Bahrain's Fintech Forward 2026 forum wrapped up today (October 8) with more than 60 memorandums of understanding, strategic agreements and other announcements covering digital payments, trade finance, artificial intelligence and financial infrastructure, attracting over 2,900 local and international participants.
The four-day event was held under the theme "Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure" at the iconic Exhibition World Bahrain, according to the organisers.
The forum’s programme brought together prominent policymakers, industry leaders across finance and technology, and internationally recognised innovators, featuring more than 40 local, regional, and global speakers. The high-profile list included:
*Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy;
*Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development, CEO of Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB);
*Khalid Humaidan, Governor, Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB);
*Sheikh Mohammed bin Saeed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Chairman and Board Member of VIAI;
*Mo Gawdat, internationally recognised AI expert and former Chief Business Officer at Google X; and
*Louis Saha, French international footballer and global entrepreneur.
Across the programme, sessions examined a range of topics shaping the future of finance, including artificial intelligence, digital payments and stablecoins, tokenized finance, cross-border financial infrastructure, and the evolving role of technology in banking.
Among the announcements, Bahrain's BBK showcased a pilot project with Google Cloud and ARRAY Innovation to explore the use of digital ledger technology in core banking operations, including potential applications for tokenised payments and programmable settlement.
Bahrain's Beyon and barq Group's Technologies Union also announced an agreement bringing together Beyon Money's operations with barq's fintech platform, with Beyon retaining an economic interest in barq, subject to final documentation and regulatory approvals, said the organisers.
BENEFIT named National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) as the first participating bank and anchor banking partner in a trade finance registry pilot developed with Singapore-based MonetaGo and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The initiative aims to reduce fraud and risk in trade finance.
Beyon Connect said it would launch an anti-money laundering referral programme with AMAN Compliance Solutions as its first referral partner. Beyon Connect also signed a memorandum of understanding with BENEFIT to explore joint fintech opportunities in local and international markets, covering digital identity, payments, credit and information services and data analytics.
BENEFIT and Huawei signed a separate memorandum to explore cooperation in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.
Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain signed an MoU with stc Bahrain to expand their existing partnership into digital solutions and integrated use cases, including cash management, reconciliation and trade finance.
The forum recorded a 65% increase in announcements and signings from the previous edition, organisers said, with several agreements building on partnerships and discussions initiated at Fintech Forward 2025.
Fintech Forward, hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board and programmed by Forbes Middle East, brought together more than 40 speakers and focused on artificial intelligence, digital payments, stablecoins, tokenised finance and cross-border financial infrastructure.
It was supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB), it added.-TradeArabia News Service
