OUR SPEAKERS
Ritika Tondak
Business Development Director at GTCFX
Ritika is a Dubai-based Business Development Director with 15+ years of experience in global financial markets, having started her professional journey in 2011. With an MBA in Marketing & Finance and CISI certification, she has built strong expertise in business development, forex, strategic partnerships, client acquisition, IB development, and leading high-performing teams across international markets. Her professional achievements have also been recognized through prestigious WikiFX Awards, highlighting her contribution to the financial industry. A strategic and growth-driven leader, Ritika believes in creating opportunities, building lasting partnerships, and leading with confidence, integrity, and vision while continuously evolving in the dynamic world of finance.
Deepak Stephen
Chief Strategy Officer at GTCFX
With 17+ years of international leadership experience, Deepak Stephen has successfully evolved from senior HR leadership into the role of Chief Strategy Officer, combining deep expertise in people, strategy, operations, and business growth. His career spans FinTech, Forex, technology, liquidity, payments, and banking across global markets. Having lived and worked globally, he brings a truly international perspective. A passionate mentor, speaker, trainer, and business connector, he has delivered workshops and training across 27 countries and built an extensive global professional network.
Alexander Kolpokchi
CEO and Co-Founder at Base Markets
Alexander Kolpokchi is CEO and Co-Founder of Base Markets, a regulated CFD broker. He began his career at IG Group in London before joining Pepperstone in Dubai. At Pepperstone, he served as Head of Middle East and as Director of its DFSA-regulated entity.
His experience spans commercial strategy, brokerage operations, international growth and governance across multiple jurisdictions. At Base Markets, Alexander is focused on building a credible, transparent and commercially disciplined brokerage for active traders and partners. The firm prioritises fair pricing, strong trading conditions, reliable execution and responsive human service over promotional noise or exaggerated marketing claims. He believes long-term trust is earned when the substance of the client and partner experience consistently matches a broker’s public commitments.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a Master’s degree in European Business from Cass Business School in London.
Rajesh Kumar
Head of Treasury at LuLu International Exchange
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Rajesh Kumar is the Head of Treasury at LuLu International Exchange, where he leads treasury strategy and operations, global liquidity management, multi-currency FX management, pricing strategy, and strategic banking partnerships. With over 17 years of leadership experience in banking and treasury, he specializes in foreign exchange, liquidity optimization, treasury transformation, digital payments, and financial risk management. Rajesh has spearheaded large-scale treasury modernization initiatives, introduced innovative FX pricing solutions, and played a pivotal role in expanding digital remittance capabilities. Passionate about fintech, AI, and emerging payment technologies, he is committed to advancing the future of global treasury and cross-border payments through innovation and operational excellence.
Habib Akiki
Director of Research and Market Education at Daman Markets
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Habib Akiki is a financial markets professional with more than 16 years of experience trading and analysing global markets. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance and a Master’s degree in Financial Management from SDA Bocconi in Italy. He is also a certified technical analyst and holds the CFTe II Diploma from the International Federation of Technical Analysts.
Vince De Castro
Head of Marketing at Acuity Trading
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As Head of Marketing at Acuity Trading, Vince De Castro leads the company’s global brand strategy and market positioning within the forex and fintech space. With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and financial technology, he focuses on helping brokers and trading platforms strengthen trader engagement, product differentiation, and long-term growth.
Vince works closely with product, sales, and executive leadership to align AI-driven market intelligence with the real commercial challenges brokers face today. His background in fintech marketing and conversion strategy enables him to bridge the gap between technology, brand positioning, and measurable business outcomes across global markets.
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Bhaskar Dasgupta
Chairman at Middle East Stablecoin Association
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Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta is a Board Member, Advisor and Investor with proven regulatory engagement, strategic business development, and business transformation experience, deploying advanced analytical and pragmatic delivery skills in various regulated and unregulated sectors - banking, markets, crypto, asset management, and technology. He runs his family office from Abu Dhabi, investing in funds, firms and startups globally in the financial services/fintech, virtual
assets, health tech, defense, and F&B sectors.
He currently serves on boards or advises regulated firms globally (Cohesion Asset Management, ICICI Ventures, Rudo Wealth, Caravella Asset Management, Liongevity Asset Management, Truleum Ventures, Trillium Ventures, AusGulf Ventures, Royal Investments Limited, AirWallex). He chairs the Apex FundRock Board – a $ 550 B global fund platform & FundRock ADGM Limited. He advises UAE-, India-, and UK-based families, as well as regulators in the UAE & Vietnam. He
is a visiting faculty member/member of advisory boards at several universities in the UK, UAE and India. He chairs the Middle East Stablecoin Association, the Trade and Investment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce, Abu Dhabi, and serves on the boards of other associations globally.
Dr Dasgupta’s previous full-time role was leading market development for Abu Dhabi’s Financial Centre (Abu Dhabi Global Market) and Financial Regulator (Financial Services Regulatory Authority) across sectors including Exchanges, Crypto, Digital Banking, Broker/Dealers, Venture Capital, FinTech, Sustainable Finance & Commodities. He was also responsible for Emerging Markets and Europe. He helped triple AUM, making ADGM the largest regulated crypto
jurisdiction in the world; quadrupled the number of broker-dealers; helped launch ICE Futures Abu Dhabi (trading a million contracts within 6 months); and made ADGM the biggest hub for venture capital in the region.
Before joining ADGM in 2019, Dr Dasgupta was the Chief Operating Officer of UK Export Finance at the Department for International Trade, UK Government. The 25-year career included senior-level leadership, business development and transformation roles in investment banking, transaction banking, technology, and consulting in firms such as HSBC, ABN AMRO, Citigroup, and PwC. He has read for a BSc in Mathematics at the University of Bhopal, an MBA in Finance at Indore University, a PhD in Neural Networks/AI at the University of Manchester, a PhD in Politics at King`s College London, and a PhD in Food History at Brunel University. He has begun a PhD in Subtractive Architecture at the University of Westminster.
Eleftherios Vidalis
Group Head of Enterprise Risk at Equiti
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Eleftherios Vidalis is a senior Enterprise Risk professional with extensive experience across financial services and fintech. He specialises in risk management, governance, regulatory frameworks, and building effective risk functions in high-growth environments.
His career includes experience working across the UAE and Europe, with a strong focus on emerging financial technologies and digital payments.
Eleftherios has a particular interest in AI, fintech, and the intersection of technology and risk management. Based in Dubai, he maintains strong professional and business interests
across the Middle East and Europe. He holds a pragmatic, commercially focused approach to risk, balancing robust controls with business growth and innovation.
Osama Gabr
Team Leader at STAR TRADER Global
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Osama is a financial markets and sales professional with extensive experience in the Forex and CFD industry with a strong focus on sales strategy business development and IB partnerships across the MENA region He specializes in building and managing high-performing sales teams and developing strategic partnerships that drive sustainable business growth His experience covers Forex CFDs Gold Indices Commodities and Crypto markets Osama has a strong understanding of IB ecosystems client acquisition retention and performance-driven sales structures He is passionate about developing long-term partnerships and creating scalable sales strategies within the financial markets industry.
Amer Zino
Head of MENA at ATFX Connect
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Amer Zino is Director of Business Development at ATFX Connect, leading the firm’s institutional business across MENA and South West Asia.
With over 15 years of experience in financial markets, he specializes in institutional brokerage, liquidity, execution and strategic business development.
His career spans senior roles across leading global financial firms, with extensive experience in the MENA region and emerging markets.
Amer holds an MBA and a Certificate of Specialization in Leadership and Management from Harvard Business School Online.
He brings a strong combination of market expertise, commercial leadership and strategic insight to the evolving institutional trading landscape.
Ramzi Abou Abdallah
Senior Market Research Analyst at Phystone Financial Advisory
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Ramzi Abou Abdallah is a financial markets analyst with more than a decade of experience across global markets, specializing in foreign exchange, commodities, equities, fixed income, and macroeconomic analysis.
Areas of expertise include global economic trends, central bank monetary policy, interest rates, bond markets, geopolitical developments, technical analysis, and investment strategy, with a strong focus on translating complex market dynamics into clear and actionable insights.
Professional credentials include the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) designations. Academic qualifications include an MBA, a Master’s in Global Central Banking, and a Master’s in Economics from leading UK universities, combining business strategy, monetary policy, and economic analysis with extensive financial markets experience.
Regular media contributions and TV appearances include Al Arabiya Business, CNN Business Arabic, Sky News Arabia, and Bloomberg, providing analysis and commentary on global financial markets, monetary policy, currencies, commodities, bonds, and major economic developments.
A multidisciplinary approach combining market experience, economics, fundamental research, and technical analysis supports a comprehensive perspective on global markets and investment decision-making.
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Anuj Namdev
Talent Acquisition Manager at STARTRADER
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Since 2021, Anuj has been immersed in the world of forex and crypto hiring, helping brokerages
and fintech businesses across the UAE and MENA region build the teams behind their growth.
Currently a Talent Acquisition Manager at STARTRADER, a well-known name in the forex space, his background spans organizations like G42 (Core42 now) ,D24 Fintech/BitDelta, including multiple startups in the UAE MENA region as well as US-based clients such as CapitalOne Bank. Beyond recruitment, Anuj has been invited to speak on two podcasts about hiring and talent trends in the UAE — including a BeInCrypto episode viewed over 22,000 times — and is a familiar voice on LinkedIn for anyone following the region's fintech and forex recruitment scene.
Rashed Alkhzaie
Founder at The B Collective
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Seasoned economist and blockchain forensics experts with a proven track record in the financial markets services sector as a strategic contributor to large-scale organizations and start-ups alike. He founded "The B Collective," an advisory firm specializing in blockchain technology for finance, which now serves clients across both the public and private sectors as well as "Benchmark," a creative marketing and advertising firm specializing in the financial services sector.
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Maria Kartousova
Head of Salesforce Products at Equiti Group
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Maria Kartousova, PMP, MSc is Head of Salesforce Products at Equiti Group, a global fintech and brokerage group, where she leads the enterprise-wide transformation of the firm's CRM, customer experience, and AI strategy across the UAE, Kenya, Jordan, and other key markets. She also leads the group's strategy on Agentic AI across internal systems, mobile apps, and client portals — work that earned Equiti an Innovators of the Year 2026 recognition and a Dreamforce Agentforce Award nomination. With over 15 years leading digital transformation across fintech, pharmaceutical, and retail organisations, Maria brings a practitioner's view on how AI and CRM technology are reshaping customer engagement in financial services.
Sajini Jacob
Marketing Director at CoinMENA
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Sajini Jacob is a data-driven marketing leader shaping digital assets, fintech, and MarTech innovation globally. As Marketing Director at CoinMENA, she drives regional user acquisition, high-impact branding, events, strategies, and brand expansion. She excels at building full-funnel growth engines, MarTech data integration, and customer lifetime value (CLV) optimization, successfully steering marketing through CoinMENA’s landmark acquisition by Paribu for up to $240M in 2025. Her track record spans scaling multi-million-dollar global performance budgets, leading digital marketing strategy, and building foundational frameworks for various organizations. Recognized among the Top 20 Women in Digital Leadership, Sajini regularly addresses global audiences on MarTech automation, consumer scaling, compliant growth engines, and market transformation.
Simona Wilkinson
Head of Strategic Operations at Pepperstone
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Simona Wilkinson is Head of Strategic Operations at Pepperstone, a global multi-asset CFD and FX broker. She leads the firm's shift toward AI-native commercial lifecycle transformation, embedding intelligent automation and data-driven decisioning across the client journey from acquisition through retention. Her work focuses on redesigning operational and commercial processes around AI to improve speed, scale, and precision in a highly regulated trading environment. Simona brings a pragmatic, execution-first approach to innovation, bridging strategy, technology, and operations.
Amr AlMasry
Sales Director at Amana
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Amr AlMasry is Sales Director at amana, with 11+ years of experience in the online trading and financial services industry. He leads a team of senior commercial professionals focused on growing institutional and retail business, strategic partnerships, liquidity solutions, and FIX API relationships. Throughout his career at amana, Amr has played a key role in developing relationships with corporate clients, introducing brokers, and strategic partners across multiple markets. His experience spans commercial strategy, pricing, client acquisition, and building partnerships that drive sustainable revenue growth.
Farah Mourad
Senior Market Analyst at IG Group
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Farah Mourad is a Senior Market Analyst and financial markets commentator with 8+ years of experience across global markets. A recognised voice across the MENA financial landscape, she brings together market intelligence, macroeconomics and real-time market dynamics to decode what is moving markets, and why it matters.
Aleksandra Tsybulskaya
Head of International Department (CIS) at MultiBank Group
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Aleksandra Tsybulskaya is Head of International Department (CIS) at MultiBank Group in Dubai. She leads institutional sales, OTC crypto and IB and partner growth across Russian-speaking markets.
She brings more than 10 years of experience across traditional finance and digital assets, with a focus on liquidity, execution, custody and cross-border capital flows into the UAE.
Her track record includes $86M in assets under management (2023–2024) and 30–50% growth in institutional OTC trading volumes (2021–2023).
She advises high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional counterparties in English and Russian.
Aleksandra holds two MBAs: Finance from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, and Artificial Intelligence from Augment.
She has provided market commentary on Bloomberg and Asharq Business and has spoken at Crypto Expo Dubai.
Awais Amjad
Head of Compliance & MLRO at EC Markets Securities & Financial
Promotion L.L.C
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Awais Amjad is the Head of Compliance & MLRO at EC Markets Securities & Financial Promotion L.L.C. in the UAE. He has several years of experience in regulatory compliance, AML/CFT, financial crime prevention, and risk management within the financial services industry. His professional background includes experience across brokerage, digital banking, and money services businesses in the UAE. He holds certifications including CAMS, CGSS, CISI Combating Financial Crime, CISI UAE Financial Rules & Regulations, and Certification in Trade Surveillance. In his current role, he oversees regulatory compliance, AML/CFT, governance, client risk management, and regulatory engagement. His key areas of interest include Forex and CFD regulation, market conduct, trade surveillance, financial crime compliance, and the evolving regulatory landscape of financial markets.
Khalid Saleem
Founder at Wali Consultancy UAE
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Khalid Saleem is a UAE-based regulatory compliance and financial services professional with extensive experience in regulatory compliance, AML/CFT, financial crime risk management, and corporate governance. He holds a degree in Project Management and professional certifications including CAMS, CISI, PMP, and Go-AKS.
With practical experience across CMA-regulated financial services businesses and international regulatory environments including Mauritius, Malaysia, Seychelles, and Cyprus, He has supported organisations throughout their regulatory journey—from establishment and licensing to the development and implementation of robust compliance frameworks.
Prior to his career in financial services, he served in senior government roles, bringing more
than a decade of experience in leadership, governance, risk assessment, and institutional
management. His multidisciplinary background enables him to bring a practical, risk-based,
and internationally informed perspective to regulatory and compliance matters.
Yusuf Mansawala
Regional Sales Manager at CPT Markets
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Yusuf Mansawala is a senior sales and business development professional with over 20 years of experience driving commercial growth across international markets. As Regional Sales Manager overseeing GCC, MENA, and South Asia, he specializes in market expansion, strategic partnerships, client acquisition, and IB network development within the Forex and CFD industry. His leadership focuses on building scalable business models, high-performing teams, and sustainable partner ecosystems that deliver long-term commercial growth.
