BAKU FINTECH SECTORAL TRADE DELEGATION PROGRAM

Murat Kastan brings over 19 years of experience in the financial institutions sector. He joined UPT in March 2019 as EVP of International Partnerships, later being appointed as Chief Commercial Officer. In October 2023, he was appointed CEO of UPT, Turkey's first licensed payment company, and he also serves as a board member of TURKFIN (Turkic States Fintech Cooperation Platform).

Since joining UPT, Kastan has built a global payment network of 200 partners, offering services from cash payouts and account transfers to virtual TRY IBANs. In the digital space, he spearheaded UPTION Wallet, an all-in-one multicurrency app providing direct SEPA access, QR payments, and cards for daily financial needs.

Serhat Şener is an Board Member of the Turkic States Fintech Alliance (TURKFIN), a regional platform founded by fintech associations from the Turkic States to enhance cooperation in financial technologies, promote interoperable payment systems, and support cross-border innovation across the region. He served on the Board of Directors of the Payment and Electronic Money Institutions Association of Türkiye (TÖDEB) for two and a half years and currently serves as an Alternate Member of its Supervisory Board. He is also the Founder of Fintechium Consultancy and a Board Member of Sender Payment Services. With 20 years of experience across payments, financial services, technology risk, and management consulting, he began his career at Deloitte Türkiye and later joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Türkiye, advising clients primarily in the financial services and technology sectors. Serhat advises banks, payment and electronic money institutions, crypto-asset service providers, fintech companies, and technology providers on strategy, market entry, licensing, regulatory compliance, governance, internal control, and payment infrastructure. His current work focuses on advancing regional cooperation through interoperable payment systems, cross-border payments, and remittance connectivity across Türkiye, Central Asia, and the wider Turkic region.

After graduating from the secondary school he was admitted to the department of “Accounting” at Azerbaijan State Economic University and completed the full course on the speciality of “Economist” in 1981. Zakir Nuriyev started his labour activity as Leading Accountant at the “Control and Inspection” department of the Ministry of Communications, Azerbaijan Republic in 1981.

 Zakir Nuriyev did his military service during 1981-1983. He worked in the capacity of Accountant – Inspector, Chief Inspector and Deputy Chief Accountant at the “Control and Inspection” department of the Ministry of Communications, Azerbaijan Republic from July, 1983 until January, 1989 after having served in the military.

 He was appointed to the post of Manager of the “Control and Accounting” division at “Regional Communication” Production Association of the Ministry of Communications, Azerbaijan Republic in 1989. Zakir Nuriyev worked in the capacity of Chairman of the Management Board at “Rabitabank” Joint-Stock Commercial Bank during 1993-1998 and has been acting as Chairman of the Supervisory Board at “Rabitabank” Open Joint-Stock Company since 1998 up to date. He was elected President of the Azerbaijan Banks Association in 1996 and worked in that capacity until 2006. He has been member of the Presidium at Azerbaijan Banks Association from 2006 till 2015. He was re-elected President of Azerbaijan Banks Association in 2015.

Experienced C-level executive and board leader with over 22 years in the banking and financial services sectors (17+ years in senior leadership) and more than 7 years of Board of Directors experience.
Proven track record in banking management, fintech/processing, retail banking, and microfinance, alongside strategic public policy advisory roles.

Current Roles & Experience

• Chairman of the Management Board, Doscredobank (2025 – Present)
• Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kyrgyz Stock Exchange (KSE) (2024 – Present)
• Deputy Director, Microfinance Company "M Bulak" LLC
• Former Board Leadership:
  • Chairman of the Board of Directors, CJSC "Interbank Processing Center"
  • Member of the Board of Directors, CJSC Credit Bureau "Ishenim"
  • Member of the Board of Directors, CJSC Insurance Company "Jubilee"
• Former Executive Management:
  • Member of the Management Board at OJSC "Commercial Bank Kyrgyzstan", CJSC "Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank" (KICB), and CJSC "Interbank Processing Center".
• Public Sector & Advisory Experience:
  • Former Advisor to the Chairman of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.
  • Public Advisor to the Minister of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Education & Certifications

• Master’s in Public Administration (MPA)
• Bachelor’s in International Economic Relations
• Executive & Professional Education:
  • Sustainable Banking – Amsterdam Institute of Finance
  • Retail Banking – Joint Vienna Institute / EBRD
  • Certified Information Security Manager – Mile2.com

Deputy Chairman of the Kazakhstan Association of Payment Organizations

Born: 1987, town of Shaki, Azerbaijani.

Education:

2008 – the Baku State University, Bachelor’s degree in Informatics.

2011 – the Baku State University, Master degree in Informatics.

2015 – 2017 the EMBA joint program of ADA University and Maastricth School of Management, Master degree in International Business Management.

2020 – Kopenhagen Business School, a course in Digital Transformation in the Financial Sector.

2021 – Harvard Business School, a course in Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, Financial Accounting.

OCM certificate on the organizational architecture of the Oracle

2024 – up to now – the London Metropolitan University, Master degree in Applied Psychology.

Professional career:

2009 – Technical Specialist, the ICL LLC.

2010-2011 – Web programmer, the Infosecurity LLC.

2011-2016 – Junior Programmer, Programmer, Leading Programmer, the Azercell Telekom LLC.

2016-2018 – Head of the Product and Service Development Unit, the Azercell Telecom.

2018-2020 – Head of the Digital Engineering Division of the Digital Lab Department of the Pasha Bank OJSC.

January, 2021 – May, 2024 – Chief Technology Officer, the Pasha Bank OJSC.

2024, May – November Executive Director, Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

2024, November 7 Member of the Management Board of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the decision of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

2024, December 4 Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Married with 3 children.

Since 2020, he has held various leadership positions at ABB, most recently serving as Head of the Bank’s Digital Office. During this period, he contributed to ABB’s digital transformation, the development of ABB mobile, corporate internet banking, and ABB Biz platforms, the expansion of digital sales and services, investment services, and the advancement of AI-powered banking solutions.

He also led the development of new products and services aimed at expanding ABB’s digital ecosystem. Projects in this area included the sale of flight tickets and event tickets through ABB mobile, the introduction of insurance products, and the integration of hotel booking services, which are planned to be launched in the near future.

Mehmet Ali Savaş is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Azericard.

He has over 15 years of international experience in the banking and financial services sector. Prior to joining ABB, he worked at leading financial institutions such as BNP Paribas Group, Poste Italiane, and the National Bank of Kuwait, contributing to their digital transformation initiatives. Throughout his career, he has held various leadership positions in digital banking, product development, and transformation projects in Italy, Türkiye, Kuwait, and Azerbaijan.

Mehmet Ali Savaş received a full scholarship to study Management Information Systems at Işık University in Türkiye.

Vice Chairman of AzFina, General Manager of Epoint