Experts have underscored the need for financial institutions across Africa and the Middle East to adopt proactive, technology-driven strategies to remain resilient in an increasingly volatile global environment.
They made this call during the 2025 Africa and Middle East Depositories Association (AMEDA) Conference, held in Lagos on Friday.
The theme of the conference was “Resilience in Financial Markets: Preparing for Global Disruptions.”
AMEDA brings together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss the future of financial institutions in the region.
Mr Stuart Turner, Founder of Avenir Technology, stressed that financial institutions must embrace cloud infrastructure and those already using it should enhance its application.
Turner noted that by leveraging cloud solutions, institutions could strengthen their capacity to withstand disruptions, improve scalability, and increase operational flexibility.
He emphasised that financial institutions must prioritise robust infrastructure from inception, including the implementation of strong security measures to guard against cyber threats and external attacks on their databases.
Turner also highlighted key principles for managing digital disruptions when developing financial market infrastructure.
He said: “Building resilience should start from the basics. Institutions should adopt zero-trust security models. Artificial Intelligence should be explored, and information sharing is equally important for building a resilient financial institution.”
Similarly, Dr Bala Bello, Deputy Governor, Operations Directorate, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stressed the importance of collaboration in strengthening resilience across the financial market.
