FIMBank Group Organises Banking Technology Conference in Malta

16.06.2006

FIMBank plc, the Malta based trade finance bank and its new ICT subsidiary, FIM Business Solutions (FBS), jointly organized a banking technology conference in Malta from the 13th to the 15th June 2006 at Le Meridien Hotel in St. Julians. The Conference was sponsored by 3-i Infotech together with other sponsors such as Microsoft, HP, Cisco Systems, Double-Take, and Infratec.

A number of senior officers from over 20 financial institutions and 15 different countries that are part of FIMBank’s correspondent banking network were personally invited to the Conference and hosted by FIMBank and FBS at Le Meridien for the duration of their stay in Malta.

The Conference was launched by the Honourable Minister of Investments, Industry and IT, Dr. Austin Gatt, and lasted three days, two days of which were allocated for presentations whilst the third day was reserved for networking opportunities and cultural tours around some of Malta’s historic sites.

Prominent international speakers representing global leaders and suppliers of banking technology products and services, including representatives from banking solution providers, addressed the delegates. The presentations led to challenging discussions and exchange of views between the delegates, the speakers, FIMBank officers and other guests.

This was the fifth conference of its kind to be organised by FIMBank, which often hosts in Malta a number of delegates from its correspondent banking network. Whilst the theme of past conferences was more focused on trade finance, the scope of this year’s conference was to create awareness on current technology issues in the Banking industry, and share the knowledge and expertise of FBS staff with FIMBank’s correspondents.

In fact, FBS was set up in 2005 and is a business systems provider and technology management services firm, which is an independent but fully owned subsidiary of the FIMBank Group. FBS’s core business is providing IT management services by acting as a trusted, independent advisor, helping financial organisations manage the cost and risk of their information technology infrastructure. FIMBank Group’s global growth into the UK, Brazil, USA, Turkey, Singapore, Russia, India and Egypt with further plans to open representative offices in the UAE and Libya necessitated the creation of a centralised entity capable of offering technical assistance, linking the offices together and servicing their IT requirements. Furthermore, FBS also aims to service FIMBank Group’s correspondent banking network as well as other Trade Finance organizations.

FIMBank Group achieved its main objective, which is to strengthen and develop relations with its correspondent banks. In addition, this year’s event further consolidated the perception amongst its correspondents that the FIMBank Group is a value added service provider by addressing issues that are relevant and critical to the banking industry in general.

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