SITIC AFRICA, the International Digital Exhibition dedicated to Africa is an International Digital Business platform involving the African and international offer in a logic of development, partnership, investment and co-project implementation. Over 300 African companies visiting the Exhibition with more than 200 professional visitors from Western countries.

Since its launch in 2016 in Tunis, SITIC AFRICA has always relied on 3 major axes:

• Exposure of African potential in the digital sector with Starts Up and Innovation spaces.
• Organization of B2B meetings between African and international digital companies between them, and between them and the digital user companies.
• The International Forums on applied digital transformation to other sectors of the economy: agriculture, industry and services, including banking and financial services.

The SITIC AFRICA is a great ecosystem to promote the digital transformation of the banking and financial sector to reach the level of international norms and standards.

Since 2017, the Developers of SITIC AFRICA organized an International Forum on New Digital Financial Solutions inaugurated at the same time as SITIC AFRICA.

This International Forum is an initiative of the Tunisian Professional Association of Banks and Financial Institutions, APTBEF which wanted to unite its members around a current and prospective strategic theme, the digital financial transformation.

She wanted to organize it within the International Digital Exhibition dedicated to Africa, SITIC AFRICA to both benefit from the synergy of an International Exhibition focused on digital transformation but also to benefit from the ecosystem of this Exhibition.

The digital transformation of the bank is an imperative today. The so-called traditional banks were shaken by neo banks that entered the market with digital solutions-oriented customer expectations and thus changed the situation.

Big Data is the focal point of technological innovation in FinTech. After the advent of mobile technologies in the mid-2000s which is the starting point of Fintech, Big Data represents the second technological revolution in Fintech.

The AI is closely linked with Big Data. Indeed, the emergence of Big Data has brought artificial intelligence back to the forefront of the technological scene and has quickly become the specialty of web giants, eager to automate the analysis of large volumes of data. AI is the ability to handle intelligently data from which its natural association with the Big Data.

With the development of Big Data in the financial sector, Artificial Intelligence has established itself as a powerful technology for analyzing and valuing data and as an essential Fintech in the new value propositions of startups but also of traditional players. The first forms of AI as Fintech were chatbots and robots, mainly used by industry players to ensure customer service and thus chat with the customers. Technological innovation and the dimension taken by Big Data have promoted significant development of AI, allowing chatbots robots and counselors to offer advanced services such as providing financial advice, risk analysis, note records for a loan or for trading.

The first form of Blockchain appeared in 2008 in the form of Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency created by someone with the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin has become the first digital currency not regulated by a competent authority.

However, the blockchain can be used for something other than a cryptocurrency, it is above all a completely decentralized blockchain technology, that is to say that no central agent can control this chain. Simply, a transaction is grouped in a block, it is validated by a multitude of “nodes” network nodes, using algorithms and cryptographic tools then the block is added to the chain of blocks, transparent (because everyone has access to it) and above all completely unalterable. The advantage of the Blockchain is that you can add any type of information in the “blocks” and can therefore be an integrable technology in any field, from health to energy, including of course finance.

Therefore, Blockchain technology represents a breakthrough innovation in the Fintech and may represent the next great upheaval in the financial sector. Unlike Big Data and artificial intelligence, which have become democratized in the financial sector and which can be considered as “mature” fintech, blockchain as a disruptive fintech is still in the exploration phase. The financial sector has been built around central organizations (banks) and multiple financial intermediaries. Blockchain technology being by nature completely decentralized, it would mark a complete questioning of the organization of value chains in the financial sector, which is why it has the potential to be a completely disruptive technology in financial services and could make it disappear certain financial intermediaries.The use of the technologies mentioned above also brings major challenges that Fintech players must face. These challenges can create opportunities for companies and their customers but also threats linked to the democratization of fintech and the mastery of technology. The two main challenges identified are risk management and security and confidentiality.

Cybersecurity and data protection have become key technological aspects in finance. The challenge of cybersecurity and privacy is central to the integration and use of FinTech. The increased use of technology in the financial sector has also created greater risks in terms of security, where hackers are constantly seeking to find loopholes to steal money and valuable data (such as card codes credit, bank accounts, etc.…).

This first edition of the International Forum on new digital financial solutions was organized in Tunis on April 18 and 19, 2017, in conjunction with the second session of the SITIC AFRICA International Exhibition which took place from April 18 to 20, 2017 at El Krama Exhibition Park in Tunis.

The Forum’s objectives were:

• Share innovative experiences in payment instruments between Tunisian skills and those of Africa, the Arab World and other developed countries.
• Promote partnership opportunities in terms of payment instruments with African, Arab and foreign investors.

Forum Statistics:

• 5: National and international speakers;
• 5: Moderators which animate the panels;
• 5,500: Visitors to the Exhibition and the Forums;
• 200: African Public and Private Decision Makers;
• 70: Maghreb Businessmen and Bankers.

 Countries represented:

• Maghreb countries: Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania.
• Sub-Saharan African countries: Gabon, Côte Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Chad, Togo and Burkina Faso.
• Other countries: Egypt, Jordan, France, Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.

Forum Panels:

• State of play of electronic payment, electronic payment and digitalization in Africa and the Arab world;
• Financial Digital payment methods;
• Digital financial inclusion, vector of economic development;
• E-commerce and digital trust: Essential elements of the digital transformation;
• Success Stories, innovation and added value.

The recommendations focus on four strategic areas:

• Financial inclusion and financial education;
• The regulatory and institutional framework for payments;
• PaymentsSecurity;
• Regional integration of payments.

These same recommendations made it possible to publish a white paper which had been sent to the Tunisian Government and to the Central Bank of Tunisia. Thanks to this white paper, several commissions had been set up at the level of the BCT to work on the financial digital transformation in Tunisia.

This second edition was spread over two days on 10 and 11 April 2018 at the Exhibition Park of Kram in Tunis along the SITIC AFRICA 2018 which took place from 10 to 12 April 2018.

Panel 1: Fintech and Banks: towards a world without cash.

• Theme 1: Banking and fintech at the heart of digital transformation.
• Theme 2: Banks and FinTech: competition or cooperation.
• Theme 3: The business model of traditional banks versus GAFA and

Panel 2: Big Data and Artificial Intelligence: What Strategic Stakes for Banks, Financial Institutions and Insurance?

• Theme 1: Big Data at the service of Banks and Insurance.
• Theme 2: Big Data at the service of banking supervision.
• Theme 3: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Customer Experience and Predictive Marketing.
• Theme 4: The Big Data serving Cybersecurity control to fight the fraud.
• Theme 5: Mastery of Data and RGPD.

Panel 3: Blockchain and Cryptocurrency as a lever for the digital economy in Tunisia and Africa.

• Theme 1: Blockchain for the Financial sector: uses and limits.
• Theme 2: Cryptocurrency: Central banks and dematerialization quest money.
• Theme 3: The blockchain and instant payment: real time payment (Remote clearing and blockchain).
• Theme 4: Blockchain serving international payments.
• Theme 5: Trusted Third Parties in the Blockchain Age.

Panel 4: Strategies of Tunisian Banks in Africa.

• DG STB.
• DG Attijari Bank.
• DG BIAT.
• DG UIB.
• DG BH.

In total, nearly twenty high-level national and international speakers and moderators, in the presence of national and international skills, moderated the panels of this Forum, during 2 days of work, by addressing topical issues related to the digital economy.

The 3rd edition of the International Forum on New Digital Financial Solutions, within SITIC AFRICA 2019 took place on Tuesday and Wednesday 18-19 June 2019 at the Kram Exhibition Park in Tunis in the conference room on the 1st floor

with a capacity of 500 people. Simultaneous French-English translation had been planned.

This International Forum had capitalized on the results of previous editions summarized in the white paper published in 2017 by the APTBEF and focused on revolutionary themes in order to optimize the interaction of banks with its customers and partners, therefore with its ecosystem.

 The themes included in the program of the 3rd edition of the International Forum on New Digital Financial Solutions were:

• The governance of a bank’s digital transformation program,
• Blockchain and artificial intelligence in the face of strategic challenges for banks and financial institutions,
• FinTech and crypto Currency as a lever for the economy in Tunisia and Africa.

The Forum had initiated a productive dialogue between financial leaders from different business cultures that allowed the emergence of new ideas that were discussed in the panel 3 to the development of innovative concepts in a favorable trade climate.

PANEL 1: Leading and driving a digital processing in a bank or a financial institution.

In an increasingly digital economy, digital transformation will no longer be an option but an imperative for banks, which must be agile and innovative.

To this end, it was necessary:

• To identify the key stages of a digital transformation,
• To master new technologies and related uses: cloud, big data, social networking, mobile,
• To identify the Risks, obstacles and threats: human, economic, legal and competitive,
• To understand the new challenges, codes, processes of the digital world and manage the bank’s e-reputation.

This transformation can be slowed down if resistance to change is strong on the part of teams or middle management.

How to understand the new models of cooperation and value creation?

How to Develop management, identify and define the growth reserve and the new skills necessary to make the change successful?

How to make the existence of generational gaps in teams an opportunity for a successful digital transformation?

Experts and Speakers discussed all these aspects in more detail in the first panel of this forum.

PANEL 2: Why are New Technologies inevitable for Banks and Financial Institutions?

Competition from financial technology companies FINTECH and large tech giants, growing consumer expectations and new innovations linking data to digital transmission are forcing Banks to adopt new technologies (AI, Block Chain, Open Banking, etc.) in order to put in place winning strategies.

What is open banking, how can blockchain revolutionize the way we do classical or Islamic banking? What will be the new products and services that will allow, thanks to the adoption of these new technologies, to anticipate and better meet the needs of customers and to recruit new ones at affordable prices and accessible to all segments of the population?

New technologies allow a more effective identification of potential risks and anticipate their occurrence and intensity, but are there new risks inherent in the adoption of these new technologies?

Our experts had tried to answer all these questions during this panel which had been moderated in the form of a round table.

 PANEL3: Artificial Intelligence at the service of the customer advisor: robot-advisor, human advisor or hybrid advisor?

The main objective of this panel was to present and discuss the challenges and opportunities of applying artificial intelligence methods in finance. Indeed, the adoption of machine learning and deep learning methods in the financial sector presents opportunities but also challenges.

Opportunities in terms of valuing massive data from different sources: financial markets, economic data, company financial statements, processing processes, information, social networks, etc.

Applications of artificial intelligence models include, among others: credit scoring, prediction of securities values, fraud detection and real-time decision making. These applications also present challenges in terms of the explanatory character of the results, the fairness of the decisions predicted by the algorithms, the confidentiality of the data, the high level of precision required and the adaptability of the regulations.

This panel also aimed to bring together researchers and practitioners interested in the techniques and applications of artificial intelligence in finance to discuss these opportunities and challenges.

Three webinars on New Digital Financial Solutions have already been organized on June 9, 16 and 23, 2020 in close cooperation with the APTBEF.

The closing webinar of this Forum, which took place in November 2020, took stock of the financial digital transformation in Tunisia and Africa by networking the main players in FINTECH: Tunisian Banks, African Banks, APTBEF and Tunisian digital companies active in the banking sector.

Three important topics were covered during this webinar:

• Mobile payment
• Remote compensation
• Instant payment

The aim of the webinar was to give the state of play of the digital transformation of the Tunisian and African banking sector, to present a success story of digital transformation at the level of an African bank and to put on the table possible solutions to boost the digital transformation in the Tunisian and African banking sector.

It was necessary to identify ways to strengthen this transformation to provide more security, transparency and speed of financial transactions and create an efficient customer relationship able to develop more business.

Benchmarks were presented both between Tunisian and African banks but also between Tunisian banks.

The APBTEF saw in this exercise an opportunity to better federate Tunisian banks in the use of digital technology and to initiate the process of mobile payment, dechashing and IT security.

In this context, the Tunisian post presents itself as a success story both in customer relations and in mobile payments.

Tunisia Telecom finds this favorable environment to present new products ableto help the digital transformation in banks.

This International Forum will take place on February 22 and 23, 2022 in Abidjan as part of SITIC AFRICA ABIDJAN 2022. It will be inaugurated at the same time as the Exhibition.

The panels proposed by the Tunisian Professional Association of Banks are as follows:

• African banks: how to harness the potential of open innovation
• Banks, Fintech and telecom operators: the battleground for Innovative digital payments in Africa
• What ecosystem for the wave of startups in Africa?

• The digital transformation of banks and the energy transition
• Digital Transformation in the real economy
• Human factor in the success of a digital transformation
• Digital training and development in Africa

• • Cybersecurity: what challenges await African banks in the future
  • What regulatory framework to fight against financial cybercrime in Africa
  • Digital Trust and Cybersecurity: banks and fintech in Africa

  PROVISIONAL PROGRAMFORUM INTERNATIONAL FINTECH
  Sunday May 29, 2022 Arrival of Foreign Delegations
  8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: Welcome cocktail in honor of Foreign Delegations offered by the Ivorian Authorities
  

• Monday, May 30, 202209 a.m. – 6 p.m.: Opening hours of the SITIC AFRICA ABIDJAN 2022 Show
  10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Inauguration of SITIC AFRICA ABIDJAN 2022
  11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Official opening ceremony of SITIC AFRICA ABIDJAN 2022 and the INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS INNOVATIVE DIGITAL
  3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Panel 1: POST-COVID: Innovation Made in Africa.
  Moderator: Mr. Kandas Camara, Head of MS&A and Lead Fintech for the West and Central Africa region VISA Inc

   

  • The Regulatory SandBox: Catalyst for Innovation in Africa: Central Bank of Tunisia – African Banks: Strategy and Innovation: what role for African fintechs Post-covid: Talys consulting
  • Successful Digital investment by linking customer experience and operational efficiency: Proxym.
  • African banks: how to exploit the potential of open innovation: M.Khaled Ben Driss, Partner & Executive Director WEVIO.
  • Banks, Fintech and telecom operators: the cocktail for innovative digital payments in Africa (orange money, SG, Ms-solutions)
  • Fintech success story (Weblogy, Syca pay, Djamo, Cinetpay)
  • Signature of the APTBEF Tunisia -APBEF Ivory Coast Agreement

• Tuesday, May 31, 2022 10h00 – 12h30: Panel 2: Human, Digital and Green Africa
  Moderator: AfDB representative

   

  • Learn to navigate the Digital Ocean
  • Barometer of Digital Maturity: Process and HR: Representative of GIZ, Mr Sami Bahri CEO Net Center and member of the Steering Committee Tunisian-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
  • Sustainable finance: Fintech and development of the green economy: M Dhafer SAAIDANE: Full Professor
  • Head of Msc Corporate Financial Management
  • Lille and Suzhou, SKEMA Business School
  • Digital supply chain: agriculture and tourism: Mr. Karim Ahres: CEO NetCom Tunisia.
  • Circular Economy: Efficient and ecological D3E waste management: Mr. Sami Maroki: President of the Global Pact network.

  3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Panel 3: Cybersecurity in Africa Moderator: AfricaCERT GHANA

  • Cyber security: what challenges await African banks in the future: Mr. Haythem Elmir: CEO Keystone Security
  • Governance, Risk and Compliance- GRC Banks and fintech in Africa. : Mr. Suresh Dadlani, President ControlCase International Pvt. ltd
  • Cyber Security and Information Sharing: Challenges and Solutions: Cert Cote d’Ivoire/ TunCERT
  • Cyber-risk guarantees and insurance: Mr. Mourad EL Aroui Tunis Re

This International Forum will take place on May 30 and 31, 2022 in Abidjan as part of SITIC AFRICA ABIDJAN 2022. It will be inaugurated at the same time as the Exhibition.

Graduated from IHEC SOUSSE in Finance and Actuarial Masters in 2014, I joined the BCT in 2016 in the Governor’s office, Unit for relations with official bodies.
In 2018, I was appointed head of the fintech committee created by the Government of the BCT.
Responsible in 2019 for the foundation and implementation of the Fintech and innovation unit within the BCT, then in 2020 for the implementation of the regulatory SandBox.
Currently responsible for the regulatory SandBox and the implementation of technical and legal experiments and the management of the unit’s strategic partners.

Position: Head of Regulatory Sandbox and Innovation and Fintech Unit
Department: Banking Supervision

– Expert Certificate in Digital Finance, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
– Global Fintech Overview training course, The University of Texas at Austin
– Masterclass on Blockchain in Financial Inclusion, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
– Cambridge Fintech and Regulatory Innovation Certificate, Cambridge Judge Business School
– Master of research in Finance and Actuarial sciences (IHEC)
– Baccalaureate in Mathematics, Pilot High School Kairouan

– Project manager for the design and implementation of an Open Banking policy in Tunisia
– Member of the National Taskforce on Cryptocurrencies
– Foundation of the fintech and innovation unit BCT-Lab, & Regulatory sandbox at the Central Bank, (https://fintech.bct.gov.tn/fr/accueil)
– Representative of the BCT in the ‘Global Financial Innovation Network’ (Financial Conduct Authority)
– Representative of the BCT in the “Regional Fintech Working Group”, Arab Monetary Fund
– Representative of the BCT in the “Maghreb Fintech committee”
– Head of the Fintech Committee since its creation in 2018, Cabinet du Gouverneur

Elyssa Aounallah Msadaa: Excellence and quality of service in the field of technological consulting in Finance

A graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Paris in 1995, Elyssa chose from the start of her career to work in a consulting firm in France.

The recurring challenges of the projects, the added value created for his clients, the team atmosphere have always fueled his passion for this profession.

In 2003, a triggering event brought her back to Tunisia: she had the opportunity to participate in setting up the Information System of the UIB, a subsidiary of Société Générale in Tunisia.

In 2006, she co-founded with Hatem Msadaa the consulting firm Talys consulting: She puts a lot of energy into introducing a new profession in Tunisia, consulting in Project Management Assistance. Elyssa will specialize in supporting financial institutions and makes it a point of honor to take care of the quality of service by ensuring that its teams always leave a very good impression on their clients/partners with excellence in the execution of missions and the sharing of methods and tools.

The development was there and the service offers were designed in line with the evolution of the market.

In 2017, Talys consulting is transformed into a Digital Services Company oriented towards financial services and becomes “TALYS GROUP” by creating a subsidiary in France and recently an office in Egypt: This allows the group to have a wider geographical coverage in more of the African market served initially from the Tunis parent company.

Today, TALYS has become a “House of Digital Experts”: A group present on 3 continents and active in more than 20 countries: The company is structuring itself and continually adapting to the new challenges of the Finances locally and internationally to continue the growth of the past decade. The objective is to consolidate the ambition to be a reference player with an international influence at the service of the financial industry by offering high-level experts in the digital professions, organization and technological expertise. while providing high value-added solutions for microfinance and credit.

Haythem El Mir is a cybersecurity expert with 20 years of experience, he is a specialist in the protection of critical infrastructures (Finance, Telecom, Government, Industry and Health).

Mr. EL MIR is the Managing Director of Keystone, a company specializing in cybersecurity and one of the main players in cybersecurity in Africa.

Mr. EL MIR is advised to many large Tunisian and African companies on strategic orientations for the development of cybersecurity and to support digital transformation. He also intervenes as a speaker in several international and regional conferences.