Meet Musheer Ahmed of FTAHK at the 2019 ABF Digital Payments Summit

He will discuss key drivers for fintech innovation and why coopetition will be the new norm for the payments industry.

Musheer Ahmed is the general manager of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong. He has an extensive background in financial services and technology, having been a global markets trader for a decade and a management consultant following his MBA. He is a founding board member of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong and a member of the United Nations ESCAP Economic Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Youth and Women Entrepreneurs Taskforce (YET). He is also a cofounder of IndiaTech Hong Kong.

Musheer has a keen interest in technologies impacting/disrupting investment banking, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and digital banking. He is a mentor and speaker at industry events across APAC and a guest lecturer on topics such as fintech, investment management, cryptocurrency and blockchain, and artificial intelligence at HKU, HKUST, HKU Space, CUHK and Lingnan University.

Asian Banking & Finance sat down with Ahmed to discuss his work experience, as well as the best practices and strategies for players in order to keep up in a rapidly evolving payments industry.

What are your previous experiences and positions held that contributed to who you are as a banker/expert today?

I have been a fixed income, rates and commodities trader for a decade. I have been involved in fintech in Hong Kong for the last 5 years, firstly as a management consultant, and as co-founder and general manager of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong. In my role, I work with regulators, large corporates, fintech startups and ecosystem players to develop and nurture fintech in Hong Kong. In addition, through our 14 committees across fintech verticals, I have a cross-vertical and holistic view of how technology is reshaping the financial services business model.

How can banks in Asia capture the opportunities arising from a rapidly evolving payments industry and what are the best practices and strategies to stay ahead?

Banking and financial services is rapidly evolving in Asia as well as globally. With mobile economy dominating and rise of the techfin firms and platform-based tech companies like Alibaba, Tencent, Grab, etc., and their digital engagement with customers, it is pertinent that Asian banks transform their digital offerings and culture to remain competitive. They will need to also work on partnerships with fintechs to offer the customers best-in-class user experience and using cutting-edge technologies, such as blockchain and AI to transform their business processes and products.

Can you give us a glimpse of what you will share at the ABF Digital Payments Summit 2019?

I will be speaking on the "Key drivers for fintech innovation in China & Hong Kong" which is about how fintech innovation has grown in the two markets. It will also be a comparison on differences in developing market and a developed market's approach, in addition to the evolution of fintech influenced by "Techfin" giants such as Alibaba and Tencent.

The 2019 ABF Digital Payments Summit will take place on 28 August in Hong Kong. To learn more about the event, click here. To register, click here. For inquiries, you may contact Andrea at [email protected] or at +65 3158 1386 ext 212