Cairo, Egypt – The 27th Connected Banking Summit – Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 – North Africa, organized 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 North Africa'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 across the region.
Keynotes and Leadership Perspectives
Mohammed Thoufiq, Deputy CEO of ICSA, delivered the opening remarks and 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.
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 ElHadid — 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)
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:
Building a Safe, Inclusive & Digitally Enabled Banking Ecosystem (The Power Panel): 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.
Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Digital Trust (The Strategic Leadership Panel): Explored the growing importance of cybersecurity, data protection, and trust in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.
The Future of Banking Transformation in Egypt (The Executive Leadership Panel): Brought together leaders from FABMISR, EBank, GB Corp, the Egyptian Banking Institute, CIB Egypt, and BRIX365 to discuss the changing landscape of banking transformation.
Industry Transformation 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 recognized 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)
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 organizations 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, and 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 organizations through impactful events, executive learning, and strategic partnerships that help shape the future of industries worldwide.
