Dubai, UAE; 3 November 2026:  The inaugural Dubai Future Finance Week, led by Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, continued today. The Dubai FinTech Summit has highlighted DIFC’s progress on innovation and new research focused on the future of finance, whilst other events in the programme moved decisively into climate transition finance, long-term capital deployment and alternative investment strategies.

Held under the directives and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, and President of DIFC, Dubai Future Finance Week will advance the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to position Dubai among the top four global financial centres.
On day two of the Dubai FinTech Summit, His Excellency Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, welcomed delegates and announced that, by offering the region’s most comprehensive proposition for AI, FinTech and innovation firms, DIFC is now home to more than 2,000 AI, FinTech and innovation companies.

The milestone comes less than ten years after DIFC launched its vision to drive the future of finance, anchored by the establishment of FinTech Hive, the region's first and largest financial technology accelerator.

His Excellency Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, said: "FinTech has played a defining role in transforming financial services and remains central to the future of finance. DIFC’s thriving ecosystem now includes more than 2,000 AI, FinTech and innovation firms, reflecting Dubai’s determination to remain at the forefront of the industry. Our ambition is not simply to attract promising businesses, but to give them the environment, connections and capabilities they need to scale globally. We are now creating the conditions for the next wave of growth which will ensure we continue to position Dubai as the world’s number one city for FinTech.”

Reflecting DIFC’s long-term partnership with Julius Baer Group, the day’s signature session featured Noel Quinn, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Julius Baer was the first financial services firm to establish itself in the Centre in 2004.

Amongst the broad range of speakers on day two were: H.E. Dr. Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO and Board Member, Astra Tech; H.E. Dr. Fatih Karahan, Governor, Central Bank of Turkey; Hamed Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Financial Market and Nasdaq Dubai; H.E. Fahad Al Gergawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates; and Toon Gyssels, CEO, Talabat.

Future of Finance: Digital Economy 2.0

During the Dubai FinTech Summit and reinforcing DIFC’s role in driving the future of finance, the Centre and its research partner Asia House launched the Digital Economy 2.0 report. Presented by Michael Lawrence OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Asia House, the report highlights the critical role of capital, talent, and progressive regulation in enabling the next phase of digital economic growth. It also underscores how Dubai's digitally enabled and innovation-focused environment provides a strong platform for the development and scaling of new financial technologies. 

The report forecasts that global technology spending will reach USD 5.6trn in 2026, with artificial intelligence expected to contribute USD 22.3trn to the global economy by 2030. It also projects that the global FinTech market will grow to USD 1.5trn by 2030, highlighting the scale of opportunities emerging across digital finance, AI-driven services, and next-generation financial infrastructure.

Global financial leaders and institutional allocators are invited to engage with the remaining programme of Dubai Future Finance Week, which continues through Friday 6 November 2026. Upcoming forums and executive dialogues will focus on banking excellence, Islamic finance, family wealth, tokenisation, and digital assets.