Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, Founder of Mal

Serial entrepreneur, Abdallah Abu Sheikh, is the Founder of Mal, the world's first AI-native Islamic digital bank. Most recently, Mal secured in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) following the company's record-breaking US$230 million seed-round, the largest fintech raise in MEA history. Additionally, Abdallah Abu Sheikh is the most funded entrepreneur in the region, having raised over $1.2B.

Ayan is a London‑based fintech building a global digital Islamic bank. Launched in 2024, Ayan’s first products are Shariah-compliant car finance to both the consumers and gig‑economy drivers.

The company has raised over £30 million in Shariah-compliant debt and equity, and is in the process of obtaining a UK banking licence.

Prior to Ayan, Abdullo Kurbanov (CEO), co-founded and led Alif Bank, a leading fintech super-app in Central Asia with 10 million users, $1.2 billion monthly transaction volume and 30x growth in the last 4 years.

Abdullo also co-founded somon.tj - the leading online marketplace in Tajikistan with 3 million users, and is the 6th most visited site in the country.

Andi Aranitasi, EBRD Director, Head of Uzbekistan since 1 September 2023, was responsible for EBRD activities in North Macedonia since 1 September 2019, Associate Director, Senior Banker at the Power and Energy Utilities Team between 2008 and 2019 based in London, Istanbul and Sofia. Since 2023 Andi is a member of the Executive Committee of the Foreign Investors’ Council (FIC), an institutional platform for direct dialogue between the Government of Uzbekistan and investors, and a Board member of EUROUZ, appointed in September 2025 and reappointed in 2026 for two more years.

Andi has more than 28 years of banking experience focusing on the corporate, telecommunications, agribusiness, property and tourism and energy sectors and project financing with EBRD focusing on South-Eastern Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey. He holds a double Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Applied Economics from the American University in Bulgaria.

Professional with over 20 years’ experience in intelligence, compliance, audit & investigations and now serves as a strategy consultant on crypto-assets and digital currencies for the National Bank of Romania. Also currently the chairman of the Blockchain Intelligence Professional Association (BIPA), the first EU initiative to facilitate the development of standards and good practice in blockchain intelligence.

An Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist, Accredited Counter Fraud Manager, Certified DLT & Blockchain Manager, Certified Crypto-Assets Investigator & Compliance Specialist, Certified OSINT Practitioner, with a wealth of experience as an investigator and compliance specialist, particularly in blockchain transactions, holding ICA Diplomas in Anti Money Laundering and Financial Crime Prevention.

David Kleiman is CEO of Klearium, Inc., part of the Klearium Group supporting licensed payment institutions serving Africa, Asia, and Central Asia in the mission to reconnect de-risked banks to global USD correspondent and SWIFT rails.
At the center of this work is the Klearium Cube, a patent-pending transaction vetting platform that gives every payment a transparent, evidence-rich compliance record, building the trust frontier markets need to stay connected to global finance.
David's career spans pioneering deployments of mobile money as Managing Director of Wing in Cambodia to advisory work with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the UN supporting digital transformation in emerging and frontier markets.
A CAMS-certified compliance expert, David brings a practitioner's perspective to the intersection of regulation, technology, and cross-border finance.

Dr Francesco Pierangeli is Director of the MSc in FinTech at the University of Birmingham, where he teaches Blockchain and Financial Applications. A recognised expert in decentralised finance, tokenisation and digital assets, he actively engages with the UK Parliament, policymakers and multinational corporations on the evolution of financial infrastructure and the adoption of blockchain in business and society. Francesco is an Affiliated Scholar at the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies and holds a PhD in Economics jointly awarded by King’s College London and the National University of Singapore. Before joining academia, he worked in banking at J.P. Morgan and UBS.

Nafisa Feeney is the General Manager and Head of Legal at Paynt Limited, a UK payments institution, where she leads legal, regulatory and governance strategy. She plays a key role in Paynt's UK authorisation programme and advises on cross-border payments, AI governance across the UK and EU regulatory landscape.

With over 15 years' experience in legal, governance and financial services, Nafisa has held senior leadership positions across regulated financial institutions and regulatory environments. She was the head of legal at Astana International Financial Center and is a frequent international speaker on payments, fintech, AI governance, AML/CFT, and regulatory innovation, known for translating complex regulatory requirements into practical business solutions. Nafisa holds a PhD in Law and is passionate about helping financial institutions build resilient, technology-enabled compliance frameworks that support innovation while maintaining trust.

Dr. Patrick Njoroge served as the ninth Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya from June 2015 to June 2023, after a 20-year career at the International Monetary Fund. He is currently a member of the Advisory Boards of the "Yale Program on Financial Stability" and the "Global Finance and Technology Network," chair of the "Africa Financial Industry Summit" (AFIS) Supervisory Council, and a member of the Africa Expert Panel for South Africa’s G20 Presidency. He has received several awards and recognitions, including four awards for Africa’s Central Banker of the Year, and recognition in 2023 as a Top 25 African Finance Leader. He holds a PhD in Economics from Yale University. He is MLK, Jr. and Phyllis Wallace Visiting Scholar at MIT Sloan School of Management.

Veerathai Santiprabhob is a distinguished macroeconomist and financial professional with over 30 years of experience spanning economic policy design, commercial banking, and capital markets. He served as the 23rd Governor of the Bank of Thailand (2015–2020), where he led the digital transformation of Thailand’s financial system and steered the country’s macroeconomic and financial stability through a period of global uncertainty.

Prior to his governorship, he held senior executive roles at the Stock Exchange of Thailand and Siam Commercial Bank, and contributed to national economic and financial policy as a member of several high-level committees.

Internationally, he served on the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the IMF and chaired key groups including the BIS Central Bank Governance Group, the BIS Asian Consultative Council, and the SEACEN Board of Governors.

Currently, Veerathai serves as an independent director of leading listed corporations, including SCBX, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, Minor International, and Thai Airways International.

Deeply committed to social impact, he focuses his efforts on sustainability, education, and Buddhism. He chairs the Independent Oversight Advisory Committee of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the board of Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). He also serves on the board of Chiang Mai University as well as on the International Advisory Board of Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN).

Veerathai holds a Ph.D. and A.M. in Economics from Harvard University, and a B.A. in Economics (First Class Honors) from Thammasat University. He is a recipient of the Anandamahidol Foundation Scholarship and the Eisenhower Fellowship.

Farrukh has 22 years of professional experience across 66 jurisdictions spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the CIS region, of advising governments, regulators, multilateral development institutions, financial institutions, and fintechs on Islamic finance market development, regulatory frameworks, governance, digital transformation, and strategic growth.

Under his leadership, IFAAS has delivered high-profile projects funded by institutions including the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the UK Foreign, Common-wealth & Development Office (FCDO). His work has included developing Islamic fi-nance ecosystem with masterplans, strategic roadmaps, regulatory and Shariah governance frameworks, and institutional transformation programmes across jurisdictions including Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Ethiopia, Pakistan, the Philippines, West African Monetary Union, and CIS countries.

Farrukh is widely recognised for combining technical expertise with practical implementation experience across Islamic banking, Takaful, Islamic fintech, governance, and ethical finance. He also co-founded IFIN and PayDay Takaful, Islamic fintech ventures focused on advancing digital growth and financial inclusion.

Through his advisory and fintech work, and his role in industry standard-setting as the Chairman of AAOIFI’s Governance & Ethics Board, Farrukh continues to contribute to strengthening Shariah compliance, governance, sustainability, and inclusiveness within the global Islamic finance industry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/farrukh-raza-86a6b113/

Gio serves as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at CBI, where he oversees corporate strategy, innovation, sustainability, fintech partnerships, banking-as-a-service and digital assets.

In 2025 he co-founded CBIx, the Bank's independent innovation and corporate VC arm.

A Harvard Business School alum with over two decades of experience, Gio combines expertise in fintech, Web3, and organizational strategy to bridge emerging technologies with real-world financial applications.

He serves on the board of a series A AI startup, a national innovation fund in Central Asia and a leading digital assets and fintech PR firm.

Outside of work he is an avid gamer and build-in-public vibe coder.

Gulanor Atobek possesses extensive and varied experience in finance and auditing. She is currently the CEO of Alif Bank, a leading digital bank in Tajikistan, having joined the team almost 5 years ago.

Before her tenure at Alif Bank, Gulanor accumulated 18 years of experience in auditing across various sectors in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. She spent 13 of those years leading the Deloitte office in Tajikistan.

Gulanor also served on the Board of Directors of AmCham Tajikistan for 12 years, including 4 years as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

She holds several professional qualifications, including US CPA and FCCA, and has an MBA from the American University in Central Asia.

Serey Chea is the Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), the first woman to hold this position. A PhD economist with over two decades of experience in central banking, she has been a driving force behind Cambodia's financial sector transformation and a tireless advocate for financial inclusion and women's economic empowerment.
Under her leadership, the NBC has pioneered initiatives that have placed Cambodia at the forefront of regional financial innovation including the establishment of Credit Bureau Cambodia in 2012, the introduction of financial literacy into the national education curriculum in 2017, and the launch of Bakong in 2020, a blockchain-based national payment system that has become a global reference for emerging economies.
Recognized as an A- rated Central Bank Governor by Global Finance magazine in both 2024 and 2025, Governor Chea regularly shares her expertise at premier international forums, including the World Economic Forum and the Boao Forum for Asia.

James Boey currently is the CEO for China, India, ASEAN and Central Asian regions at GFTN. Besides that, he also is the Co-CEO for GFTN’s Forums pillar.

As the CEO of China, India, ASEAN and Central Asia, James heads business strategy for entry into those markets. He also serves as the Co-Head of GFTN Forums, where he brings his wealth of experience in business operations, strategic partnerships, and ecosystem development to shape global dialogues at the intersection of finance, technology, and public-private collaboration.

James has held senior leadership roles across both public and private sectors. Prior to GFTN, he was Senior Vice President at Constellar and Director of Business Events & Corporate Development at SingEx Exhibitions. His career also includes a role as Senior Assistant Director at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, where he contributed to national-level industry development. He has led the design and execution of major B2B events in Singapore and the broader APAC region, covering diverse sectors such as FinTech, Advanced Manufacturing, Trade, Build Environment, and Process Engineering.

Maha is Chief Executive Officer, GFTN Solutions. GFTN (Global Finance and Technology Network) bridges policy, capital and technology to build resilient, efficient and inclusive ecosystems.

Prior to this Maha served as Centre Head, BIS Innovation Hub Singapore. The centre develops public goods in the technology space to support central banks in how they discharge their roles in a digital economy and improve the financial system using emerging technologies.

In previous roles, Maha was Head of Department for Early and High Growth Oversight leading the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) response to the Kalifa review of Fintech. She served as Chief Payments Officer at Pay.UK on secondment from the FCA, responsible for running the payments operations of the UK’s payment operator.

Maha joined the FCA in 2017 to set up the first Payments Department and was responsible for crafting and implementing the FCA supervisory strategy for the UK Payments Sector.

Maha has a keen interest in observing and participating in the many exciting changes that are unfolding in the financial services, innovation and fintech environment. She mostly enjoys crafting and implementing solution with tangible impact.

She is the author of Fintech Regulation in Practice. A book that provides a clear, hands on guide to the practical considerations that fintechs, banks adopting fintech and other key players in the fintech ecosystem need to take into account when embedding regulation.

She serves as the independent reviewer of the Australian Regulatory Sandbox, appointed by the Australian Treasury.

Maha has a Degree in Commerce from Macquarie University and a Masters in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mr. Shibata is currently in charge of FINOLAB community operation since 2019. In his former position at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, he was leading R&D initiatives in emerging technology and online/mobile financial services as Head of Global Innovation Team. He also held positions in corporate planning, accounting, corporate finance, and retail customer services at the bank. He is one of the founders of FINOVATORS, a mentor group consists of FinTech experts. He also became an external board member at new digital bank, UI Bank, when it acquired a banking license in 2021. For his undergraduate course, he studied Economics at the University of Tokyo, with a year at Harvard University. And for his graduate course, he studied at the University of Oxford to obtain Master of Science in Development Economics.

Murat Kastan is a graduate of Istanbul University’s Faculty of Business Administration and brings over 19 years of experience in the financial institutions sector. He joined UPT in March 2019 as EVP of International Partnerships, later being appointed as Chief Commercial Officer. In October 2023, he was appointed CEO of UPT, Turkey's first licensed payment company.

Since joining UPT, Murat has successfully built a platform and payment network where all UPT’s partners meet, thereby creating a global network. Today, the platform consists of 185 global partners, offering services such as cash payouts, bank account/card/wallet transfers, mass payouts, collection accounts, and virtual TRY IBAN.

Murat has also taken significant steps in the digital world with UPTION Wallet, an all-in-one app that allows customers to meet their daily financial needs. Beyond being a multi-currency wallet, UPTION also offers direct SEPA access, QR code payments, bill payments, UPTION cards, and more.

Nandan Mer is a global business leader with four decades of experience in payments, consumer finance, corporate banking, and financial services. He has held senior leadership roles across international markets, including the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia, driving business growth, digital transformation, and innovation.

Nandan has served in senior executive positions at leading global financial institutions, including American Express, Citigroup, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mastercard, Network International and Dgpays.
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As Chief Executive Officer of Network International, he led one of the Middle East and Africa’s largest payment solutions providers, focusing on accelerating digital commerce and strengthening the company’s regional presence.

Currently, as CEO of Dgpays, contributing to the advancement of digital payment technologies and fintech innovation.

Nandan holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Delhi.

Otabek Nasirov is the Chairman at Central Asian Fintech Association, a member of the expert council at Cyber Park, AICA, and the working groups of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Otabek actively participates in the development of the fintech market and community in Central Asia, regulatory sandboxes and local legislation of the fintech industry, including education on blockchain technology, convergence technologies such as AI, digital assets, cyber security and others. Represents and lobbies for the interests of the fintech community within key regulators of the digital economy in Central Asia, including ministries of digital technologies, central banks, antitrust agencies, tax and customs authorities, and others.

Otabek is a member of the UMAY Angels Club, ICLUB by Venture Found TA Ventures and cooperates with the Uzbekistan Venture Capital Association (UzVCA), the National Venture Capital Fund (UzVC), the AloqaVentures, the IT Park Ventures, the United Ventures, international venture funds, and business angel communities.

His knowledge and experience are the result of working in international and global companies such as Coca-Cola, Carlsberg Group, General Motors, Ernst & Young, and SIT Learning within the Swiss International Research Institute Schaffhausen Institute of Technology and others.

Graduate of the Tashkent State Law Institute, Moscow State University and the Moscow School of Management "Skolkovo".

Otabek is an ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), Chapter Zero Uzbekistan (Climate Governance Initiative | CGI ), and Employer Brand Award and Summit (EMBRAS).

Pavel Khristolubov is the Chief Operating Officer at Wallet in Telegram, where he leads global operations, compliance and customer support. Today, Wallet serves more than 150 million registered users, making it one of the world's largest crypto platforms embedded within a messaging ecosystem. With more than 20 years of experience in banking, fintech, and technology, Pavel has built and led large-scale operational teams supporting millions of users worldwide. He specializes in scaling high-growth businesses, driving operational excellence and delivering trusted financial products at global scale.

Ravshan Kadirov, started his career at Citibank, with an extensive track record of more than 18 years in various areas of commercial and corporate banking, such as financial risk management, corporate finance, international capital markets and treasury.

Throughout his career as the Chief Financial Officer he successfully led the strategy and innovation driven capacity building programs, as well as planning and execution of transformation of large private and state owned banks in areas of financial management, corporate governance, compliance, treasury and risk management.

Sami is the CEO of OMPAY, Oman's licensed payment service provider, majority-owned by Omantel. Under his leadership, OMPAY has built a full-suite digital finance ecosystem: wallet, card, remittance, payment gateway, and SoftPOS, while advancing new initiatives such as digital bank license and Wage Protection System offering. Sami brings over two decades of leadership across fintech, telecom, and management consulting, with senior roles spanning the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Sandra Dukić joined the National Bank of Serbia in 2002, where she has spent her entire professional career, specializing in the field of foreign exchange operations and related regulatory matters.
Throughout her career at the NBS, Ms. Dukić has focused on developing and implementing the regulatory framework for foreign exchange operations and international transactions. She has extensive experience in drafting and interpreting regulations, as well as in addressing regulatory issues related to the financial activities of residents and non-residents.
Ms. Dukić has been involved in projects aimed at improving cross-border payments and aligning Serbia’s financial system with international standards. More recently, she has been actively involved in Serbia’s accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), contributing to the alignment of the regulatory and operational frameworks with SEPA requirements.
She also participates in activities related to the EU accession process concerning the free movement of capital.

Sergio Mello is the Global Head of Stablecoin Solutions at Anchorage Digital, where he focuses on the business development and platform offerings for stablecoins. Prior to joining Anchorage Digital, Sergio served as the Founder and CEO of Lago Finance, a consortium of financial institutions who enhance settlements with tokenized cash. Sergio is a serial entrepreneur who has achieved exits in web1, web2, and web3. He also advises Reddit Crypto, shaping the future of cryptocurrency communities. Additionally, as an angel investor, Sergio supports startups and entrepreneurs driving disruptive change. With his extensive knowledge, strategic vision, and influential presence in the tech industry, Sergio stands at the forefront of the digital revolution.

Sopnendu Mohanty is the Co-founder and Group CEO of the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), a global advisory and investment firm. At GFTN, he leads innovative strategies that drive development and transformation in the financial sector through four operating arms: Forums, Advisory, Platform, and Capital.

He served at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as its first Chief Fintech Officer for nearly a decade, establishing Singapore on the global map as a leading center for innovation in the financial sector and a dynamic hub for fintech development. He continues to advise MAS on technology and innovation.

He currently serves on several boards, including the board of A*STAR, Singapore’s leading public sector agency dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and technological innovation. Before his leadership role in the public sector, he spent nearly two decades at Citigroup. He is credited with developing many public goods, including the notable PayNow, Singapore’s digital public infrastructure for payments. He conceptualized the globally well-known Singapore Fintech Festival and its global network of forums; today, the GFTN forum is the world’s largest convenor of tech, policymakers, and the financial sector community. Mr. Mohanty has co-authored several patented works in digital finance and received numerous industry accolades. He advises governments and various institutions on policies and implementation strategies for innovation, infrastructure, and ecosystem development in the financial sector.

Stefan has more than 25 years of experience in the international payments and banking technology space as Advisor, Operator and Investor. He is an early investor and advisor to founders of N26, Tide, Bitpanda, Moove, Wayflyer, Wefox, Abhi, Primer, Fairmoney amongst others. Also, Stefan has successfully exited payworks (to Visa), iyzico (to payU/Naspers) and Holvi (to BBVA). His main focus and interest currently are scale ups in Africa, MENA and other Growth Markets.

Previously, he was President of Central and Southern Europe at First Data, Partner at Roland Berger, and Principal at A.T. Kearney, based in New York and Vienna. He holds Master’s degrees from Columbia University and Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.

Name : Sung Kyun Son / Organization : Fintech Center Korea(FCK)

Sung Kyun Son is General Director(Head of Global Business) in Fintech Center Korea (FCK) under Financial Services Commission. He works closely with overseas fintech associations, development agencies, financial institutions, MDBs home and abroad. He is in charge of Global Business to promote and enhance overseas fintech partnerships around the World.

Before joining Fintech Center Korea, he was in charge of organizing Korea National Pavilion in MWC Barcelona, Shanghai, ITU Telecom World and Global ICT Partnership programs in KAIT, under Ministry of Science and ICT. He is a frequent moderator and speaker in fintech and ICT related seminars in Fintech Center Korea.
His interest areas are Fintech, SME internationalization, SME competitiveness, Korea ICT and Fintech Industry. He holds a Master of Science in Business Administration, Seoul National University.
Education:
Masters of Science in Business Administration, Seoul National University
B.A in Economics, University at Albany, State University of New York
Work Experiences
Senior Manager, Korea Association for ICT Promotion (KAIT) (2014~2019)
International Coordinator, Korea Communications Standards Commission
Languages: Korean, English and basic Spanish

Walid is the CEO of Valu. Previously, Walid served as Chairman of Paytabs Egypt and Vice Chairman of EFG EV Fintech. He currently sits on the board of KarmSolar and previously served on the board of Bedaya for Mortgage Finance. Walid’s leadership of the NBFI platform at EFG Holding over 5+ years has seen it grow multiple businesses and launch innovative brands. Prior to joining EFG Holding in 2016, Walid had a successful 17-year banking career. He was General Manager and Head of Structured Finance and Investment Banking at Bank Audi, where he closed structured and project finance transactions in excess of USD 15 billion. He first started at Misr International Bank, structuring and executing several award-winning deals, in project finance and M&As within Egypt and the GCC. He was the Head of structured finance and syndication in Banque Misr where he successfully managed to top the league table of the MENA region in syndicated loans.

Walid holds a Cairo-University B.B.A with highest honors, an MBA from J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, and an Islamic Finance Qualification from CISI- UK.

Corporate counsel experienced in advising public companies, private equity sponsors, and emerging growth companies on high-stakes transactions across the financial services, technology, energy, and real estate sectors.

Led or played a key role in transactions including investments by private equity houses and venture capital funds, acquisitions of businesses and assets by strategic multinational investors, infrastructure projects, corporate reorganisations and disposals.

Also advise clients on regulatory compliance and sanctions controls, helping energy, financial sector and technology/internet information providers navigate international sanctions compliance.

Zaahirah Adam is a global payments and fintech leader focused on the intersection of emerging markets, financial infrastructure, technology and socio-economic change. She is currently Chief of Staff at TransferTo and Thunes, a worldwide payment network that became Singapore’s first B2B payments unicorn.

Earlier in her career, Zaahirah held executive strategy and operating roles at Crown Agents Bank, Liberis, Nova Finance and Capita, working across payments, lending, digital assets, international expansion, transformation and growth. She is also a founder, having built and scaled a bootstrapped consumer app, and was named one of Brummell’s Ones to Watch in the City in 2025.

Zaahirah brings a distinctive perspective on how technology, regulation, capital and changing consumer behaviour are reshaping the future of money, particularly in markets where access, speed and trust matter most.