ABU DHABI - The global investment platform, Investopia, has revealed one of the key outcomes of its annual conference held on 2nd-3rd March 2023 in Abu Dhabi, which is the launch of “The Council”, the first exclusive gathering of the most influential Fintech leaders and experts in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The Middle East and North Africa Fintech Association (MENA Fintech Association) announced “The Council” during Investopia 2023, highlighting the importance of the platform that fosters collaboration and exchange of ideas among fintech leaders in MENA to share their insights, and collaborate on initiatives that will shape the future of the industry, with strong participation from the countries and financial companies that lead the fintech landscape in MENA region.

"We are thrilled to launch The Council during Investopia 2023 and to bring together the most influential Fintech leaders and experts in the Middle East and North Africa region," said Nameer Khan, Chairman, MENA Fintech Association. "The Fintech industry is playing a critical role in driving economic growth and shaping the economic future of the region, and "The Council" provides a platform for leaders in the industry to collaborate and drive the industry forward."

Abdullah Ahmad Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, said, “We are pleased to see MENA Fintech Association launching The Council, the gathering of Fintech leaders and experts in MENA region, during Investopia Conference 2023, in the UAE which is the top destination for financial and digital technology companies in the Middle East.”

The agenda for The Council will focus on topics ranging from economic diversification and inflation to emerging risks, scenarios, regulations, and climate change. The Council will be a quarterly meeting and attendance is by invitation only limited to executives and founders in the Fintech industry.

Financial technology is one of the main sectors targeted by Investopia, whose vision revolves around investing in sectors of the new economy. The annual Investopia Conference 2023 hosted a session about the "Fintech Revolution", in which fintech leaders discussed the role of the UAE in financial technology innovations, and the use of cryptocurrencies with the possibility of benefiting from the existence of blockchain technology in order to revolutionise financial infrastructure centers. Experts also talked about the UAE's pioneering role in the field of financial technology for a long time, through several programs such as the Abu Dhabi Development Accelerators Program "Ghadan 21", to revolutionise banking.

The UAE is leading the MENA’s fintech market, reaching a record-high of US$2.5 billion in 2022. The global research company, Mordor Intelligence, said in a report that “in terms of innovation, market size and development potential, the country was ranked first among financial technology centres around the world".