QCB meet to discuss cyber security challenges

DOHA: Qatar Central Bank (QCB) will host its annual conference on ‘Information Security in Financial Institutions’ on November 1. Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani will formally open the high-profile conference, Abdul Hadi Ahen Ali Ahen, Director of Banking, Payments & Settlements Systems Department, QCB announced here yesterday. 
The conference will shed light on information security, the challenges it faces and infrastructure improvements. 
The event will bring together experts from international bodies including IMF, World Bank and Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Abdul Hadi said. 
This conference continues the discussions that took place at the first and second conferences for Information Security in Financial Institutions in 2014 and 2015. Entitled “Challenges and Solutions,” the two previous conferences drew large audiences and achieved the goals that were set for them. 
The topics discussed resonated widely, with many participants expressing the desire to continue the discourse, he said. 
The central bank is committed to ensure the safety of the entire financial sector, to protect it from risks related to information security and the preservation of confidentiality as required by law, and to adopt the best international practices and standards to do so. 
Stability of our financial system is the fundamental pillar that Qatar Central Bank and other regulatory bodies seek to achieve. This is in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy. 
Lord Stevens, Former Metropolitan Police,UK; Conrad Prince, UKTI Cyber Ambassador, UK Trade and Investment; Jayesh Panchal, Chief Information Security Officer, IMF; Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, Group Chief Executive Officer, Qatar National Bank; Attila Csajbok, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank; Dr. David Whyte, Head of Cyber Security, BIS; and Alain Raes, Chief Executive, EMEA and Asia Pacific – SWIFT are among other experts to address the conference.
The central bank,Abdul Hadi said, on a regular basis, is engaging with the technical authorities involved in information security, especially the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Interior and all official and security agencies in the state. 
“We cooperate fully with all such bodies for information security and protection from threats, as we confront our mutual challenges in this area together”, 
“We welcome participants and guests from Qatar and abroad to this third conference. We also express our thanks and appreciation to our conference sponsors and shareholders of banks, insurance companies, finance companies, and investment firms and exchange houses.”, he said.