efficiency and innovation while maintaining governance, accountability and trust.

• AI agents, autonomous workflows and the next evolution beyond today's AI assistants
• Governance frameworks, human oversight and regulatory expectations for agentic AI adoption
• Managing operational risk, cybersecurity and workforce transformation in increasingly AI-driven organisations

Moderator: Faidh Feisal, Senior Manager Data & AI Consultancy, EPAM
Dr. Nasser S.Al-Azwani, Head of Information Technology Department, Alizz Islamic Bank - Oman
Haishan Wu, Head of Innovation, AI & Data, Zand
Pawel Swiedziewski, Vice President Portfolio Execution and Change Management, Commercial Bank International
Sean Sarginson, Head of Group Innovation & Fintech Engagement, Emirates NBD
Sebastian Walter, Chief AI Officer, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)
Xi Liang, Chief AI Officer, Mashreq

Governance Is a Promise. Testing Is Proof

Every bank now has an AI governance framework. Far fewer can show what it is worth. This session lays out the three layers of AI security a financial institution has to get right, securing the AI you build, defending with AI at machine speed, and governing how people actually use it, and the one thing that makes any of them real: evidence. Current research, three practical failure modes, and a clear ask for Monday morning.

Thomas Boele, Global Director, Solutions Engineering - AI Security, Check Point Software / Lakera

The Intelligent Enterprise: Reimagining Banking Through Data & AI

The Intelligent Enterprise harnesses data and AI to transform banking into a smarter, faster, and more customer-centric ecosystem.
By enabling real-time insights, automation, and personalized experiences, it redefines decision-making, risk management, and sustainable growth.

Ghina Dani, Sales Engineer MEA, Alteryx

PANEL DISCUSSION

Payment Innovation in Banking, Real Time, Cross Border and Wallet Driven Evolution

Payments are changing rapidly as real time transfers, digital wallets and cross border rails redefine how money moves. This discussion explores how banks are evolving infrastructure, enabling instant settlement and supporting new customer payment behaviours driven by wallets and super apps. The panel will highlight what is delivering the most value today and what the next phase of payments innovation will look like.

• Real time rails, instant settlement and continuous payment capability
• The rise of digital wallets, super apps and new consumer transaction habits
• Infrastructure, interoperability and regulatory readiness for next generation payments

Moderator: Naveed Minhas, EMEA IPC Payments Leader, IBM
Alona Shevtsova, Chief Executive Officer, Sends
Ananth Srivatsa, Executive Vice President, RAKBANK
Ashish Gupta, Head - Digital, Retail SME and Sales, BankDhofar - Oman
Hasan Jaber, Deputy CEO - Al Fardan Exchange, Chief Executive Officer - AlfaNow
Kamran Khan, Executive Director | Product Innovation & Implementation (EMEA), First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)
Mohamed Hussein, Head of Banking Solutions Center of Excellence, BANK NXT - Egypt

From Rules to Revenue: AI Driven Decisioning at Scale

As lending across the Middle East enters its next phase of digital transformation, agentic AI is emerging as a new operating paradigm for credit. This session explores how autonomous, intelligent agents can reshape the credit lifecycle - from customer onboarding and underwriting to decisioning, monitoring, and portfolio management - helping lenders move from rule-based automation to more adaptive, context-aware systems. We’ll also unveil FinBox’s new agentic credit platform, built for this next generation of lending.

Bindesh Pandey, Senior Vice President & Head - International Sales & Alliances, Finbox