Mr. Afzal Najib, CEO and Managing Director of SAIB Bank, participated in the first annual Arab Forum on Artificial Intelligence, held at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in New Alamein City, from 27 to 28 August 2025, under the patronage of Dr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
The forum highlighted the pivotal role played by Arab joint action institutions and organisations affiliated with the League of Arab States related to artificial intelligence in supporting, activating and implementing the provisions of the Arab Artificial Intelligence Initiative.
Mr. Afzal Najib, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of SAIB Bank, said that artificial intelligence represents a revolution in the areas of compliance, commitment and governance in banks, as it can enhance the ability of traditional banks to combat credit risks by analysing huge amounts of data with great speed and accuracy, It can also predict credit risks more accurately, streamline operations, improve decision-making in banks, and identify customer behaviour and the sectors that most attract their interest, helping banks to offer them suitable products. Furthermore, it has the potential to replace some routine functions, leading to faster, more accurate and more standardised operations and reducing costs.
Najib explained that artificial intelligence is capable of detecting hidden patterns that may not be noticed by credit analysts, which contributes to a more accurate risk assessment and paves the way for a more inclusive financial system, taking into account the need to periodically feed artificial intelligence with accurate data to arrive at sound results that can be relied upon in making credit decisions.
He also stated that interest in artificial intelligence must be accompanied by the qualification, training and education of employees on how to use and monitor it, as monitoring artificial intelligence decisions is less important than its uses in avoiding the surrounding risks that may arise from the submission of biased or incorrect data, leading to biased decision-making.
This came during the third session of the forum, entitled: “The Role of Arab Financial Institutions in Activating and Implementing the Arab Artificial Intelligence Initiative,” chaired by Mr. Mohamed Al-Atribi, Chairman of the Union of Arab Banks and Chairman of the Egyptian Banking Federation, in the presence of Mr. Afzal Najib, CEO and Managing Director of SAIB Bank.
The forum was also attended by Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, and many senior Arab officials and members of the diplomatic and consular corps of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
