Asian Financial Services Congress & Awards

Asian Financial Services Congress & Awards

Building Equity and AI Dividend in a Multi Polar World

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Attacks, risk, and trust: Tackling emerging threats in an AI world.

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Overview

Financial institutions across the Asia Pacific region are increasingly working closely with their technology partners to develop resilience, strategies for the present, and digitalization for their competitive edge.

In 2024, digital transformation (DX) spending by the Asia Pacific banking sector has reached US$30.4 billion, marking a 19.4% increase from 2023. IDC predicts that this spending will continue to rise, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4%, reaching approximately US$48.6 billion by 2027.

According to a recent IDC report, IDC Industry Market Forecast: Asia Pacific Banking, 2024, software investments will significantly shape the DX spending by Asian banks, with a projected CAGR of 21.1% by 2027. The increase in software investments is attributed to the need for big data and analytics (BDA) and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions by banks to improve decision making and create hypersonalised banking experiences.

The report also revealed that services and hardware investments will reach a projected CAGR of 16.1% and 10.3% respectively. This suggests a balanced approach adopted by Asian banks towards upgrading digital infrastructure and engaging expert support to implement digital initiatives. This balanced approach is further emphasised by significant spending in areas such as infrastructure maintenance and continuing support for large-scale operations as stated in the report.

The growth in spending is also seen in areas that contribute to operational scalability and flexibility, along with client-facing portals, to spur business growth and ensure the deployment of new products, services and features at a rapid pace.

Given the substantial investments and the pivotal role of technology in providing financial institutions a competitive edge, it is imperative for technology vendors to engage with and educate key decision makers in the financial services to help them overcome the challenges they face in implementing digital initiatives.

Asian Financial Services Congress will showcase insights from senior analysts, financial experts, industry trendsetters and thought leaders as they explore the latest trends and technologies driving the implementation and execution of DX initiatives at scale.

Expert Perspectives

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IDC Keynote: Building Equity and the AI Dividend in a Multi-Polar World

Asia is a multispeed economy with a rich mix of developed and emerging markets. These markets are today being challenged by uncertainty, increasing financial crime, and changing demographics. While these associated risks will challenge growth, they will not underscore it. The growth would still result from a set of fundamental factors including regional alliances. These factors and alliances would need to be supported with technology investments and at the same time, resilience would need to be strengthened again through technology tools. The session would cover the emerging trends, need for change, and tools that can enable change.

Dr. Ashish Kakar | IDC Asia/Pacific

Research Director, Financial Insights

Read Bio

IDC Financial Insights Innovation Awards (FIIA)

We are thrilled to announce the first-ever IDC Financial Insights Innovation Awards (FIIA), celebrating innovation, resilience, and outstanding achievements in the financial sector. This prestigious event recognizes organizations and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in leveraging technology, strategy, and leadership to drive growth and transformation in the industry.

The awards will honor trailblazers across various categories, acknowledging their impact on financial services through innovation, customer-centric solutions, and operational excellence. Entries will be evaluated based on measurable business outcomes, technological advancements, and strategic vision.

What people say

Global influencers shared powerful stories of how they confronted challenges — and created opportunities from them

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Head – Digital Transformation, KEC International, an RPG Company

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Head – Digital Transformation, KEC International, an RPG Company

Event Gallery

Our Partners

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Venue

Global influencers shared powerful stories of how they confronted challenges — and created opportunities from them

Sands Expo & Convention Centre

Sands Expo & Convention Centre
10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956

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Knowledge Hub

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Dr. Ashish Kakar
IDC Asia/Pacific
Research Director, Financial Insights
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CXO Spotlight Reimagining Digital Transformation: AI, Equity, and the Future of Work

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The Critical Role of Governments in EU Cyber-Resilience

Some years ago, when I worked in Citibank, Citibank then group CEO Mr. Michael Corbat said, “We see ourselves as a technology company with a banking license”.

Our Singapore DBS bank’s group CEO (2009-2025) Mr. Piyush Gupta said similar thing when he answered the question during interview why DBS was increasingly recognized as a global leader in digital transformation. He said, “We act less like a bank and more like a tech company”.

Frankie Shuai
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CXO Spotlight Antifragile Financial Systems: Convergence of AI, Cloud and Regulatory Innovation

The intersection of AI, Cloud technology and regulatory innovation has created unique opportunities within Financial Services, as well as introducing new risks. On the one hand, digital innovation unlocks efficiency and innovation, it also requires building antifragile systems which can withstand shocks and uncertainty.

Ed Bharucha
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CXO Spotlight Rethinking IT Talent in the GenAI Era

As GenAI technologies rapidly evolve, we are witnessing a fundamental shift in the nature of IT work. Tasks once considered core to software engineering—like writing boilerplate code, building simple interfaces, or querying databases—are increasingly automated by tools like GitHub Copilot and low-code platforms. This has major implications for both hiring and talent development.

Prof Ke-Wei Huang
Associate Professor, NUS School of Computing, Executive Director, Asian Institute of Digital Finance
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Partner Spotlight Agentic Trading in Capital Markets: Where Ethics, Risk, and Alpha Collide

Agentic AI is reshaping capital markets automation, introducing self-directed systems that execute at speed and scale, but demand new frameworks for oversight, explainability, and risk control. This blog explores the practical and ethical implications of deploying autonomous trading agents, and why human judgment remains essential in managing both opportunity and risk.

Jeff Lim
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ASEAN, KX
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Partner Spotlight What’s Beyond Lending? How AI & GenAI Will Reshape SEA Banking in 2025

As Southeast Asia’s financial ecosystem rapidly evolves, banks are moving beyond traditional lending—powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI). The year 2025 marks a pivotal shift where AI is no longer a back-office experiment but a frontline enabler of efficiency, compliance, and customer trust. For SEA’s dynamic banking sector, the question isn’t whether to adopt AI—but how fast and how ethically.

Shivam Sharma
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Partner Spotlight Connectivity is the key to successful AI integration for APAC enterprises

While AI dominates boardroom agendas across Asia Pacific, there’s a growing concern beneath the surface—networks aren’t ready.

Expereo and IDC’s Enterprise Horizons 2025 report reveals that 94% of global tech leaders say network limitations are holding back AI and data initiatives. APAC leads the concern, with 23% of businesses citing poor internet connectivity as a barrier to AI deployment—the highest globally.

Eric Wong, President
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Learn More

CXO Spotlight Gen AI in Financial Services: Myth vs Reality

As Gen AI gains momentum across financial services, CXOs must cut through the hype to separate signal from noise. A common myth is that Gen AI will displace large swaths of the workforce. In truth, its greatest value lies in augmenting human intelligence—empowering advisors, underwriters, and analysts with faster insights, automated summaries, and decision support.

Sourabh Chitrachar
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Learn More

Partner Spotlight Built for Compliance, Designed for Intelligence: Rethinking AI Infrastructure in BFSI

In today’s highly regulated, fast-evolving financial landscape, the adoption of Generative AI is no longer a question of “if” — but “how responsibly and at what scale.” For the BFSI sector, the opportunity is immense: AI promises new efficiencies in fraud detection, credit risk analysis, customer engagement, and regulatory compliance. Yet, realizing this potential requires rethinking infrastructure from the ground up — not just for performance, but for trust.

Sandeep Lodha
CEO
Netweb Pte. Ltd.
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AI at Work in Finance: Real Use Cases and Tangible Impact

AI is no longer a future bet in financial services—it’s already transforming banking, insurance, and asset management. According to McKinsey & Company, Generative AI alone can unlock $200–$340 billion annually in banking value. The benefits? Smarter decisions, faster processes, and operational excellence.

Where AI is working?

How to make AI work?

Balamurugan Jegatheesan
FPT Asia Pacific, FPT Corporation
Chief Architect
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Stay tuned for exciting news!

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