Abu Dhabi, UAE; 10 June 2022: UAE’s SWIFT User Group Steering Committee and National Member Group (SUGSCNMG) held its Annual General Assembly Meeting 2022, chaired by Mr. Jamal Saleh, Chairman of the UAE’s SWIFT User Group and Director General of the UAE Banks Federation (UBF).
During the AGM, members approved SUGSCNMG’s General Assembly Meeting minutes from June 2nd, 2021, unanimously approved the 2021’s Audited Financial Statements and discussed the 2022 budget, activities, and action plan.
The Meeting discussed SUGSCNMG’s participation in SIBOS in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, happening from October 10 to 13, 2022. SIBOS, organized by SWIFT, is the world’s premier financial services meeting and exhibition, hosting leaders and decision makers in the financial and banking sector. The event brings together major institutions and technology providers to discuss and showcase the latest developments and technologies. Furthermore, six members from the UAE SWIFT User Group were selected to attend the SIBOS conference in Amsterdam for this year as the last two sessions of the event (2020 and 2021) were held virtually due to the impacts of COVID-19.
The AGM has re-elected the Steering Committee, which will serve for the next three-year term. The elected steering committee comprises: Mr. Jamal Saleh, Director General, UAE Banks Federation; Mr. Barid Guha Neogi, Senior Vice President, Group – Operations Governance & Business Support, Emirates NBD; Mr. Amit Malhotra, SVP & Head of Loans and Cards Group Operations, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB); Mr. Abdullah Al Taee, Head of Operations, Al Masraf; Mr. Viji Varghese, Head, Cash and Payments Operations, Mashreq Bank; Mr. Mark Emmerson, Head of GTB, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB); and Mr. Imad El Asmar, Gulf PMO Manager – Arab Bank Plc. 
The UAE’s SWIFT User Group Steering Committee’s notable achievement in the past year was establishing the first national group for SWIFT users making UAE the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to establish such a group. This was previously only limited to major developed countries. The Steering Committee also established the first training center in the Middle East and North Africa for SWIFT users under the umbrella of the UAE Banks Federation, (also making UAE one of the first countries in the Middle East and North Africa to do so). Since its launch, the centre has accomplished several levels of training and accreditation for many members of the SWIFT group, whose number now reaches more than 180 active members belonging to all operating banks in the country.
SWIFT enables more than 11,000 financial institutions and corporations in more than 200 countries and territories to connect and exchange financial information securely and reliably.
UAE Banks Federation (UBF):
Established in 1982, UAE Banks Federation (UBF) is a professional representative body comprising 54 members of banks and companies operating in the UAE. UBF advocates the interests of all its members and enhances cooperation and coordination between them in order to elevate UAE’s banking ecosystem for the benefit of the members, customers, and the overall UAE economy.
UBF’s mission and objectives are focused on representing its members and defending their rights and interest. UBF provides a platform for cooperation and exchange of ideas and expertise among its members and plays a major role in raising public awareness of the contribution of the banking sector to the economic and social development of the UAE.
UBF has a 26-member Advisory Council consisting of CEOs and General Managers from banks and companies, which oversees the implementation of its policies and activities. The council also makes directional decisions through UBF’s General Secretariate for its 23 technical and 3 advisory committees that discuss all issues relevant to the UAE banking and financial ecosystem.
