Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 51 | Page 11

NEWS Saudi Telecom Company selects IFS to improve customer experience Emirates NBD boosted by new milestone in core banking system upgrade E mirates NBD, a leading banking group in the region, has completed the third phase of its international core banking system upgrade, as it forges ahead with its on-going Digital Transformation efforts to boost efficiency across its domestic and international operations. Leveraging advanced Finacle technology, the third phase of the project sees the rollout of the new core banking system for Emirates NBD Saudi Arabia. By end-2020, all Emirates NBD entities and markets will be consolidated on to one single, updated core banking platform, enabling the bank to offer new financial services more rapidly across all markets while reducing global IT costs. The global initiative is the bank’s biggest in its on-going AED 1 billion Digital Transformation that will enter its fourth and final year in 2020. It has already delivered many large- scale enterprise system improvements. Stephen Keys, IFS Regional President APJ ME&A I FS, the global enterprise applications company, has announced that Saudi Telecom Company (stc), a world class digital leader providing innovative services and platforms to its customers and enabling the Digital Transformation of the MENA region, has selected IFS Service Management to increase process efficiency, improve margins and facilitate improved customer satisfaction. To bolster its leading market position and ready the company for future business driven by an increasing need for digitalisation, stc launched a comprehensive evaluation process, selecting a service platform to replace legacy business systems while improving operational efficiency. From a short list that included solutions from some of the largest vendors in the world, stc chose IFS for its powerful scalability, intuitive user experience and robust functionality. www.intelligentcio.com “We believe IFS’s enterprise class, innovative solutions represent the best fit for our organisational needs,” said Jamel Alshahri, General Manager Enterprise Enablement. “What attracted us to IFS, besides the broad and deep functional capabilities of its software, was its customer- first approach, which is apparent in all engagements we have had with the company to date. IFS is an agile, collaborative and trustworthy partner for stc.” Stephen Keys, IFS Regional President, APJ ME&A, added: “We are honoured to be working with stc, a prestigious and most valuable brand in the region. We look forward to a long and successful partnership together, creating value for stc and its customers.” Abdulla Qassem, Group Chief Operating Officer, Emirates NBD, said: “This is another important milestone in our long-term Digital Transformation strategy that has already delivered numerous major upgrades and consolidations to our enterprise applications. In 2020, our focus is on concluding our most complex, multi-entity initiatives like the core banking system upgrade while ensuring all of our technology enhancements increasingly translate into seamless, innovative financial services for our customers,” he added. Abdulla Qassem, Group Chief Operating Officer, Emirates NBD INTELLIGENTCIO 11