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Sudan’s First and Only Virtual Summit and Expo on Fintech, Sudan Fintech Summit, will take place from 18-19 August 2021.
Sudan Fintech Summit is the definitive meeting place facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue with power packed networking opportunities among C-Level executives, leading Industry experts, decision makers, policy makers and government officials from across the value chain to foster collaboration, discuss current challenges, business opportunities, develop market strategies, share knowledge, and identify solutions aimed at shaping the future of fintech.
Banking on the future of fintech could prove to be a groundbreaking moment for Sudan as it builds bridges and rejoins the global financial system. The meteoric rise of fintech has transformed lives and economies, unleashing innovation and propelling an upsurge of financial inclusion.
In Sudan, the pandemic has prompted growth in digital retail banking solutions evidenced by a 64% increase in person-to-person mobile transfers and a 43% increase at the point of sale. The past year, electronic banking services moved over US$ 36 billion in electronic transactions, this including check clearing and person to person transfers.
At Sudan Fintech, meet the people who matter. Over 2 days, with over 500 industry experts, decision makers, technologists, entrepreneurs, investors, academics and more in attendance. The summit is the perfect platform to engage with the industry and make the virtual connections you need to drive business growth and stay ahead of the curve.
A New Way to Experience a Summit
A virtual event works very much the same as our in-person events, with many of the physical features transferring across to the digital experience. The event will enable you to view the presenters live or catchup through recordings and visit vendors booths and network with anyone on the platform.
All you need is a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone, and you can digitally attend from the safety and comfort of your office or home. The Event will run for 48 Hours from 18 August 2021, 09:00hrs Central Africa Time or GMT +2 to ensure global attendance from all time zones.
The Summit will feature an expansive line-up of stellar speakers, case studies, panel discussions, engaging discussions, unique presentations providing access to a wealth of industry-leading knowledge, sharing best practices & experiences, spotlighting trends, information exchange, cutting-edge insights and outlooks with actionable takeaways.
The cutting-edge agenda at Sudan Fintech will explore trends driving innovation, optimization, and improvement across the industry from financial inclusion, digital transformation, retail banking, customer experience, Islamic banking, insuretech, blockchain, cyber security, regtech and more. Stay up to date with the latest topics shaping the fintech landscape.
The Event will also feature a comprehensive B2B Expo which will showcase an array of avantgarde solutions, specific transverse and latest technologies, cutting edge innovations, cost-effective products and services to meet the requirements.
Collaboration between banks and fintech startups will be instrumental in driving digitalization, there will be a special focus to promote startups at the Sudan Fintech Summit.
Unique Offerings
Product Showcase
Exhibitor Virtual Booth
Generate New Leads
Watch Live
1-2-1 Meetings
Discuss
Webinars & Round Tables
On-Demand
Keynote Speaker
H.E. Hashim Hasabelrasoul Hashim
Minister
Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation, Republic of the Sudan
H.E. Hashim Hasabelrasoul Hashim
Minister
Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation, Republic of the Sudan
Dr. Vera Songwe
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Dr. Vera Songwe
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Opening statement
Vera Songwe is the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Upon her appointment, she became the first woman to lead the institution in its 60-year history.
As Executive Secretary, Songwe’s reforms have focused on “ideas for a prosperous Africa”, and have brought to the fore critical issues of macroeconomic stability, development finance, private sector growth, poverty and inequality, the digital transformation, trade and competitiveness.
She was recently listed as one of Africa’s 50 most powerful women by Forbes and named as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’ by Jeune Afrique in 2019. In 2017, New African Magazine listed her as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’ and the FT named her one of the ’25 African to watch’ in 2015. Songwe is acknowledged for her long-standing track record of providing policy advice and her wealth of experience in delivering development results for Africa. She has written extensively on development and economic issues including on debt, infrastructure development, fiscal and governance issues. She is well published and contributes to the development debate across a broad spectrum of platforms including in the Financial Times.
Prior to ECA, she held a number of senior leadership roles with the International Finance Corporation and World Bank.
Dr. Taha El Tayeb Ahmed
President
Sudan Bank Union
Dr. Taha El Tayeb Ahmed
President
Sudan Bank Union
Speakers
Magdi M. Amin
Senior Advisor
Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Republic of the Sudan
Magdi M. Amin
Senior Advisor
Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Republic of the Sudan
TOPIC : Sudan’s Family Support Program: Sparking a Fintech Revolution?
Magdi Amin joined the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in January 2020 to help Sudan recover from decades of economic mismanagement and isolation. Efforts included macroeconomic stabilization, exchange rate reform, subsidy reform, financial sector reform, and sovereign debt restructuring. To mitigate the impact of these reforms, Magdi led the design of a large-scale cash transfer program that is expanding digital payments and financial inclusion.
Magdi was an Investment Partner with Omidyar Network, focusing on early-stage technology investment, data privacy, and Africa. In various senior roles, Magdi served for a decade at the International Finance Corporation. He played a crucial key role in IFC’s new corporate strategy IFC 3.0, disruptive tech, and East Asia strategy and establishing IFC’s economic advisory board. In a decade with the World Bank, Magdi led investment climate reform, competitiveness and crisis recovery programs and projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and MENA. Magdi received an A.B. from Princeton University and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Ayman Amin Hassan Ali
Director of Planning & Development
Financial Market Authority (FMA) ,Republic of the Sudan
Ayman Amin Hassan Ali
Director of Planning & Development
Financial Market Authority (FMA) ,Republic of the Sudan
TOPIC : Fintech & Equity Crowdfunding
Ayman Amin, Master of Electronic Business (e-Business), University of Khartoum, and Director of Planning and Development at the Financial Market Authority (FMA). He worked as Administrator for the Development and Operation of the Electronic Trading platform (e-Trading) at the Khartoum Stock Exchange (KSE). He has more than 10 years of experience in the field of financial markets and its modern applications.
Omer Omarabi
Banks Union Advisor
Sudan Bank Union
Omer Omarabi
Banks Union Advisor
Sudan Bank Union
TOPIC : Banking Industry In Sudan, Building for the Future
Omer has more than 26 years of experience in Digital Transformation. He worked as EBS CEO for the past 10 years. He spent 15 years in the USA working in the software development industry, where he held several senior positions, and he spearheaded the introduction of different financial related products. Omer has worked as Senior Consultant and Technical Advisor where he provided business and digital transformation strategies for reputable companies such as Central Bank of Kuwait, Taxation Department and Ministry of Finance. Omer was a key member in The National Payment Council and Higher Economical Subcommittee for Banking.
Dr. Bello Lawal Danbatta
Secretary-General
Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB)
Dr. Bello Lawal Danbatta
Secretary-General
Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB)
TOPIC : Digital Transformation in Islamic Banking
Dr. Bello Lawal Danbatta was appointed the Secretary-General of the IFSB effective 29 January 2018.
Dr. Danbatta, previously the Director of the Centre of Consultancy and Executive Programmes at INCEIF, has over 29 years combined experience in the private, academia, as well as in the financial services regulation and supervision sectors across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is a Member of the Accounting and Auditing Board of Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), the Basel Consultative Group (BCG), the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and has chaired various working groups for the issuance of financial accounting standards for Islamic financial institutions. He has also been involved in the development and drafting of standards, guidelines and frameworks for capital adequacy, accounting, as well as supervision and regulation of Islamic finance for various countries.
Dr. Danbatta holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Banking and Finance from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and an MBA in Corporate Finance. He is a Chartered Accountant (Fellow) with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA-UK), a Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA-UK), and a member of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIFP), Member of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and International Council for Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE). Dr. Danbatta is a known Islamic banking and finance consultant, and has been active in providing Islamic finance training and consultancy to central banks, securities commissions, deposit insurance corporations and Islamic banks. He also has a number of publications on Islamic banking, corporate governance and earnings management.
In addition to these corporate engagements, he also held the positions of Assistant Professor at Sultan Qaboos University Oman, a Research Fellow at the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) of University Technology MARA (UiTM), Malaysia and Academic Fellow at Insaniah University Malaysia. He has worked with the Highland Bank of Nigeria Plc, Peugeot Automobiles and Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria.
Mohamed Hedi Mejai
Director of Investments
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
Mohamed Hedi Mejai
Director of Investments
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
TOPIC : Improving Financial Inclusion through Digital Banking Platforms
Mohamed Hedi Mejai is currently serving as the director of the Investments Department of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), a multilateral financial institution headquartered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Prior to that, he occupied several executive positions with investments and venture capital funds, investment and commercial banks including chief investment officer, chief executive officer in Bahrain, UAE and UK. During his career, he represented IsDBG in several expert groups with other multilateral institutions and was frequent speaker on issues related to Islamic finance, investments and portfolio management, sovereign funds, private public partnerships, development finance. He has been serving on various boards of banks, funds and companies globally.
Mohamed Hedi completed executives’ courses at Harvard Business School (USA) and London Business School (UK) and recently completed a course on digital transformation at MIT (USA) as part of his career development. He holds a Master’s degree of Sciences from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London (UK), and an MBA degree from EDHEC Business School, (France). He speaks fluent Arabic, English and French.
Hussein Hassan
Ag. Director of Industry, Mining, Investment and Tourism
African Union Commission
Hussein Hassan
Ag. Director of Industry, Mining, Investment and Tourism
African Union Commission
Mr. Hussein is an international development professional with an in-depth background in Trade and Industrial Policy development, analysis and regional integration, with over 30 years of experienced in number of positions working at both national and international level. He has a good track record in the International Development field, providing policy advisory services to African Governments and institutions on issues relating to industry, mining development, regional integration, private sector development, and trade promotion. He also experienced on productive capacity building, value chain analysis and development, investment promotion and profiling, industrial SMEs development, the multilateral trading system such as the WTO. Among others post gratitude education, Mr. Hussein has a master degree on public policy and management in Trade and Industry (South Korea-2005), Diploma in international Economic (National Planning Institute - Cairo, 1998).
Oliver Chinganya
Director
African Centre for Statistics of UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Oliver Chinganya
Director
African Centre for Statistics of UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Oliver Chinganya is the Director at the African Centre for Statistics of UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). He also coordinates the ECA digital Centre for Excellence. He is Chartered Statistician of the Royal Statistical Society- UK with wide experience and knowledge of statistical practice across Africa at both national and international levels. Has a wealth of experience in delivering statistical development results for Africa. A Strong believer in the effectiveness of partnerships, coordination at country, regional and international levels for effective and sustained development programs. Prior to joining UNECA in 2016, he held other senior leadership roles, at African Development Bank as Manager for the Statistical Capacity Building Division; at IMF as Regional Advisor, and at the Zambia Statistical Office as Deputy Director respectively. Oliver is also Vice-President of the International Statistical Institute, a prestigious global body of statisticians.
Sholthana Begum
Special Adviser - Innovation and RegTech
Bank of England
Sholthana Begum
Special Adviser - Innovation and RegTech
Bank of England
TOPIC : RegTech and Innovation in Central Banking
Sholthana is the special adviser in Innovation and Regulatory Technology (RegTech) at the Bank of England.
Prior to her appointment, Sholthana was the Head of Innovation and RegTech at the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).
Her background is varied, with spells as a senior risk specialist, markets practitioner and accountant. Sholthana is an experienced technologist, influencer and innovative leader.
The influence of Sholthana is substantial, and as a result she was named in the 2021 DataIQ power list of the most influential people in Data. Sholthana was also named in the 2021 women in Fintech Power list.
Sholthana is recognised as a thought leader and considered a pioneer of RegTech and SupTech in the Bank of England. Sholthana’s counsel and advice is often sought after by other Central Banks as well as other public and private sector organisations across the globe. Sholthana has also been a visiting speaker at renowned universities.
Her achievements in RegTech have been widely recognised, most notably through her acceptance of the Tech Forward award in the 2019 Central Banking Awards hosted in Singapore.
Dr. Herco Steyn
Acting Head of Fintech
South African Reserve Bank
Dr. Herco Steyn
Acting Head of Fintech
South African Reserve Bank
TOPIC : The regulatory challenges posed by crypto assets
Herco is currently the acting Head of the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Fintech Unit, having previously worked as a Senior Economist in the SARB’s International Economic Relations and Policy Department, where he focused on international financial regulatory issues. Herco is also the current Chairperson of the South African Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group's (IFWG) Crypto Assets Regulatory Working Group. His current interests include crypto-assets, stablecoins, emerging global stablecoins and DeFi. Herco holds a PhD from the University of Pretoria and an MSc Finance from the University of London.
Ahmed Monir
Head of Regulatory Sandbox
Central Bank of Egypt
Ahmed Monir
Head of Regulatory Sandbox
Central Bank of Egypt
TOPIC : FinTech Regulatory Approach – Regulatory Sandbox
With more than 18 years of experience, Mr. Ahmed Monir worked in a number of some financial and banking areas like automated clearinghouse, electronic settlement systems, banking and DFS regulations, and FinTech & innovation (in terms of regulatory framework and strategy).
Mr. Ahmed Monir works as a Head of Regulatory Sandbox - FinTech and Innovation Department for the Central Bank of Egypt, participating on Egypt FinTech strategy implementation and innovation ecosystem enablement, Monir participated on providing number of CBE’s publications like crypto currencies study and regulatory sandbox framework and related regulations.
Mr. Monir holds MBA degree (Masters of Business Administration) from The Arab Academy for Management, Banking and Financial Sciences in 2013. He also holds Cambridge FinTech and Regulatory Innovation certificate in 2020.
Sheila Warren
Deputy Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Head of Data Policy, Blockchain, and Digital Assets
World Economic Forum
Sheila Warren
Deputy Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Head of Data Policy, Blockchain, and Digital Assets
World Economic Forum
TOPIC : Blockchain and the presidio principles
Sheila Warren is Deputy Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Head of Data, Blockchain, and Digital Assets, and a Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum. Her pioneering policy work is helping shape the data and technology spaces to be more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Ms. Warren began her career as a Wall Street attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore before turning to philanthropy and civic technology. She was a senior executive and General Counsel at TechSoup, and she also designed and launched NGOsource, a groundbreaking service focused on international grantmaking. Ms. Warren currently serves on the boards of the ACLU of Northern California, the Equal Justice Society, and TechSoup, and on advisory boards for the World Bank, the OECD, and others. She is also co-host of the popular show Money Reimagined on the CoinDesk network. She is an honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
Camilo Tellez
Head - Digital Payments Innovation Hub
Better Than Cash Alliance
Camilo Tellez
Head - Digital Payments Innovation Hub
Better Than Cash Alliance
TOPIC : Reaching Financial Equality for Women through Digital Payments
Camilo leads the global advisory and innovation work at the Better Than Cash Alliance, a UN-based partnership of over 60 governments, companies and international organizations that accelerates the global transition from cash to digital payments in order to drive inclusive growth and reduce poverty. At the Better Than Cash Alliance, he oversees innovation and research supporting members in their efforts to build digital economies.
Prior to joining the Alliance, Camilo held positions in the area of digital financial services for over a decade at the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP); the World Bank; GSMA in London; the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, and at Microsoft Labs in Bangalore. Camilo holds an MA in International Relations and Latin American studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), an MSc in Information Systems and Economic Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Diplome in International Relations from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris) and has completed Executive programs at Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Ahmed Gaber
General Manager North Africa - Visa
Visa
Ahmed Gaber
General Manager North Africa - Visa
Visa
TOPIC : The role of fintechs in the evolving payment ecosystem
Ahmed Gaber joined Visa in April 2006 and held a number of strategic positions including General Manager of Saudi Arabia and the Group Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Ahmed is a payments industry veteran with over 17 years of experience. As General Manager of Visa's operations in North Africa, Ahmed is responsible for developing the digital Payments industry across numerous markets with special focus on enabling digital commerce, launching EMV acceptance & issuing, rolling-out of Financial Inclusion programs and helping governments implement digital payments programs. Ahmed is also responsible for cultivating the relationship with Visa's clients, including Financial Institutions and government authorities.
Suleiman Barada
Senior Advisor & Head of UABdigital
Union of Arab Banks
Suleiman Barada
Senior Advisor & Head of UABdigital
Union of Arab Banks
TOPIC : Central Bank Digital Currencies for a Regional Payment System
Suleiman Barada is an Independent Technology Business Strategist. A Sr. Advisor at the Union of Arab Banks where he spearheads the inception of the Digital Transformation Unit with Ecosystem-wide vision and mission, and a mandate to leaving no financial institution behind in the Digital Economy within the Arab countries.
Suleiman is an Ecosystem Architect with focus on value creation and practices a purpose-driven methodology to developing and executing Digital Business Transformation roadmaps while being entirely focused on Benefits Realization and the way they can be measured, attained, and sustained. Suleiman has worked with a wide variety of technology vendors such as SAP, IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft, and possesses a thorough understanding of the global tech ecosystem and their characteristics.
Suleiman has acted in various capacities and has led and scaled several businesses in the region with a solid track record in significantly growing companies right from inception with evident turnaround capabilities. Suleiman is regarded as a trusted advisor to clients, partners, and peers and is adept at extending the most relevant advisory, independent of situation or industry.
Certified Digital Transformation Advisor, Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) since 2005 — collective credentials indicative of his commitment to leveraging best practices and applying standards to his advisory engagements. Suleiman’s cross-industry experience includes Defense, Government, Financial Services, Healthcare, Higher Education, Construction, Facilities Management, Telco, Utilities, and Retail sectors.
Dr. Noha Shaker
Digital Innovation Lead
FSD Africa-UK AID
Vice President
Africa FinTech Network
Founder & Secretary General
Egyptian FinTech Association
Dr. Noha Shaker
Digital Innovation Lead
FSD Africa-UK AID
Vice President
Africa FinTech Network
Founder & Secretary General
Egyptian FinTech Association
TOPIC : The Value FinTech brings to the Financial Industry-Banking, Insurance and Capital Markets
Noha Shaker is the founder and Secretary General of the Egyptian Fintech Association and the elected Vice President of the Africa FinTech Network – both are non-profit organizations that serve Financial Inclusion and equitable economic growth across Africa, using FinTech and entrepreneurship as means to democratise finance!
Noha Shaker Headed the Digital Ventures and Strategic Alliance at CIB, Egypt’s largest private bank, where she managed FinTech innovation and all initiatives pertaining to supporting the FinTech ecosystem in Egypt and Africa!
Over 20 years, Noha has held previous leadership positions in banking between Operations, Business Development, Product Innovation and business technology.
Noha is also a partner in FinTech holding, a company based out of the UK that builds and invests in FinTech start-ups across Africa, it’s main objective is to democratise finance leading towards a more inclusive financial industry!
Noha is also a management consultant who has worked on various key projects within the region across various industries including Tourism, Transportation, Energy, Telecommunications and Financial Sector. She runs a boutique consulting firm that works on digitization and innovation across industries, focusing on the financial industry.
She also served as a board member at Arab Academy for management & Banking that’s part of the Arab League Organization - driving Banking & FinTech education in the Arab world.She is also a nonexecutive board member at the Egyptian Company for consumer finance , a partnership between Sarwa capital and Premium cards.
Noha is also an angel investor part of the AUC angel investor network, supporting many successful start-ups.
She has also collaborated on key initiatives with various trilateral agencies to enable the FinTech echo system in Egypt including GIZ, USAID, IFC, British Department for International Development and Trésor! She has worked with the CBE on both the Financial Inclusion strategy and FinTech strategy for Egypt. Collaborated with FRA to develop the framework for the FinTech regulation about to be launched.
Noha is also the Managing Director for BaSHa, Egypt’s first neo bank that enables banks to serve the unbanked, youth and MSME segments profitably.
Noha Is a key note speaker and a thought leader, she is on the Innovate Finance power list of FinTech leaders shaping the future of the financial industry for 2019.
Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta
Associate Director, Market Development
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta
Associate Director, Market Development
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
TOPIC : Advances in digital banking
Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta is the Associate Director of Business Development at ADGM focusing on financial services across Emerging Markets and Europe. Dr. Dasgupta is responsible for overseeing the development of the banking, asset management, private banking sectors including key areas such as Crypto Assets, FinTech, Re‐Insurance, Sustainable Finance, Digital Banking and Digital Investment Management in ADGM.
Prior to joining ADGM in 2019, Dr. Dasgupta was the Chief Operating Officer of UK Export Finance at the Department of International Trade, UK Government. His 25 year career included senior level business development and transformation roles in investment banking, transaction banking, technology and consulting in firms such as HSBC, ABN AMRO, Citigroup and PwC.
Dr. Dasgupta holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bhopal, an MBA in Finance from Indore University, a PhD in Financial Modelling & AI from the University of Manchester, and a PhD in Politics from Kings College London. He is currently completing a PhD in Food History from Brunel University.
Margarete Biallas
DFS Specialist
International Finance Corporation
Margarete Biallas
DFS Specialist
International Finance Corporation
TOPIC : Building Digital Ecosystems
Margarete Biallas build IFC’s Digital Financial Services practice and in this role has provided support to 50+ IFC clients in strategic and business planning on digital banking across the globe. Previously, Ms. Biallas was responsible for IFC’s financial markets advisory work in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand, where she supported some of the earliest mobile financial services initiatives such as the start-up of WING. In parallel she lead IFC’s microfinance and mobile banking work for the East-Asia Pacific Region. Before joining IFC, Ms. Biallas held different positions with KfW including Senior Risk Manager, Credit Officer, Lead Investment Officer for global microfinance funds as well as various positions leading financial institutions investments in Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ms Biallas started her career with a consulting firm, focusing on privatization and SME development.
She has set up two successful ventures providing education to young children in Germany.
She holds a Master‘s Degree in Economics from Hochschule fuer Wirtschaft und Politik in Hamburg, Germany, and a BSocSc from University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Helene Panzarino
Director - Centre for Digital Banking and Finance
The London Institute of Banking & Finance
Helene Panzarino
Director - Centre for Digital Banking and Finance
The London Institute of Banking & Finance
TOPIC : Fintech - Corporate Partnerships - take them from going nowhere to going somewhere great
Originally a Commercial Banker, Helene is a highly experienced FinTech Programme Director, exited entrepreneur, educator and author. Her most recent role was MD of the global Rainmaking Colab FinTech Programme, a world-first, post-accelerator programme for Series A+ FinTechs and Tier 1 financial institutions.
Responsible for the Inaugural Programme of Education and Events for Innovate Finance, Helene is also an Associate Director of The London Institute of Banking & Finance Digital Banking Centre, the Lead Fellow and creator on a world-first FinTech Pathway in a Masters in Tech Entrepreneurship Degree for UCL, and co-creator and lead delivery partner on the Imperial College FinTech Executive Education Programme. Her specialist subject areas are Digital Banking and Alternative Finance (SMEs). She is also the CEO of the Banking Lab (London) enabling community banks and building societies to engage with the global FinTech community. A regular judge, speaker and moderator for the banking and FinTech awards and conferences, Helene was a BSI FinTech representative for the UK in Brussels and has been named on the Computer Weekly 100 Women in Tech Award 2018-19.
Majid Malaika
Cyber Security and Digital Technologies Domain Expert
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Majid Malaika
Cyber Security and Digital Technologies Domain Expert
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
TOPIC : Fintech and risk management from the perspective of a central bank
Majid Malaika joined the International Monetary Fund early 2015 and has built the Application Security practice at the IMF from the ground up; he is currently working as the Lead Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity Risks within the Digital Advisory Unit in the IMF’s Information Technology Department to enable the Fund to experiment and research emerging technologies such as blockchain/DLT, smart contract, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence and its impact to Technical Assistance missions, growth and stability for the Fund’s member countries. Majid received his MSc degree in Computer Engineering and his Doctorate Degree in Software Engineering from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. His research has been published in various journals and conferences including the CorssTalk Department of Defense (DoD) journal. Majid’s prior engagements were application security specialist and security consulting for leading educational technology companies and multinational financial firms in New York, NY. His work experience includes threat modeling, architecture risk analysis, risk management, secure code review, penetration testing; in addition to researching the security of Fintech topics such as Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), smart contract, open banking and many more.
Alex Mashinsky
Founder and CEO
Celsius
Alex Mashinsky
Founder and CEO
Celsius
TOPIC : All Roads Lead to Decentralization
Alex is one of the inventors of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) with a foundational patent dating back to 1994 and is now working on MOIP (Money Over Internet Protocol) technology. Over 35 patents have been issued to Alex, relating to exchanges, VOIP protocols, messaging and communication.
Alex is a serial entrepreneur and founder of seven New York City-based startups, raising more than $1 billion and exiting over $3 billion. Alex founded two of New York City’s top 10 venture-backed exits since 2000: Arbinet, with a 2004 IPO that had a market capitalization of over $750 million; and Transit Wireless, valued at $1.2 billion.
Alex has received numerous awards for innovation, including being nominated twice by E&Y as ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’, in 2002 & 2011; Crain’s 2010 Top Entrepreneur; the prestigious 2000 Albert Einstein Technology medal; and the Technology Foresight Award for Innovation (presented in Geneva at Telecom 99).
As one of the pioneers of web-based exchanges, Alex authored patents that cover aspects of the Smart Grid, ad exchanges, Twitter, Skype, App Store, Netflix streaming concept and many other popular web companies. Additionally, Arbinet’s fundraising story was featured as a case study in 2001 by Harvard Business School.
Tamer Al-Mauge
Managing Director MENA
Codebase Technologies
Tamer Al-Mauge
Managing Director MENA
Codebase Technologies
TOPIC : Opportunities for Digital and Payment Solutions as Sudan Rejoins the Global Market
An experienced Business Development leader in the Financial Technology space with over 16 years of experience in banking, retail, and IT. Tamer has proven expertise in technology sales and consulting gained throughout 12 years of leadership at NCR Corporation. Before joining Codebase Technologies, Tamer was a founding member of Eazy Financial Services spearheading its Business Development efforts. Tamer was instrumental in introducing the market-first worldwide copyrights for the first Biometric Payment Network scheme, which integrates with financial institution systems to provide biometric-driven payment security.
Shaloo Garg
Managing Director - Growth Stage Startups & Unicorns
Microsoft
Shaloo Garg
Managing Director - Growth Stage Startups & Unicorns
Microsoft
TOPIC : View from Silicon Valley - Disruptive Technologies in Post Covid World
Shaloo Garg is MD, Growth Stage Startups & Unicorns based out of Silicon Valley and Global Lead for Microsoft Global Social Entrepreneurship Program. She brings a combination of strong startup, enterprise, strategic partnership and corporate development experience. Previously, Shaloo was Partner , Global Oracle Innovation at Oracle where she lead the Global Corporate Innovation practice of commercializing revenue opportunities for startups into the enterprise client base and partner ecosystem. She has also lead go-to-market for Oracle’s cloud business and was part of the M&A team that acquired Peoplesoft, Siebel, Retek etc. Prior to joining Oracle, she was in a couple of early stage startups. Shaloo is passionate about Tech for Good and is President , BOD at UN Women, Silicon Valley , a “Champion of Innovation” at UN Women where she is spinning up virtual Innovation Labs with Universities leveraging emerging technologies to encourage digital literacy in developing countries for young girls who do not have access to education. Shaloo strongly believes that technology’s best user case ever is using its power to impact wider social issues like hunger, poverty, STEM education, clean water, energy, sustainable cities etc in developing and under-developed economies. Shaloo is a Forbes Contributor, Guest speaker at Penn Law School and is an MBA from Delhi University and has done specialization in Innovation and Design Thinking from Stanford d.School. Words to live by: “In life, there are no mistakes... only lessons” - Vic Johnson.
Talal Tabbaa
Chairman / Co-Founder
CoinMENA
Talal Tabbaa
Chairman / Co-Founder
CoinMENA
TOPIC : Crypto and the Future of Finance
Talal Tabbaa is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Jibrel Network, a blockchain-based FinTech company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, that aims to bridge the gap between traditional and crypto economies. Talal is also the co-founder of CoinMENA, a regulated crypto-currency exchange under the Central Bank of Bahrain. and serves on the Board of Middle East Payment Services (MEPS) in Amman, Jordan. Prior to co-founding Jibrel Network, Talal worked in financial and supply chain consulting services at PwC as well as managing a private investment fund in Saudi Arabia. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Engineering (Economics Minor) from Purdue University, IN, USA.
Ahmed Yousif
Lead of BSV Blockchain for Government Initiative Middle East
BSV blockchain and Bitcoin Association
Ahmed Yousif
Lead of BSV Blockchain for Government Initiative Middle East
BSV blockchain and Bitcoin Association
TOPIC : Blockchain is the new Internet of value
Ahmed Yousif has been working in the ICT industry for over 21 years, most of which has been on Digital Transformation products and services for the e-Government. After a decade working in the U.S. Government in a leadership role, he joined the Saudi Government in 2015 in Saudi Arabia as a Digital Transformation Leader and Strategic Head. Mr. Yousif has recently become the Lead of BSV Blockchain for Government Initiative Middle East.
Ashraf Khan
Senior Financial Sector Expert - Monetary and Capital Markets Department
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Ashraf Khan
Senior Financial Sector Expert - Monetary and Capital Markets Department
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
TOPIC : Fintech and risk management from the perspective of a central bank
Ashraf Khan is a Senior Financial Sector Expert at the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the IMF. He leads MCM’s work on central bank governance, transparency, risk management, and cash currency management. He also contributes to the Fund’s work on fintech, and Islamic Finance, and manages the IMF’s Central Bank Legislation Database.
Before joining the IMF, Ashraf worked as Head of the Governance and Accounting Department at the Central Bank of the Netherlands, as WTO Trade Policy Advisor at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and as a corporate lawyer with CMS Derks Star Busmann.
He holds a Master of Dutch Private Law, and a Master of International Law from the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, as well as a Master of Philosophy from Jawaharhal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Ashraf is a founding Board Member of the Duisenberg School of Finance, Amsterdam, and has published numerous articles on governance, risk management, fintech and central bank digital currencies. His latest paper (with co-author Majid Malaika) covers the links between central bank risk management, fintech, and cybersecurity.
Safa Ahmed
FinTech Manager
DAR ICT Advanced Technology Co.Ltd
Safa Ahmed
FinTech Manager
DAR ICT Advanced Technology Co.Ltd
TOPIC : FinTech Challenges and Business Opportunities in Sudan
An experienced performance-driven, result oriented FinTech Manager Passionate about marketing with a positive ‘’can do’’ attitude that transforms into concrete business results by integrating analytic and creative skills. With a Master in business administration and 10 year experience my aim is to utilize a blend of diverse experience of 6 years + years 5 which are in Import & export and FinTech also a Product Development domains within ATM, FinTech and IOT.
Hani Hussein Mohammad Saleh
Chief Innovation Officer
MadfooatCom for ePayments Company
Hani Hussein Mohammad Saleh
Chief Innovation Officer
MadfooatCom for ePayments Company
TOPIC : Overview about MadfooatCom (Establishment, Products and Solutions, Rewards, Expansion)
Hani Saleh is a CIO at MadfooatCom, he is a highly professional and results business oriented FinTech analyst, with proven records of delivering and maximizing value in the Business and marketing strategies. Fully conversant with the latest IT and Business Innovations.
Karim Shebaelhamd
Senior Systems Engineer
Fortinet
Karim Shebaelhamd
Senior Systems Engineer
Fortinet
TOPIC : Financial Services Cybersecurity Powered by Fortinet
Karim Sheba is a Senior Systems Engineer with 10+ years in the cybersecurity industry. Karim’s experience includes working on large projects across Egypt and Libya for key customers and holds certificates such as NSE7, CISSP and others.
Alaeddin El Majed
Chief Payment and Partnership Officer
HyperPay
Alaeddin El Majed
Chief Payment and Partnership Officer
HyperPay
TOPIC : Payment Innovation in a New Era
A graduate of Smurfit School of Business, Alaeddin held multiple positions with one of Europe's largest and fastest growing online payment gateways. Since joining Hyper Pay in 2013, he's helped transform HyperPay to become the region's leading payment gateway.
He is a regular speaker at payments and industry events across the region as a payments expert.
Frank Molla
Managing Director of Sub Saharan Africa
BPC
Frank Molla
Managing Director of Sub Saharan Africa
BPC
TOPIC : The Great Digital Transformation in Africa and how to mitigate fraud in the region
Frank Molla joined BPC in 2021 to lead the organisation’s expansion in sub-Saharan Africa. With over 15 years of experience in the payment industry, Frank is an accomplished executive with experience across diverse markets from Europe to Africa. Prior to joining BPC, Frank drove Mastercard’s business strategy in Eastern Africa through innovation and technology with the aim of building payment ecosystems and solutions and achieving financial inclusion in key markets. At American Express in Spain and the United Kingdom, he led efforts to identify, grow and defend the company’s market share in sub-Saharan Africa in the corporate multinational space and bank partnerships. He has also been certified as a master negotiator by Harvard and Strathmore business schools.
Rani Wehbe
Business Development Director
Webb Fontaine Group
Rani Wehbe
Business Development Director
Webb Fontaine Group
Rani Wehbe is a seasoned and broadly skilled executive in trade facilitation, supply chain and logistics, transport, special economic zones, digital transformation, and customs modernization; Versatile leader adept at building and managing diverse multicultural and complex projects and stakeholders. Led expansions strategies in real estate, transport and logistics in the Middle East and North Africa; Fully adept at taking on challenging projects and executing them. In depth expertise in business development, corporate & government affairs; Credited with winning complex government contracts in, trade facilitation, supply chain management, transport and Customs; Highly customer orientated with an excellent record of accomplishment in advocacy; Possesses strong regulatory, & compliance expertise in the MENAP region.
Since January 2020, Mr. Wehbe is the Business Development Director for the MENAP and Balkans region in Webb Fontaine Group. Prior to joining Webb Fontaine Group, he was the Senior Advisor for the IRU for the Middle East and North Africa. His experience spans across 25 years with multinational companies including 3M, Unilever, Agility, SGS and France Telecom as well as large regional conglomerate such as National Holding and Zones Corp (Abu Dhabi Ports Company). He holds two Master degrees in Operations Management from the Lebanese American University in Beirut and MBA in Finance from the American University in Washington DC.
Mr. Wehbe participated in many trade, customs, investment, and supply chain conferences as a speaker and panelist. During his career, he worked on large scale projects in logistics, transportation, digitation transformation, customs modernization, and trade facilitation, both with the public and private sectors.
Omar Fawzy
Regional Sales Director
Network International
Omar Fawzy
Regional Sales Director
Network International
TOPIC : Sudan’s Evolving Payments Ecosystem and the Emergence of Internationally-Accepted Cards
Omar Fawzy, Network International’s Regional Sales Director for Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, has more an 11 years of expertise in the Financial Payments sector spanning the African markets. He has been supporting Financial Institutions in developing their business and retail offerings by introducing new turnkey solutions for shifting from cash to electronic payments through cards, e-wallets and other digital acceptance solutions.
H.E. Ambassador Gabriel Abed
Barbados Ambassador to the
United Arab Emirates
H.E. Ambassador Gabriel Abed
Barbados Ambassador to the
United Arab Emirates
TOPIC : Bank Digital Currencies in Barbados and the Caribbean
Gabriel Abed is the Barbados Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. He is a Barbadian-Syrian entrepreneur, and is widely recognised as a leading authority on Central Bank Digital Currencies, math-based protocols and blockchain technology. He was the first entrepreneur to establish a blockchain company in Latin America in November 2010.
Gabriel is internationally-acknowledged as a pioneer in the digital currency evolution, having conceptualized and initiated the first global movement to encourage the use of Central Bank Digital Currencies globally. He has engaged in discussions with and led presentations to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Caribbean Development Bank and at various fora organised by Central Banks globally. Gabriel currently serves as the Co-lead of the Regulatory Framework Body of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Cryptocurrencies where he is preparing a report to assist financial regulators to understand how best to approach digital asset regulatory frameworks.
Gabriel has given his time pro bono to government leaders, ministers and department heads around the world as they commenced their journeys to understand the impact of digital assets on their future economies. As an example, in 2018 he served as the Special Technology Advisor to the Honorable David Burt, Premier of Bermuda, where he has advised the Premier and his government on establishing best practices and policies related to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, and assisted in the creation of a vision for Bermuda's future growth and economic prosperity. Gabriel continues to work with regional and international governments, regulators and companies to facilitate education and technological inclusion of all stakeholders.
Through his numerous activities, Gabriel continues to pursue his passion for a One Caribbean, which emphasises regional connectivity and collaboration with strong innovation-focused nations in the Caribbean, the MENA region and beyond.
Mohamed Abuagla
Founder & Chairman
Enaya Technologies / Member at Sudan FinTech Association (Shomoul)
Mohamed Abuagla
Founder & Chairman
Enaya Technologies / Member at Sudan FinTech Association (Shomoul)
Panel Discussion : Opportunities of FinTech Transformation in Sudan
Mohamed Abuagla has more than 27 years of experience in business transformation and technology at established enterprises, government organizations, startups and business ventures in the education, finance, healthcare, telecom, defense, and media industries. He’s the founder and chairman of various companies and has significant investments in fintech and financial logistics in Sudan and the Middle East. He also advises on media and technology investments and is involved in operational improvements within the media portfolio.
Mr. Abuagla is an executive board member of International Broadcast Convention Council; executive board member of Avid Customer Association; and executive member of SAP Advisory Council for Media. Previously, he served as the Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Al Jazeera Media Network. Abuagla earned a degree in systems engineering from George Mason University.
Talha bin Hafeez
Head of Digital Banking & Contact Centre
Bank of Khartoum
Talha bin Hafeez
Head of Digital Banking & Contact Centre
Bank of Khartoum
Panel Discussion : Opportunities of FinTech Transformation in Sudan
Performance-driven professional with over 16 years of experience in Banking (Islamic & Conventional), Telecommunication industry, Central Banks, Financial Inclusion related organizations at various roles and positions in Pakistan, Nepal, Sudan.
Specializing in Retail Banking Products (Finance, Priority Banking, Automation/Digitizing of Retail Products), FinTech (Mobile Money, Agency Banking, Digital Financial Services), Payments & Remittances, Offshore Banking, Alternate Banking Channels & Cards (Visa/Master Debit & Credit) Business, Contact Centre, AI, Branch Automation & Network Planning & Microfinance.
Skills: Strategy, New Product Development, Project Management, Innovation, Product Marketing, Customer Journey Mapping/CX, Process Mapping & Re-engineering, Operations, Sales & Distribution, Business Development, Business Intelligence.
Leading the transformation and delivery of self-service and digital propositions across all distribution channels, supporting the integration of self-service and digital channels into banks and telecoms everyday service offering. In similar roles I was accountable for driving customer and transaction, migration to lower cost digital channels and enabling sales and serve to meet its strategic objectives in line with the organization’s brand promise.
In 2014, Bank of Khartoum (A Dubai Islamic Bank subsidiary subsidiary) appointed to provide consultancy to transform the bank and take it in the “digital era”. Started with setting up the first Islamic Mobile Money business in 2014 from ground.
Later in 2015, I was joined Bank of Khartoum as part of the permanent team and establish and run digital banking portfolio and help develop a superior customer experience at all touchpoints.
I am, currently leading a team of 300 talented and skillful individuals, helping to manage and run the Number #1 banking and payment app in Sudan with over 2.9 Million Subscribers, doing average 800K successful transactions worth SDG 85 Billion a day.
Fawaz Makawei Mohamed Ahmed Alim
General Manager
E-connect International for Electronic Technology Co. / Member at Sudan FinTech Association (Shomoul)
Fawaz Makawei Mohamed Ahmed Alim
General Manager
E-connect International for Electronic Technology Co. / Member at Sudan FinTech Association (Shomoul)
Panel Discussion : Opportunities of FinTech Transformation in Sudan
More than 15 years experience on banking, telecom, & E-payment, working on different corporates & companies (Farmer Commercial Bank, Zain Sudan, & EBS)
Hassan Abdul Ali
General Manager, Service Delivery & PMO
The Data Park
Hassan Abdul Ali
General Manager, Service Delivery & PMO
The Data Park
Panel Discussion : Cloud Transformation Road Map for Fintech
Hassan Abdul Ali heads the Service Delivery and Project Management Office at The Data Park. During his 30+ years of experience, Hassan has worked with some of the top leaders in IT including VMWare VDC, Azure Cloud, IBM Power VM, and Redhat KVM. He has been involved in key projects such as Cisco collaboration, IBM middleware, EFT switch technology implementation, and Citrix virtualization.
A veteran in the banking sector in Oman, he was also instrumental in the implementation of various Banking applications, e-governments systems, B2B, B2G, Enterprise Service Bus, E-business applications and BPM.
Effective project management means having the best governance, transparency, and reusability. Hassan ensures The Data Park follows best practices to help its clients accomplish their projects as smoothly as possible.
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