Saudi Arabia’s 2025 Connected Banking Summit: Where Finance Gets a Futuristic Makeover
Riyadh becomes the epicenter of financial revolution as traditional banks and crypto disruptors collide.
Inclusion meets innovation—without the usual Wall Street gatekeeping.
Collaboration or competition? The Saudis are betting on both.
Bonus jab: At least this summit won’t charge you a 2% FX fee for the privilege of attending.
- Soha Hussein Aboul Farag, CEO, Bank of Jordan KSA, who spoke about trust-based digital adoption and the importance of aligning transformation with customer expectations and cultural realities.
- Dhary Alshammry, Expert – Audit & Governance who emphasized resilience as a leadership responsibility. Governance, cybersecurity, and operational assurance must advance alongside innovation.
- Marat Ismagulov, Human Capital Management Director and Management Board Member, Alfa Bank, who stressed that scaling AI depends on people. Skills, structure, and decision-making are as critical as the technology itself.
Executives fromandcontributed real implementation insights, showing AI, automation, and intelligent workflows already improving efficiency and customer experience across financial institutions.
- AI-led customer experience that enhances trust and simplicity
- Cyber and operational resilience treated as enterprise-wide priorities
- Open banking shifting from regulatory compliance into commercial value creation
- Embedded finance making services more intuitive and accessible in daily life
- Organizational culture as the foundation for transformation at scale
The tone throughout the summit was practical. Transformation succeeds when technology, governance, and execution are aligned and paced correctly.
The awards recognized organizations that delivered measurable progress in digital finance and customer value:
- Excellence in Digital Banking: Bank Albilad
- Best Use of AI in HR Tech: Alfa Bank
- Excellence in International Banking Partnership: Nintex
- Excellence in Digital Innovation: Appice
- Excellence in Regional Banking and Cross Border Financial Services: First Abu Dhabi Bank KSA
These awards highlighted institutions moving beyond announcements and into meaningful implementation.
is a global organization that designs platforms for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and leadership dialogue across sectors including banking, technology, sustainability, and digital transformation. ICSA convenes decision makers, innovators, and policy leaders to shape the future of industry through high-impact executive forums, strategic summits, and thought leadership initiatives.
Learn more at www.intercsa.com
