With the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Dubai FinTech Summit officially opened on the 3rd edition today confirming its global status as a hub for financial technology innovation emirate. Taking place at Madinat Jumeirah, the two-day summit has been attended by more than 9,000 participants from 120 countries, with more than 1,000 investors and 300 speakers and 200 exhibitors.
The opening ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum who toured the exhibition that has reserved pavilions for startups, and countries. The summit is hosted by Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) this year with the theme: “FinTech for All”, showing the Dubai’s innovative approach to finance.
The event supports the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the DIFC goal to break into the world’s best four financial centers by 2033. Among the key announcements were the introduction of the Dubai Future Finance Week, which will start in 2026 and will be marked by flagship events such as Dubai Fintech Summit, Seamless Middle East and the HODL Summit.
According to DIFC Governor Essa Kazim’s keynote address, Dubai leads the world in financial innovation. The future of Finance was also unveiled during the summit, which connects AI with FinTech revealing strategies for expansion into digital, AI integration, cybersecurity, and global partnerships.
Among key speakers were Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn; Matthew Koder of the Bank of America; HE Caroline Pham of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Conversations range from financial sustainability, to AI disruption and inclusive growth.
DIFC CEO Arif Amiri said Dubai aspires to be the world capital for financial innovation, citing the center’s accomplishment in attracting more than 1,300 AI and FinTech companies and funding of over $4bn.
Dubai has once again proven that with a flourishing ecosystem and future ready policies it has always set benchmarks in global financial technology.
