The annual GCC Financial Forum is all set to return to Bahrain later this month, and as always, the event will be packed with industry heavyweights from across the region and beyond. The timing of the eighth edition of the Forum is crucial as it is taking place at a time when the Kingdom, along with the rest of the region, is currently undergoing a FinTech revolution.
With that into consideration, the event is sure to bring Bahrain the perfect opportunity to project its prowess in the realm of financial services and technology, and mark itself as an attractive destination for the global FinTech ecosystem.
In view of the significance of the event for the broader region, a number of leading regional and global industry leaders are backing the event. Among them are:
- BBK — one of the oldest financial institutions in Bahrain.
- NBB — the Kingdom’s first locally owned bank.
- BNP Paribas — a globally renowned financial house
- Al Salam Bank — one of GCC’s leading banking and financial services provider
The Forum will be co-hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and Euromoney Conferences. More than 800 global participants representing the banking sector, financial institutions, policy bodies, government officials, academics, regulators, and the wider FinTech industry are expected to attend the two-day event.
Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple Inc., will join the attendees as the keynote speaker.
The theme of the Forum this year will be “Reinvention of Financial Services” and it will address, among other issues, responsible finance, open banking, financial innovations spearheaded by women, and the future of FinTech in the Middle East.
“The GCC Financial Forum is the annual who’s who event for an industry undergoing dramatic reform. We are therefore delighted to welcome an illustrious list of local and international sponsors who are embracing technology in their businesses and welcome their invaluable insights in this fast-moving sector,” said Victoria Behn, Director of the Middle East and Africa at Euromoney Conferences, while elaborating on the significance of GCC FInancial Forum 2019.