The Agenda

Finance Middle East 2025 | Agenda

Thursday, 6 November 2025 | Dubai, UAE
13:30 – 14:00

Registration and afternoon networking

14:00 – 15:00

Welcome Remarks

Opening Remarks
Keynote Speeches
Leadership dialogue:
Innovation, Regulation and Growth: The new playbook for Middle East

This session offers a macro view of how digitalisation, innovation, and regulation are reshaping financial services across the Middle East. It will explore the region’s vision for a digitally integrated financial system and how emerging technologies and cross-sector collaboration are enabling growth, inclusion and resilience.

  • Regional priorities for building a digital-first financial ecosystem, from CBDCs to infrastructure transformation
  • The impact of AI, blockchain, and tokenisation on financial services and regulatory models
  • Aligning innovation with financial stability, resilience and inclusion
  • Regional opportunities in driving cross-border financial integration
15:00 – 15:30

Panel discussion

AI and Agentic intelligence in financial services: From automation to autonomy

AI adoption in Middle Eastern banking is moving from basic automation towards more autonomous, self-learning systems. This session explores how financial institutions are using Agentic AI to drive operational improvements, enhance decision-making and transform customer interactions — while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations.

  • How banks are deploying Agentic AI for operational efficiency and smarter decision-making
  • Managing regulatory, ethical and compliance considerations in AI applications
  • Practical use cases in lending, fraud detection and customer experience
15:30 – 15:45

Tea / Coffee Break

15:45 – 16:00

Key trends and best practices in retail finance and technology

  • Awards programme: process, methodology, and scorecards
  • Latest developments in retail finance and technology
  • Key findings from the awards programme
16:00 – 16:30

Panel discussion

CBDCs, digital currencies and payment transformation

Central banks in the region are advancing CBDC initiatives to modernise domestic and cross-border payment networks. This session will assess current progress, integration challenges and the evolving role of CBDCs within the broader payments landscape.

  • Progress and lessons from regional CBDC pilots
  • Impact of CBDCs on cross-border payments and clearing
  • Integrating CBDCs with existing payment and banking systems
16:30 – 17:00

Panel Discussion

Cybersecurity and fraud prevention in a digitally connected ecosystem

As open finance and API-driven models expand, financial institutions face rising cybersecurity risks and fraud complexity. This session explores strategies to strengthen defences, detect threats in real time, and build industry-wide resilience.

  • Emerging threat vectors in open finance and digital ecosystems
  • Real-time detection and response using AI and analytics
  • Industry collaboration for systemic fraud and threat management
17:00 – 17:15

Closing keynote:

Charting the next decade of financial innovation

Regulators across the GCC are navigating the fast-evolving intersection of finance, technology and innovation. This section will share perspectives on upcoming regulatory priorities, alignment with international standards, and enabling a safe but progressive innovation environment.

  • Key priorities for financial regulation in a digital-first era
  • Coordinating cross-border innovation frameworks
  • Fostering trust, resilience and consumer protection in next-gen finance
17:15

End of programme

*This is a working agenda and topics and guests are subject to change.

Agenda & Speaking Opportunities :

Exhibition & Sponsorship Opportunities:

Delegate Registration: