Senior banking and financial-services executives from across Southern Africa will gather at NH Johannesburg Sandton on October 14 for the 28th Connected Banking Summit – Innovation & Excellence Awards.
Organised by the International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA), the event will focus on how financial institutions are implementing AI, cybersecurity, digital payments, data and automation as part of broader digital transformation initiatives.
Banking Leaders to Discuss AI, Security and Digital Transformation
This year’s theme, “Advancing Intelligent Banking, Security, and Enterprise Digital Modernization in South Africa,” will frame discussions around the practical implementation of these technologies. Sessions will cover the use of AI in financial services, cyber resilience, data-driven decision-making, evolving payment systems and approaches to modernising banking operations while addressing governance, security and customer needs.
The speaker lineup includes executives from major financial institutions operating in the region. Among them are Tsebeletso Mashau, CIO Africa Regions at Standard Bank Group; Kgotso Buys, Chief Information Officer for Investment Banking at RMB; Malebo Sefula, Group Head of Data Governance at Investec; Francois Benjamin, Chief Operating Officer at Access Bank South Africa; Keshani Ganasen, Integrated Advice CEO at FNB South Africa; and Brian Mahlangu, Interim Head of Strategy & Digital Commercialisation at Absa Group.
Other speakers will bring perspectives spanning compliance, cybersecurity, payments, economics, digital marketing and financial innovation.
The summit will also include technology sessions and demonstrations from Gold Sponsors Tether, Group-IB, EvonSys and SAS. Their participation will cover digital assets and payment infrastructure, cybersecurity and fraud prevention, AI-powered payment operations, and data analytics.
Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026
Alongside the conference programme, the Connected Banking Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 will recognise organisations, projects and industry leaders contributing to financial services across areas including digital banking, cybersecurity, financial inclusion, fintech innovation, digital payments, customer experience, data and transformation.
The event will also provide opportunities for executive networking, one-to-one discussions and engagement between financial institutions and technology providers.