By adding keynote addresses and panel discussions to the signature, 7-minute Finovate demo format, attendees to our conferences benefit not only from seeing live technology demonstrations firsthand. They also get exposure to some of fintech’s most insightful thought leaders, including CEOs, serial entrepreneurs, bankers, and investors. Here, we’re giving you a look at some of the women and men who will be speaking on Day Two of FinovateMiddle East.
Note that some of our speakers on Day Two are also speaking on Day One and have been introduced as part of our Day One feature. These include Ruth Wandhofer and Moussa Beidas who will close Day Two with a revisit of our Day One Theme: What did the bank gain? What did the fintech gain? What do investors think?
For more information about what’s happening on the second day of our conference, including our demos for the day, accelerator showcase, and lunchtime roundtables, check out our Day Two agenda.
Keynotes & Addresses
Paul Schulte, Founder and Editor and International Fintech Guru, Schulte Research
Schulte is founder and editor of Schulte Research, established in 2011 for researching financial institutions and related technology. He has had a career in equity research which spans 27 years as a chief strategist for major institutions including Lehman, Barclays and Nomura. Schulte will speak on “The future of financial services: AI and the use of blockchain globally.”
Bryan Stirewait, Managing Director, Supervision, DFSA
Stirewalt joined the DFSA in 2008 and has served as a Managing Director since 2010. His responsibilities include prudential and conduct-oriented oversight of financial service providers and overseeing the DFSA’s role with Registered Auditors and CRAs. Stirewalt also directs the DFSA’s efforts to fight methods of illicit finance within his primary areas of responsibilities, as well as with DNFBPs. At FinovateMiddleEast, he will provide an update on fintech regulation.
Bernard Matthewman, Regional Director, MEA, Motive Labs
A highly experienced CEO in Africa, Matthewman has built and sold significant fintech businesses over the past 20 years, including the well-known Paynet Group. PesaPoint formed part of Paynet in East Africa, which recently won the Gold Award for innovation at the ATMIA 50 year celebrations for the global first of performing cardless mobile transactions on ATMs. Matthewman will provide a keynote, as well as participate in our fintech unicorn interview.
Ambareen Musa, CEO, Souqalmal
Musa will participate in a fintech interview.
Discussions, Panels, and Roundtables
Emre Karter, Managing Director, Head of Treasury & Trade Solutions, MENAPT, Citi
Karter is responsible for Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solution businesses in the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey, and is based out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In this role, Emre is responsible for driving Citi’s market-leading TTS business.
Karter will participate in the panel discussion: Myth versus reality – banks’ perspectives
Aleski Grym, Head Digitalisation, Bank of Finland
Grym is Head of Digitalisation at the Bank of Finland. He manages the digital programme of the bank as well as various projects related to the digital transformation of the financial industry, covering topics such as fintech, distributed ledger technologies, digital currencies, payment technologies, cyber security, and data analytics.
Grym will participate in the panel discussion: Myth versus reality – banks’ perspectives
Andrew Reid, Head of Digital Market Management and Governance, Deutsche Bank
Reid is Head of Digital Market Management and Governance for the Global Transaction Banking Division (GTB) of Deutsche Bank, based in London. He was appointed to this role in June 2017. Prior to this, he was responsible for the European Corporate Cash Management division of Deutsche Bank’s Global Transaction Bank.
Reid will participate in the panel discussion: Myth versus reality – banks’ perspectives
Lex Sokolin, Global Director, Fintech Strategy, Autonomous Research
Sokolin is a futurist and entrepreneur focused on the next generation of financial services. He directs Fintech Strategy at Autonomous Research, a global research firm for the financial sector, helping clients understand and leverage innovation. Covered themes include roboadvice, neobanks and banks-as-a-platform, blockchain and the cryptoeconomy, artificial intelligence, chatbots, insurtech and regtech.
Sokolin will participate in the panel discussion: Myth versus reality – banks’ perspectives
Ossama Hassanein, CEO, Rising Tide
Hassanein will participate in the panel discussion: Myth versus reality – banks’ perspectives
Sara Grinstead, Chief Innovation Officer, RAKBank
Grinstead leads the Bank’s approach to product and service design, ensuring that solutions are customer-centric and leveraging new business models and technologies. This includes developing new capabilities within RAKBANK, establishing partnerships with fintechs, and working with the broader UAE eco-system to support the fintech agenda in the region.
Grinstead will participate in the panel discussion on financial inclusion in MENA.
Steve Naude, Head, Middle East & Africa, TransferWise
Naude heads the Banking team for the Middle East and Africa at TransferWise, the international money transfer platform. Here he works with banks, partners and regulators to build partnerships and expand the TransferWise experience into the region.
Naude will participate in the panel discussion on financial inclusion in MENA
Mohamed El Sabban, Digital Innovation Head, Digital Banking & GTS, Commercial International Bank, Egypt
El Sabban has 23 years of wide intensive cross-functional experience in managing, developing and implementing large-scale strategic business transformation programs in the region. He is also passionate about blending business strategies, human-centric design, disruptive technologies, and business models to develop digital solutions and drive a culture of continuous innovation.
El Sabban will participate in the panel discussion on financial inclusion in MENA.
Craig Moore, CEO, Beehive
As founder and CEO, Moore is responsible for overseeing the overall strategic direction and managing the day-to-day operations of Beehive. Before founding Beehive, he was a founder and COO of Butterfly Software, a data analytics and migration software company acquired by IBM in September 2012.
Moore will participate in the panel discussion on financial inclusion in MENA.
Devie Mohan, CEO, Burnmark
Mohan is a fintech industry advisor and analyst based in London. She is the co-founder and CEO of Burnmark, a fintech research company. She is a panel member on the ING group Think Forward initiative on better financial decision making. She writes extensively on innovation, disruption and digitalisation and is a columnist with several publications.
Mohan will participate in the panel discussion on financial inclusion in MENA.
Yvonne Gale, CEO, NEL Fund Managers
CEO of NEL Fund Managers, a specialist impact investment firm providing tailored funding to small and medium-sized businesses in the North East of England, Gale is also a director of NI Growth Loan Fund General Partner, overseeing the operation of similar funds in Northern Ireland by Whiterock Capital Partners LLP.
Gale will participate in the panel discussion on financial inclusion in MENA.
Tariq Sanad, CFO, Fetchr
Sanad will participate in our unicorn interview.