MANAMA, Bahrain /PRNewswire/ — Fintech Forward 2025 (FF25), hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) wrapped up on a high note earlier today at Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB) bringing together policymakers, investors, founders, and thought leaders from around the world to shape the future of financial services. Marking its third iteration, this year's edition drew the highest number of sponsors, participants, and partnerships to date, with 38 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and strategic agreements signed spanning fintech, digital infrastructure, and financial services—a testament to the growing depth of industry collaboration, and investor confidence in Bahrain's fintech ecosystem.
The island nation, strategically located in the heart of the Gulf, continues to strengthen its global financial services and fintech ambitions. Building on its position as a regional leader in financial innovation, Bahrain brought together industry pioneers at FF25, which attracted around 2,000 attendees and the support of key players across the Kingdom's financial and technology sectors. The region's premier fintech event drew strong international participation from countries across the region and beyond, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States, and India.
Among the milestone agreements announced was the successful pilot of the new Google Cloud infrastructure for payments, a landmark collaboration facilitated by Bahrain Fintech Bay, the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB), Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), and BENEFIT, enabling instant payments using digital commercial bank money between their clients on Google Cloud Universal Ledger. This state-of-the-art project highlights Bahrain's role as a testbed for next-generation financial technologies and its ability to facilitate meaningful cross-border collaboration.
As part of the event, the Bahrain EDB hosted a delegation from the United Kingdom's Department for Business and Trade (DBT), comprising 70 delegates from 36 fintech companies—the largest delegation the Department has ever led to any country — highlighting the shared commitment to advancing cross-border innovation, financial collaboration, and sustainable economic growth. Among the delegation, three UK companies announced their launch in Bahrain, including Umazi, Ajyad & Valexa, and Aman by Themis, further reinforcing the Kingdom's growing appeal as a gateway for international fintech expansion.
This year's theme centered on "The Era of Integration: The Maturing Age of Fintech" and featured over 40 speakers, including leading global regulators, financial strategists, fintech pioneers, and internationally renowned innovators such as Changpeng Zhao (CZ), former CEO of Binance, and Dhiraj Mukherjee, Co-Founder of Shazam—reinforcing the event's role as a premier global stage for innovation, convening leaders who have transformed industries and redefined how millions worldwide engage with technology and financial services. The event's agenda covered a broad spectrum of topics shaping the future of finance, including the rise of embedded infrastructure, AI adoption, open banking, Islamic fintech, digital payments, and the future of regulation.
Over the past decade, Bahrain has transformed its financial services landscape through progressive regulation, advanced digital infrastructure, and a strong commitment to innovation. As the largest contributor to GDP, accounting for 17.2% of the economy in 2024, the sector drives economic growth while benefiting from a forward-looking regulatory framework led by the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Kingdom's single, agile regulator. Guided by the Financial Services Sector Development Strategy (2022–2026), Bahrain continues to advance innovation, talent development, and sustainable growth, leveraging its strategic location, business-friendly environment, highly-skilled workforce and sophisticated digital infrastructure to serve as a launchpad for scalable, cross-border fintech solutions and a gateway to the USD 2.15 trillion GCC market, solidifying its position as the region's premier destination for fintech investment and collaboration.
Fintech Forward remain central to driving investment, fostering innovation, and shaping the future of finance in the region. With momentum stronger than ever, Fintech Forward will return in 2026, continuing its mission as the region's leading stage for dialogue, collaboration, and transformation in digital finance.
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