Cyber resilience and female leadership: The new pillars of Middle East banking security
As banks accelerate digital services, open banking strategies and AI adoption, cyber security leaders across the region are calling for stronger resilience, ecosystem collaboration and greater female representation to secure the future of financial services
The banking sector across the Middle East is entering a new phase of digital transformation. Mobile-first services, open banking models, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation and customer demand for seamless experiences are pushing financial institutions to move faster than ever.
Banks are no longer protecting only their own environments. They must secure an expanding ecosystem of partners, suppliers, fintech players and digital channels while responding to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Cyber security leaders warn that resilience is becoming just as important as innovation. “Banks need to be more ready than ever, more resilient than ever and more collaborative in nature with all stakeholders in the ecosystem,” said Abeer Khedr, head of cyber security at the National Bank of Egypt.
The message reflects a wider shift taking place across the financial sector, with cyber security moving from being an operational function to becoming a business enabler.
For years, banking cyber security strategies focused largely on protecting infrastructure, preventing fraud and defending against malware. Today, the threat landscape is broader – for example, financial institutions increasingly face supply chain exposure, geopolitical instability, third-party risk and the security implications of emerging technologies.
The growing interdependence between banks, fintech companies and external providers means attacks targeting one organisation can rapidly affect many others. This is particularly relevant as open banking initiatives continue to gain momentum across regional markets.
Collaboration, therefore, becomes essential – not only between banks, but also across regulators, academia, technology providers and industry communities.
“We have to think beyond collaborating with similar banks,” Khedr explained. “Now we have to collaborate with academia, authorities and all players in the cyber security ecosystem.”
AI is introducing both opportunity and risk
Generative AI (GenAI) technologies are improving productivity and accelerating innovation, yet security teams are also monitoring their potential misuse by threat actors seeking to automate attacks or develop new malicious tools.
Banks need to be more ready than ever, more resilient than ever and more collaborative in nature with all stakeholders in the ecosystem
Abeer Khedr, National Bank of Egypt
Long term, cyber security leaders are already discussing another challenge: quantum computing and its future impact on current encryption models. Digital banking growth has changed expectations within financial institutions, as business teams want faster launches while customers expect better experiences, putting technology groups under pressure to deliver continuous innovation.
This has forced cyber security teams to rethink their role. Rather than acting as gatekeepers at the end of projects, security functions are increasingly embedding themselves throughout the development lifecycle.
“The only way to manage this is to include cyber security from the inception of a new product or digital service,” said Khedr. This secure-by-design approach allows vulnerabilities to be addressed earlier while reducing delays and accelerating time to market.
Cyber risk is no longer owned only by chief information security officers (CISOs) and cyber security teams – business leaders, developers, digital units, and customer-facing teams are all becoming stakeholders in risk management.
“Business leaders now know they own cyber risks,” Khedr noted. “It is in their best interest that digital services launched to customers are secure.”
Customer trust becomes a security priority
As digital adoption increases, customer education is becoming another critical layer of defence, as many consumers have rapidly embraced mobile banking and digital services following the acceleration of online interactions over recent years.
Awareness campaigns explaining fraud risks, secure transactions and safe application usage are increasingly accompanying product launches. This shift is particularly important as social engineering, phishing and fraud attempts continue to evolve faster than traditional technical controls.
The talent challenge brings diversity into focus
While technology dominates many cyber security discussions, talent remains one of the sector’s biggest challenges. The industry still faces shortages across technical and governance roles, from security architects and penetration testers to compliance specialists and risk professionals.
It is heartwarming to see how women support each other through knowledge sharing, training opportunities and collaboration
Abeer Khedr, National Bank of Egypt
“People sometimes think we only need ethical hackers,” Khedr added. “Yet governance roles are equally important because they ensure controls operate effectively.” As organisations broaden their talent search, diversity initiatives are becoming increasingly visible across the region.
One example is the growing momentum behind women-focused cyber security communities that aim to support networking, mentoring, technical development and career progression.
“It is heartwarming to see how women support each other through knowledge sharing, training opportunities and collaboration,” said Khedr.
As cyber threats become more complex, organisations increasingly need multidisciplinary teams, broader perspectives and stronger collaboration models.
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International Women’s Day 2026: Support must not stop after the hire is made. Women in the tech industry emphasise the importance of maintaining a sustained commitment to diversity that extends beyond the initial recruitment stage.
