The Middle East’s premier annual gathering of banking and finance experts saw over 400 senior executives at the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit held at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, UAE on 29-30 Sept 2014. The two-day business event is in its fourth year focusing on new technology, trends and challenges being faced by the region’s banking sector in achieving customer centricity and tighter regulations following the global financial crisis.

A large line-up of banking leaders and technology expert’s gave presentations and shared case studies during panel and roundtable discussions aimed at encouraging best practice in digital transformation, customer engagement, product development and security frameworks.

Representatives from local and international banks including Dr. R. Seetharaman, Group CEO of Doha Bannk, Jamal Saleh, Chief Risk Officer at Commercial Bank of Dubai, Ashwin Khorana, Chief Technology Officer at ING Vysya and Michael Leung, Chief Information & Operations Officer at China CITIC Bank International presented at the Summit.

Technology vendors showcased the latest in digital solutions and cutting-edge innovations for the banking and finance sector, including multi national software giant SAP, Gold Sponsor of the Summit. Yasar Yilmaz, Financial Services Industry Director at SAP MENA, believes that a focus on the customer is important for survival in the highly competitive banking environment.

“Customer centricity is key and there are many interpretations of this. Banks across MENA who master this are noticed by the market and reap the benefits. As competition heightens, risk taking by banks increase and therefore, monitoring risk indicators in a more agile and dynamic way for better visibility becomes monumentally critical for an organization’s profitability and also as financial crisis has shown, very own existence,” states Yilmaz.

“A lot of banks across MENA mix doing things in a fancier way with being innovative. The important thing is understanding how innovation impacts the bottom line such as profitability, sustainable growth, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, etc.”

The Middle East Banking Innovation Summit is the largest event of its kind in the region, and is organized by global conference company Expotrade. With offices in Melbourne, Australia and Dubai, UAE, Expotrade has delivered some of the most well attended B2B industry conferences and events in industries including Big Data, banking & finance, solar energy, lighting, smart cities and construction.

More information on the event can be found at www.bankinnovation-me.com