Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova Leads Payment Innovation Panel at MEBIS 2026
Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, joined an expert panel at the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS) in Dubai on September 17. The discussion was centered around payment innovation and how it's evolving across the region.
The panel included senior banking and payments executives from major financial institutions such as Al Fardan Exchange, RAKBANK, BANK NXT, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and IBM. Shevtsova highlighted the growing importance of interoperability in the industry, where real-time payments, wallets, and cross-border infrastructure need to work together seamlessly.
The discussion focused on the challenges faced by banks and fintech companies in connecting established banking infrastructure with new payment rails while maintaining security, compliance, and operational resilience. Shevtsova emphasized that 'the future of payments will not be defined by a single technology or payment method. The real opportunity is in connecting the ecosystem around the customer.'
The Middle East Banking Innovation Summit brings together industry leaders to discuss topics such as AI and intelligent automation, digital banking, payments innovation, open banking, embedded finance, cybersecurity, data strategy, and next-generation financial infrastructure.