Tuesday, 03 November 2026 | Dubai, UAE

Craig Focardi is a Principal Analyst in Banking with Celent, part of GlobalData. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a multi-disciplinary background in economics, finance, technology and marketing, Craig leverages his banking industry experience to advise and consult on business-led technology strategy and investment for financial institutions and technology providers.

Craig has over 25 years of lending industry experience and advises on digital lending strategy, core banking systems, addressable market sizing, technology selection, and AI/analytic applications in lending and credit.

Prior to joining Celent in 2017, Craig worked in management and project leadership roles at CEB/Gartner, TowerGroup, Wells Fargo Home Equity, CoreLogic, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and PMI Mortgage Insurance Co, Craig is a Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) of the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With a long-standing background in industry analysis and research, Daniel leverages considerable experience in both quantiative and qualitative analysis as well as industry focus across financial services technology sectors to advise and consult on business-led technology strategy and investment for financial institutions, technology providers, and technology investment firms.

Daniel's coverage areas focuses on the banking platform market. Complementary coverage areas include cloud, SaaS, analytics, digital transformation and platform transformation and modernization. His advisory engagements have included banking system vendor selection for financial institutions, IT benchmarking for financial institutions, and market feasibility and go-to market assessments for technology vendors.

Daniel began his career at Datamonitor, before moving into Ovum and more recently Omdia with an ongoing focus on the financial services technology market. He was also responsible for enterprise IT strategy research, and data insight programs involving extensive primary research across the financial services sector as well as institution-specific IT insight. Daniel holds an MA and BA in Economics from Cambridge University

Douglas joined the firm in 2005 and since 2010 has edited Retail Banker International and Electronic Payments Intl and also oversees wealth management title Private Banker International. He was Chair of The Digital Banking Club (2013-2018), and has contributed to other in-house titles including The New Statesman, verdict.co.uk and Investment Monitor.

Joanne Kumire is a Lead Analyst specialising in banking and financial services, with over ten years of experience spanning fintech, merchant acquiring, and digital innovation. She works on a global scale, advising financial institutions, technology providers, and industry stakeholders on strategy, transformation, and competitive positioning.

Her expertise covers retail and commercial banking, digital transformation, customer-centric growth strategies, and the evolving role of technology in financial services. Joanne is known for combining robust market intelligence with strategic insight to help organisations respond to regulatory change, shifting consumer expectations, and an increasingly dynamic global landscape.

Mohammed Hasan is a Senior Consultant in the Financial Services consulting team. His area of focus includes strategic advisory, economic modelling, and market analysis. He began his career at GlobalData in 2020 as an Analyst on the Banking and Payments team. Mohammed earned his undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics before attending New York University’s Stern Business School and completing his MBA.

Phoebe is an analyst within the GlobalData Banking and Payments team, based in London. She covers wealth management and retail banking, focusing on digital innovation, fraud and how evolving customer expectations are transforming financial services.

Steve is a Lead Analyst within Global Data's Financial Services Practice responsible for Fintech and Thematic content. His research covers all areas of digital transformation strategy from both a customer and technology perspective, with a particular focus on disruptive new business models. Prior to GD, Steve spent time at Forrester and Gartner, and within Strategy roles at Lloyds bank. 

Todd is responsible for Celent, a GlobalData company across India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) and Asia Pacific (AP) regions and has over 30 years’ experience in Financial Services research, advisory and consultancy.

For more than 30 years, Todd has worked at the intersection of financial services strategy, market expansion, and executive advisory across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. He has led regional businesses with full P&L responsibility and partnered directly with boards, CEOs, and executive committees to shape growth strategies, go-to-market execution, and large-scale transformation programmes. Previously he established the Middle East operations for publicly listed firms Gartner and Forrester, building their MENA regional presence from the ground up and working closely with leading banks, insurers, regulators, and government entities to support strategic decision-making, performance improvement and sustainable expansion.

Today, Todd advises financial institutions and financial services technology firms on competitive positioning, regulatory navigation, and cross-border growth. He is engaged when leadership teams need to pressure-test investment cases, validate market assumptions, refine engagement models, or strengthen execution strategies. Combining a depth of experience with regional networks and CXO and board-level advisory exposure, he helps clients translate strategy into commercially viable outcomes while mitigating the execution risks that often undermine otherwise well-conceived financial services initiatives.

Zil is a Director in the Banking and Payments practice at Celent. Zil’s research focuses on the impact of technology-driven change in banking, particularly in consumer payments, digital identity, and open ecosystem. Based in London, he has a global perspective. Prior to joining Celent, Zil was a management consultant, most recently at Oliver Wyman. He has over 25 years of advisory experience and has advised major financial institutions and technology players around the world on a range of strategic issues.