IDC Financial Insights' Asian Financial Services Congress Returns For The Sixth Time With A Stellar Line-Up Of Notable Speakers

Singapore and Hong Kong – February 2, 2010 - IDC Financial Insights, IE Singapore, the Regional Banking Associations, and Principal Partners IBM and Silverlake Axis will present to the regional financial services community the 6th Annual Asian Financial Services (AFS) Congress featuring the coveted Financial Insights Innovation Awards (FIIA) on February 25-26.

The Congress, which takes on the theme "Prescriptions for the Upturn - What Next?", is based around lessons learned from the recent financial crisis and how banks should set themselves up for the return of less turbulent times. Organized by IDC Financial Insights Asia/Pacific, this year's AFS Congress will see as many as 500 financial industry practitioners across the region converge in Singapore for the two-day event where an exciting line-up of distinguished speakers from the financial services industry are scheduled to share best practices and case-studies.

Hot topics that will be featured in the Congress include: where value can be build in the period of uncertainty; how Asia's institutions should create and rebuild their franchise; what technology investments have been pushed to the top of the agenda; and, where the opportunities for business transformation and operational innovation lie.

Cyrus Daruwala, Managing Director for IDC Financial Insights Asia/Pacific says, "At this year's AFS Congress, we intend to zoom into the daily workings of how banks go-to-market. We will be looking into the way they identify and retain customers, plan and deploy technology, track internal performances, and assess and mitigate risk. The Congress will also showcase a comprehensive research-based agenda, blended with topics on technology innovations, as well as business and operational best-practices."

Here are a selection of presentations lined-up for the AFS Congress:

Weathering the Perfect Storm: Sustaining Growth During Market Turmoil

by Ray Ferguson, Regional CEO, Singapore and SEA, Standard Chartered Bank

The financial tsunami has resulted in the decline of revenue or even the failure of some institutions worldwide. While some may have failed, others are showing signs of turnaround. How do you sustain growth during the crisis and more importantly, gear your processes and resources to capitalize on the recovery? Standard Chartered Bank will share the lessons learnt from the financial crisis and how they managed to perform well during the turbulent period.

On Time & Within Budget Deployment of Enterprise System - It Is Not A Myth

by Dhananjaya Dvivedi, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Group CIO, Head of Banking Infrastructure Group, Shinsei Bank

Enterprise system is often citied as the heart of the banking operation. Many have failed in deploying or reaping the business values of a core banking system. Shinsei Bank will share their experience in the design and deployment of an enterprise system within timeframe and budget. Their revolutionary success has set the standard of retail banking in Japan.

Tomorrow's Retail Bank: A Path of Transformation

by Michael Lor, Group CEO, EON Bank Group

Amid the financial crisis and dip in global consumer spending, Asia remains profitable and offers an avenue for growth. How can financial institutions leverage on the opportunities presented during this crisis? EON Bank will be sharing their journey of transformation and insights on the potential pitfalls.

The Top 10 Strategic Initiatives for Asia/Pacific Banks in 2010 - Investing for the Comeback

by IDC Financial Insights' regional team of analysts

This session highlights the business and technology issues that will be relevant to the recovery of Asia/Pacific's financial institutions, and how these priorities bear on the plans of technology providers that serve the banking industry.

At the break-out sessions, hear from other industry thought-leaders as they share their views on:

• Next generation of banking
• Establishing a customer centric framework for financial institutions
• Retail payment and transaction banking of the new world
• Optimizing technology to enhance services and infrastructure
• Evolution of outsourcing/shared services beyond cost arbitrage
• What are the issues of compliance for the emerging Asia and how can the firms work with the regulators?
• Post-Crisis regulatory implications on Asia/Pacific – what is the impact for financial services industries across Asia/Pacific?
• Effective approach for shaping the risk management framework

For full description of the agenda and speakers, please visit www.afscongress.com.

The Asian Financial Services (AFS) Congress will be held at Raffles City Convention Centre, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore, on 25-26 February 2010. To request for a media pass, please register here. For all other media enquiries, please contact Lay-Fang Tan at Tel: +65 6829 7731 +65 6829 7731 or Email: lftan@idc.com.

About Asian Financial Services (AFS) Congress 2010

Organized by IDC Financial Insights, the AFS Congress 2010, in its sixth year now, is Asia/Pacific's most influential gathering of financial services practitioners. The theme of the 2010 Congress is "Prescriptions for the Upturn – What Next?". Discussions and case-studies are on the lessons learnt from the financial crisis, and how the region's banks should set themselves up for the return of less turbulent times. At this Congress, IDC Financial Insights will share the latest research from its international team of analysts, highlighting the business and technology issues that will be relevant to the story of recovery of Asia/Pacific's financial institutions

About IDC Financial Insights

IDC Financial Insights is the region’s leading research and advisory firm, helping banks, insurers and financial institutions choose or short-list solutions and vendors, assess their business or IT master plans, and devise operational best practices. Local practices in Asia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Canada add in-depth regional viewpoints. Our access to senior executives from both business and IT divisions enables us to accurately depict and document trends, best practices and industry benchmarks in the region. IDC Financial Insights is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-fi.com.

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