Adapt or Die – The future of financial institutions in 2030
This was the prevailing theme for the 2nd Annual Arise Conference, which was hosted in Cape Town from 12 – 13 February 2018 at the Century City Convention Centre. This event, which attracted industry role-players and thought leaders from across the globe explored the future of financial institutions in the lead up to 2030. A predominant topic that was raised, was whether banks will cease to exist with the advent of new technology and fintech solutions.
The conference commenced with a synopsis of the Arise business journey and a high-level overview of the organisation’s strategic objectives in the lead up to 2030. A key highlight of the conference was the stellar speaker line up, which included a keynote address by the former CEO of FNB, Michael Jordaan on the role of technology and innovation in banking. Delegates also gained greater insight into how the banking landscape is set to evolve in 2030 and how blockchain and cryptocurrencies are set to disrupt traditional banking. Blockchain experts Farzam Ehsani from RMB and Lorien Gamaroff, CEO of Bankymoon unpacked the role of blockchain and cryptocurrencies and how they are set to influence banking in the future.
Another key highlight on the first day of the conference was the interactive panel discussion with the keynote speakers, Dr Denny Kalyalya, the Governor of the Central Bank of Zambia and Dr James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank in Kenya, the 2nd largest bank in the country.
A highlight on the second day of the conference included the insightful presentations from Arise’s investees and how they plan to future fit their banks for 2030. Delegates gained insight into the future digitisation plans for Equity Bank (Kenya), NMB (Tanzania), dfcu Bank (Uganda), CalBank (Ghana) and Zanaco (Zambia).
The conference concluded with a closing address by Managing Director of Norfund, Kjell Roland, a major shareholder of Arise, who expressed his appreciation for the pivotal role that Arise is playing in terms of investing in Africa’s local prosperity and promoting financial inclusion.
To view the presentations, click here
To view the conference photo gallery, click here
