Nikolai Belstein

Nikolai Belstein is a Senior Director within Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), leading Cybersecurity Advisory Services across Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA). With more than 20+ years of international experience spanning financial services, consulting, managed security services, and executive leadership, he helps financial institutions strengthen cyber resilience, manage technology risk, and align cybersecurity strategies with business objectives.

Prior to joining Visa, Nikolai served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Boubyan Bank, a leading Kuwaiti financial institution, and previously held executive leadership roles at Danske Bank in Denmark.

Throughout his career, he has led large-scale cybersecurity transformations, cloud security initiatives, digital resilience programs, and enterprise risk management strategies for organizations across Europe and the Middle East.

Nikolai is a CISSP, CCISO, CCSP, and CEH-certified cybersecurity leader, a member of the Visa Chief Information Security Officer Council, a SANS CISO Executive Network member. He was recognized as an EC-Council Hall of Fame 2024 - Middle East inductee and has received multiple industry awards for cybersecurity leadership and innovation.