About us

Held under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain and hosted by Bank ABC, the Middle East and Africa Fintech Forum is one of region’s biggest and most significant Fintech events. It has been organized annually since 2017 and is an exclusive congregation of global luminaries, world-leading experts and pioneers, central bank governors and C-suite executives, driving discussions around future fintech trends, innovation, and financial inclusion – the future of banking and finance itself.

Despite the pandemic, the 2020 edition of the MEA Fintech Forum has been reimagined to reach audiences across the world. Taking place on an interactive, state-of-the-art virtual event platform, on 24 – 25 November 2020, the 4th edition, themed “Banking Beyond Digital” will bring together leading players from across the FinTech ecosystem and related industries to discuss, define and shape the future of Wholesale and Retail banking for a fast-evolving world.

The two-day agenda boasts some of the most pertinent and budding topics that concern financial services today such as the post COVID-19 recovery, future of banking, regulation in the digital age, cybersecurity and digital payments in the new low touch economy.

Its 2019 edition saw over 900 delegates including six central bank governors and featured speakers such as ‘Sophia the Robot’, Brett King – Founder of Moven and international bestselling author, Henri Arslainian – PwC FinTech & Crypto Leader for Asia, the Chairman of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Aaron Heslehurst, BBC World News Anchor/Presenter and Dr. Pippa Malmgren, Former Chief Advisor to President George W Bush for Economic Policy and Financial Markets

With FinTech currently opening doors across the whole of the MEA region, the forum explores how integrating innovative technology into the existing banking sector will revolutionize commerce in Bahrain and the wider MEA region, empowering individuals and communities like never before.

MEA Fintech Forum is the first regional conference that seeks to understand and explore the power of not only technology, but the people using it. The Forum brings together the world’s principal experts in FinTech and the leadership of some of the most influential financial organisations in the MENA region.