Doha - MENA Herald: Financial technology – or “FinTech” – has become one of the great growth areas of the past decade, capturing the attention of the banking industry and venture capitalists, and being positioned as a solution to a wide range of challenges for the sector.
However, while the rise of digital innovation is delivering a number of positive improvements, it is also generating a new range of risks for central banks and financial institutions, according to leading industry experts.
The upcoming Euromoney Qatar Conference 2015, set to run from 9-10 December at The Ritz-Carlton, Doha, will bring together a range of specialists to look at issues relating to financial technology, including the rise of “crypto-currencies” and the range of solutions available for banks and financial services companies.
The session will also analyse whether Qatar is deploying this new wave of technology effectively, and look at the opportunities for the nation as it develops its knowledge-based economy.
The challenge to deploy FinTech effectively is a global one, with nearly 50 percent of global banking executives surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2015, believing their organisation lacks a “clear strategic vision of their digital future.”
On the opening morning of the Conference, H.E. Dr Hessa Al-Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology will deliver a keynote address on Qatar’s digital future, as well as the role of the ICT industry in securing and maintaining Qatar’s position as a world class destination for investment and trade.
Opening the Conference on Day Two will be a panel discussion focused on technology and finance, featuring contributions from Gert Botha, Chief Executive Officer of Hive Technology, and Hadi Raad, Head of Emerging Products and Innovation for Visa.
The session is one of several set to run throughout the Conference focusing on critical issues for the financial sector.
Held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, the Conference will include contributions from H.E. Mr Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Finance Minister of the State of Qatar; H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank; Dimitris Tsitsiragos, Vice President of the International Finance Corporation; and Sir John Scarlett, Former Head of MI6.
For more information on The Euromoney Qatar Conference 2015 or to register, please visit www.euromoneyconferences.com/qatar.