Mideast Data Systems Lebanon (MDSL), a leading provider of IT solutions and services to the banking industry, and Aptivaa Consulting Ltd, a leading consulting company in the risk and compliance space, jointly invited the banking community to attend a seminar on Basel II implementation. The event took place on March 18, at the Metropolitan Palace Hotel.
Speakers from banks and risk consulting companies gave their insights on the challenges and opportunities that banks face on the road of Basel II compliance.

Basel II is one of the banking industry's top priorities. The new regulations are intended to encourage banks to manage their capital appropriately and in particular to improve their risk control processes. Basel II has been a challenge for most of the banks due to lack of understanding, inability to chart an internal road map for implementation, inadequate systems, procedures and data issues. Banks who have gone through the implementation cycle in the past have felt that Basel II requires changes and integration of not only the IT systems and procedures but also the business and risk policies. 
Also, in the wake of the recent turmoil in the credit and the write-offs in various banks, the thrust for better risk management practices and the maintenance of adequate capital has increased.

In his welcome speech, Mr. Camille Ziade, General Manager of MDSL, introduced the company and its comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end solutions to the banking sector from Core Banking, Treasury, Risk, to Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT). He emphasized on the banks needs for strategic solutions helping them in the area of Risk Management and Profitability, and enabling them to align to regulatory requirements such as Basel II. “MDSL has a proven track record of 30 years in Information Technology. Our professionals developed wide banking business knowledge and provide services covering the whole life cycle of an IT solution implementation” he added.
“In relation to the risk management MDSL promotes SunGard solution, and through our partnership with Aptiva Consulting we can also offer our clients, the Basel II Risk Management consultancy services”.

Mr. Imad Hasbani, Manager-Risk Management, at the IBL Bank, tackled the Basel II issues: The Basel II should not only be seen as a compliance issue, but also as affecting the internal corporate governance at the bank. The Basel II challenges should translate into awareness, incentives, changing culture and building trust and effective communication at the bank. Mr. Hasbani discussed the Basel II requirements and implementation and the Central Bank regulations. He shared insights on the advantages that banks gain by reviewing the entire risk set-up, including policies, procedures and systems, and the impact on the banks business units, on the banks savings and on the customers through lowering the capital charges for qualified retail exposure.

Mr. Jihad Lian, Head of Risk Management Dept. at Middle East and Africa Bank (MEAB), talked about his experience with Base II compliance and the implementation challenges, roadmap and methodology. He covered the sensitive phases such as the data gap analysis and the data mapping. Mr. Lian also highlighted the key factors for a successful Basel II implementation.

Mr. Sandip Mukherjee, Founder, Aptivaa Consulting, highlighted the impact of recent global events on the need for a more sophisticated risk management organization and the subsequent challenges on the technology environment.

Dr. Surendra Barsode, Principal, Aptivaa Consulting, shared the company experience in the Middle East having seen the entire implementation cycle a number of times across different banks. “The real challenge is to avoid treating Basel II as another compliance requirement. Basel II must be treated as an integral part of daily risk management, it being a key driver of competitive advantage.”

About Aptivaa Consulting Ltd
Aptivaa Consulting is a leading risk consulting firm with offices in Mumbai, London, Singapore, New York and has helped a number of banks in the Middle East and other parts of the world in Basel II compliance. 
For more information: www.aptivaa.com

About Mideast Data Systems Lebanon s.a.l.  (MDSL)
Established in 1978, Mideast Data Systems Lebanon, part of ITG (Holding), is a leading provider of IT solutions and services. MDSL has a proven track record in the implementation and support of software applications to the banking industry, across the Middle East and Africa region: To manage the back-office, the branches operations & the delivery channels.
MDSL also provides software solutions to the Telco sector.
For more information: www.mdsl.com.lb