MEBIS 2026 Concludes in Dubai as AI Takes Centre Stage Across the Future of Banking

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2026

The 17th Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS) concluded in Dubai after two highly engaging days that brought together more than 400 banking and technology leaders to explore a financial industry entering a new era of intelligence. Held on 16-17 September at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, MEBIS 2026 demonstrated just how rapidly artificial intelligence is moving into virtually every facet of banking, from customer experience and payments to data, cybersecurity, lending, operations and the core technology platforms on which banks operate.

Across two days of keynotes, fireside conversations and panel discussions, the conversation had clearly progressed beyond whether banks should adopt AI. The focus was increasingly on how AI will operate inside the bank, how far autonomous systems should be allowed to go and what institutions must build today to prepare for a more intelligent and increasingly agentic future.

One of the most exciting discussions of MEBIS 2026 came on Day 2 with From AI Assistants to AI Agents: Autonomous Banking, Governance and Trust, a particularly timely conversation given the extraordinary momentum currently surrounding AI agents. The panel brought together senior AI, digital and innovation leaders from Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Zand, Commercial Bank International, Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Mashreq to explore what happens as Generative AI evolves beyond chatbots and copilots into agents capable of executing tasks, orchestrating workflows and supporting decisions.

The discussion captured one of the defining themes of this year's summit. Agentic AI could create significant opportunities for automation, productivity and entirely new banking experiences, but it also introduces complex questions around governance, cybersecurity, accountability and human oversight. Those issues extended across the programme through sessions examining AI governance, privileged access for non-human users, AI security and the changing role of intelligent systems within financial institutions.

AI was equally prominent across Day 1, with discussions including AI, GenAI and Intelligent Automation in Middle East Banking, What Does AI Make It Possible for a Bank to Become?, Data, AI & Intelligent Banking and Building the AI-Ready Bank. Together, the sessions examined the foundations banks need to deploy AI at scale, including trusted data, cloud infrastructure, governance, workforce readiness and modernised technology environments.

Customer experience, cybersecurity, fraud, Open Finance, cloud modernisation and real-time payments also featured prominently throughout MEBIS 2026. Rather than existing as separate areas of transformation, these conversations increasingly intersected with AI, reflecting how intelligence is becoming embedded across almost every layer of modern banking.

"What stood out at MEBIS this year was how quickly the conversation around AI has matured. We are no longer talking about AI as one technology initiative among many. It is beginning to influence almost every part of the bank, from how customers are served to how decisions are made, risks are managed and operations are run. The quality of the discussions at MEBIS 2026 showed that banks across the region are not simply watching this transformation; they are actively preparing for it," said Shail Bisht, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East.

Beyond AI, MEBIS continued to provide a platform for candid conversations around the realities of banking transformation. The fireside discussion Inside a Digital-First GCC Bank: Lessons from the Transformation Journey featured Noman Rasheed, Chief Information Officer at Dubai Islamic Bank, and Norman Tambach, Group CFO at Mashreq, moderated by Shukri Eid, VP & General Manager - Gulf, Levant & Pakistan at IBM. Following the discussion, MEBIS recognised Noman Rasheed and Norman Tambach for their distinguished leadership and enduring contribution to the banking industry, acknowledging their leadership and contribution to the continued transformation of banking in the region.

MEBIS 2026 also welcomed Jamal Saleh, Director General of the UAE Banks Federation, who delivered a welcome address on behalf of the summit's Official Supporting Partner. Following his address, MEBIS presented Saleh with a special recognition acknowledging the UAE Banks Federation's longstanding support of MEBIS and its contribution to the wider UAE banking community.

The summit was supported by a strong community of industry partners, led by IBM as Title Sponsor, whose participation extended across the programme and brought perspectives around AI, transformation and the future of financial services to the MEBIS stage. The UAE Banks Federation continued its longstanding association with MEBIS as Official Supporting Partner, while PayNways joined the 2026 edition as Platinum Sponsor, alongside a broad ecosystem of technology organisations supporting the region's banking transformation.

Beyond the conference stage, one of the major attractions for attending bankers was the MEBIS Innovation Lounge, where more than 30 technology vendors showcased the latest solutions and innovations shaping financial services. Throughout the two days, delegates were able to engage directly with technology providers working across AI, data, cloud, cybersecurity, digital banking, payments, customer experience and automation, providing an opportunity to see and discuss emerging technologies alongside the strategic conversations taking place on stage.

The combination of senior-level discussions and hands-on technology discovery created a highly engaged environment throughout the summit. For bankers, MEBIS provided an opportunity not only to understand where the industry is heading, but also to meet peers, exchange experiences and explore the technologies that could help shape their institutions' next phase of transformation.

Perhaps the strongest message to emerge from MEBIS 2026 was that the next stage of banking transformation will not be defined by one technology. AI is increasingly becoming an intelligence layer connecting data, customer experiences, workflows, security, payments, lending and decision-making, while banks simultaneously recognise that greater intelligence must be accompanied by stronger governance, trust, security and human accountability.

Now in its 17th edition, MEBIS has evolved alongside the banking industry's transformation, from the earlier waves of digital and mobile banking through cloud, fintech and APIs to today's discussions around Generative AI, Agentic AI and increasingly autonomous banking.

As the regional banking community looks towards MEBIS 2027, one thing was increasingly apparent in Dubai: the intelligent bank is no longer a distant vision. It is beginning to take shape.