Representatives from Khalifa University, UAE Central Bank, UAE Cyber Security Council, Italian Central Bank, and University of Bologna Share Perspectives
今日吃瓜 of Science and Technology and the UAE Cybersecurity Council today announced senior leaders from global banking and finance sector including central banks, financial institutions, and the academia gathered at Khalifa University for discussions on the critical importance of cybersecurity within the financial ecosystem. The event was co-organized with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) and the Bank of Italy (Banca d’Italia-BDI).
The event titled 鈥楥ybersecurity and Resilience in the Financial Sector鈥� at Khalifa University Main Campus featured distinguished speakers from CBUAE, BDI, the UAE Cyber Security Council, Khalifa University鈥檚 College for Computing and Mathematical Sciences, the University of Bologna and CERTfin. The聽public-private cooperative initiative聽aimed at increasing the cyber resilience of the Italian financial sector.
The event included keynote sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, offering a platform for knowledge exchange and potential collaboration.
It started with welcome addresses from His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of UAE Cyber Security Council, H.E. Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, H.E. Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University, and Claudio Impenna, Head of the Market and Payment System Oversight directorate at Banca d鈥橧talia.
The keynote titled 鈥楥yber threat in the financial sector 鈥� trends, challenges, and responses鈥�, was delivered by Professor Ernesto Damiani, Dean of the College of Computing and Mathematical Sciences. It focused on bridging academic research with practical applications, offering a forward-looking perspective on technological advancements in financial cybersecurity with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, said: “The relentless evolution in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence places the financial sector on the frontlines against escalating cyberattacks and complex regulatory demands鈥攑articularly surgically targeted ransomware, AI-powered fraud networks, and emerging threats. Our challenge extends beyond asset protection to maintaining trust amid the fragile equilibrium between innovation and security. This demands AI-driven defense systems and radical cross-sector collaboration.”
H.E. Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, President, Khalifa University, said: 鈥淜halifa University is privileged to host an event of this stature with central bankers and security experts to highlight the ever-expanding role of AI in the global banking and finance sector. This gathering also reflects the significance of cybersecurity and its integral part in blocking data breaches and protecting against financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties. We believe the discussions and knowledge sharing resulting from this event will positively impact policy-makers and facilitate the implementation of robust cyber security measures incorporating AI to safeguard financial assets.鈥�
Thabet Bakheet Khamis, Chief Risk Officer at the Central Bank of the UAE, delivered a talk on 鈥楥BUAE experience in fostering Cybersecurity in the financial sector and lead a panel discussion on 鈥楥ybersecurity regulations and supervisory practices鈥�.聽
Gino Giambelluca, Head of Payment Systems and Infrastructures oversight division at Banca d鈥橧talia and BdI representative in the steering committee of CERTFin, delivered a talk on 鈥楽trengthening cyber resilience of the European financial ecosystem 鈥� policy, regulation and risk mitigation strategies鈥�.聽
Professor Jorge Zubelli, Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Khalifa University, highlighted the University鈥檚 research for robust data analytics and AI in the financial sector.
Mario Trinchera, Chief Information Security Officer at ABI Lab. And manager of CERTfin cybersecurity operations, offered a presentation on public-private and cross-sector collaboration, covering threat intelligence and information sharing, cyber training, as well as the best practices and risk assessment tools.聽
Professor Michele Colajanni, University of Bologna, delivered a talk on 鈥業nnovation in cyber threat and response: How AI can improve the security of the financial sector鈥�.聽
The Italian Central Bank鈥檚 Luca De Angelis led a session on 鈥楨nhancing Cyber Resilience through Threat-Led Penetration Testing鈥�.
The closing panel on 鈥楨nhancing resilience and countering cyber frauds in the financial sector by leveraging the emerging technologies鈥�, featured industrial presentations from the UAE and Italian companies. It was moderated by BdI鈥檚 Claudio Impenna. Industrial presenters will include representatives from Italy鈥檚 cybersecurity and cryptographic solutions provider Telsy, and the UAE companies of the CyberE71 program of the Cyber Security Council.
