Second MENA FinTech Forum to be held in Manama

The forum will be opened by HE Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain. The event will be held under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain and hosted by Bank ABC and Arab Financial Services (AFS).

Beyond Disruption brings together leading and well regarded global experts and industry leaders in a highly engaging format of talks and discussions addressing the most pressing issues in the fast evolving FinTech landscape.

The conference will tackle the biggest disruptors for banks in the near future. From the emergence of challenger banks to the cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence (AI) to the rise of cryptocurrencies and the drive for greater financial inclusion across the globe. Keynote speakers include Anthony Thomson, founder of the first UK digital bank, Atom Bank and the award-winning Metro Bank, and Gregg Cross, Chief Business Officer at Soul Machines, in addition to industry experts and leading FinTech commentators.

“This FinTech Forum goes beyond disruption and helps facilitate the establishment of a cashless society and more sophisticated financial technology services in Bahrain and the region as a whole. AFS, as a key regional payments provider and FinTech enabler, is taking this initiative to ensure that all future prospects of the financial industry vis-a-vis technology are explored. The forum is deliberately designed to be highly engaging, with discussions on how FinTech is transforming banking, the move from artificial intelligence to emotional intelligence, the future prospects for the financial industry, and how financial inclusion will transform our world. The world-renowned key speakers addressing the conference demonstrate the significance of the dramatic and transformational change across the financial industry,” said Sael Al Waary, Chairman of AFS and Deputy Group CEO of Bank ABC.

The first AFS MENA FinTech Forum, held in March 2017, saw over 350 attendees with notable speakers such as Susanne Chisti, the author of FinTech Circle, and experts from PayTM India, FSS, Visa, McKinsey, IBM and ai Corp.