FINTECH FORWARD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Visionary Co - Founder and CEO
Aisha Al-Enezi is the visionary co-founder and CEO of Arsedh, an emerging Bahraini startup dedicated to transforming the global transaction landscape with a mission to shift from static paper receipts to dynamic data-based digital tools, driven by her unwavering commitment to innovation, technology, and sustainability.
A trained architect, Aisha's unique background equips her with attention to detail and problem-solving skills that have been instrumental in Arsedh's development. With her co-leadership, Arsedh has achieved remarkable recognition, including first place in the SC Women in Tech competition and a top-three position in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs program, sponsored by the US Embassy. Aisha's vision extends beyond business success; she aims to be a change catalyst, a visionary entrepreneur, and a trailblazer in financial technology and innovation.
Alex Hoffmann boasts a strong track record in the Brazilian market, with expertise in payment processing and a software development background. He graduated in 1996 with a degree in Computer Science, and in the same year, he created a payment gateway for one of the first e-commerce businesses. With the accumulated know-how in both domestic and cross-border transactions, in 2011 he co-founded PagBrasil, a comprehensive and innovative payments platform.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
- Co - Founder and Managing Partner of Stryber
Alex Mahr is the co-founder and managing partner of Stryber, one of the largest Corporate Venture Builders in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Alex combines approaches from the venture capital, start-up, and strategy consulting worlds in his work and helps large organizations become future-proof by systematically driving the development of strategic new business areas. He is an expert in delivering clear concepts and implementing quick successes consistently, which builds trust. Alex is working with decision-makers on convincing shareholders and investors. He has successfully founded and/or scaled dozens of ventures with his organization and built new business units for his clients.
Before founding Stryber together with his partner Jan Sedlacek in 2016, Alex gained experience as a start-up founder, corporate innovator, and corporate venture capitalist, as well as in strategy consulting. In addition to his expertise in venture building, Alex brings expertise and education in finance and business informatics to his work at Stryber and its clients.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- CEO of the Startup VIEWAPP
Alexander Fokin is a successful entrepreneur and the CEO of the startup VIEWAPP. He originally founded an Insurance broker startup, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023. It was a pioneering venture in the insurance industry, introducing a novel approach by selling insurance products in shopping malls. It quickly emerged as one of the prominent players in the insurance market.
The concept for VIEWAPP was born out of Alexander's extensive experience collaborating with various insurers over an extended period. VIEWAPP is a B2B platform tailored for conducting photo and video inspections of diverse objects, including vehicles, real estate, industrial machinery, commodities, pledged properties, and more. The platform serves clients across various business sectors, particularly those where routine property inspections are an essential aspect of their operations, such as insurance, leasing companies, and banks.
Beyond his role as a leader and innovator, Alexander possesses a natural charisma and an unwavering determination to see projects through to completion, even in the face of challenges. In addition to his professional pursuits, he has a passion for travel, yachts, cooking and is dedicated to raising his four children.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Arthur
Andreas Buelow is a Partner at Arthur D. Little Middle East, where he also serves as the Head of the Bahrain office, bringing with him over a decade of extensive strategy consulting experience in the Middle East. With a residency spanning 15 years in Bahrain, Andreas has cultivated a profound understanding of the region's dynamics and unique challenges. His consulting focus encompasses a diverse range of sectors, including insurance, asset management, and banking, particularly emphasizing the convergence of insurance and other industries.
Andreas has built a solid reputation for his adept leadership in corporate and organizational transformation initiatives, complemented by a strong background in strategy development and its successful implementation. Prior to his role at Arthur D. Little, Andreas spent seven years within the Allianz Group, holding executive positions, including that of Chief Financial Officer for an Islamic insurance startup.
His educational journey includes obtaining an MBA from the International University of Monaco and earning a diploma from Hohenheim University in Germany. Andreas' consulting career is distinguished by his achievements in formulating national-level insurance sector strategies, optimizing claims processes, and providing vital support to insurance companies in strategic partnerships like bancassurance, solidifying his status as a seasoned strategy consultant and esteemed C-level executive in the insurance sector.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Middle East
- Chief Executive Officer of the Middle East
Boutros Klink is chief executive officer of the Middle East cluster at Standard Chartered Bank, responsible for its operations in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon. He also serves as CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Bahrain, is a member of the regional
management team and sits on the group's Diversity and Inclusion Council. Mr Klink was previously CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Bahrain &
With over 20 years of experience in IT advisory and hands-on experience leading digital transformation efforts using OutSystems, Bruno Martins is currently responsible for the KPMG OutSystems practice and COE. His deep understanding of technology and business challenges enables Bruno to help clients solve their most complex problems and find solutions that are not only innovative but practical and drive real change.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Founder & CEO of Receiptable
Chris Purdie is the Founder & CEO of Receiptable, a fast-growing Middle East-focussed FinTech that unlocks the power of digital receipts for banks, retailers, and the environment.
Chris began his career in retail and then spent 15 years successfully scaling payments businesses in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, striking commercial deals with some of the world's biggest brands and corporates along the way. His last start-up was placed in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 two years in a row, the Deloitte UK Fast 50, and the Deloitte EMEA Fast 500.
Alongside his sustainability-focused FinTech, Chris is an active member of CEO CF, a global network of 300+ CEOs that collaborate to solve issues through common experience.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director - BD, Financial Services
- Executive Director in Business Development at the Bahrain Economic Development Board
Dalal Buhejji is an Executive Director in Business Development at the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), responsible for attracting new inward investment opportunities to Bahrain's Financial Services sector through international outreach.
Dania Alshowaikh - Chief Commercial Officer, Founder
Job Titles:
- Chief Commercial Officer
- Co - Founder
- Communications Strategist
Dania Alshowaikh is a Business and Communications Strategist and the co-founder of Daleel, a financial marketplace that is focused on improving financial well-being and inclusion in the region. She is passionate about making finance easy and accessible for everyday people.
Job Titles:
- Director, Global Growth - Financial Services
David has spent over 25 years working for retail banks and technology companies focused on digitizing and automating physical and virtual distribution channels, with a particular focus on data-driven customer acquisition, engagement, and relationship management. Before joining Salesforce in 2022, David worked at Barclays Bank in the UK, where he led the Online Banking and Targeted Marketing teams and was also responsible for the implementation of Salesforce CRM across the retail bank. David's current role at Salesforce is an advisory function supporting prospective and existing Financial Services clients around the world. David has a Masters degree from Oxford University and has worked in Asia, Europe, and the US.
Job Titles:
- Co - Head of People Experience MEA
Dr. Ramin Hasani is an AI Scientist at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Previously, he was jointly appointed as the Principal AI Scientist at the Vanguard Group and a Research Affiliate at CSAIL MIT. Ramin's research focuses on robust deep learning and decision-making in complex dynamical systems. Prior to that, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at CSAIL MIT, leading research on modelling intelligence and sequential decision-making, wit h Prof. Daniela Rus. He received his Ph.D. degree with distinction in Computer Science from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Austria (May 2020). His Ph.D. dissertation and continued research on Liquid Neural Networks got recognized internationally with numerous nominations and awards such as TÜV Austria Dissertation Award nomination in 2020, and HPC Innovation Excellence Award in 2022. He is a frequent TEDx Speaker.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Co - Founder of Finley AI
Elemi Atigolo, a distinguished Co-founder of Finley AI and INATIGO, leads an award-winning generative AI and innovation technology company. With almost two decades of experience spanning Fintech, Innovation, Wealth Management, and Natural Language Processing AI, Elemi brings a wealth of expertise.
Elemi's journey includes advising Private Clients, Private Equities, CEOs, and Wealth Management entities, drawing insights from various roles, including being a partner at a £150 billion wealth management firm. This, coupled with his co-founding role in an award-winning UK-based digital private wealth firm, has granted Elemi a comprehensive understanding of both sides of the financial landscape.
Elemi is a pioneer and force behind driving AI tech innovation within the finance world, resulting in accolades and recognition from renowned institutions such as the WealthBriefing Awards, Fintech Awards, CityWealth List, BBC, and Financial Times. These honors underscore Elemi's unwavering commitment to advancing technology in the finance industry.
Fawaz Ghazal is a seasoned financial services professional with over 22 years of experience in the industry. He is currently the CEO of Flooss Bahrain BSC, the first digital lending company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which aims to democratize financial services.
Prior to this role, Ghazal served as CEO of Payment International Enterprise, where he led the company to obtain a license from the Central Bank, launched as Payment Service Provider in the Kingdom, secured the first MasterCard issuer license for an independent issuer. He also oversaw the launch of the largest QR acquiring payment network in the Kingdom, as customized payment solutions for more than 20 ministries and authorities, all telecom operators STC, Zain, Batelco, and cross-border services.
In addition to his impressive tenure in leadership positions, Ghazal has worked with multinational companies like Orascom Telecom and Zain, where he managed sales, product design, strategic alliances, distribution, and alternative channels. He holds a bachelor's degree in Communications and Electronic Engineering, as well as an MBA from NYIT.
Ghazal's expertise in the fields of financial services, payments, digital lending, mobile-first banking services, business development, and alliance/partnership management has made him a recognized leader in the fintech industry in the Kingdom and the region.
Overall, Ghazal is a progressive-minded entrepreneur who has played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the fintech industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain. His experience, knowledge, and skills have made him a valuable asset to the organizations he has served, and his commitment to democratizing financial services has made him a respected figure in the industry.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board
H.E Khalid Humaidan was appointed Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) in 2019. Prior to this he was head of global markets, Middle East and Africa at BNP Paribas, based in Bahrain. Mr Humaidan has more than 20 years' experience working in capital markets. Since 2014 he has been a board member of the EDB. Mr Humaidan graduated from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, United States. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Finance.
Job Titles:
- Assistant General Manager at the BENEFIT Company
- Assistant General Manager, BCRB
Hessa is Assistant General Manager at the BENEFIT Company, heading the Bahrain Credit Reference Bureau and the National eKYC, with 19 years of experience in Credit Bureau and information technology. She works mostly on developing new business-related to data services.
Hessa holds an MBA from DePaul University and a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the American University of Sharjah. She also obtained various certifications in Blockchain, FinTech, Digital leadership, and Credit Risk.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- Co - Founder
Jad Sayegh co-founded Sarwa, a one-stop platform for investment and personal finance, after a career in software and finance including projects ranging from speech recognition to large-scale, cloud-based systems. Prior to Sarwa Mr Sayegh was an engineer at DRW, a high-speed-trading
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Executive Officer of HSBC
Joseph Ghorayeb became chief executive officer of HSBC in Bahrain in September 2023. He was previously country head of wholesale banking for HSBC Middle East. Mr Ghorayeb joined HSBC Group in 2006 as a coverage banker in Canada. He relocated to the Middle East in 2010 as sector head of multinationals for the Middle East and North Africa. His roles since then have included head of UAE multinationals for HSBC Middle East, and senior banker covering the petrochemicals, infrastructure and general industries verticals in Qatar. Mr Ghorayeb and his team oversee coverage of the public sector and government-related entities, multinationals, large corporates and mid-markets, non-bank financial institutions and financial institutions.
Job Titles:
- Capital Markets Correspondent
- Economist
Joshua Roberts is The Economist's capital markets correspondent. He joined the paper as a City of London correspondent in 2021 after spending five years advising asset managers about the interest-rate and foreign-exchange markets.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FinaMaze
Mehdi El Amine Fichtali is founder and chief executive officer of FinaMaze, an AI-powered robo asset manager operating from Abu Dhabi
Global Market. With 20 years' experience in the financial sector, he has worked on the trading floors of London, Paris and Dubai with institutions
including Morgan Stanley, Barclays Capital and Crédit Agricole Calyon (now CACIB). Mr Fichtali founded FinaMaze in 2018 during his participation in Dubai's 1776 incubator programme, joined by a team of data scientists and quantitative-finance, software and design engineers. Prior to this he did research in California and Washington, DC and was director of private placement at deNovo, a Dubai-based boutique investment bank.
Michael joined Dubai-based start-up Democrance in 2020, leveraging his expertise in Enterprise SaaS to embark on his journey in the InsurTech sector. Fast-forward to now, Democrance is one of the fastest growing B2B InsurTechs in the region, currently supporting 28 Insurance Clients.
Prior to Democrance, Michael worked with multiple enterprise SaaS companies in the UAE and Ireland. His passion lies in digital transformation, with a focus on how Insurers sell and service their policies online.
Job Titles:
- Citi Country Officer
- Country Officer ( CCO ) of Citi Bahrain
Michel Sawaya was appointed Citi country officer (CCO) of Citi Bahrain in 2021. Prior to this he was CCO and head of corporate banking for Citi Lebanon. Mr Sawaya joined Citi in 1995 to help re-establish the franchise in Lebanon. He worked in operations and technology and in internal controls, before moving to treasury and trade solutions (TTS) in 2006. He became head of TTS for the Levant cluster in 2010, and in 2013 was appointed head of corporate banking in addition to leading Lebanon TTS. Mr Sawaya is a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain and of Injaz-Junior Achievement Bahrain, an educational non-profit organisation.
Job Titles:
- Bahrain Country Senior Partner
Job Titles:
- Regional Manager for the Middle East
- Regional Manager, Middle East
Mohamed Issa is Chainalysis' Regional Manager for the Middle East who alongside his team in Dubai are driving trust in blockchains, specializing in technology trends including Cryptocurrency, Financial Compliance, and blockchain. Before Chainalysis, Issa managed Oracle Middle East channel for 10 years based out of Dubai.
Issa achieved his second master's degree in Cryptocurrency and blockchains from the University of Nicosia and pursued his 3rd master's in Financial Crime and Compliance in Digital Societies from the University of Manchester.
Job Titles:
- General Manager
- General Manager of Rain Management
Mohamed Khalid Ateeq is the General Manager of Rain Management W.L.L, the first licensed Crypto Assets Brokerage Firm in the Middle East. He initially joined the Company as a Chief Compliance Officer in 2020. Mohamed has over 18 years of experience in the Banking, Fintech, and Entrepreneurial industries. He has a passion for Cryptocurrency and Blockchain technology. Mohamed is a solution-oriented, result-driven leader and a firm believer in maintaining a healthy corporate culture.
Ateeq holds a Bachelor's Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain. He also holds an International Diploma in Compliance from Manchester Business School, a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and a FIBA - FIU Anti Money Laundering Certified Associate (AMLCA) from Florida International University.
He has successfully completed the London School of Economics Cryptocurrency and Disruption certification with honors, which is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service.
Mr. Ahmed Radhi is a distinguished professional in the financial industry with over 20 years of experience and a wealth of expertise in the insurance field. He is currently serving as the Deputy General Manager at SNIC Insurance Company. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Bahrain Insurance Association, Digital Committee.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Engineer
- Board Member, SCW, and Chair of the Board, TRA
Mrs. Mariam Jumaan, a Chartered Engineer, currently holds the position of Chair of the Board, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority since 2020 and has been a Member of the Supreme Council for Women since 2010. She attained her bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from McGill University in Canada in 1982 and 1983 respectively.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Head of Product, Partnerships and Digital Solutions
- SVP, Head of Partnerships, Innovation and Digital Solutions for CEMEA
Otto is Senior Vice President, Head of Product, Partnerships and Digital Solutions for the CEMEA region. He is responsible for the design, delivery and performance of Visa's products and solutions across more than 90 markets. Passionate about digital innovation and design, Otto leads Visa's development of new solutions to drive the ongoing expansion of the digital payment ecosystem for both regional and global clients. Central to his role is further establishing Visa as the payments partner of choice in the CEMEA region.
Punit Shah is responsible for Client Advocacy, Solutioning and Client Success across EMEA for JPM Coin, Onyx by J. P. Morgan. He works closely with clients across market segments to understand pain points and create customised payment solutions using Blockchain products.
Prior to this role, Punit was part of the Electronic Trading Services team for J. P Morgan's Markets business in EMEA. His responsibilities included designing and deploying trading strategies, with particular focus on Cash Equities and Derivatives.
With over 15 years' experience in Investment Banking roles within Low Latency Electronic Trading Technology and Strategy across asset classes, Punit has in depth experience with electronification of trading systems, digitisation and transformational projects using frontier technology and products.
He holds a BSc in Computer Science with Management.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice - President MENA
Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo has over ten years' experience supporting entrepreneurs and business leaders to scale their businesses across the
Middle East and North Africa, Africa, and Asia Pacific regions. At Checkout.com he is responsible for expanding the business across the
MENA region. He previously worked for Africa's largest online travel agency, Travelstart, where he oversaw the company's expansion into the Middle Eastern market. He was also part of the founding team of Africa Internet Accelerator, a Naspers investment, which launched three of the fastest-growing e-commerce businesses in South Africa. Mr Abbondandolo also worked at Rocket Internet Australia & South-East Asia.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Volt
Tom is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Volt. The company is a technology developer and product innovator with a focus on new-generation real-time payments infrastructure and open banking. He is responsible for managing strategic relationships, developing strategy and planning, and driving international expansion. Tom previously founded IFX Payments in 2005, a multi-billion dollar turnover fintech business operating across Europe and the Middle East.
Job Titles:
- Group Chief Executive Officer
- Group Chief Executive Officer of the National Bank of Bahrain
Usman is the Group Chief Executive Officer of the National Bank of Bahrain and the Vice Chairman of Bahrain Islamic Bank. He has over 28 years of diverse international banking experience across the EMEA and Asia regions, of which for the last 15 years he has held various senior leadership roles as CEO, Managing Director, Board Member or Executive Chairman. Usman's experience spans across firm-wide leadership, Corporate & Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Commercial, Consumer and Islamic Banking in London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan and Bahrain.
Prior to his current role, he was the CEO and an Executive Board Director of Citi Malaysia, leading over 5,200 employees. Usman was also the Executive Chairman of Citigroup Global Markets Malaysia and concurrently responsible for the Citi Solutions Centres hubs for AML, Securities Services and Cash & Trade operations, covering over 50 countries across the globe.
Usman has also been the CEO of Citi Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, while concurrently being the Global Head of Citi Islamic Banking.
As the Chief Operating Officer for Citi Asia's Corporate Bank in Hong Kong and the Corporate and Investment Banking Head for Citi in the Philippines, Usman was extensively involved in leading strategy and client coverage in Asia after the global financial crisis.
While at Barclays Bank Plc. Usman led the Corporate, Commercial Banking and Transaction Banking businesses for the Emerging Markets region, with responsibility for 14 countries in the MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia regions.
As part of his Capital Markets Origination responsibility in Citi London, Usman has originated, structured and executed some of the largest and most innovative conventional and Islamic financing transactions for the Middle East region. He was also designated as a Senior Credit Officer of Citi for over 9 years.
Usman has served on the Boards of the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, the American Chambers of Commerce in Malaysia & Bahrain, the Association of Banks Malaysia, Financial Industries Collective Outreach Malaysia, Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance, Bahrain International School Association and Injaz Bahrain.
Job Titles:
- Director - Fintech and Innovation Unit
- Director of the Fin
Yasmeen Al-Sharaf is the Director of the FinTech & Innovation Unit at the Central Bank of Bahrain ("CBB"), tasked with setting up a conducive ecosystem to facilitate a robust regulatory framework that fosters innovation within the financial services sector. She has been working with the CBB for the past 18 years, whereby, she started her journey at the CBB at the Licensing Directorate.
During the time spent within the Licensing Directorate, Yasmeen got to work closely with banks, investment companies, insurance companies, financing companies and ancillary service provider both local and international, as well as gaining insight and a thorough understanding of Bahrain's regulatory framework governing all sectors within the financial services industry.
Yasmeen has been in charge for designing and implementing the FinTech strategy for the Central Bank of Bahrain. She has worked on creating the Kingdom's Regulatory Sandbox and is in charge of supervising all companies operating in the Regulatory Sandbox. Yasmeen has also successfully worked on a number FinTech regulations that were issued by the CBB, making the Kingdom of Bahrain the first country in the GCC and wider MENA regions to issue such regulations.
One of Yasmeen's latest achievements was the launch of the Kingdom's first digital sandbox platform "FinHub973". Her tremendous efforts has led to the recognition of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a leading FinTech hub in the MENA region.
Yasmeen represents the CBB at a number of regional and international FinTech Working Group's and committees, including the Global Financial Innovation Network ("GFIN"). She is also the Chairman of the Regulatory Sandbox Applications Committee at the CBB, a member of Bahraini's Women in FinTech Committee which is being led by the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain and is a member of the Advisory Committee of Bloomberg LP's GCC gender diversity initiative, ‘A Fair Share'. She has also been selected as one of the "Top 100 Women in FinTech 2019" by Lattice80 Hub in collaboration with Miss Kaya and has been selected by Innovate Finance UK to be on the "Women in FinTech Powerlist", for three years in a row (2019, 2020 & 2021), amongst 200 other women from around the world, under the ‘Policymakers and Regulatory Experts' category.
Prior to joining the CBB, Yasmeen worked briefly at Bahrain Islamic Bank within the Corporate Finance Department. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain. She also holds a professional certificate in "FinTech & Regulatory Innovation" from the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance, University of Cambridge.
Zein Malhas has experience spanning over 16 years in investment banking, corporate banking, transaction banking, product development, digital transformation, and digital banking.
Between 2014 and 2018, Zein managed the Global Subsidiaries business at Standard Chartered Bank- Jordan, looking after the bank's network business in Jordan as a senior relationship manager for multinational organizations and subsidiaries of global relationships. Prior to that, she worked in Corporate and Investment Banking at the Housing Bank for Trade and Finance from 2007 until 2014, where her experience was focused mainly on corporate finance, project/structured finance, and syndicated loans.
Zein joined Capital Bank in June 2018 as Head of Transaction Banking and was responsible for establishing the Transaction Banking function, developing and selling Cash Management and Trade Finance solutions to Institutional Clients. Her role expanded from Transaction Banking to encompass products and channels for the bank's Retail and Institutional Banking businesses in Jordan and Iraq. With a focus on digital transformation, she was then appointed as the Chief Digital Officer, which was the point at which she was given the opportunity to lead the establishment of Blink, a digital-only neobank, for which she was appointed as CEO in February 2022.
Zein holds an MBA degree with a concentration in Banking and Finance from the German Jordanian University, as well as a BA degree with a double major in International Banking and finance and International Management from Franklin University in Switzerland.