27th Connected Banking Summit – North Africa Celebrates Banking Innovation and Excellence in Cairo

The 27th Connected Banking Summit – Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 – North Africa, organised by the International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA), concluded with great success and a grand celebration of innovation, collaboration and excellence on 23 September 2026 at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in Cairo, Egypt.

Held under the theme “Powering Inclusive Digital Banking and Technology-Enabled Financial Infrastructure in North Africa,” the summit brought together banking leaders, fintech innovators, regulators, technology experts and senior decision-makers to explore the future of financial services across Egypt and North Africa. Discussions focused on artificial intelligence, digital banking, payments, cybersecurity, digital identity, open finance, financial inclusion and next-generation banking infrastructure.

The Cairo edition also marked a special milestone for the Connected Banking Summit series, celebrating its Silver Jubilee and 25 successful editions of fostering innovation, collaboration and transformation across the global banking and financial services ecosystem.
Bringing Together the Region’s Banking Leaders

The summit featured a distinguished community of senior banking, financial services, technology, fintech and cybersecurity leaders, creating a platform for meaningful dialogue and strategic collaboration.

Distinguished Speakers
• Mr. Yasser Ehab — Deputy Minister of Finance for Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, Arab Republic of Egypt
• Aleksei Trefilov — CEO & Product Owner, BRIX365
• Emad Shawky — Head of Large Corporate Banking, National Bank of Egypt (NBE)
• Yasmin Elgibaly — Chief Audit Executive, Industrial Development Bank
• Ahmed El-Shamy — Responsible AI Governor – Egypt, Global Council for Responsible AI
• Nader ElHadidy — Deputy Head of Branches Network, Arab International Bank (AIB)
• Ahmed Boumbarek — Global Head of Value Advisory, Finshape
• Cherif Shalaby — Financial Inclusion Senior Manager, National Bank of Kuwait – Egypt
• Mohamed Ishak — Deputy Chief Information Officer, Industrial Development Bank (IDB)
• Dr. Emad Kattara — CEO & Founder, Banker’s Lounge
• Dr. Amany Elmahy — Chief Executive, Misr Insurance Company
• Manuel Villena — Managing Director for the Middle East, Ria Money Transfer
• Bahaa Farouk — Chief Transformation Officer, Suez Canal Bank
• Mohamed Adel Helmy — CISO, OneBank (formerly MDI)
• Ahmed Haikal — Group Head of IT, IS & Digital Banking Auditing, CIB Egypt
• Alaa Abou El Magd — Vice President, Head of Digital Transformation & PMO Division, GB Corp
• Ossama El-Naggar — Group Head – Global Transaction Banking, Banque du Caire
• Amr Elharony — FinTech Management Consultant, Egyptian FinTech Association
• Mohamed Besheer — Deputy IT Director, Egyptian Banking Institute
• Rania Osama El Shafie — Head of Financial Inclusion, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
• Ahmed Abd ElMoez — AVP, Information Security Manager, Mashreq Bank
• Mourad El-Sheriei — Head of Quality Assurance & Customer Experience, SAIB Bank
• Mohamed EL-ZARIF, CISA, CDPSE — Head of IT & IS Audit, KFH Egypt; Marketing Director, ISACA Cairo Chapter
• Abdallah Atlam — Trade Finance Products Manager, First Abu Dhabi Bank Misr (FABMISR)
• Mohamed Shaker — Cybercrime Investigations & Digital Forensics Expert, Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority, Cabinet of Ministers
• Mohamed Alaa El Din — Senior Finance Officer, Export Development Bank of Egypt (EBank)

Mohammed Thoufiq, Deputy CEO of ICSA, delivered the opening remarks and also moderated the Executive Leadership Panel. The programme featured keynotes and leadership discussions addressing the transformation of banking and financial services across Egypt and North Africa.

Key Conversations Shaping the Future of Banking

The summit featured a series of strategic discussions addressing some of the most important priorities for the financial services sector.

The Power Panel, “Building a Safe, Inclusive & Digitally Enabled Banking Ecosystem,” brought together senior representatives from Banque du Caire, SAIB Bank, Banker’s Lounge, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Ria Money Transfer, moderated by Dr. Amany Elmahy.

The Strategic Leadership Panel, “Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Digital Trust,” explored the growing importance of cybersecurity, data protection and trust in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.

The Executive Leadership Panel, “The Future of Banking Transformation in Egypt,” brought together leaders from FABMISR, EBank, GB Corp, the Egyptian Banking Institute, CIB Egypt and BRIX365 to discuss the changing landscape of banking transformation.

Other sessions examined AI in financial services, financial inclusion, corporate banking, risk and compliance, digital transformation and intelligent banking, reflecting the wide-ranging transformation taking place across the region.

Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026
A major highlight of the summit was the Connected Banking Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026, celebrating institutions and leaders contributing to the advancement of banking and financial services.

The awards recognised achievements across digital banking, banking innovation, financial inclusion, customer experience, ESG and sustainable banking, transaction banking, corporate banking, trade finance, retail banking and payments.

Institutional Award Winners
• Excellence in Digital Banking Innovation — CIB
• Excellence in Banking Innovation — QNB Egypt
• Excellence in Pioneering New-Age Banking — Banque Misr
• Excellence in Financial Inclusion Initiative — National Bank of Egypt (NBE)
• Excellence in Customer Experience in Banking — ADIB Egypt
• Excellence in ESG & Sustainable Banking Initiative — ADCB Egypt
• Excellence in Transaction Banking — Banque du Caire
• Excellence in Large Corporate Banking — AAIB
• Excellence in Trade Finance Innovation — FABMISR
• Excellence in Corporate Banking Digitization — Mashreq Egypt
• Excellence in Retail Banking Transformation — Crédit Agricole Egypt
• Excellence in Payments Innovation — Bank ABC Egypt
Leadership Award Winners
• CEO of the Year — Hisham Ezz Al-Arab — CIB
• CIO of the Year — Waleed Al-Assuti — Banque Misr
• CTO of the Year — Shaarawy Mohamed — FABMISR
• CISO of the Year — Abeer Khedr — National Bank of Egypt (NBE)

The awards ceremony celebrated the institutions and individuals contributing to digital transformation, innovation, financial inclusion, customer experience, payments, cybersecurity and sustainable banking.

Sponsors & Partners
The successful Cairo edition was proudly supported by:
• BRIX365 — Gold Sponsor
• Ria Money Transfer — Silver Sponsor
• Finshape — Networking Partner
• ISACA Cairo Chapter — Supporting Partner
• Banker’s Lounge — Supporting Partner
• Hwala — Banking Innovator
• FinTech Gate — Official Media & Publication Partner
• Ntervento — Official Media & Production Partner
• AIESEC — Youth Partner

The continued support of the sponsors, partners and media organisations played an important role in bringing together the region’s banking and financial services community.

A Grand Success in Cairo
The 27th Connected Banking Summit – North Africa concluded on a grand and highly successful note, creating a valuable platform for industry leaders to exchange ideas, share experiences, build connections and celebrate achievements across the financial services sector.

ICSA extends its sincere appreciation to all speakers, sponsors, partners, media partners, delegates and participating organisations whose contribution and continued support helped make the Cairo edition a memorable success.

The summit once again demonstrated the importance of collaboration in building a more inclusive, innovative, secure and technology-enabled financial ecosystem across North Africa.

As the Connected Banking Summit series continues its global journey, ICSA remains committed to bringing together the industry’s leading minds to Connect. Integrate. Transform.

About ICSA
The International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA) is a global platform dedicated to connecting industry leaders, policymakers, innovators and decision-makers through conferences, executive summits, corporate training programmes and strategic networking initiatives.

With a strong presence across banking, financial services, telecommunications, cybersecurity, digital transformation, AI, healthcare and emerging technologies, ICSA creates platforms that foster collaboration, knowledge exchange and business growth.

Driven by the philosophy “Connect • Integrate • Transform,” ICSA continues to empower organisations through impactful events, executive learning and strategic partnerships that help shape the future of industries worldwide.