Fintech Abu Dhabi Strengthens its Role as a Global Hub for Financial Innovation

Fintech Abu Dhabi – the largest fintech event in the Middle East – was back in its eighth time around with a non-stop celebration showing once again Abu Dhabi’s readiness to become a global center for innovative finance. The event brought together leaders in technology, innovations and Artificial Intelligence including entrepreneurs, investors, banking institutions targeting on Payments, Digital Assets & Credit, and Security.

Vision for Innovation

Salem Mohammed Al Darei, the CEO of ADGM Authority said in relation to the festival that Fintech Abu Dhabi represents a commitment to innovation by creating partnership opportunities that bring together finance and technology. This event helps to strengthen the position of Abu Dhabi as a financial center for innovation and technology .

Key Sessions and Forums

The event featured thought-provoking sessions and forums addressing critical trends in the fintech landscape:

• Paul Kayrouz, Chief Fintech Officer at the Central Bank of the UAE, delivered a keynote on “Seeding Success: Opportunities for the UAE as a Global Fintech Hub.”
• An opening fireside chat with H.R.H. Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder of KBW Ventures asked the possibility of AI technology as an effective asset class.
• Hearing from guests: Lord David Cameron, Former UK Prime Minister discussed the most influential policies that define the financial environment.
• A panel called ‘Has the Unicorn Machine Stopped Working?’ highlighted the issue and the new fintech unicorns.

Industry Relations and Advances

Major reveals were made by Richard Teng, the CEO of Binance, and Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle Internet Financial; they announced the collaboration to push world adoption of USDC and cryptos. Notable attendees of the event were the representatives of the Solana Foundation, Blockdaemon, Polygon Labs, and Chainlink Labs.

New and Returning Forums

The event also unveiled two new events, the Islamic Finance Summit to highlight Shariah compliant finance and sustainability and the DLT Foundations Roundtable to focus on regulations of digital assets. Such recurring events as AI Abu Dhabi, Blockchain AD, and Risk 4.0 discussed new threats in fintech.