Fintech Forward 2026 Concludes in Bahrain with over 60 Strategic Agreements Signed, Drawing 2900 Participants

Fintech Forward 2026 Concludes in Bahrain with over 60 Strategic Agreements Signed, Drawing 2,900 Participants

Fintech Forward 2026 (FF26) wrapped today at Exhibition World Bahrain after its fourth edition recorded more than 60 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), strategic agreements and key announcements and attracted over 2,900 local and international participants. Organisers said the event delivered a 65% increase in announcements and signings compared with the previous year and featured its largest cohort of sponsors and exhibitors to date.

"This is the Team Bahrain approach in action, harnessing public-private partnership to drive innovation, strengthen the ecosystem and unlock new pathways for growth," organisers said, underscoring the collaborative intent behind the surge in deals announced at FF26.

FF26 was hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board and programmed by Forbes Middle East, with support from the Central Bank of Bahrain, Tamkeen (the Labour Fund), the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The forum ran under the theme "Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure" and brought together more than 40 speakers, international delegations, and the inaugural Tech Talent Hub.

• BBK showcased a Google Cloud Universal Ledger pilot delivered in collaboration with ARRAY Innovation, a portfolio company of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, exploring digital ledger use in core banking with potential applications in tokenised payments and programmable settlement.
• Beyon and barq Group (Technologies Union) announced an agreement to combine Beyon Money's operations with barq's fintech platform, with Beyon set to retain economic interest subject to final documentation and regulatory approvals.
• BENEFIT named the 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 to reduce risk across trade finance.
• Bahrain FinTech Bay launched its fourth Fintech Ecosystem Report (2024–2026), highlighting regulated execution and opportunities in AI, tokenisation and cross-border payments.
• Beyon Connect revealed plans for an AML Referral Programme with AMAN Compliance Solutions as its first referral partner, and signed an MoU with BENEFIT to explore joint fintech opportunities across digital identity, payments, credit, information services and data analytics.
• BENEFIT and Huawei signed an MoU to explore cooperation in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.
• Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain announced an MoU with stc Bahrain to broaden digital solutions in cash management, reconciliation and trade finance.
• The Tech Talent Hub debuted at the exhibition with participation from Citi, J.P. Morgan and KPMG to highlight Bahrain’s workforce and career pathways in financial services and technology.

The forum emphasised tangible economic outcomes. Organisers noted many of this year’s announcements built on relationships formed at FF25, demonstrating conversion of dialogue into executable projects. The event highlighted Bahrain’s long-standing financial services ecosystem, backed by progressive regulation, advanced digital infrastructure and a skilled labour pool; financial and insurance activities accounted for 17.6% of Bahrain’s real GDP in 2025.

Outlook: with a marked rise in deals and focused pilots spanning ledger technology, trade finance fraud prevention, AML services and digital infrastructure, FF26 positioned Bahrain to accelerate adoption of tokenisation, AI and cross-border payment solutions. Continued public-private collaboration and recurring programmes such as the NBB Innovation Programme — now entering its third edition in partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay — signal a sustained push to translate forum commitments into operational projects across the Kingdom and the wider Gulf region.