The Mortgage & Lending Innovation Forum 2025, hosted by Newgen Software and organized by the International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA), concluded with resounding success on November 12, 2025, at the Kempinski, Central Avenue, Dubai.
The high-level gathering united banking executives, mortgage leaders, fintech pioneers, and technology strategists to explore how AI, automation, and intelligent workflows are redefining the UAE’s lending landscape – ushering in an era of speed, agility, and customer-centric innovation in alignment with the country’s Vision 2030 digital transformation goals.
Vision 2030: Accelerating the Digital Mortgage Revolution
Across the forum’s sessions, speakers and delegates emphasized the rapid evolution of the UAE’s mortgage and lending ecosystem.
As financial institutions transition from legacy models to digital-first, AI-enabled frameworks, the focus is shifting toward smarter credit decisioning, operational excellence, and trust-led innovation, transforming Vision 2030 from aspiration to action.
By blending technology, transparency, and trust, lenders are building adaptive, data-intelligent ecosystems designed to deliver faster approvals, better risk governance, and more personalized home financing experiences.
Leadership Insights: Visionaries at the Helm
The forum commenced with “The Blueprint Unfolds”, a Welcome Address by Prashant Sahai, Vice President – Sales (Middle East), Newgen Software, who spotlighted the UAE’s readiness for a mortgage renaissance powered by connected digital ecosystems and process intelligence.
In the Opening Keynote, “Architecting the Future”, Ravish Sheikh, Retail Banking Practice Lead – Delivery, Newgen Software, illustrated how low-code and AI-driven technologies are empowering lenders to reimagine origination, underwriting, and servicing through agile, intelligent workflows.
Delivering the Industry Keynote, “Reimagining the Retail Mortgage Product: Innovations for the UAE Market”, Srinivasan Sampathvenkat, Executive Director – Digital Transformation, Emirates NBD, emphasized the importance of customer-first design and product innovation in building flexible, data-driven mortgage offerings for a digital economy.
Power Panel: Intelligent Lending Orchestrated with AI
A key highlight of the event was the Power Panel, “Intelligent Lending Orchestrated with AI”, featuring an exceptional roster of experts:
- Wissale Desoindre, Senior Director – Financial Services Consulting, PwC
- Chetan Parekh, Managing Partner – MENA Fintech Practice, Cedar Management Consulting International LLC
- Sumadhu Wesumperuma, Head of Credit Administration, Vision Bank
- Anshika Gupta, Head of Retail Products Analytics, Emirates NBD
- Mayank Sharma, Head of Product and Sales (MENA), Newgen Software
Moderated by Mohammed Thoufiq, Vice President – Strategic Partnerships, ICSA, the discussion examined how AI-first decisioning, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation are reinventing lending, from credit scoring and risk analysis to compliance and customer engagement.
Panelists agreed that AI in lending isn’t just about acceleration, it’s about achieving accuracy, accountability, and assurance in every customer journey.
Tech Deep Dive: From Data to Decision
In a focused technology showcase, “AI-first Credit Decisioning: The Tech Deep Dive for Intelligent Mortgage Financing”, Ravish Sheikh demonstrated how low-code and AI-powered platforms can streamline end-to-end lending, optimizing turnaround times, enhancing compliance, and enabling data-driven precision in every decision.
Collaboration, Conversation, and Connection
The forum concluded with an Interactive Open Discussion, where real-time audience perspectives were displayed live on screen, followed by a Networking Lunch: “Breaking Bread, Building Partnerships”, hosted by Newgen Software.
The closing sessions fostered meaningful dialogue, idea exchange, and new alliances, reinforcing the forum’s central theme – collaborating to architect the next era of mortgage and lending innovation in the UAE.
