Finance | Page 3

Widely regarded as a thought leader, Dr. Chilwan works closely with governments, regulators, academic institutions, and industry organizations to help shape the future of Islamic finance.

Under his leadership, Region Emerging Markets has embarked on an ambitious expansion strategy in core countries.

Mal is aiming to redefine how Islamic financial services are built and delivered. Rather than digitizing traditional banking systems, Mal has been designed from the ground up as an AI-native institution, embedding artificial intelligence across compliance, risk management, and customer experiences while remaining rooted in Sharia principles.

Mountasser Hachem is confident that Lebanon will remain a land of opportunity and potential. While many organizations have chosen to scale back or relocate operations abroad, Monty Finance S.A.L. and MontyPay continue to invest heavily in talent, technology, and infrastructure within Lebanon.

Helming the bank’s operations is its CEO and Managing Director Naif Al Abdulkareem, who has prioritized Aljazira’s position as a connected ecosystem player by creating value through partnerships, platforms, and integrated experiences.

Hisham Ezz Al-Arab was reappointed CEO and Executive Board Member of the Commercial International Bank (CIB)- Egypt in 2024, after serving as its Chairman from 2023.

Ala’a Eraiqat has served as Group Chief Executive Officer of ADCB since 2009, leading the bank through a period of sustained growth, digital transformation, and market leadership. With more than three decades of banking experience, he previously held senior roles at leading international financial institutions before joining ADCB in 2004. Under his leadership, the bank […]

Mohamed Abdelbary, ADIB Group CEO since October 2024, brings over 28 years of banking experience, including leadership roles at ADIB, Standard Chartered, Barclays, and Citibank.

Shayne Nelson is a veteran banking executive with more than three decades of leadership experience across retail, corporate, private, and Islamic banking. He served as Group CEO of Emirates NBD for 12 years, leading one of the Middle East’s largest banking groups through a period of significant growth and transformation. Nelson currently serves on the […]

Hana Al Rostamani is Group CEO of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE’s largest bank. With more than 20 years of experience in banking and financial services, she previously served as Deputy Group CEO and Head of Personal Banking, where she led the transformation of FAB’s consumer banking business with a strong focus on […]

Rola Abu Manneh is the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered in the UAE, Middle East, and Pakistan. She is the first Emirati woman to head an international bank in the UAE and the wider region and have successfully managed to transform the UAE business into one of the top three markets for the Standard […]

According to Drid, XTB’s role is to support the evolution of investing in the region by combining technology, education, and a regulated investment environment.

When Haisam Odeimeh joined Al Ramz as Chief Financial Officer in 2017, he became part of a UAE financial institution with an established legacy spanning nearly two decades. Today, as Group CEO – Financial Services, he is leading the firm’s next phase of growth by combining its traditional strengths with a strong focus on fintech-driven […]

With more than 24 years of experience spanning banking, finance, auditing, taxation, and financial consulting, Al-Mogbel brings extensive expertise to one of the world’s largest Islamic banks.

The market’s surface resilience masks an underlying shift. As H1’s easy gains give way to a trickier H2, active discipline will separate winners from the crowd.

Helming the bank’s operations is its CEO and Managing Director Naif Al Abdulkareem, who has prioritized Aljazira’s position as a connected ecosystem player by creating value through partnerships, platforms, and integrated experiences.

The UAE has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to anticipate change and adapt ahead of it. That capacity, combined with its global connectivity and institutional depth, is what sets this next phase apart from earlier cycles of financial center development.

Looking ahead, the second half of 2026 could mark another milestone for technology IPOs. AI leaders Anthropic and OpenAI remain the most anticipated listings, although both could slip into 2027 if market conditions remain volatile.

For private banks, success will be defined not by footprint alone, but by the ability to connect markets, capabilities and advice in ways that reflect the realities of a more interconnected world.

Wio Bank and ADX have launched the UAE’s first fully digital Loan Against Investments solution, allowing investors to unlock liquidity from their ADX-listed shares without selling them.

After losing everything twice, the investor and entrepreneur is helping everyday people access opportunities traditionally reserved for the financial elite.

As businesses expand into increasingly complex digital economies, Onicore founder Andrii Bruiaka is building the infrastructure designed to remove friction from global payments, regulation, and market expansion—one integration at a time.

Crypto solved moving money. Kolo is solving how to use it. CEO Pavlo Luchkovskyi explains why stablecoins are becoming the infrastructure layer of modern finance—and how AI is helping build the next generation of fintech companies.

Alinma Bank, in strategic collaboration with Kaplan Professional Middle East & North Africa (MENA), has announced the launchof the ‘Future Bankers Program’. The 12-week high-impact talent development initiative is designed to equip emerging banking professionals in Riyadh with future-ready skills aligned to the rapidly evolving financial services sector. Saudi Arabia is fast emerging as a […]

 In wealth management, scale is easy to announce and difficult to trust. Firms can grow assets, acquire clients, and expand into new markets, but the real test is whether the relationship with the client becomes stronger or more distant along the way. Brendan Gow built Capital Haus around that question.  Since its founding in Sydney […]

Saqib Mahmood, Group Chief Commercial Officer at National Bonds, discusses the rise of structured saving, digital financial tools, and the shifting consumer behaviors shaping the UAE’s long-term financial future.