Bahrain cements its position as regional fintech hub with FF25
COMMERCIAL NEWS
Fintech Forward 2025, the region's flagship financial services event, is returning to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its third edition next month with some of the leading global players in the sector, regional regulators, sovereign fund strategists and top-tier founders, thus cementing its position as a regional fintech hub.
To be held from October 8 to 9 at Exhibition World Bahrain, this year’s edition takes place under the theme 'The era of integration: the maturing age of fintech,' reflecting the increasing convergence of financial technology with forward-looking regulatory frameworks and broader economic systems.
Fintech Forward 2025 (FF25) is being hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) and programmed by Economist Impact, and supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and Bahrain FinTech Bay.
FF25 serves as a forum for industry leaders to convene and explore emerging opportunities and pressing challenges shaping the fintech landscape. These dialogues foster deeper awareness of the sector’s ongoing evolution and drive a collective commitment to advancing financial innovation in the region.
The programme this year will feature speakers from global institutions including Revolut Global Digital Assets, Citi Institute and MonetaGo. Discussions will explore themes around investment flows, digital asset infrastructure, green finance, and scalable cross-border payment frameworks tailored to emerging markets, said the event organisers.
It underscores how fintech is no longer a separate entity but a fully embedded component of financial infrastructure, they stated.
During the event, industry leaders and experts will discuss topics related to regulation, integration and lasting sustainable impact.
The programme this year will feature speakers from global institutions including Revolut Global Digital Assets, Citi Institute and MonetaGo, they added.
Discussions will explore themes around investment flows, digital asset infrastructure, green finance, and scalable cross-border payment frameworks tailored to emerging markets.
Over the past decade, Bahrain has transformed into a regional fintech hub, backed by progressive regulation and a strong commitment to innovation, said industry experts.
Early initiatives such as the Central Bank of Bahrain’s Regulatory Sandbox and a national open banking framework positioned Bahrain ahead of the curve.
As the kingdom’s single financial regulator, the Central Bank has played a pivotal role in advancing fintech and crypto asset regulation. Its pioneering onshore sandbox, the first in Mena, created a safe, controlled environment for fintech startups to test and refine new technologies, they stated.
The results of this long-term vision are increasingly visible, with the emergence of a diversified portfolio of innovative local and international financial services institutions, including open banking, digital banking, digital assets, digital payments and blockchain.
This success story reflects the Kingdom’s growing strength as a launchpad for scalable, cross-border fintech solutions, they added.
EDB said today, the global fintech sector has moved beyond the phase of radical transformation, shifting its focus towards long-term infrastructure development and strategic alignment.
This shift comes as global fintech faces a new reality: tighter regulatory oversight, a slowdown in venture funding, embedded finance, and the emergence of AI-driven compliance.
In the Middle East, countries including Bahrain are increasingly aligning fintech development with national digital agendas and deeper regional cooperation, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
