Fintech is one of the most dynamic and fastest evolving industries in the world, driven by advances in technology, continuous innovation in the space, and investors’ bullishness in the prospect of digital tools and technology to solve some of the biggest challenges in the banking and financial sector.
To keep up with the fast-growing space, large-scale fintech events are being held around the world to allow industry professionals, innovators, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders to meet, share and build meaningful business connections.
As 2022 is about to come to a close, we’ve compiled a selection of the most highly-anticipated fintech events taking place in the Middle East in the last months of the year. The list also features some of the biggest conferences to look forward to in 2023.
Istanbul Blockchain Week 2022
November 14 – 17, 2022
Hilton Bomonti Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul Blockchain Week is one of the most anticipated blockchain events in the region taking place in Istanbul, Turkey. This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever before with high profile speakers, workshops, hackathons, parties, and networking events.
IstanBlock is the flagship event of Istanbul Blockchain Week. Spread over two action-packed days, speakers, and businesses from all over the world will unite to discuss the future of decentralized finance (DeFi), trading, regulation, mining, venture capital (VC), and much more.
Attendees can expect talks, panels, fireside chats, and informative debates with many leaders in the Web3 industry.
Other events comprising this year’s Istanbul Blockchain Week include NFT Day, W3E Gamin, InstanHack, and InstanDAO.
Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2022
November 14 – 18, 2022
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Abu Dhabi Finance Week is a week-long engagement addressing a spectrum of economic issues: financial technology and innovation, startups and enterprise, VC and investment, asset management and capital markets, economic policy and regulation.
Abu Dhabi Finance Week will present a spectrum of events that will unite key themes from the world of finance under one mega-platform. Key topics covered will include fintech, cryptocurrencies, regulation, and more.
New interesting introductions to the event this year will include Crypto Abu Dhabi, Start-up Campus, the R.A.C.E. (Regulation, Awareness, Collaboration, Ecosystem) sustainability summit and Asset Abu Dhabi which will host around 300 senior investors from 30 countries, with US$4 trillion+ of assets under management (AUM).
More details here: https://www.adgm.com/events/abudhabifinanceweek
2022 Middle East and Africa Summit
November 17 – 18, 2022
Rosewood Hotel, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE
The Milken Institute Middle East and Africa (MEA) Summit convenes the best minds in the world to tackle its most urgent challenges and realize its most exciting opportunities.
The 4th annual Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit will center on the theme of “Celebrating the Power of Connection”. The event will bring together global thought leaders, senior executives, investors, government officials, and philanthropists to share the adversities and achievements of living through this moment in history — translating lessons learned into rebuilding meaningful, healthy, and prosperous lives for all.
Register here: https://web.cvent.com/event
AIM Summit Dubai 2022
November 21 – 22, 2022
Jumeirah Emirates Towers DIFC, Dubai, UAE
Launched in 2015, AIM Summit is a leading alternative investment management summit gathering, connecting investors and managers in the world of alternatives (hedge funds, private equity, VC, private debt, digital assets and fintech) with global industry leaders.
It’s a platform for discussions on investment developments, global market conditions, latest trends and acts as a networking forum for future business opportunities.
This year’s Dubai edition will focus on the central theme of navigating through the current global economy – inflation, stagflation and recession – and will gather the world’s leading economists, market movers and investment experts to share their insights, opportunities and strategies speculating on the current and future market conditions.
Topics covered will include VC, fintech, emerging markets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and metaverse, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), crypto mining, environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and impact investing, and Web 3.0.
World Fintech Show
December 05 – 06, 2022
Intercontinental Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
World Fintech Show is a thought-leadership-driven, business-focused event that deep dives into the latest challenges and technology trends in Saudi Arabia’s financial services sector.
World Fintech Show aims to set the standard for financial innovation in Saudi Arabia by connecting global fintech experts, technology innovators and startups with pre-qualified CFOs, CEOs, CTOs, heads of business transformation, chief digital officers, heads of innovation, government authorities, and fintech investors.
This year’s event will feature exciting keynotes, enterprise use-case presentations, product showcase, panel discussions and tech talks. Attendees will get to witness next-gen fintech solutions from global tech leaders and explore their relevance and impact on organizations.
Book your tickets here: https://worldfintechshow.com/#book-tickets
Middle East Digital Lending Summit 2022
December 06 – 07, 2022
Mazaya Business Avenue BB2, Dubai, UAE
The Middle East Digital Lending Summit 2022 will provide an opportunity for like-minded professionals to discuss and recognize the latest challenges and technologies changing the age-old task of money lending.
Focused on the Middle East and North African (MENA) region and the UAE’s central location as a financial hub, the year’s summit aims to discuss how banks in the Middle East are incorporating technology into their financial services and adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape.
The Middle East Digital Lending Summit 2022 will feature a line of regional as well as international speakers including leaders in asset management, wealth and risk management, and digital initiatives who will share their insights, wisdom, and knowledge on how the transformation of the lending industry in the region is changing the game.
The event will bring together banking leaders, fintech experts, and over 200 senior financial services and digitization professionals to discuss the future of digital lending.
Register here: https://medigitallending.com/
Step Saudi 2022
December 12 – 13, 2022
The Arena Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Step Saudi is an annual technology festival bringing together the country’s best entrepreneurs, investors, creatives, and digital enthusiasts. The festival takes place across two days with Step’s renowned program, exhibition, startup activities, and experiences.
This year’s agenda will feature talks, panels, fireside chats, technical workshops and more, covering startups, funding, digital media, fintech, and future tech.
The Fintech Track will shed some light on the current state of Saudi’s financial industry, tackling topics such as open banking, buy now, pay later (BNPL), peer-to-peer (P2P), the institutional adoption of digital assets, and more.
Metavsummit
January 11 – 12, 2023
Dubai, UAE
Metavsummit is an annual event taking place in Dubai that focuses on Web 3.0 and the metaverse. The event focuses on bringing together Web 3.0 companies and investors to long-term business relationships.
Major strategic partners and Fortune 500 companies attend to gain education about the Web 3.0 industry, and meet the top startups and companies in the space.
The 2023 edition promises more than 50 exhibitors, 300 founders, 500 investors and 3,000 physical attendees. It will focus on educating the public on Web 3.0 and how all the elements that make it up (blockchain, virtual reality, NFTs and artificial intelligence (AI)) will change the way people interact in the coming years, and enabling industry stakeholders to meet and interact to create meaningful business relationships.
TMRW Dubai 2023
February 08 – 10, 2023
Festival Arena, Dubai Festival City, Dubai, UAE
TMRW is a three-day crypto, NFT, and metaverse conference in Dubai that brings together 40,000+ in-person and online attendees and 80+ speakers to focus on the most interesting trends in blockchain and crypto.
The 2023 event promises to bring together 5,000 physical attendees, 35,000 online attendees, 320 media and 80 speakers. Topics covered will include metaverse interoperability, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), crypto regulations, DeFi, and the use of NFTs in industries likes science, music and digital art.
2023 FiNext Conference Dubai
February 26 – 27, 2023
Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre, Dubai, UAE
The FiNext Conference provides a platform for the global banking and fintech sector, allowing startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), incumbent tech providers, investors, financial institutions, fintech companies in Dubai, and other stakeholders to connect and interact under one roof.
Fintech Week Tel Aviv 2023
March 13 – 15, 2023
Tel Aviv, Israel
Fintech Week Tel Aviv 2023 will take a deep dive into the trends and strategies that will define how financial services can serve consumers and markets at this critical juncture, and meet the expectations of today’s more connected and discerning customer.
With some scaling back, workforces trimmed, and a more frugal investment environment, the race to digital money firmly on and with a new focus on social issues, where is the fintech industry heading?
The 2023 conference will focus on key themes and emerging trends including challenger banks, digital banking, regulation, digital currencies, ESG and fintech, DeFi, embedded fintech, and more. Participants will get to engage with the industry’s key players, influencers, decision makers and innovators and discover new opportunities with interactive panel discussions, keynote presentations and lots of networking opportunities.
Finnovex Qatar 2023
March 15, 2023
Hybrid/Hilton Doha, Doha, Qatar
The Finnovex Qatar Hybrid Summit will take place on March 15, 2023 as an hybrid event in Doha, Qatar. The 2023 edition will focus solely on the challenges faced by the banking sector in Qatar.
In this summit, top industry leaders and experts will discuss the roles of banking and non-banking institutions, financial organizations, investment firms, fintech companies and other stakeholders in ever evolving demands of modern consumer and increased disruption from rapidly emerging technologies.
Dubai Fintech Summit 2023
May 08 – 09, 2023
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Dubai Fintech Summit will take place on May 08 and 09, 2023 in Dubai. The event will see some of the world’s biggest personalities in the industry delivering keynote presentations, sharing their perspectives on industry challenges and identifying opportunities to maximize the impact of fintech for people, businesses and economies.
The summit is set to bring together more than 5,000 experts, thought leaders, policymakers and decision-makers in Dubai to discuss how they can shape a new wave of innovation, enterprise and growth for the international financial industry.
The Dubai Fintech Summit 2023 program will feature in-depth discussions across key tracks including the future of fintech, embedded and open finance, sustainability, Web 3.0 and digital assets. The summit will also provide an opportunity for more than 100 fintechs and future of finance players to display their latest technology and innovations.
Get your tickets here: https://dubaifintechsummit.ae/
Future Blockchain Summit 2023
May 10 – 13, 2023
Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
The 6th Future Blockchain Summit, the MENA region’s first and largest blockchain conference and exhibition, will return to Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 10 – 12, 2023.
Over four days at the Future Blockchain Summit, industry experts will leverage countless networking opportunities, an expert conference program and transformational workshops to explore distinct themes including blockchain for enterprise, the future of digital assets and into the metaverse.
Participants will get to connect with the blockchain leaders of the Dubai government and cutting edge global and startup tech leaders, and learn more about the latest technologies at the exhibition.
See more details here: https://www.futureblockchainsummit.com/
Middle East Banking Innovation Summit 2023
May 17 – 18, 2023
Dubai, UAE
The 14th edition of the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS), taking place on May 17 and 18, 2023, is set to bring together 400+ senior bankers from across MENA all under one roof to explore advances in banking, fintech, network and drive business conversations.
With the banking and financial services industry in the MENA region serving a population of nearly 450 million people, advancing digital maturity to embrace new technologies and transformations is a strategic imperative to address customer needs and take pole position in an evolving digital landscape.
The summit will cover the biggest and most disruptive trends like banking-as-a-service (BaaS), Islamic finance, digital lending platforms, next-gen core banking, omni-channel customer touchpoints and digital trade finance. It will feature case studies, panel sessions and networking opportunities filled with face-to-face business discussions.
Register here: https://www.bankinnovation-me.com/
Seamless Middle East 2023
May 23 – 24, 2023
Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
For 23 years, Seamless has been a meeting place for the brightest and most innovative minds across the payments, fintech, banking, retail, e-commerce, digital marketing, home delivery, cards and identity industries.
The 2023 Middle East edition will feature a global two-day conference with over 500 speakers covering the latest trends, market disruptors and technologies shaping payments, finance and commerce, a free-to-attend multi-brand exhibition hosting over 500 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge solutions, as well as networking opportunities with some of the world’s biggest brands.
Register here: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/seamless-middle-east/
Finnovex Middle East 2023
September 05 – 06, 2023
Hybrid/Tba
The Middle East has experienced consistent growth of digital banks in recent years with incumbent banks grabbing the opportunity and launching their stand-alone digital advancements and central banks rolling up their sleeves and familiarizing themselves with the bits and bytes of digital money to drive sustainable growth.
Finnovex Middle East will be returning on September 05 and 06, 2023 with a fully-hybrid event that’s expected to bring together all experts of the banking and financial services ecosystem. Participants will get to make valuable business connections, watch top-notch panel discussions and listen to insightful presentations.
Attendees will also be able to visit any of the vendor exhibition booths at the event hall or on the AI streaming platform and witness engaging demos about the best tools and technologies in the fintech, insurtech, wealthtech, cybersecurity and banking technology spaces.
GITEX Global 2023
October 16 – 20, 2023
Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE
GITEX Global, one of the largest, most inclusive tech and startup events globally, is coming back next year from October 16 to 20, 2023 to bring together the world’s most influential ecosystems advancing business, economy, society and culture through the sheer power of innovation.
GITEX Global is an annual event for exhibitors showcasing the latest in first-hand technology. The 2022 edition brought together more than 5,000 companies spanning 26 halls and two million sq. ft of exhibition space.
Get involved here: https://www.gitex.com/
Fintech Surge 2023
October 16 – 20, 2023
Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
Taking place alongside GITEX Global 2023, Fintech Surge 2023 is a digital finance summit that’s set to bring together more than 1,000 international delegates and 100 global speakers to debate on the future of finance in the MENA region.
See more details here: https://www.fintechsurge.com/
