Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry, recently concluded the inaugural edition of the Mastercard MENA Leadership Forum that brought together senior banking officials from across the region for four days from 5 – 8 March, 2017, in London, UK. Hosted by Mastercard as a customer engagement event offering key industry players a platform to explore new ideas, share the latest insights and discuss new opportunities of growth, the Forum drew attention to the digital future of the payments industry. The packed agenda of sessions focusing on the theme, ‘Building the Digital Future', was opened by Leonard Brody, the renowned Canadian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author, with an insightful session on how the current era of innovation is impacting the world of banking and the steps banks and entrepreneurs need to take to stay competitive and relevant in today's fast-changing world. "From gaining the most valuable insights to learning about the latest trends and developments and being part of a deeply meaningful exchange of perspectives and ideas – the first edition of the Mastercard MENA Leadership Forum has proven to be this highly productive gathering of banking officials and payment experts who together deliberated on how we need to respond to the evolution of the financial industry towards a stronger digital focus," said Heba Al Tamimi – General Manager Group Retail Banking, Qatar National Bank. "Effective partnerships between banks and leading technology providers like Mastercard are crucial to the long-term growth and development of the banking sector in the region. Events like the Mastercard MENA Leadership Forum help strengthen the industry-wide conversation on the changes impacting the long-term development of the financial sector, and help us understand how technology can best be leveraged to continuously stay ahead of the curve," said Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President & Group Head – Retail Banking & Wealth Management, Emirates NBD. "It is extremely important for banking professionals to understand the full extent of the digital revolution that is impacting all aspects of the wider financial industry. Mastercard's initiative to bring banking executives from across the region under one roof and initiate a dialogue on how we can capitalize on these emerging digital trends to drive greater value to our customers, is commendable," said David Aldred, MD, Treasury & Trade Solutions, MENAPT, CitiBank. "Our ability in making innovations in payments work for both our customers and consumers across markets has always been a result of successful collaborations with our partners in the region. The Mastercard MENA Leadership Forum proved to be a valuable engagement opportunity that enabled us to recognize our partners' support and also helped us gain valuable insights that will push us to equip ourselves better for the massive digital transformation shaping the industry's future course," said Khalid Elgibali, Division President for Middle East and North Africa, Mastercard.
