UAE Financial Services Congress
Building Resilient Finance in the Age of Intelligence
The UAE has been the Middle East’s financial epicentre – a hub where global banks, fintech unicorns, and progressive regulators shape the region’s digital finance agenda. In 2026, the sector entered a defining period as new regulatory milestones, including the New Banking Law, Open Finance regulation, and the UAE’s Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programme, accelerate industry-wide transformation.
AI, GenAI, and emerging agentic AI are rapidly reshaping how UAE institutions lend, assess risk, manage fraud, advise customers, and run operations. Yet IDC research shows that while 81% of MEA BFSI firms report performance gains from digital and operational transformation, and 100% now use public cloud, only 16% have a fully integrated enterprise-wide AI strategy. Scaling AI responsibly with strong governance, explainability, and data maturity, is becoming a strategic imperative for banking-sector leaders.
At the same time, the UAE’s fintech ecosystem is transforming financial services through digital onboarding, open APIs, embedded finance, payments innovation, and core banking modernization. Initiatives such as the Digital Dirham (CBDC), tokenization pilots, and instant payments are redefining cross-border trade, consumer experience, and national competitiveness. Cyber resilience, Zero Trust architecture, and operational resilience are now central to regulatory expectations.
The UAE Financial Services Congress 2026 brings together technology, risk, data, and business leaders across two parallel tracks – IT Transformation and Fintech & Core Banking Innovation. Through IDC insights, peer-led discussions, and practical frameworks, attendees will gain actionable strategies for building intelligent, resilient, and future-ready financial institutions in the UAE.
Get Ready to be Inspired: Announcing Our IDC Keynote Speaker
Hear from thought leaders and visionary CIOs speakers redefining technology, leadership, and innovation.
IDC Keynote: The Great Reset: Redefining Financial Services in the UAE
The UAE’s financial sector is undergoing a fundamental reset, driven by new banking law, open finance regulation, and the FIT Programme. Drawing on IDC’s latest MEA BFSI research, this keynote explores the strategic choices facing banks and fintechs as they navigate compliance, reimagine business models, and race to deploy AI and open APIs at scale.
Michael Yeo | Asia/Pacific IDC
Associate Research Director, Financial Insights
Michael Yeo
Michael Yeo is the Associate Research Director for IDC Financial Insights and Retail Insights in the Asia/Pacific region. Mr. Yeo’s core research coverage focuses on payments including the uptake of mobile payments in the Asia/Pacific region, digital banking, and the evolution of joint digital ecosystems involving ecommerce, mcommerce, and payments. Mr. Yeo has also significant experience in advising financial institutions on their fintech management strategies, placing particular emphasis on organizational and technology restructuring within banks to better cope with the demands of current-generation digital customers.
Prior to IDC, Mr. Yeo headed all financial services–related research at KPMG Malaysia. Previously, he served as a project manager at an advisory firm in China, where he advised multiple international clients with their China market entry strategies. Mr. Yeo started his career in an advisory role for financial services at Ernst and Young.
Credentials:
- B.A Accounting and Economics from the University of Reading, United Kingdom
- Frequent speaker in the region on mobile payments and digital ecosystems. Contributor to major global and regional media outlets including CNBC, South China Morning Post, Straits Times, and Global Finance
Event Sessions
One Day Event 5:05 pm
IDC Keynote: The Great Reset: Redefining Financial Services in the UAE
The UAE’s financial sector is undergoing a fundamental reset, driven by new banking law, open finance regulation, and the FIT Programme. Drawing on IDC’s latest MEA BFSI research, this keynote explores the strategic choices facing banks and fintechs as they navigate compliance, reimagine business models, and race to deploy AI and open APIs at scale.
Partner
ManageEngine
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Venue
