300 delegates from the industry convened at the one-day summit held in Dubai on March 19 

Dubai, UAE, March 19, 2019:  FinTech will radically improve the financial health of the people of the Gulf through access to next-generation banking services, says Mr. Simon Galpin, Managing Director of Bahrain Economic Development Board. He was speaking at Finnovex ME 2019, a one-day conference on financial innovation and excellence, held in Dubai on March 19, 2019.

“FinTech holds the strongest potential to impact the ME economy with the potential of open banking to transform the services available to consumers in the short to medium-term. We’re also laying the foundations for the development of cryptocurrency in the Middle East. That’s another technology that has the potential to take off and progress far beyond what we’ve seen to date,” he added. 

“As technology continues to transform every sector and market, those who don’t innovate are left behind. But creating the conditions for innovation is a little trickier; but is possible. It’s more conducive to the culture of entrepreneurialism that we’re fostering here as we create an environment for the next generation of digitally-minded companies to take root and flourish. The data economy in the region is expected to create 10,000 jobs for data scientists over five years,” said Mr. Galpin. 

The Finnovex ME 2019 featured key banking and finance industry thought-leaders from across the region, focusing on the future of financial services to be reshaped by the disruptive technological innovations in structuring, provision and consumption. The summit highlighted challenges and opportunities in the financial services sector in the region, bringing together government authorities, representatives from central banks and local as well as global financial institutions from the region. 

Finnovex ME 2019 also recognized the best practices, organisations and individuals in the banking and Financial Services sectors for showcasing excellence in adopting the industrial transformation. 

Commenting on the resounding success of the summit, Mr. Shabaz Ahmed, Executive Director at Exibex, said, “We are glad to receive the overwhelming response from across the banking and financial industry for the event. Finnovex ME examined how technology is changing the delivery of banking and payment services. Finnovex discussed the roles of banks, fintech companies, and other stakeholders in building an impetus to this paradigm shift. rapidly changing technology providing a momentous opportunity to transform banking and financial services.” 

“The Middle East is one of the world's fastest growing regions in the banking and capital markets sector. The region's financial services sector is in the middle of an immense overhaul. With populations getting younger, better educated and more demanding; swelling diversity in financial products and services; and rising regulatory requirements for better monitoring of processes and developing secure financial systems, banks and financial institutions across the region are investing heavily to match or surpass their international peers,” said Kanchi Shah, Head of Production, Exibex.

The Central Bank of UAE, Bahrain Economic Development Board, Alinma Bank, Emirates NBD, Bahrain Islamic Bank, Arab National Bank, Jordan Ahli Bank, Riyad Bank, Al Fardan Exchange, Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Financial Group, Arab Bank for Investment & Foreign Trade, MENA Fintech Association and AXA Green Crescent Insurance Company were key partners of the Finnovex. These industrial fore-runners have been instrumental in embracing change in the region.  

Finnovex ME 2019 brought together over 300 delegates from eight countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Egypt across the region. The summit is supported by The Bahrain Economic Development Board, Expo 2020 Dubai, Newgen Software Technologies, OneSpan, Comviva and Daon, will focus on Financial Innovations, Digital Transformation, Omni-Channel Banking, Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Customer Experience Enhancement.