Middle East Banking Forum 2014

17/11/2014

08:15 - 09:00	Registration
09:00 - 09:05	Conference Chairman’s opening remarks Michael Imeson, Contributing Editor, The Banker
09:05 - 09:10	Welcome from the Chairman of the UAE Banks Federation H.E. Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al-Ghurair, Chairman, UAE Banks Federation
09:10 - 09:20	Opening remarks from the Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE H.E. Mubarak Rashed Al Mansoori, Governor, Central Bank United Arab Emirates
09:20 - 10:00	Panel discussion: New ways of banking in the digital age Banking is changing – new ideas, new channels, new services, new entrants, new customer demands. How should banks adapt? How do you develop successful strategies for multiple delivery channels in the personal, high-net worth and SME customer segments? Mobile banking and payments – where do the opportunities lie, and what are the pitfalls to avoid? Ajay Makhija, Group Head – Global Consumer Banking, Samba Financial Group Jean Coumaros, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Financial Services, Capgemini Consulting Sakhr AlMulhem, Head of Retail Banking, Gulf International Bank Fatih İşbecer, Executive Vice President, Middle East Africa, Monitise Moderator: Michael Imeson, Contributing Editor, The Banker
10:00 - 10:25	On-stage Interview: Governance and ethics – room for improvement? Corporate governance in Middle Eastern banks – how much better could it be? How do you set the right “tone from the top”? Ethical behaviour– do standards need to be raised, and if so how? Banks in the community: are there more effective ways of promoting financial inclusion, financial education, consumer protection and debt management? Interviewee: Prathit Harish, Partner, Advisory (Financial Services), PwC Omar Selim, Chief Executive Officer, Arabesque Interviewer: Nima Abu-Wardeh, Presenter, Middle East Business Report, BBC World News; and Founder, cashy.me and UAE Saves
10:25 - 10:50	Networking refreshment break
10:50 - 11:30	Panel discussion: Spotlight on SME finance How much do SMEs contribute to the economies of the Middle East? Is access to affordable finance a problem? Are there any new forms of finance for SMEs? What can SMEs do to improve their financial governance and make themselves more appealing to banks, more 'bankable'? James Gohary, Regional Manager, Financial Institutions Group, MENA & Turkey, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group Dr Sassan Dieter Khatib-Shahidi, Chief Executive Officer, German Imaging Technologies (GIT) Dubai Hashim Shawa, Chairman and General Manager, Bank of Palestine Alexandaer Williams, Director of Strategy and Policy Division, Dubai SME Moderator: Ruth McKee Al Ghamdi, Head, Middle East and North Africa, Mergermarket
11:30 - 11:50	On-stage interview: Islamic banking– the next five years Why is demand for Islamic banking products increasing so rapidly, globally and in the Middle East? Which customer segments present the biggest opportunities – consumer, high-net worth, corporate? After years of growth in revenues and market share, what must Islamic banks do to retain their competitive and innovative edge What will drive the future development of Islamic banking, and what could hold it back? Interviewees: Professor Datuk Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim, Chief Executive Officer, International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation Ashar Nazim, Partner, Financial Services Advisory, & Head of Global Islamic Banking Center, EY Interviewer: Michael Imeson, Contributing Editor, The Banker
11:50 - 12:30	Panel discussion: Coping with the burden of global and home-grown financial regulation Global regulatory developments – what impact have they had on banks in the Middle East, especially regulations designed to combat money laundering and sanctions busting? What are the main regulatory developments in the UAE? Summary of new regulations in other parts of the Gulf and the Middle East Thamer Abdalla, Group Chief Compliance Officer, Barwa Bank Walid Alameddine, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East Operations, Promontory Financial Group Giles Williams, Partner, Financial Services Regulatory Centre of Excellence, Europe, Middle East Africa, KPMG David Dew, Managing Director, Saudi British Bank (SABB) Moderator: Ruth McKee Al Ghamdi, Head, Middle East and North Africa, Mergermarket
12:30 - 13:00	Keynote address: Innovation and partnership – the key to successful banking Global banks should think of themselves as platform services – the easiest and best integrations win. The best banking services in the Middle East may not come from banks, but banks can still play a critical role. The blurring of physical and digital commerce presents new opportunities for regional banks and the implications go far beyond mobile. New systems for money movement and math-based currencies represent an opportunity, not a threat, particularly in the Middle East. Dan Schatt, author, Virtual Banking: A Guide to Innovation and Partnering; Chief Commercial Officer, Stockpile; and former General Managerof Financial Innovations, PayPal
13:00 - 14:00	Lunch
14:00 - 14:45	Round Table Discussions: Session 1 This dynamic networking session will enable participants to discuss topics of specific relevance, to meet and exchange ideas with peers and counterparts, and to hear from the experts. There will be two 40-minute discussion periods covering four topics. Delegates will request their two preferred topics when initially registering online for the event, with late changes being possible in some cases on the morning of the conference. (1) Cyber security: creating a safe and resilient banking sector What are the threats facing banks and their customers - across all segments – when transacting online and via mobile devices? Are the security measures adequate? Table 1 Moderator: Michael Imeson, Contributing Editor, The Banker Table 2 Moderator: Adam Crosher, Vice President, Financial and Professional Risks, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage and Consultancy (2) Mobile money: moving from the slow to the fast lane Why are many Middle Eastern banks lagging behind in the provision of payments and other financial services via mobile devices? What must they do to catch up and reach the levels of technical sophistication, customer experience and market penetration achieved by the most successful providers of mobile banking and payments? Table 1 Moderator: Nima Abu-Wardeh, Presenter, Middle East Business Report, BBC World News; and Founder, cashy.me and UAE Saves Table 2 Moderator: Professor Bernardo Nicoletti, Professor of IT Procurement, University of Rome Tor Vergata; and author, Mobile Banking: Evolution or Revolution? Table 3 Moderator: Stefan Kimmel, Head of Strategic IT and Operations Practice Middle East, Oliver Wyman (3) SMEs: the unsung heroes of economic growth and job creation Considering the important contribution that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make to local economies, are they adequately supported by the region’s banks? Table 1 Moderator: Ruth McKee,Al Ghamdi, Head, Middle East and North Africa, Mergermarket Table 2 Moderator: Muhammad Tariq, Partner, Financial Services, Lower Gulf, KPMG (4) Islamic banking: where next? When will Islamic banking reach its growth limits and what will be the inhibitors? Where do the best opportunities lie, in terms of geographical markets, customer segments and particular products. Table 1 Moderator: James King, Middle East Editor, The Banker Table 2 Moderator: Amir Ahmad, Head of Finance and Islamic Finance, Middle East, Pinsent Masons
14:45 - 15:30	Round Table Discussions: Session 2 A re-run of all the above round tables, with delegates switching to a round table covering their second chosen topic.
15:30 - 16:00	Final keynote address: A collaborative approach to banking Banks are competitive organisations, but they also collaborate with each other – through industry associations, multi-lateral agreements on shared utilities, business joint ventures and informal networking. Some examples of the activities carried out by the British Bankers’ Association, the European Banking Federation and other banking associations on behalf of their members Best practices – how bankers can improve their co-operation and partnership skills. Simon Hills, Executive Director, British Bankers’ Association
16:00 - 16:05	Final remarks H.E. Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al-Ghurair, Chairman, UAE Banks Federation
16:05 - 16:15	Summary of key themes and closing remarks Michael Imeson, Contributing Editor, The Banker
16:15	Networking reception