Singapore and Hong Kong – January 30, 2012 – The prestigious annual Asian Financial Services (AFS) Congress 2012, organized by IDC Financial Insights, is set to take place in less than a month. On February 23-24, hundreds of senior level financial services executives from across the region will be gathered in Singapore to learn about the latest industry developments, share best practice ideas and discuss the economic issues affecting their businesses.

Themed “The 2012 Agenda: Solutions for Disruptive Times”, the AFS Congress will seek to identify some of the recurring themes from the previous financial crisis that the Asia/Pacific financial services industry (FSI) is likely to face today. Leading practitioners across the region will share some of the most ingenious and high-impact solutions in present day payments, risk management, governance & compliance, operations & technology, and multi-channel fields that are poised to transform, if not already, the financial services industry as a whole.

The new year has brought a new set of challenges to the world’s economy; from weak growth in key economic sectors, to an unresolved sovereign debt crisis in the western world, to hyper-volatile stock markets, and ultimately to a pervading sense of risk-aversion among FSIs and consumers alike. A familiar question has once again been raised: how will Asia/Pacific financial services rise amid dismal headlines, just as it did in the 2008 global financial crisis.

IDC Financial Insights believes that to succeed, leaders today must be equipped to deal with technological acceleration in the social, mobility and analytics space, and changing consumer attitudes. These leaders and their organizations must also be agile enough to respond to market sentiments. Winning institutions will be those that are led by executives who "get" the new issues, and embrace the twin challenges of disruption and innovation.

Cyrus Daruwala, Managing Director for IDC Financial Insights Asia/Pacific notes, "Stepping into 2012, we are seeing negative or slower growth in the West, which emphasizes the need for FSIs in this region to transform their technology and business operations to accommodate emerging engagement channels, rising competition and greater customer expectations. This Congress has never been more relevant, convening some of the finest in the industry to dissect and introduce the most successful of strategic initiatives through the Financial Insights Innovation Award program.”

Some of the distinguished speakers and panelists who will preside over this year's Congress include:

• Ms. PARK Cyn-Young, Assistant Chief Economist, Economic Analysis & Operations Support Division, Economics and Research Department, Asian Development Bank
• Leong Mun Yuen, Chief Technology Officer, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
• Marko Skoric, Assistant Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU
• David Carbon, Managing Director, Economic and Currency Research, Group Research, DBS Bank
• Patrick Desmarès, Secretary General, Efma
• Tony Chew, Director/Specialist Advisor, Monetary Authority of Singapore
• Muhammad Aurangzeb, CEO Asia Pacific, Global Corporate Bank, J.P. Morgan
• Sarv Girn, Former Group GM, Technology, The Westpac Group & Former CTO – Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• Scott Bales, Chief Mobile Officer, Movenbank
• Gatot Mudiantoro Suwondo, President Director, PT. Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk
• David Gledhill, Managing Director and Head of Group Technology & Operations, DBS Bank

For full description of the agenda and speakers, please visit www.afscongress.com.

The Asian Financial Services (AFS) Congress will be held at Marina Bay Sands Convention Level 3, Singapore, on 23-24 February 2012. To request for a media pass or more media enquiries, please register contact Lay Fang Tan at Tel: +65 6829 7731 or Email: lftan@idc.com.

About the Asian Financial Services (AFS) Congress 2012

Organized by IDC Financial Insights, the AFS Congress 2012 is Asia/Pacific's foremost gathering of financial services practitioners. Themed as “The 2012 Agenda: Solutions for Disruptive Times", the Congress aims to introduce a new perspective on how regional banks should distinguish themselves amid the challenges of disruption and innovation. At this Congress, IDC Financial Insights will share crucial findings from its international team of analysts, highlighting the business and technology trends that will impact and change banking.

About IDC Financial Insights

IDC Financial Insights assists financial service businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the banking, insurance, and securities and investments industries. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-fi.com, email info@idc-fi.com, or call 508-620-5533. Visit the IDC Financial Insights Community at http://idc-insights-community.com/financial.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 47 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

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