A key highlight of the MEA Finance Banking Technology Summit and Awards, held on 24 June 2026 in Dubai, was a special roundtable session hosted by Backbase, with MEA Finance moderating what proved to be a lively and highly insightful discussion.
The roundtable was convened to debate the concerns, meanings and implications that were revealed in the results of a survey of leading bankers involved in the operations functions of their institutions. Devised by Backbase, who commissioned MEA Finance to conduct the survey, the results were revealed for the first time to the participants attending the roundtable.
The session was joined by Marwan Abouzeid, Principal Strategy Consultant, Amjad Ramahi, Director of Solutions Engineering, Karim Khanji, Senior Business Development Manager, Omar El Tabch, Regional Director – Strategic Business, and Makram Sallloum, Regional Vice President from Backbase, and representatives from major financial institutions who influence the essential development and adaptation of their businesses in today’s highly competitive, technology led markets, as well as by senior individuals and leading experts with key roles shaping the UAE’s banking and financial markets.
ROUNDTABLE PANELISTS
| Designation | Company |
| Director General | UAE Banks Federation |
| Managing Director and Country Head of UAE | Network International |
| Banking Operations Expert
Chief Operations Officer – International Operations (retired) |
Emirates NBD |
| Chief AI Officer | Mashreq |
| Director Core Technologies | Emirates Investment Bank |
| Head of IT Systems and Applications | Siraj Finance |
| Head of Agile | Emirates NBD |
| Lead Agile Coach | Emirates NBD |
| Head of Business Intelligence and Planning – Group Technology and Transformation | First Abu Dhabi Bank |
| Executive Advisor | Grant Thornton |
| Head of International Compliance | FAB |
| Director, Advisory and Product Solutions | Emirates Investment Bank |
| Head of AI | Zand |
| Chief Technology Officer | Ajman Bank |
