Speaker Line-Up Taking Shape For SWIFT African Regional Conference 2016

First high level speakers have been added to the ARC 2016 agenda to discuss key financial and other trends from across the African continent

Johannesburg, 31 March 2016 – SWIFT announces the first names in itsspeakerline-up of industry leaders set to participate in the upcoming African Regional Conference (ARC) on 17-19^th May 2016. ARC will bring together more than 500 high-level financial representatives from across 45 countries for three days of keynote speeches and interactive panel sessions, featuring senior speakers and strategic thinkers from across the industry and region.

YandraduthGoogoolye, First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Mauritius, will open the conference with the first keynoteaddress.

The opening plenary session, looking at the Megatrends that are shaping Africa’s future, will feature:Terence McNamee, Deputy Director of The Brenthurst Foundation, author of numerous publications including a study on Chinese small business in southern Africa and ‘War without consequences’, and has previously served as an advisor to governments, including that of Malawi; Regina Agyare, CEO ofSoronko Solutions, a ‘Global Shaper’ in the World Economic Forum,one of CNN Africa’s 12 most inspirational women and part of the Africa Leadership Initiative, West Africa, and Alain Raes, Chief Executive EMEA and Asia Pacific for SWIFT.

The growing roster of experts that will address ARC includes:

Antony Withers, CEO, Mauritius Commercial Bank
Jay Rosengard, Director of the Mossavar-RahmaniCenter for Business and Government's Financial Sector Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Willem Kruger, Head Compliance and Regulatory Product, Nedbank
Tim Masela, Head of National Payment System Department, South African Reserve Bank
Sanjeev Jayram, Head of Corporate Actions at RMB Custody & Trustee Services, Rand Merchant Bank
Fidelis Muia, Director of Technical Services, Kenya Bankers Association
Francois Roux, Head - Trade Finance and Financial Institutions, SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd
Sachin Shah, Head of Cash Management Products & Transactional Products and Services, Standard Bank
NerinaVisser, Exchange Traded Funds Strategist and Advisor, ETF South Africa
Raoul Gufflet, Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking and DCEO, Mauritius Commercial Bank

SidoBestani, Head of the Middle East, Turkey & Africa, SWIFT, says: “Africa benefits from many positive trends, including a growing and young workforce, plentiful natural resources and seven of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies. However, it also faces some serious challenges, such as infrastructure bottlenecks, low levels of intra-Africa trade and vulnerability to commodity price falls. ARC 2016 will provide a unique platform for leading experts from across the continent to discussthese issueshead-on”.

As in previous years, ARC 2016 will offer a full programme of work sessions focusing on the business and technical issues faced by African businesses. Additionally, for the second year in a row, ARC will partner with SWIFT Innotribe for the Startup Challengein Africa, showcasing young African companies and offering the winners the opportunity to pitch their business on a global stage at Sibos in Geneva, Switzerland.

Key streams at the conference will include:

New technologies, such as blockchain

Challenges to banking from real time payments and mobile
Evolution of Africa’s securities markets
Financial Crime Compliance

About SWIFT
SWIFT is a global member-owned cooperative and the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services.

We provide our community with a platform for messaging and standards for communicating, and we offer products and services to facilitate access and integration, identification, analysis and financial crime compliance.

Our messaging platform, products and services connect more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations, market infrastructures and corporate customers in more than 200 countries and territories, enabling them to communicate securely and exchange standardised financial messages in a reliable way.

As their trusted provider, we facilitate global and local financial flows, support trade and commerce all around the world; we relentlessly pursue operational excellence and continually seek ways to lower costs, reduce risks and eliminate operational inefficiencies.

Headquartered in Belgium, SWIFT’s international governance and oversight reinforces the neutral, global character of its cooperative structure. SWIFT’s global office network ensures an active presence in all the major financial centres.