INTERNATIONAL FINANCE & BANKING SUMMIT 2026

Namig Aliyev was born in 1977 in Baku. He is a graduate of Baku State University. During his student years, he worked on a number of periodical publications. In 1999-2000 he worked in the Republican Scientific and Technical Library and in 2001-2003 in the Main Department of Cultural Education of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a leading specialist. As of 2004, he worked as a correspondent, leading correspondent, assistant editor, editor at the Free Azerbaijan Broadcasting Company "Azad Azərbaycan".

He started working in the Communication Department of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan in May 2010. Since July 2011, he has been the Head of the Public Relations Division of aforementioned department. He is the presenter of "Economic News" program  at Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company (AZTV).

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Farid Osmanov obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Faculty of Finance and Credit at the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. Additionally, he completed a second degree at the same university, graduating from the Faculty of Informatics and Management with a specialization in Information Technologies in the Global Economy. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

He holds international certifications in IT service management as well as in information security management.

Since 2005, he has held various positions within the Information Technology Department of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), and in 2013, he was appointed as the Director of the department. Since 2020, he has served as the Executive Director of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan.

In August 2024, Farid Osmanov was appointed as Advisor to the Minister of Digital Development and Transport.

Since January 2025, he has been serving as the Chairman of the Board of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency.

Mr. Nurullah Bakır, a graduate of the Department of Economics at Erciyes University, began his banking career in 1999. He held positions as branch manager and department head at Pamukbank, Tekstilbank, and Anadolubank. After joining Ziraat Bank in 2015, he served as Head of the Entrepreneurial Credit Allocation and Management Department and as Head of the Entrepreneurial Branch Banking Department. He also served as a board member of Ziraat Bank Azerbaijan and Ziraat Bank Moscow. In 2020, Bakır was appointed General Manager of Ziraat Bank Moscow. Since 1 July 2025, he has been serving as the Secretary General of the Banks Association of Türkiye. Mr. Bakır is fluent in English and possesses proficiency in Russian.

Professor Vusal Gasimli is the Head of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication of Azerbaijan, the Government’s Delivery Unit. As a member of the Government Commission on Business Environment, he played a key role in positioning Azerbaijan as a top reformer in the Doing Business rankings. He has completed executive education at Harvard Kennedy School and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford. He is an active participant in global economic discussions, particularly within the T20, a G20 engagement group. His expertise has been sought in advisory roles, including as a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, and in international projects with the European Union, the World Bank, and JICA. He has lectured at leading universities worldwide and was a visiting scholar at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy. He also served as Focal Point at the UN Economic and Social Commission, highlighting his commitment to international cooperation. An accomplished academic, Professor Gasimli is the author of 20 books published by prestigious publishers, including Emerald, Cambridge University Press, and Springer Nature.

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.

Nurlan Hajiyev serves as Visa Senior Director and Country Manager for Azerbaijan, leading the company’s operations and strategy in the market. In this role, he focuses on advancing Azerbaijan’s digital payments ecosystem by strengthening Visa’s partnerships with banks, merchants, and cardholders and driving financial innovation.

Since joining Visa in 2013, Nurlan has played a pivotal role in several landmark initiatives, including the launch of Apple Pay and Visa B2B Connect in Azerbaijan and contributions to the Visa Token Service project.

Prior to working at Visa, Nurlan held senior leadership roles at DemirBank, serving as Marketing and Business Development Director and later as Director of the Plastic Cards Department. During his tenure, he led key initiatives in card issuance, digital banking, and customer engagement, facilitating the bank’s product expansion and modernization.

With over a decade of experience in financial services and a strong track record in business development and digital transformation, Nurlan continues to shape the future of payments in Azerbaijan.

Nurlan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Credit and a Master’s degree in Taxation from the Azerbaijan State University of Economics.

Mr. Ramil Mahmudov is a Deputy Director of the Payment systems and settlements department at Central Bank of Azerbaijan Republic. He is an experienced professional in payment systems, e-banking, card business, digital payments with more than 20 years at central banking. As co-author of several regulations and recommendations for payment institutions and Fintech, he also familiar with international experience about payments systems ecosystem and payment instruments and also with risk management, fraud management, chargeback rules.

Mr. Mahmudov holds Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from University of Luxembourg and Master’s degree in Finance from Azerbaijan State Economic University. He received Executive education diploma from New York University Stern School of Business and numerous training certificates in the field of payments and management in Europe and Asia.

Azer is the Executive Director at the Azerbaijan Fintech Association (Azfina). He is a financial sector professional with over 15 years of international experience in banking and fintech. His main areas of expertise include digital payments, fintech regulation, and compliance, private and investment banking. As the head of the fintech association, he is committed to fostering the development of digital financial services, promoting fintech innovation, and enhancing international collaborations.

With 19 years of experience in the banking industry, he has held a wide range of leadership positions across product development and management, business strategy, digital payments, payments and card infrastructure, treasury, settlements and cash management.

He is passionate about understanding customer needs, exploring complex challenges, and leveraging modern technologies to deliver practical and effective solutions. Throughout his career, he has maintained a strong customer-centric approach, placing customer value at the heart of decision-making and operational excellence.

Teymur Aghakishiyev holds an MBA in Banking Management from the Financial University of the Russian Federation.

He is also a professional trainer in banking and management.

Hikmet Can Yilmazsoy is the Head of Türkiye, Caucasus and Central Asia at Swift, where he is overseeing the relations and engagements with key stakeholders in the financial ecosystem including central banks, financial institutions, market infrastructures and regulatory bodies. Since joining Swift in 2018, Can served as the Country Manager for Türkiye and Qatar until his current role.

Prior to his tenure at Swift, he led business development and project management activities in cash management, payment systems and digital banking areas with a leading bank in Türkiye. In addition, Can drove high-impact strategic initiatives in the customer experience management, retail banking and corporate finance areas throughout his 16 years of banking career.

He holds an MBA degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University, with executive education from Columbia University and INSEAD.

Otabek Nasirov is the Chairman at Central Asian Fintech Association, a member of the expert council at Cyber Park, AICA, and the working groups of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Otabek actively participates in the development of the fintech market and community in Central Asia, regulatory sandboxes and local legislation of the fintech industry, including education on blockchain technology, convergence technologies such as AI, digital assets, cyber security and others. Represents and lobbies for the interests of the fintech community within key government agencies of Uzbekistan, including the Ministry of Digital Technologies, the Central Bank, the Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee, the National Agency for Perspective Projects, and the State Tax Committee.

Otabek member of the UMAY Angels Club, ICLUB by Venture Found TA Ventures and cooperates with the Uzbekistan Venture Capital Association (UzVCA), the National Venture Capital Fund (UzVC), and the AloqaVentures.

His knowledge and experience are the result of working in international and global companies such as Coca-Cola, Carlsberg Group, General Motors, Ernst & Young and SIT Learning within the Swiss International Research Institute Schaffhausen Institute of Technology and others.

Graduate of the Tashkent State Law Institute and the Moscow School of Management "Skolkovo".

Otabek is an ambassador for Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) and Chapter Zero Uzbekistan (Climate Governance Initiative | CGI ).

Farrukh Farajullayev is a commercial leader with over 10 years of experience in the IT, cloud, and digital technology sectors. As the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at AzInTelecom, he drives commercial strategy and execution, overseeing key functions such as sales, marketing, product development, and business development. His expertise in cloud, digital solutions, and emerging technologies enables him to design and implement initiatives that deliver substantial revenue growth and business expansion.

Farrukh has played a pivotal role in the development and rollout of services including AzInTelecom’s cloud solutions, the SİMA digital solutions platform, and other innovative offerings designed to support businesses in their digital transformation journey. His strategic vision has led to effective go-to-market strategies aligned with market needs, resulting in significant revenue and market share growth.

Committed to customer satisfaction, innovation, and collaboration, Farrukh has cultivated strong relationships with clients, partners, and stakeholders, fostering long-term loyalty and sustainable success.

Akif Bağırov hazırda Azərbaycan Respublikasının Mərkəzi Bankında Sədrin müşaviri vəzifəsində çalışır. Onun texnologiya sahəsində 15 ildən çox, bank sektorunda isə 8 ildən artıq informasiya və kibertəhlükəsizlik üzrə ixtisaslaşmış təcrübəsi vardır. O, dəyişkən maliyyə mühitində həm effektiv, həm də praktik olan təhlükəsizlik proqramlarının hazırlanması, tənzimləyici tələblərə uyğunluq, risklərin azaldılması və strateji istiqamətin müəyyən edilməsi sahələrində fəaliyyət göstərir.

2021–2023-cü illər ərzində Akif Bağırov PAŞA Bank ASC-nin Təhlükəsizlik blokuna daxil olan İnformasiya Təhlükəsizliyi Xidmətləri şöbəsinin rəhbəri kimi çalışmış və PCI DSS, NIST və CIS kimi beynəlxalq çərçivələrlə uyğunluğun təmin olunmasına rəhbərlik etmişdir.

Aigul Telkarayeva is a distinguished compliance expert, educator, and consultant specializing in ethics, anti-money laundering (AML), governance, and risk management. With over 20 years of experience across Central Asia and the Gulf region, she is widely recognized for her leadership in regulatory compliance, risk governance, and business transformation.

As President of the Institute of Chartered Compliance Professionals (ICCP), Aigul leads international initiatives to advance excellence in compliance through professional standards, education, and research. Her career includes senior roles as Head of Compliance, where she built comprehensive compliance frameworks, trained executives, and led major fraud investigations.

Under her leadership, ICCP is shaping the future of the compliance profession by developing benchmark academic curricula, certification programs, and global compliance resource center. Aigul combines strategic vision with practical expertise to help organizations align regulatory obligations with ethical business performance.

Araz Hasan-zadeh has over 8 years of experience in payment systems, card operations, clearing, and digital fraud analytics.

His core areas of expertise include fraud risk modeling, developing behavior-based analytical approaches, and detecting anomalies across payment channels. Araz also leads a range of advanced initiatives focused on optimizing and automating business processes, ensuring security against fraudulent activities, implementing fraud management systems, and enriching data for better fraud detection.

Dr Michael Salmony is an internationally recognised leader on strategy of business innovations in  digital and financial services with a particular focus on Payments, Open Finance, FinTech, Digital  Identity, B2B/e-Invoicing/SCF, AI for Financial Services and Electronic Money/CBDC/Stablecoins.

He is board-level advisor to major international banks, industry associations, regulators, top  consultancies, service providers and investors across the world. He regularly helps shape future  directions in all key decision making bodies (e.g. European Commission/ European  Parliament/ECB/CEPS Think-Tank in Europe, and central banks from Japan to Uruguay and  Kazakhstan). For 10 years he served as Executive Adviser to the Board of Worldline Financial Services,  helping to bring them from a local player to become the world’s 4th largest financial processor of  transactional services, which handles over 17 trillion Euro per year.

He also works with multiple regions where financial innovations are currently emerging - for example  with the World Bank in Central Asia, as Board Member of Fintech Africa, as Advisory Board Member  to Mastercard in Latin America, as strategic partner to FinTech Istanbul.

His views are much in demand as keynote speaker at international events and he appears on  TV/Radio/all electronic media on advances in finance and is quoted extensively (e.g. Financial Times,  Harvard Business Manager, New Scientist, The Economist and governments from Ghana to Malaysia).  He teaches at the Oxford Business School on "AI in Fintech and Open Banking” and at further  universities such as in Australia, Turkey, Germany. He has published much own original work which  has been translated into many languages including German, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Danish,  Turkish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese and is cited in hundreds of publications around the world. He  is extensively networked into the new financial services space and has one of the top most viewed  profiles on business social media platforms.

He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers, Freeman of the City of London  and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce FRSA.

Previous positions include Director Business Development of leading national central bank (Bank of  the Year, Best Innovator Award).

Before entering the world of finance, he helped transform companies and business models in many  industries as IBM's Director of Market Development Media and Communications Technologies.

He studied at the University of Cambridge UK and is married, with two millennial children.

In the current role as Country Manager for the Caucasus and Central Asia within Swift’s Business Development and Strategy team, I lead strategic engagements with financial institutions, regulators, and FinTech’s across the region. My work centers on strengthening collaboration, advancing market adoption of secure and efficient cross‑border payment solutions, and supporting the optimization of end‑to‑end payments processes. Through these initiatives, I help drive the region’s broader financial digitalization and contribute to building a more integrated and resilient ecosystem.

Previously, I contributed to finance operations optimization within Swift after joining in 2018, working across accounting, controlling, and procurement. I later supported clients in enhancing their KYC operational frameworks, enabling more scalable and harmonized compliance practices.

I hold a master’s degree in international management from the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, Germany

Anastasiya Nenasheva serves as the Head of Marketing for CISSEE, leading the marketing agenda across 17 markets. Her main areas of responsibility include Client Marketing, Product Marketing, Merchants Marketing and Sponsorship.

Anastasiya joined Visa in 2019, successfully leading several key regional initiatives spanning premium benefits and loyalty enhancements, including Digital Concierge and the revised Visa Rewards Program (VRP). Before joining the Marketing team, she oversaw the focused product agenda as Head of Consumer Payments & CPV.

Prior to joining Visa, Anastasiya spent a 7-year tenure in Core Products at Mastercard, where she was leading the Loyalty Solutions team for Central & Eastern Europe region, being responsible for the development of VAS and brand preference and rewards platforms.

Anastasiya holds a PhD in Economics and a degree as an English interpreter from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Deputy Director, Payment Systems Department, Bank of Baku OJSC/Azerbaijan Banks Association, Chairman of Commitee on Payment Systems and Digital Banking

I began my professional career in digital fraud prevention in 2017 at “Azericard” processing center. Later, from 2018 to 2022, I worked at “Pasha Bank” in the Digital Fraud Management unit. Between 2022 and 2025, I served as the Head of the Digital Fraud Prevention Team at “Unibank.”

Throughout my career, I have specialized in fraud prevention across mobile and online banking, bank cards, acquiring services, electronic commerce, physical payment terminals, as well as various digital payment channels used by payment service providers.

CISO, Managing Director, Telco Industry

My name is Shahin Heydarov, and I have been working in the finance and banking sector for many years. Currently, I serve as the Head of AML & Monitoring Division at PASHA Bank. My professional experience mainly covers anti-money laundering, transaction monitoring, risk management, and compliance. Throughout my career, I have gained extensive experience by working in both local and international companies.

During my professional journey, I worked at prestigious companies such as Citibank and Accenture in different positions. These roles helped me develop strong expertise in financial risk analysis, audit processes, investigation of suspicious transactions, and implementation of internal control mechanisms. Teamwork, responsibility, and effective decision-making are among my key strengths.

I completed my Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance at the University of Warsaw and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Azerbaijan University. In addition, I hold the internationally recognized CAMS certification. I am fluent in English, Russian, and Turkish, and I also possess strong skills with financial and analytical software.

Emre Akkoyun is a software engineering leader with over 15 years of experience building digital banking platforms and distributed systems at scale.

He has held senior engineering roles at some of the region's most prominent financial institutions, including Emirates NBD, Visa, and KIB — contributing to the development of greenfield digital banks such as Liv (KSA) and the E20 Digital Business Bank. His expertise spans microservices architecture, digital transformation, and large-scale technical delivery in highly regulated financial environments.

Emre currently serves as Head of Software Engineering at BGTS — Turkey's number one independent software development and technology services company, with a strong focus on the banking and finance sector. In this role, he leads engineering teams building the next generation of financial infrastructure for some of Turkey's most demanding institutions.

He holds a BSc in Computer Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, an MSc in Software Architecture from Bahçeşehir University, and completed MIT's Executive Education program in Innovation and Technology Acceleration.

At this Banking & Finance event, Emre will be exploring how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping banking software development and banking operations , and redefining how institutions make smarter, faster products — drawing on real-world lessons from over a decade at the forefront of the industry.

I am the Founder and CEO of NetKoruma Cyber Threat Prevention Services, a company developing technologies for detecting and blocking phishing and fraud incidents on the internet since 2016.

Adilkhan Mukazhanov is a business and technology executive specializing in digital identity, biometrics, and enterprise IT solutions within the financial and telecommunications sectors.

He graduated from Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 8 in Pavlodar and earned a degree in Computer Engineering and Software Development from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

He is a certified project management professional, holding IPMA certification as well as ITIL IT Operational Support and Analysis certification.

Since 2016, he has held leadership and expert roles in major telecommunications companies in Kazakhstan. At TransTelecom JSC, he contributed to the implementation and administration of an electronic document management system. At Beeline Kazakhstan, he worked as a Partner Relations Expert and was involved in launching solutions for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In collaboration with development teams and partners, he contributed to increasing product revenue by 3.5 times.

He currently serves as Regional Business Development Director at VisionLabs, focusing on the financial sector, and as Executive Director of VisionLabs’ representative office in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Under his leadership, VisionLabs’ biometric technologies have been adopted by seven second-tier banks in Kazakhstan as well as the Identification Data Processing Center under the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Harun is a seasoned financial services and strategy professional with over two decades of experience across banking, capital markets, and wealth management. He has led complex strategy, transformation, and operating-model engagements within the financial sector, helping institutions navigate change, strengthen competitiveness, and deliver sustainable performance.

Earlier in his career, Harun built a strong foundation in corporate banking and capital markets before extending his impact into strategic advisory, where he partnered with senior leadership teams on growth, restructuring, and modernization agendas across multiple markets.

Harun is a CFA Charterholder and holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.

Efe is a technology consulting professional with 11+ years of experience architecting and delivering complex transformation programs in the financial services and telecommunications industries. He builds digital platforms, next-generation architectures, technology strategy roadmaps, and operating models. His expertise enables companies to become high-velocity enterprises.

He leads the Technology Consulting practice of DefineX with a team of highly skilled technology strategists and consultants, providing services on Digital Transformation, Technology Strategy, Enterprise Architecture, and IT Governance. He is a specialist in Enterprise Architectures, Cloud Native Technologies, SOA and Microservices Architectures, Domain-Driven Design, Enterprise Integration, API Management, and Business Process Management. He has experience in several large-scale technology transformations, application modernization, and systems integration programs.

Efe holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University.

Eren Söyler is an experienced consultant with 15+ years of experience in financial services, leading large-scale transformation programs focused on cost optimization, operational efficiency, and bottom-line growth.

He leads business analysis capabilities across complex banking and financial services initiatives, helping institutions translate strategic priorities into scalable operating models, digital capabilities, and measurable business outcomes. His experience spans credit transformation, process redesign, new operating model development, and technology-enabled business transformation.

He works closely with business and technology teams to define target-state capabilities, improve end-to-end journeys, and support institutions in building more agile, efficient, and future-ready organizations.

Eren holds a BSc in Computer Engineering from Koç University.

Alexander Dzneladze has served as the President of the Banking Association of Georgia since 2018, leading the organization’s transformation and strengthening its role as the representative body of the Georgian banking sector.

Alexander is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in banking and more than 10 years of entrepreneurial experience. His expertise spans business development, organizational transformation, digital innovation, profitability growth, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications.

Known for his results-oriented leadership style, he has successfully led complex transformation initiatives and developed strategies that deliver sustainable business outcomes.

Anar Yusifzada holds higher education degrees in Law as well as Accounting and Auditing. He has more than 19 years of professional experience in the banking and financial sector. Throughout his career, he has held various positions across operations, credit, finance, and audit functions, gaining extensive practical expertise in core banking business processes and management mechanisms. This has enabled him to apply an integrated perspective in evaluating financial, legal, and corporate governance matters.

With over 9 years of professional experience in internal audit, he has led and contributed to a number of significant initiatives in the areas of strategic management, implementation of risk-based approaches, strengthening corporate governance frameworks and internal control environments, as well as enhancing organizational resilience.

Since 2023, he has been serving as the Director of the Internal Audit Department at Premium Bank JSC. His current areas of focus include digital risks, operational resilience, risk-based audit methodologies, corporate governance and the transformation of the internal audit function.

Elgun Gurbanov is a senior banking executive and audit leader with over two decades of experience in financial services. He currently serves as Group Audit Director and Chief Audit Executive at ABB.

In addition to his executive role, Mr. Gurbanov holds several prominent leadership positions across the financial sector. He also leads the Internal Audit Experts Group at the Azerbaijan Banks Association, contributing to the advancement of audit practices across the national banking industry.

Mr. Gurbanov holds a PhD in Public Administration from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, along with a Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Finance from the Azerbaijan State University of Economics.

Internal audit executive with 20 years of experience in banking, risk management, IT audit and corporate governance.

Currently leading the Internal Audit Department at Bank Respublika, with a focus on strengthening assurance through data analytics, digital transformation and risk-based auditing approaches.

Experienced in internal controls, regulatory compliance, IT governance, operational risk and audit transformation initiatives. Passionate about modernizing internal audit functions and integrating technology into assurance processes.

Member of professional expert groups and active contributor to audit and banking discussions, workshops and industry initiatives.

Nargiz Aliyeva is an internal audit and governance professional with extensive experience in the banking sector, specializing in internal audit leadership, risk-based assurance, corporate governance, internal control, regulatory compliance, and audit methodology development. She currently serves as Head of Internal Audit in the banking sector, where she leads the internal audit function with a strong focus on audit quality, risk-based assurance, stakeholder communication, and alignment with international internal audit standards.

She is also actively involved in the development of the internal audit profession in Azerbaijan as a Board Member of IIA Azerbaijan. She contributes to professional awareness, translation and promotion of the Global Internal Audit Standards, and initiatives aimed at strengthening internal audit practices in the country.

Senior executive with 19+ years of experience across banking, insurance, and the public sector, bringing deep expertise in internal audit, internal control systems, governance, risk management, and business transformation.

Proven track record in driving efficiency, strengthening performance and compliance, and leading high-performing cross-functional teams to achieve major strategic outcomes.

Possessing a unique perspective derived from experience in both the corporate and public sectors, they prioritize fostering a culture of continuous improvement, corporate integrity, and collaborative leadership, while aligning diverse organizational goals with global best practices to ensure sustainable success.

After graduating from Midwestern University (Texas, USA) with an MBA degree Ziya started his career in PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the big four accountancy firms in 2002. During his tenure in PwC, he worked through manager position and was involved in various banking, finance and insurance projects as external auditor. Projects with various assurance and advisory assignments in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Canada has added to his experience.

One of the success stories Ziya was involved was starting up Baker Tilly accountancy and advisory firm in 2008 in Azerbaijan. He worked with the firm till 2021 and in different stages was promoted to Assurance Director and Managing Director positions during his time with Baker Tilly. As a managing director he was focused on strategic development of the directions such as external audit and assurance, financial advisory, business consulting and tax and regulation related client advisory.

As of 2021 Ziya has joined Azercell-Telekom, the largest telecommunication services provider in Azerbaijan and currently part of AZCON Holding as a Director of Internal Audit Department. Azercell Group operates through a main company providing mobile connectivity, Azeronline a fixed-line operator and A-Solutions a fintech company delivering value to its customers by adapting new technologies.

Ziya is a member and fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), Certified Internal Auditor by the Institute of Internal Auditors (USA) and Certified Information Systems Auditor by ISACA (USA).  Effective September 2025 he is also a board member of the Institute of Internal Auditors Azerbaijan Chapter involved in various activities for promoting internal audit profession in the country.

Rasim Khammadov is a fintech and digital payments professional with over 20 years of international experience, having worked across Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and the United Kingdom in senior roles within both public and private financial institutions.

Currently a Board Member of the Azerbaijan Fintech Association and TÜRKFIN. His expertise covers digital banking, payment systems, open banking, and AI-driven financial solutions. He has contributed to innovative projects including biometric payment solutions, cloud digital signatures (SIMA), remote account opening (RIS), and delivering banking services through social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. He holds a Project Manager (IPMA Level B) certification and two degrees in Law (Kutafin, Moscow) and Economics (UNEC, Baku).

A bridge between regulation, innovation, and real-world financial inclusion.

Rauf Garayev is the Director of the Compliance and Control Department at AFB Bank, with more than 15 years of experience in the banking sector. His professional expertise covers AML/CFT, compliance management, internal control, operational risk management, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance.

He began his banking career at Bank Respublika, where he held various positions including Anti-Money Laundering Officer, Risk Management Specialist, Head of Operational Risk and AML/CFT Division, and later Head of AML/CFT. Since 2017, he has been working at AFB Bank and has served as Director of the Compliance and Control Department since 2020.

Throughout his career, Mr. Garayev has been actively involved in building effective compliance frameworks, strengthening AML/CFT programs, implementing risk-based approaches, enhancing internal control systems, and supporting alignment with international regulatory standards and best practices.

Dauren Akshalov is a Kazakhstani compliance, risk management business ethics expert with over 20 years of experience in financial and quasi-public sectors. He has held senior leadership roles in major organizations in Kazakhstan, including banking and national holdings, where he implemented compliance control systems and anti-corruption frameworks.

He served as Head of Compliance at Samruk-Energo JSC and Samruk-Kazyna JSC, and as Advisor on Compliance to the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He contributed to institutionalizing compliance functions, strengthening anti-corruption regulation, and supporting legislative initiatives that introduced the independence principle for compliance functions in the quasi-public sector.

Since 2026, he is currently working as a Compliance Advisor to the Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy.

He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Compliance and Business Ethics Association, actively contributing to the professional compliance community and speaking at international conferences.

His achievements include recognition by the International Compliance Association (Highly Commended, Compliance Champion of the Year), the “Compliance–2023” award for promoting legislative initiatives in CIS countries, and multiple state honors and acknowledgements.

He holds degrees in law, MBA Management, MSc Digital Marketing, and GRC qualifications from ICA (UK).

A seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience in the data field, Mahir M. Quluzade possesses deep expertise in implementing and managing critical, large-scale databases, including Data Warehouses and Data Lakehouses.

In 2015, he was honored with the Oracle ACE award by Oracle Corporation. He has also been a featured speaker at prestigious international conferences, such as Oracle OpenWorld, UKOUG, and DOAG.

In 2019, he was awarded the "Taraggi" (Progress) Medal by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for his contributions.

Currently, he is leading the strategic "Transition to Data Lakehouse" project at the Central Bank.

After graduating from Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University in 2010, he began his professional career as a Software Engineer at Azersu OJSC, where he contributed to the development of nationwide integration projects in collaboration with the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

He later joined the Central Bank’s Instant Payment System (IPS), established under the State Program on the Expansion of Digital Payments in the Republic of Azerbaijan (2018–2020), serving as a Payment Systems Administrator within the system support division. In this role, he actively participated in the integration of the IPS platform with payment service providers and contributed to the implementation of digital payment capabilities, including QR payments and Open Banking operations.

Since 2024, he has been continuing his professional activities at the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, contributing to both payment systems support and software engineering initiatives.

I began my professional career in digital fraud prevention in 2017 at “Azericard” processing center. Later, from 2018 to 2022, I worked at “Pasha Bank” in the Digital Fraud Management unit. Between 2022 and 2025, I served as the Head of the Digital Fraud Prevention Team at “Unibank.”

Throughout my career, I have specialized in fraud prevention across mobile and online banking, bank cards, acquiring services, electronic commerce, physical payment terminals, as well as various digital payment channels used by payment service providers.

Senior Director, Head of Digital Solutions, CISSEE, Visa

He has global experience and expertise in various aspects of the banking and finance industry, including payments systems, online banking, e-commerce, project management and business development.

During his career, he implemented significant projects for development of the cashless payments.

Eldar Jabrayilov holds Master degree in International Business Administration from Dokuz Eylul University of Turkiye. Additionally, he has experience as an academic lecturer and business consultant.

Zaur Hajili is the Head of Financial Monitoring Policy and Regulation Department at the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with more than 20 years of experience in AML/CFT and compliance. He specializes in developing risk-based regulatory and supervisory approaches, strengthening financial sector compliance systems and has practical experience in conducting inspections. He has held a leadership position within the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and possesses extensive hands-on experience in financial intelligence and analytics.

Mehmet Ali Savaş currently serves as the Digital Office Leader at ABB Bank. He has been leading digital transformation projects at ABB for more than 6 years. He is also the head of the ABB Biz application, designed for micro-entrepreneurs.

With over 15 years of international experience in digital banking gained in Türkiye, Italy, and Kuwait, he has successfully delivered numerous projects in areas such as ABB Mobile, corporate internet banking, branchless product sales, loyalty systems, money transfers, artificial intelligence, investments, IPO, and open banking.

Kostia Bazyk is a Business Development Manager at Banza, a top Creatio integrator and a recognized leader in digital transformation and business automation.

With over 7 years at Banza and more than a decade of experience in software solutions, Kostia specializes in helping companies streamline business processes and implement scalable, customer-centric solutions. He manages core clients across various industries and countries, accelerating their growth through the synergy of low-code/no-code technologies and deep domain knowledge.

At the event, Kostia will present Banza’s practical approach to how any company — regardless of size or industry — can benefit from ready-to-use solutions based on the Creatio platform and easily accessible IT products tailored by Banza.