"Technology is key differentiator among banks today in the quest to attract and retain customers" says IT expert

The Financial Services Technology Summit (FST) is an international event which kicks off the first Middle East round this year with an event in Doha from the 27th - 29th May.

The event will see senior representatives from LINK Development and parent company LINKdotNET addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the adoption of technology into financial institutions today.

These include working with various programs and technologies, integrating information relating to thousands of customers, and enabling banks to provide services through multiple channels such as Internet, telephone and mobile banking.

"Competition within the finance industry is tougher now that it has ever been in the region," explains Sherif Dahan, Gulf Territory Manager at LINKdotNET. "With banks introducing more facilities and services and with an increasingly demanding customer that expects nothing short of outstanding service at all times, banks have to compete much harder to attract and retain customers."

"The advantages offered by technology in streamlining processes, integrating systems, connecting employees seamlessly, and ultimately enabling banks to serve thousands of customers better, has never been more evident to the industry," continues Dahan. "Technology is the key differentiator today among banks that are increasingly offering similar products and services."

"Banks that have ambitious growth plans find it imperative now to integrate the vast amount of information and processes involved in customer service."

LINK Development is opening an office in Doha this year to complement its network of four operations across the Middle East and Europe, and directly address the IT needs of Qatari-based public and private organizations.

The company will address delegates at the FST Summit on how Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) can help achieve business agility within the finance industry.

The company will discuss the necessity of building a scalable IT foundation that enables ongoing service innovation and the integration of various channels, and will also highlight some of its own case studies that demonstrate how new services can be introduced faster through SOA solutions.

Through the adoption of SOA, banks and financial institutes are better equipped to bundle and package their services creatively and provide them through multiple channels to individual and corporate customers.

LINK Development will also be shedding light on its offerings for the finance and banking sector, such as portals, intranets, unified communications, Help desk solutions, CRM and e-services.

With more than a decade of experience operating in the Middle East and Africa, LINK Development has built solid experience working with various financial institutions across the region, from Al Ahly Bank of Kuwait, to Commercial International Bank and NSGB in Egypt, and to the UAE-based Dubai Bank, Gulf Capital and the Ministry of Finance and Investment.

The FST Summit runs on 28th and 29th May 2008 at the Ritz Carlton Sharq Hotel in Doha, and will address the key challenges facing MENA's financial services technology decision-makers.