ARAB PAYMENT WEEK 2026

Chief banking supervision at CBUAE, has over 25 years of experience in supervisory space, regulatory development, financial planning and asset management.

Ahmed Faragallah is a Senior Financial Sector

• Specialist at the World Bank, working for the Payment Systems Development Group (PSDG). 
• He holds a Certificate in Fintech from Harvard University. 
• He has an MBA from Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. 
• He graduated from the faculty of Engineering, ASU, Egypt.  
• Ahmed led several WB projects in Pakistan, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Yemen, Tajikistan, and many other countries; and co-chaired the electronic payment acceptance global initiative.  
• He worked with market Infrastructure projects, such as RTGS, CSD, cards switch, fast payment system, and ACH; fintech initiatives such as CBDC, and digital assets and stablecoins regulations; financial inclusion, including regulations of mobile wallets and interoperability.  
• Ahmed co-authored or participated in a number of CBDC reports including the WB “CBDC, A Payments Aspect”, the WB/BIS report “CBDC and financial inclusion”, the G7 “Public Policy Principles for CBDC”, the G20 reports on “Cross-border CBDC”, and “FPS and CBDC Interoperability”. 
• Ahmed contributed to capacity building sessions addressing different aspects of CBDC with many central banks. 
• Ahmed is contributing or contributed to developing CBDC proof of concepts with five central banks in five different proof of concepts addressing different CBDC use cases, such as CBDC issuance, banks on boarding, clients onboarding, p2p transfers, p2m transfers, bulk payments for g2p transfers, and developing cross-border hub connecting two CBDC domestic systems, adding to that an internal (WB) PoC for interoperability of FPS with rCBDC and wCBDC systems. 
• Ahmed represented the WB in a large number of conferences as a speaker or panelist for different payment systems topics. Ahmed represents the WB at the CPMI committees on CBDC, Future of Payments (FOP), Community of Practice for central banks (COPS), and cross-border payments interoperability and extension (PIE) task force.  
• Before joining the WB, Ahmed managed the Payment Systems Department in the Central Bank of Egypt for twelve years and worked for IBM for seven years. 

Ahmed Salahy is a strategic architect of the modern digital economy, currently leading Fintech Partnerships for Careem Pay. With over 12 years of high-impact leadership across the fintech and payments value chain, Ahmed specializes in engineering the "invisible infrastructure" that powers global marketplaces and multi-service "everything apps."

A veteran of Amazon Payment Services, Network International and HSBC, he has a proven track record of launching and scaling complex fintech platforms across the Middle East and North Africa. Ahmed uniquely blends a rigorous investment background with a product-first mindset to orchestrate high-stakes alliances with global fintechs, payment networks and tier-one financial institutions. He is dedicated to dismantling financial friction and pioneering integrated, customer-first solutions that redefine the digital experience.

Ahmed holds a Master’s degree in International Finance and Management from the University of London (RHUL) and a Bachelor’s degree in Financial Management from the Arab Academy for Science & Technology (AAST).

Alaa AlRousan is the Head of Business Development, Middle East and North Africa at Swift. He is responsible for driving Swift’s initiatives in the region and working with banking communities and regulators to provide solutions to regional industry challenges such as payments innovation, trade finance, operational excellence, and cyber security.

Alaa specializes in payments solutions design, financial messaging, RTGS, ACH and instant payment networks. Alaa has been with Swift for almost ten years, during which he has held the positions of Technical Expert & Solution Architect for the Middle East, Türkiye & Africa, and Country Manager of some of the largest markets in the region. Prior to joining Swift, he worked in consulting and project management roles across the financial services industry. Alaa holds an MBA degree from Bayes Business School and an Engineering degree in Computers & Control Systems.

Anand Sampath has more than 3 decades of experience in a combination of leading National and Multi National Banks, handling multiple roles with Cash Management and Payments domain. As part of FAB’s GTx business, Anand is MD & Head – GTx Payments Innovation.

He has been involved in various payments//industry shaping initiatives, Regional Cross Border payments roll outs with multi lateral agencies and involved with Central Banks on CBDCs.

Andrew McCormack is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Nexus Global Payments (NGP). He brings over two decades of senior leadership experience in global payments, digital infrastructure, and financial innovation. Before joining NGP, Andrew was Chief Operating Officer of Al Etihad Payments, the national payments entity of the UAE, where he launched UAE’s instant payments system and domestic card scheme. He was previously the founding Centre Head of the BIS Innovation Hub in Singapore and Chief Information Officer at Payments Canada, where he oversaw the modernisation of the country’s domestic payment infrastructure.

Bassam Aoun is a seasoned payments and financial services executive with deep expertise in cross-border payments, product governance, and operational management across global payment networks. At Mastercard, where he has held progressively senior leadership roles for six years, he currently serves as Vice President, Commercial & New Payment Flows, leading global frameworks for product controls, performance assurance, and governance across international money movement solutions. His work focuses on enabling scalable, compliant, and commercially sustainable cross-border payment flows across multiple regions.  Prior to Mastercard, Bassam built a strong analytical and commercial foundation through leadership and consulting roles at The Economist Intelligence Unit and Euromonitor International, where he led multi-market research and advisory engagements across EMEA and emerging markets for both regulatory authorities and financial services as well as FMCG firms. 

Mr. William (Bill) Coen is an independent member of Buna’s Board of Directors and chairs its Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee. Bill served as Secretary General of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision from 2014 to 2019 where he had overall responsibility for the work of the BCBS including its Basel III post-crisis reforms. He joined the BCBS’s Secretariat in 1999 from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Prior to that, Bill was a bank examiner for the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and he began his career as a credit officer of a New York City-based bank. He currently serves on various boards of directors and advisory boards, providing advice and recommendations on regulatory and supervisory matters; payments and settlements; risk and risk management; business strategy; and group-wide management and governance.

Bryan Stirewalt has 40 years of experience in financial services across the public and private sectors including 30 years of international experience in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Bryan is an Executive Advisor to Grant Thornton, providing senior-level advice on financial sector and regulatory matters and is an independent board member of the Astana Financial Services Authority, the regulator of the Astana International Financial Center. In addition, Bryan also serves as an independent non-executive board member to several financial institutions in the UAE.

Prior to his current roles, Bryan spent more than 14 years at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), including as its Chief Executive. Bryan served as the co-chair of the Basel Consultative Group for 10 years, representing non-member countries at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Bryan started his career at the U.S. Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as a National Bank Examiner specializing in policy development and implementation, problem bank rehabilitation, and banking fraud initiatives.

Dirk Bullmann joined CLS in 2022 as Global Head of Public Policy and is responsible for formulating, developing and implementing our global public policy strategy. He represents CLS on all aspects of policymaker engagement, and leads CLS’s innovation-related research activities with a particular focus on distributed ledger technologies and Central Bank Digital Currencies.

Prior to joining CLS, Dirk spent over 20 years at the European Central Bank (ECB) where he held a number of managerial and advisory roles. He led the ECB’s innovation team and the innovation lab in the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments and was responsible for coordinating innovation activities amongst the euro area central banks. In addition, Dirk was the Adviser to the ECB’s Chief Services Officer and Adviser to the Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments. He was also the Secretary to the Eurosystem Payment and Settlement Systems Committee.

Dovile Naktinyte is a Senior Manager in the Payment Strategy Division at the Bank of England. She leads a multi-functional team responsible for developing innovative solutions and driving strategic change for the Bank’s Real-Time Gross Settlement system, shaping the Future Roadmap for RT2. Her team is leading the work on some of the most innovative initiatives related to wholesale payments, such as designing the synchronisation capability and the Synchronisation Lab, as well as delivering the Bank’s wholesale payments experimentation programme.

Previously, Dovile held various roles at the Bank of England and in public sector organisations in Lithuania and Brussels, where she led policy and strategy work on payments, securities settlement, and investment services. Dovile holds a Senior Leader MBA degree from Exeter University.

• Assistant Executive Manager at the Financial Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Jordan.
• PhD in Business Economics (Economic Development, Monetary), University of Jordan.
• Holder of professional certifications (Certified Compliance Manager CCM, Financial Analyst, Credit Officer).
• Certified Trainer in economics and finance fields.
• Published studies and research in several peer-reviewed international journals.
• Expert in Economic and Banking Affairs, Banking Experts Association, Amman, Jordan.
• Member of the Business School Council at the American University – Jordan.
• Participant in local and global conferences, workshops, and training sessions at central banks and international organizations.

Andrew Haskell is the Product Executive - Global Head of FX Solutions at BNY, responsible for FX Payments and FX Trading solutions, including a robust suite of products for Cross-Border Payments via Instant/Real-Time, RTGS, wallets, and local ACH clearing systems. Andrew reports into both Global Payments & Trade and FX/Markets lines of business, providing a unique perspective of Cross-Border Payments and their corresponding FX component. In this role, Andrew leads a global team of subject matter experts including Product Managers and Market Managers. Andrew holds a Doctor of International Business & Finance degree from Georgia State University, researching the future of Cross-Border Payments and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta is a Board Chairman/Member, Advisor and Investor in banking, markets, crypto, asset management, healthcare and technology firms. Since 2022, he has/is serving on the board or advising global regulated firms (Apex Group, Peregrine, AusGulf, Aarna Capital, Bunat Ventures, Point72 (DIFC) Ltd, Trillium Ventures, Cohesion Asset Management, ICICI Ventures, Caravella Asset Management, Truleum Ventures, Liongetivity,RudoWealth, Liminal Digital Custody).

He advises UAE, India and UK-based families and runs his Abu Dhabi based family office foundation which invests in funds, real estate and startups. An advocate for education and thought leadership, he is a visiting faculty member and sits on advisory boards at various universities in the UK, UAE, and India. Besides advising and working with regulators in UAE, India and elsewhere, he also serves as the Chairman of the Middle East Stablecoin Association and Secretary of the Middle East Investment Management Association.

Dr. Dasgupta’s previous full-time role was leading the market development of Abu Dhabi’s award-winning Financial Centre (Abu Dhabi Global Market) and Financial Regulator (Financial Service Regulatory Authority) for Exchanges, Crypto, Digital Banking, Broker / Dealers, Venture Capital, FinTech, Sustainable Finance & Commodities sectors. He was also responsible for Emerging Markets and Europe as a region. He helped triple AUM, making ADGM the largest regulated crypto jurisdiction in the world, quadrupled the number of broker-dealers, and helped launch ICE Futures Abu Dhabi (trading a million contracts within 6 months), making ADGM the biggest hub for venture capital in the region, etc. 

Prior to joining ADGM in 2019, Dr. Dasgupta was the Chief Operating Officer of UK Export Finance (GBP 90B Capital) at the Department of International Trade, UK Government.  His 30-year career included senior-level leadership, business development and transformation roles in investment banking, transaction banking, technology, and consulting in HSBC, ABN AMRO, Citigroup, and PwC. 

Dr. Dasgupta has read for a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bhopal, India; an MBA in Finance from Indore University, India; a PhD in Financial Modelling & AI from the University of Manchester, UK; a PhD in Terrorism and Politics from Kings College London, UK; a PhD in History of Spices from Brunel University, UK and is embarking on his next doctorate in Subtractive Sacred Architecture from University of Westminster, UK. 

Jürgen Schaaf is a financial expert specializing in financial economics and digital payments. He serves as an Adviser in the Market Infrastructure & Payments department at the European Central Bank (ECB). Since joining the ECB in 2012, he has held several key positions, including Counsellor to the Executive Board and Secretary of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) Project Team. Before his tenure at the ECB, Schaaf was a Personal Adviser to the Governor of Banque centrale du Luxembourg, an ECB watcher at Börsen-Zeitung, and a Senior Economist at Deutsche Bank.  He started his career as economist at Deutsche Bundesbank.

Schaaf holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Phillips University Marburg and studied economics in Marburg and Canterbury (UK). His research focuses on the intersection of traditional finance and emerging digital technologies, particularly in the context of European monetary policy and financial systems. He is writing on topics such as the future of digital payments in the Eurozone, cryptocurrencies and stablecoins or the digital euro. He is a frequent contributor to the ECB’s blog.

Erick Lacourrege holds a Masters in Economics, a Masters in Political Science, and an Executive MBA.

He joined the Banque de France in 1991 and has held different positions since then. He joined the Executive Commitee of the Bank in 2014 when appointed Director General in charge of banknote manufacturing, and then became Director General in charge of cash, branch network and services to the economy in 2018.

On January 1st. 2023, he became Director General in charge of currency and retail payments, as the DG-Banknote Manufacturing was merged with cash issuance and retail payments into a new Directorate General. In this capacity, he chairs the French National Payment Council which is a body that brings together all public and private stakeholders in the payment ecosystem in France.

He is a member of the High Level Task Force on Digital Euro and of the Banknote Committee at the European Central Bank. He also chaired for 10 years (2015-2024) the Executive Committee of the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG), a G-10 Organization.

Erin is the founder and principal consultant at Forte Fintech. She has over 25 years consulting experience in payments. Her advisory work focuses on business payments, cross-border transactions, and the intersection of corporate finance, banking, and enterprise software.  She serves established payment companies as well as emerging fintech players; incumbent bankers and processors; founders and their investors; policy makers and eGov leaders rethinking public sector payment.

Recent work addresses tokenized money and B2B; value-based pricing for B2B transactions; monetizing data associated with payments; exploring agentic AI & payments myth vs. reality; the evolution of EDI to APIs to AI and implications for bank <> corporate connectivity; increasing effectiveness of partnerships between banks and fintechs/OCFO software; cross-border competitive dynamics due regulatory shifts (especially stablecoins), harmonized standards and ongoing infrastructure modernization.

Prior to founding Forte Fintech, she was a partner at Bain & Company, the global strategy firm, and at Glenbrook Partners, a boutique payment consulting firm. She is a native Californian and lives in San Francisco. In addition to being a payments nerd, she is an avid cook and reader. She is also learning to scull. 

Faisal Alhijawi has been the Chief of Strategy and Development Officer of Buna since October 2020. His responsibilities at Buna include leading strategy & planning, business and products development, communications and marketing. Prior to joining Buna, Mr. Alhijawi held several roles at Western Union Financial Services in Dubai, UAE, including the Director of Account Payout Network, and earlier to that he was the Director of Global Payments. During his 8 years tenure at Western Union, Mr. Alhijawi has led several initiatives to build end-to-end cross-border payment services by creating strategic partnerships with diverse classes of organizations including banking, fintech, and government institutions. Prior to that, Mr. Alhijawi held various techno-business positions for 12 years in the private sector focusing on online and mobile payment solutions.

Fayçal Badawi is a senior banking executive with extensive experience of more than 25 years in international banking with Bank of Africa, one of the leading financial institutions in Morocco and across the African continent, where he contributes to the development of cross-border financial solutions and international partnerships.

He is a Director in charge of the Correspondent Banking Group at Bank of Africa, overseeing relationships with international financial institutions.

Mr. Badawi has represented Bank of Africa in various international forums, workshops and seminars. His involvement in these events has supported the bank’s recognition at the international level for its active role in trade financing.

Through his leadership and expertise, Fayçal Badawi has played a key role in strengthening Bank of Africa’s international footprint and in facilitating access to global markets. His professional career reflects a strong commitment to fostering sustainable financial partnerships and promoting international economic integration.

Fayez Abu Awad serves as Policy Director for MENA at the GSMA, where Fayez works to promote sound public policy and advocates for the Open Gateway framework. Fayez brings a deep understanding of the telecommunications landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with extensive experience spanning strategic consulting, technology, market research, and advocacy at both corporate and government levels. With a background in engineering and business administration, Fayez leverages experience in hi-tech and business to deliver impactful policy outcomes.

Fayez has held regional leadership roles at Boost Communications and NOKIA, where Fayez spearheaded sales initiatives, built market intelligence capabilities, and evangelised new services across MEA markets. In addition, Fayez is a certified cloud solutions architect.

Fayez holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

originally from Italy, in the UAE since 2015. Before Dubai , I worked in Milan, Dublin, London and Munich. Started with Deutsche Bank in Transaction Banking, then moved to Citi in Treasury and Trade Solutions and now JPM Payments since May 2024. Spent 10 years in FI and NBFI Sales, covering the GCC and Middle East client portfolio. Recently looking after the Middle East and Africa FIG portfolio from a cross-border payment solution perspective

Guillaume Dechaux is Managing Director at Consensys, the leading Ethereum software company building the infrastructure, tools, and protocols that power the world’s largest decentralized ecosystem. Since 2014, Consensys has played a foundational role in Ethereum’s growth, from pioneering products like MetaMask, Linea, and Infura to shaping protocol development and staking infrastructure. In his role, Guillaume leads Strategic Business and Development, focusing on expanding Ethereum adoption and building strategic partnerships across markets. Before joining Consensys, Guillaume founded Trade Quorum, a platform bringing distributed ledger technology to supply chain and trade finance, and was closely involved in real-world blockchain applications for commodity finance, including Komgo. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at HSBC and BNP Paribas, focusing on structured finance and energy solutions, and also served as CEO of Enercofin. His academic background includes studies in mathematics at Université Paris Dauphine, along with programmes at EDHEC Business School and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Visionary Banker and Disruptive C-Level Digital Leader                            

36 years of diversified experience in leading and delivering transformational changes (digital and conventional) across banking and financial services industry: Retail, Corporate, Treasury, Wealth/Asset Management, Private Equity, Investment Banking, Islamic Finance.

Core Skills and Achievements: Enterprise Strategy Execution,  Transformational innovation / Doing products / services fundamentally different, Engaged with Ecosystem and Reduce cost of operations by using technology to simplify processes, consolidate systems and transforming the customer experience, increase shareholder value and revenue growth.

During his assignments, Hakam led and implemented strategic enterprise transformation initiatives like core banking replacements/upgrades, digital delivery channels, back-office process reengineering and automation, cost optimization with the right balance of quality, flexibility, and control.

Currently, Hakam holds the role of Chief Operating Officer in Sharjah Islamic Bank, and prior to that he held the role of Chief operating officer in Emirates Development Bank. Previously, he held various C-level roles in financial institutions within the GCC.

Hakam holds Master of Computing - Information Technology from University of Western Sydney/Australia (1998) and a Bachelor of Computer Science from University of Jordan (1989)

Ms. Hakima EL ALAMI has been with bank Al-Maghrib since 1997. She is the current Director of Payment Systems and Instruments Oversight Department responsible for conducting national strategies related to development of electronic means of payment and payment systems resilience. The Department is also in charge of implementing regulation and oversight framework of FMIs and means of payment.     

She joined Bank Al-Maghrib as an executive in charge of financial analyses and corporates ratings, and also assessment of the quality of the private debt instruments within the context of central bank advances. Since 2003, she was appointed as a Manager in the Monetary and Exchange Operations Department where she spent 13 years in charge of cashless means of payment and payment systems oversight.

Hakima EL ALAMI holds a higher studies diploma (DES) from Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, and a Diploma of Advanced Studies –DEA- in economic organizations engineering, Complex systems modeling, from the University of AIX-Marseille III.

Mrs EL ALAMI is Alumni of Fletcher School Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion (FLPFI). TUFTS University. Boston.

She is also is Alumni of Women’s World Banking and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion 2022 Leadership and Diversity Program for Regulators (With SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL. UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD)

Hesham Elsafty is responsible for National Bank of Egypt (NBE)’s international operations and global banking relationships in his capacity as Chief International Banking Officer — a role he assumed in May 2023. Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Elsafty was Group Head, Financial Institutions & International Financial Services since November 2016. He first joined NBE in August 2009 as Head, Financial Institutions and Country Risk Management, managing the bank’s international exposure.

Mr. Elsafty is a seasoned banker with extensive international practice, covering North America and the Middle East. He spent 17 years with the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) in Canada and the MENA region. His career spans commercial and corporate banking, audit, global risk management, trade services, financial institutions, international banking, international loans, syndications, and international financial services.

He previously served as the Regional Manager, Trade Services and Financial Institutions (TS&FI), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Scotiabank Group. Prior to this, he was Head of Corporate Banking, Scotiabank Cairo, and he also worked for Scotiabank’s Global Risk Management and Audit departments in Toronto, Canada.

Mr. Elsafty has been instrumental in strengthening NBE’s international presence by fostering strategic partnerships with global and regional financial institutions. His focus on enhancing risk management frameworks has contributed to the bank’s expanded international service offerings and fortified collaborations with DFIs and global commercial banks.

As a key member of NBE’s leadership, Mr. Elsafty serves on the Executive Committee, Senior Credit Committee, and Corporate Credit and Financial Institutions Committees, as well as the Mutual Funds Oversight Committee. He also holds the position of non-executive Chairman of Al Ahly Exchange Company in Cairo, Egypt, and serves on the boards of Cairo International Bank in Kampala, Uganda, and National Bank of Egypt (Juba) plc in Juba, South Sudan.

Mr. Elsafty obtained an Honors B.A. (cum laude) in Economics with a minor in Computer Science from The American University in Cairo, Egypt, and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Hicham El Khaoudy is the Head of International & FI Global Transaction Banking (GTx) at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB).

Hicham has 29 years of experience and has held various international leadership banking and finance roles in Global transaction banking, Trade Finance and Cash management.

Before joining FAB, Hicham was the Head of GTB Sales at ADIB Bank and founded the fintech startup Mitigram in Sweden, which is currently used by several large multinationals and global banks.

Hicham’s previous work experience includes serving as the Global Head of GTB at the Commercial Bank of Qatar and at Standard Chartered Bank as the Regional Head of Strategic Clients in MENA and the Global Head of GTB Innovation in Singapore.

Before banking, Hicham was a consultant for various consulting and treasury software houses, including Kyriba and Trema, and helped various treasury departments re-engineer their processes, roll out new platforms and solutions, and optimise their liquidity and risk exposure management solutions.

As the Managing Director and Head of GTB International & FI, Hicham and his team across the network, support FAB’s clients across several markets, including the Middle East, Europe, the US, Asia and Africa.

Hicham has completed several leadership programmes at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and INSEAD. He holds degrees in economics and finance from the University Hassan II of Casablanca and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

.

Ian Hooper leads the Payments consulting line of business for PwC in the Middle East, which combines strategy, operations, digital & technology, M&A, and risk and regulation practices.  Ian is a Senior Partner in PwC Saudi Arabia, based in Riyadh, since 2021.

Clients in the Middle East include central banks and ministries, national and regional operators, processors and networks, as well as commercial banks, fintechs and retailers. His portfolio includes national strategy, business strategy, licensing and compliance, traditional and digital product launch, market entry, and post-merger integration, as well as virtual assets and CBDC.

Across his 25 year career Ian has also been a Partner with three leading global consultancies, in the UK and ASEAN, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States. His career started at HSBC as digital technology revolutionized Banking.

.

Isabelle Bouille is a Director and Principal Product Manager within Global Payments and Trade Services at BNY. Joining BNY in June 2020, she co-led the bank’s critical ISO 20022 Migration strategic program from a product management capacity.

An influential voice in industry standards, Isabelle serves as the US representative in the CBPR+ (Cross Border Payments and Reporting Plus) and PSWG (Payments Standards Working Groups). She also holds seats in several other key industry groups.

Before her tenure at BNY, Isabelle managed the SWIFT Standards Market Practice Team. There, she spearheaded both the High Value Payments Plus (HVPS+) and CBPR+ initiatives—foundational pillars for harmonized ISO 20022 implementation worldwide.

She also conducted extensive ISO 20022 consultancy missions for major RTGS systems and previously worked as a Corporate Product Manager for France and Belgium at Deutsche Bank.

Jags is based in Dubai and heads Cash Product team across the Mashreq network. He leads Mashreq’s journey in building a truly international cash proposition for both corporate and FI clients whilst leveraging Mashreq’s strong franchise in the Middle East.

As part of this role, Jags also drives Mashreq’s foray into new and evolving themes including Open Finance, Fintech Partnerships, Digital Assets, API solutions, Digital Solutioning etc., and cement Mashreq’s position as a thought leader in this space.

Jags brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career and, most recently, at Citi, where he was the Head of Payments for the Middle East and Africa. During his time at Citi, he was recognized for his outstanding leadership through the prestigious Champions Club and D10X Leadership programs, demonstrating a track record of driving innovation and excellence.

Jags is a Gold Medalist and rank holder during his bachelor’s degree in engineering and is a certified Fellow of the Indian Institute of Engineers. He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM, Mumbai).

Jean-Michel Godeffroy is a former director general at the European Central Bank (1998-2014). He was involved in the creation of the euro and was responsible for the smooth implementation of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). He was also in charge of major infrastructure projects such as the establishment TARGET and TARGET2, the RTGS systems for the euro, and TARGET2-Securities, the most important securities settlement system in Europe.

After his retirement from the ECB in 2015, he worked as an advisor, directly or indirectly, for fifteen central banks in Africa and in the Middle East. From 2017 until 2025, he chaired the Central Bank Payments Conference. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Buna, the cross-border payment system for the Arab region and beyond.

Jens has been in the industry for nearly 35 years with senior management roles in sales and marketing, operations, customer service, business development, and general management.

He has a background in payments and cash, and led both global business units as well as a number of major change programs on a global scale throughout his career.

Jens joined CR in 2018 as Vice President, Business Development and Consulting. In November 2020, he was appointed as CEO & President.

Jessica Renier is Managing Director and Head of Digital Finance at the Institute of International Finance. She leads the Institute's work on payments, digital assets and central bank digital currency, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and emerging technologies, working in close collaboration with global standard setters and policymakers.

She previously served as Program Associate Director at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President at the White House where she oversaw a range of Federal Government agencies, including the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Treasury, Commerce, and the Small Business Administration.

She also served as Senior Counselor for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes and Senior Advisor for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she led financial technology and innovation policy. Prior to joining Treasury, she worked at the Federal Reserve Banks of New York and Dallas, J.P. Morgan Securities, the Hoover Institution, and Deloitte Consulting, and holds an MBA from Stanford GSB.

John Ho Hee Jung is the Global Head of Legal, Financial Markets for Standard Chartered Bank (“Standard Chartered”).

John has supported digitisation in Standard Chartered and adoption of new or innovative technology initiatives such as blockchain, distributed ledger technology and smart contracts. He is an active participant in the industry’s Fintech events and has shared insights on the legal and regulatory framework relating to the development of Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, Digital Assets, Stablecoins, Web3 and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). He contributed to a recent publication issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF) called ‘Asset Tokenization in Financial Markets’ released in May 2025.

Julia oversees Mastercard’s Global Overlay & Access Services, Realtime Payments, leading the strategy and development of innovative services that enhance access to real-time payment networks and deliver value-added overlays for financial institutions and partners globally. Her focus spans product management, go-to-market execution, and driving adoption of solutions that enable faster, smarter, and more secure payments. 

Over her tenure at Mastercard, Julia has advanced her expertise across multiple domains, including digital payments, identity verification, and dispute resolution, holding leadership roles in regional and global teams. Prior to Mastercard, Julia worked at E-Plus Mobilfunk, a major German mobile network operator, where she led the development of a SIM-based mobile payment wallet. 

I am an experienced technology and digital infrastructure leader specializing in digital payments, cybersecurity, and large-scale financial innovation. Over the past three decades, I have advised governments, central banks, and global technology organizations on building secure, interoperable, and inclusive digital platforms.

I currently serve as Chair of the Board of the Mojaloop Foundation, guiding the evolution of the leading open-source solution for instant, low-cost payments.  I also serve on the advisory board of Buna, the multi-currency payment platform connecting financial institutions in Arab countries. 

In my executive role as Deputy Director, Inclusive Financial Systems at the Gates Foundation, I lead initiatives across Africa and South Asia that help countries design and deploy digital public infrastructure—including instant payments and cybersecurity frameworks. I work closely with policymakers, regulators, private-sector partners, and global institutions to accelerate financial inclusion.

Previously, I spent more than 20 years at SWIFT, serving as:

- Chief Architect, leading the design and rollout of SWIFTNet—the critical infrastructure connecting 12,000+ financial institutions worldwide.

- Head of Innovation, where I created Innotribe, one of the financial industry’s pioneering global innovation programs.

I am a member of the UN Digital Public Infrastructure Safeguards initiative and author of The Castle and the Sandbox, a framework for driving open innovation in complex organizations.

Lu CHE is senior manager of the Global Payment System Management Team at the Clearing Department, BOC Head Office. She has been committed to the system construction, promotion and operation management of Global Unified Payment Platform of BOC since she joined the Clearing Department at BOC Head Office in 2013. She has also participated in various projects, such as Swift global payments innovation initiative (GPI), CBPR+ ISO20022 migration and ISO20022 migration of several high-value payment systems.

Majda AHBOUCH is currently the Head of Trade Finance at Global Transaction Banking GTB in Bank Of Africa, with over than 19 years of experience in the banking sector.

An engineer by training, she began her career in project management, where she successfully led several strategic and transformational initiatives across multiple banking domains.

Now in a business leadership role, she leverages her technical and technoligical background to drive the developement, performance and excellence of Trade Finance activities within the Bank.

Deputy Governor (DG) Mamerto Tangonan heads the Payments and Currency Management Sector (PCMS) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippine central bank.   

The PCMS covers the following mainstreams: 

• The interplay between digital money and physical currency; 
• The digital transformation of the Philippines’ national payment systems; 
• The operation of the Peso real-time gross settlement (RTGS) payment system; and 
• The country’s currency production and gold refinery facility. 

DG Tangonan's background includes more than three decades of experience in digital and traditional financial services, telecommunications, information technology, financial inclusion, and consulting services in the Philippines, Asia, Africa, North America, and Europe. A graduate of civil engineering from the University of the Philippines – Diliman with an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Asian Institute of Management, he has completed various programs from the Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Marc Recker is Head of Global Client Solutions and Partnerships within Institutional Cash Management (ICM) at Deutsche Bank. He is responsible for providing strategic direction and solutions for key clients, as well as identifying trends, needs, and opportunities for new products and services. Prior to his current role, Marc was Global Head of Product, ICM, responsible for the strategic development and positioning of cash clearing products for Deutsche Bank globally.

With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Marc represents Deutsche Bank in various industry forums and working groups. These include, among others, the SWIFT working group, the EBA/EURO 1 Business Committee, the BAFT Global Payments Industry Council (GPIC), where he serves as Vice Chair, as well as the Product Working Group for the BIS Agora project.

Marc’s previously held positions include roles in both product management and operations at JPMorgan and ING. He holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign trade from the Liège Management School in Belgium.

Martin has had a varied career in a range of senior roles across a number of financial institutions. In his current role he is responsible for bringing Mastercard’s Real Time Payments offering and associated overlay services to payment schemes across the world. In his previous role, he grew the Fintech Partnerships function for EMEA and APAC at JP Morgan Payments, focusing on executing partnerships which drove business growth and product innovation. 

Martin holds degrees in Medieval & Modern History and Financial Markets & Management. He is passionate about using financial services to benefit society. Some highlights in this area include the Fintech Forward Programme – a pioneering accelerator programme for Fintech Founders from under represented communities and the implementation of the National Loan Guarantee Scheme at Barclays, a UK government backed scheme which enabled thousands of small businesses to access lower cost lending.

Senior executive with 20+ years of experience in payment and financial market infrastructures, including RTGS, instant payment systems, ACH, cross-border payment platforms, and central securities depositories (CSDs). Extensive experience in the design, implementation, and modernization of CSDs and post-trade infrastructures for traditional securities, as well as in emerging areas such as digital assets, tokenized instruments, and next-generation ledger-based market infrastructures. Currently responsible for regional strategy, client relationships, and large-scale national infrastructure projects across Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

In January 2020, Mr. Mehdi Manaa was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Buna. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Manaa served as the Deputy Director-General of the Market Infrastructure and Payments Directorate General at the European Central Bank (ECB). 

During his 12-year tenure at the ECB, Mr. Manaa held several other roles, including heading the Market Infrastructure Development Division as well as the T2S Programme, a program in which he was involved since its inception.

Prior to his career at the ECB, Mr. Manaa held various managerial and advisory positions in the private sector focusing on payment solutions and financial market infrastructures.

Nadia Benaissa is a global marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience across payments, banking, and fintech. As the Global Head of Marketing at Paymentology, she leads the company’s brand, go-to-market, and growth strategy across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

Nadia has spent her career building and scaling fintechs and neobanks from the ground up, working across mature and emerging markets to support companies at critical stages of growth and transformation. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, commercial execution, and market positioning, helping organisations translate complex technology into clear, differentiated value for customers and partners.

She is an active contributor to the global fintech ecosystem and serves as a Board Member of the MENA Fintech Association. Nadia also mentors fintech founders and senior marketing leaders.

Previously, Nadia held senior leadership roles including Global Chief Marketing Officer at Fidor Bank in Germany, a digital bank acquired by BPCE Group, Marketing Director at BPC, and Head of Marketing at CR2 (now part of HPS). She began her career at AEMS, a joint venture between Euronext, France’s stock exchange, and Atos, delivering exchange-as-a-service solutions, before its acquisition by NYSE Technologies, and has also worked with Credit Agricole.

Naman is an experience leader with 19+ years of transaction banking experience across Cash Product, Digital Platforms, Implementation, and TTS Operations. He is an integral part of Payments Global Exco and TTS MEA leadership team for Citi.

In his current role, Naman is responsible to lead the Payments business, including product teams across MEA, a region which spans 29 countries. He is responsible for delivering Citi’s MEA payments priorities and seamlessly executing global payments strategy in the cluster. In his last role, Naman was the head of Payments and Liquidity business for Indian subcontinent.

Naman is an alumnus of the ICG VP development program and holds a MBA in Finance from the Indian Institute of Technology and a Bachelors of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering.

As the Group Head of Financial Institutions at Al Ansari Financial Services the largest NBFI in the Middle East region, Nawal Kebouri Ammor leads strategic partnerships with local and international financial institutions, driving the Group’s expansion efforts and ensuring regulatory excellence in collaboration with central banks and global partners.

She brings over two decades of global experience in the financial services, specializing in Cash Management, Trade Finance, Correspondent Banking, and Payments.

Prior to joining Al Ansari Financial Services, Nawal held senior leadership roles at NIUM, Mastercard, Deutsche Bank, and Citibank, where she consistently delivered transformative growth across the MENA region.

She is recognized for her ability to navigate complex financial ecosystems, spearhead innovative Cross-Border payment solutions, and build sustainable, high-impact banking relationships.

Nawal holds an MBA in Marketing from Université du Québec à Montréal and is fluent in English, Arabic, and French.

Mrs. Nermine Kamal holds the position of Assistant Sub-Governor in the Offsite Supervision Sector at the Central Bank of Egypt since 2021, where she is responsible for the Offsite supervision of regulated entities in the field of combating money laundering and terrorism financing. Within her role she oversees the departments responsible for AML/CFT risk management, AML/CFT governance risks, AML/CFT risk assessment, AML/CFT remediation oversight, technical risks in the AML/CFT field, products and services AML/CFT risks and other regulated entities AML/CFT risks.

Mrs. Nermine Kamal previously held the position of Consultant to the Central Bank of Egypt during the period from 2020 to 2021, during the mutual evaluation of Egypt by the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) and until the issuance and approval of the Egypt report in May 2021. She also engaged with international consultants to establish the CBE AML/CFT Offsite Supervision Department.

Mrs. Nermine Kamal has a banking experience that extends for more than 20 years, most of which are in managing the risks of financial crime and in combating money laundering and the risks of terrorism financing.

Before joining the Central Bank of Egypt, Mrs. Nermine held senior positions in the Compliance field in several banks, including Banque Du Caire and HSBC Bank Egypt. She also held leadership positions in the field of financial analysis, corporate business, and retail banking at Citibank and the Arab African International Bank.

During her professional career, Mrs. Nermine obtained many training programs and certificates in the banking field including combating money laundering and terrorism financing and countering the proliferation of weapons. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from the American University in Cairo.

Nizar Hannachi is the Deputy CEO of Enda Tao, a licensed Payment Institution in Tunisia.

He leads the company's strategic positioning in digital payments, cross-border remittances, and financial inclusion. Widely recognized in Tunisia's payment space, he contributes to national initiatives on financial inclusion and de-cashing, and is an active advocate for interoperable, compliant, and innovation-driven payment ecosystems.

With over 25 years of experience across banking and payments, Nizar has held senior leadership roles at Bank ABC and BNP Paribas, covering operations, corporate banking, and transaction banking. During his banking tenure, he led major digital transformation initiatives, delivered award-winning projects, and secured strategic mandates with global financial institutions.

Coupled with his deep experience in traditional banking, his current leadership role in the payments industry provides him with a distinct dual perspective enabling him to foster synergies between these ecosystems, bridging operational models, compliance standards, and innovation agendas across both.

Nizar holds a Master's degree in Banking from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), Paris. As an adept of emerging technologies shaping the future of fintech and digital finance, he has earned certifications in AI & Machine Learning and Cryptography & Blockchain.

Work Experience

Ossama is a Senior General Manager at Banque du Caire (BDC), heading the Global Transaction Banking Group (GTB). With more than 25 years of diversified experience in the banking & financial sector, mainly with Citigroup in Egypt & the region, where he started his career in the Securities business, before assuming to manage the entire Securities business operations in Citi Egypt. Subsequently, he shifted to work as a Trading Manager in Union Brokerage Company – UAE. After which, he was heading Citi Egypt Corporate Operations. Ossama’s last capacity at Citi was the Head of Treasury & Trade Solutions for Citi Egypt.

Ossama was appointed by the leadership of BDC back in 2018 to establish the Global Transaction Banking business, aiming to increase client portfolio penetration and maximize the cross-sell business. Under his lead, the group played a pivotal role in BDC’s growth and success, spearheading efforts to drive digitalization and expand market reach across diverse segments by offering tailored solutions through conventional & unconventional channels to streamline financial transactions and optimize resources. This approach has directly influenced the bank’s market positioning and portfolio growth, additionally leading the digital transformation agenda, ensuring an increase in cross-sell ratios and maximizing BDC’s share of wallet.

GTB Group comprises different business divisions including; Cash Management & Liquidity Solutions, Trade & Supply Chain Finance, Securities Services, Business Development, MIS & Business Monitoring, in addition to Innovation & Digital Banking.

Ossama holds a leadership certification from Harvard Business School and is also a certified Trader in Dubai Stock Market & Abu Dhabi Stock Market. He has been serving as a Board member in several organizations.

He has various achievements throughout his career, on top of which, managing the crisis during 2011, through handling the foreign investments portfolio. He was also part of the leadership development program in Citi globally, and was also a member of the EMEA Diversity & Inclusion team.

Business Essence

Teamwork – Planning & Delivery – Change Management – Diversity – Women Empowerment

Otto Abasi Williams is a leading executive in digital payments and financial services. He is currently serving as the SVP PayPal World and Regional Head and General Manager for PayPal in the Middle East and Africa. Otto is executing PayPal’s mission to enable global wallet interoperability and provide inclusive cross-border digital payment to consumers and merchants across the Middle East and Africa, while driving PayPal’s revenue growth, and deepening meaningful relationships with financial institutions, fintech companies, governments, and technology partners.

Under Otto’s leadership, PayPal has expanded its presence across the Middle East and Africa, including the launch of its first regional headquarters in Dubai. He is also leading the global build and rollout of PayPal World, a pioneering global platform that connects major digital wallets and payment systems, by simplifying cross-border commerce and enabling merchant access to billions of consumers. Otto is advancing PayPal’s mission to build inclusive, scalable digital payment infrastructure worldwide.

Previously, Otto spent nearly 12 years at Visa, and served as the Head of Product, Partnerships, and Digital Solutions for Visa in the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region. Otto led the commercialization, delivery, and revenue growth of Visa’s products and solutions with banks, Fintechs, Telcos, and Bigtechs.

Otto brings strong leadership in the digital financial services space. He has launched products, published patents, completed strategic partnerships, venture investments deals, and successfully launched and scaled global products and commercial programs including Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, the Visa Ready Program, Fintech Fasttrack, and the Africa Fintech Accelerator.

Prior to Visa, Otto worked as a software engineer, and as an investment banker at Cowen and Company where he covered technology companies. Otto holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering, and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Payal Patel leads Circle’s compliance programme across APAC and the Middle East and Africa, and has been instrumental in driving Circle’s licensing and regulatory engagement efforts in key markets including Singapore and the UAE. She brings over 15 years of global compliance experience, having held senior leadership roles at Tier 1 financial institutions. Payal’s expertise lies in supporting commercial growth while effectively managing regulatory expectations and compliance risk across complex, multi-jurisdictional environments.

Piyush Dubey is a Partner with Kearney’s Financial Institutions practice. Piyush has 20+ years of experience across Middle East, North America, and Asia. Piyush has worked extensively with Regulators, National Payments Operators, and private sector firms on payments digitization & modernization agenda. This includes modernization of retail and wholesale domestic as well as cross-border payments.

Prasad has been Head of Transaction Banking in Commercial Bank for the past Ten years. He carries wide experience in the Transaction Banking space covering Cash, Trade, Treasury, Supply Chain Finance and working capital management

Prior to CB he worked for Riyad Bank, KSA. In India, he worked for leading public and private banks and was part of the pioneering efforts in introducing Cash Management Services in the country.

Prasad is a Graduate in Commerce with a degree in Law. He is also a certified Cash and Treasury practitioner.

Rahul Bhargava is a globally recognized business leader with over 22 years of experience driving innovation and collaboration in the financial services and payments industry. His expertise lies in successfully helping both public and private sector organisations globally in navigating the complex landscape of next generation payments, trade digitisation and banking systems. This includes hands on experience in evolving money movement with traditional and new digital currencies like stablecoins, CBDCs & wallets, incorporating tokenisation and digital assets across the transaction value chain, digitising trade and solving for trade to payments interoperability, designing the next generation of compliance and KYC/AML services using AI and real-time application, standards harmonisation with ISO 20022 and open banking plus the application of emerging technologies like genAI and AgenticAI to financial services. As a global strategy leader, business owner and community lead, Rahul has spearheaded key initiatives at SWIFT, the World Bank Group, WEF, Accenture, FIS, RBS, ICICI Bank, AI 2030, EPAA and other prominent organizations with global impact. He has additionally taken up a pivotal role recently at an undisclosed firm that seeks to innovate and digitise across the transaction value chain, integrating, standardising and integrating upstream trade finance all the way to end payment settlements, retaining optionality for traditional and emerging payment methods, providing full flexibility for different size corporates and banks, and ability to seamlessly scale up from domestic to regional and global coverage. Ancillary overlays can provide additional transversal value across integrated trade to payments data flows, for example use cases around compliance, exceptions and investigations, standards validation, trend analysis etc.

Rahul currently leads a multifaceted global consulting portfolio, partnering and advising public sector entities, financial market infrastructures, web3 leaders including Layer 1 blockchains, trade digitisation platforms, banks, fintechs, and paytechs, offering strategic direction as they navigate the complexities of digital transformation in payments, trade, wider financial services and emerging technologies. This includes providing subject matter expertise to World Bank and IFCs technical assistance programs, closely aligned with the G20's agenda for global payments and solving impactful market-specific development challenges, a case in point being Rahul’s support to World Banks ongoing derisking mitigation program in the Pacific Islands over the last one and a half years.

Rahul is a passionate leader driving impactful change in global financial services, retaining a deep understanding of the industry's key challenges and opportunities. He has been instrumental in developing and launching next-generation payment systems, fostering interoperability between traditional and emerging financial market infrastructures, and responsibly integrating cutting-edge technologies. His strategic relationship engagement with both public and private sectors is evident in his work on G20 initiatives, CBDC interoperability, regional payments integration, and driving evolution of domestic and cross-border payments, including instant payments interlinking and interoperability. Recent areas of engagement for him with the global community include evolution of digital currencies, including CBDCs and stablecoins, instant payments fraud and AML controls, instant KYC and due diligence, responsible AI, quantum, open banking and open finance.

Rahul is a recognized global thought leader and mentor, actively shaping the future of finance through leading public-private dialogue, publishing thought leadership, driving collaboration and public policy advocacy via global think tanks. He has recently been certified by AI2030 as a “Responsible AI Leader”, and awarded "Ambassador of the Year" for 2024 by two leading think tanks - Emerging Payments Association Asia (EPAA) and AI 2030.

He is a regular speaker and moderator across global industry forums, including Sibos, Money 2020, Central Bank Payments Conference, Global Payment Summit, Digital Currency Conference, BAFT, The Asian Banker, World Bank Global Payments Week, Token2049-Stablecoin Summit, Global Fintech Festival (India), various GFTN Forums including Japan, Thailand and the Singapore Fintech Festival.

Richard van den Engel is a Capgemini Payments Specialist with extensive international experience advising central banks, payment processors, global and regional banks on digital payments innovation. He led a Capgemini team contributing to the delivery of the digital Euro and led major programs in payment hub strategy and transformation, implementing amongst others, real-time payments for a leading Saudi bank. He consulted banks and international processors on Open Banking and managed the technology design of digital wallets in the UAE. He is currently based in Singapore leading Capgemini's payment technology delivery for a large global bank.

With a background that combines solution architecture, engagement leadership, and regulatory insight, Richard brings a strategic, delivery‑focused perspective to the future of digital money and payment innovation.

Sabine F. Mensah has over 27 years of leadership experience in financial inclusion, digital payment systems, and mobile money across multilaterals and the private sector in Africa, the US, and Canada. Since July 2021, as Deputy CEO, Sabine oversees AfricaNenda’s policy, advocacy, and capacity development efforts through strategic partnerships, convenings, and thought leadership.

Prior to AfricaNenda, Sabine served for six years as Regional Digital Hub Manager for the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in West and Central Africa, working on inclusive digital economy programs and the digital transformation of microfinance institutions. She successfully drove UNCDF’s global digital infrastructure workstream during her tenure.

Sabine also consulted for the mobile money industry in Africa, building on her 15 years of expertise in the remittance industry in Africa, the US, and Canada. As Regional Director responsible for domestic and international remittances at Western Union Canada, she specialised in agent network management and remittance product design.

Sabine is a Certified Digital Finance Practitioner by DFI, an alumna of the Institut Franco-Américain de Management in France and Central Michigan University in the US. She is bilingual in English and French.

Sanjay is the Senior Managing Director & Head of Global Treasury, Trade & Tokenization (GTx) at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB).

He is a member of FAB’s Investment Banking and Corporate & Commercial Bank Management Committees, and serves as FAB’s Internal Subsidiary Board.

Prior to this, Sanjay worked at Citibank, where he held leadership positions in Transaction Banking & Institutional Banking across the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Europe. He joined Bank ABC in Bahrain in 3 years as their Group Head for Transaction Banking.

Sanjay has led and scaled the UK, UAE, Bahrain, South Africa, Kenya, Singapore, and India businesses for Citibank International Technology, Delhi & NBFA areas. He has also completed extensive education from the Harvard Kennedy School and Georgetown.

He is keen on Payments and Trade Technology changes and accelerating Digital transformation using FinTech partnerships, Data Science, and Financial models.

Having worked in different jurisdictions – India, Germany, and UAE, Saravana carries extensive experience in Cross Border Payments. He also has an experience in managing various RTGS & Multi Currency Payment System for International and Regional banks and currently working as Head of Payments – Systems & Regulatory for Emirates NBD.  Prior to this role, Saravana was heading Correspondent Banking for Emirates NBD and another regional bank in the UAE and implemented various payment proposition for clients leveraging different payment rails.

Sedat Kesik is a fintech and digital payments executive with a strong track record of scaling platforms, launching new financial products, and transforming consumer and merchant ecosystems across the Middle East, Europe, and emerging markets.

He currently serves as Interim CEO of du Pay, where he leads product, commercial, and operational strategy for a high growth, regulated digital financial services platform. In his two years as CFO of du Pay, Sedat played a central, cross-functional leadership role— guiding market expansion, digital product rollout, growth partnerships, and overall business model evolution. He has been instrumental in shaping du Pay’s position in financial inclusion, cross-border payments, mobile wallets, and embedded finance solutions.

Before du Pay, Sedat spent three years as CFO of Paycell (Fintech subsidiary of largest Telecom operator in Turkiye), one of the region’s most innovative digital payments and super-app platforms. At Paycell, he supported the launch and scaling of key offerings including BNPL, wallet-based payments, telco-driven financial services and acquiring business. He worked closely with product, technology, and ecosystem partners to expand user adoption and build new revenue lines across consumer and merchant segments.

Sedat previously served for five years as Finance Director at Mastercard, where he collaborated closely with issuers, merchants, regulators, and fintech partners to advance digital payments adoption and ecosystem development. Earlier in his career, Sedat spent over a decade in the financial due diligence and M&A teams at KPMG and PwC, supporting high-impact investments in technology, financial services, payments, and digital infrastructure—experience that now shapes his ability to evaluate growth opportunities, scale operating models, and guide strategic decision-making.

Stefano Siviero has served as Director General for Payments and Market Infrastructures at the Bank of Italy since December 2024.

He graduated with honors in Economics from the University of Pavia in 1985 and obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.

He joined the Bank of Italy in 1989, contributing to the development of the quarterly econometric model and the production of macroeconomic forecasts. He served as Head of the Modelling and Forecasting Division (2007-2012) and Head of the Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy Directorate (2013-2020).

He has served on several committees and working groups established by the European Commission, the Eurosystem, the G7, the G20 and the Bank for International Settlements, including the Monetary Policy Committee of the European Central Bank (2007-2020) and the Markets Committee of the Bank for International Settlements (2020-2024). Since 2022, he has served as co-chair of a working group of the Financial Stability Board established within the framework of the G20 Roadmap for the improvement of cross-border payments.

He has published numerous articles in Italian and international scientific journals, on topics mostly relating to macroeconomic modelling and monetary economics. He has taught statistics, econometrics and international and monetary economics at universities in Italy and abroad.

Steve has led diverse global impact-driven teams for 25 years, based in over 10 countries between work in the government, non-profit and the private sectors.  He aims to influence a more equitable and fairer world, particularly through inclusive financial services.  As the Director of Market Development at the Mojaloop Foundation, he helps country leaders develop inclusive instant time payments that reach everyone by helping various stakeholders to understand their role in building locally owned, locally controlled, and locally operated payments infrastructure. He holds degrees in Mathematics from West Point and the University of Padova.

Suruj has over a decade of leadership experience advising global banks on their digital transformation journeys. He has worked on various projects in the UAE, GCC, UK, HK, and South Africa.

He has launched and scaled innovative transaction banking platforms across commercial banks and payments processors, driving revenue growth, optimizing operating costs, reducing risk, and delivering

intuitive digital experiences.

Takeshi has been serving as Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Bank for International Settlements’ Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) since June 2016. In this role, he supports CPMI parent committee meetings and represents the CPMI at various international policy forums.

Prior to joining the BIS, Takeshi was the chief representative of the Bank of Japan (BoJ) in Frankfurt from 2014 to 2016. He joined the BoJ in 1993 and dedicated many years to policymaking for financial market infrastructures (FMIs) and the oversight of domestic and international FMIs. He represented the BoJ in various FMI-related international committees, working groups and cross-border oversight arrangements. In addition, he led a bank supervisory team for major Japanese financial institutions, represented the BoJ at supervisory colleges and crisis management groups, and contributed to Financial Stability Board (FSB) working groups related to bank supervision and resolution.

Earlier in his career, Takeshi served as a representative at the BoJ’s Frankfurt office (2000-2003) as well as a member of the CPSS Secretariat at the BIS (2008-2010). He holds a degree in law from Kyoto University and studied economics at the University of Göttingen.

Thierry Chilosi was appointed Chief Business Officer in June 2024. Prior to this Thierry was Chief Strategy Officer, where he was responsible for market and competitive intelligence, strategic planning, thought leadership, and execution of key strategic initiatives for the company.

Thierry has been with the company for more than fifteen years, and before becoming Chief Strategy Officer served as Chief Executive Officer, Europe. He started his career in robotics at General Electric before moving to the financial sector where he worked in fintech startups and in designing and implementing payment systems. He joined Swift in 2007.

Thierry holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and followed the program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.

Xing, Ping is an Executive Manager in Global Financial Institutions at Bank of China Head Office, a role he has held since April 2017. In this capacity, he oversees global financial institution relationships and strategic engagement across key markets.

Over a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades at Bank of China, he has held a series of senior leadership positions within the Global Financial Institutions and International Banking functions. His roles include Head of Americas and Oceania, Head of Americas and Europe, and Head of Non-bank Financial Institutions, where he led regional and sectoral coverage strategies from the Bank’s Head Office.

Earlier in his career, he served in correspondent banking and international departments, covering Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, and built deep expertise in trade finance, non-trade settlement, and international financial services. His extensive international experience has positioned him as a trusted leader in managing global banking partnerships and cross-border financial relationships.

Xing, Ping holds a Master’s Degree in Management from the University of International Business and Economics. He earned a bachelor’s degree in arts from Peking University, majoring in English Language and Literature, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a focus on International Economics and Trade from Beijing Polytechnic University.