Manama – Mubasher: Fintech Forward 2026, the Gulf region's flagship financial forum which took place at Exhibition World Bahrain, witnessed the signing of more than 60 memoranda of understanding (MoUs), strategic agreements, and key announcements.
The event, which concluded on 8 October 2026, recorded over 2900 local and international participants, according to an official statement.
Marking the fourth edition, Fintech Forward 2026 welcomed its largest number of sponsors and exhibitors to date, underscoring the strength of industry engagement and a shared ambition to shape the next chapter of financial services.
The 65% increase in announcements and signings at the 2026 edition highlights the forum's growing role as a catalyst for tangible economic outcomes.
Among the developments announced at this year’s edition was a Google Cloud Universal Ledger pilot showcased by BBK. The project is being delivered in collaboration with ARRAY Innovation, a portfolio company of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund. It explores the use of advanced digital ledger technology within BBK's core banking operations, with potential applications in tokenized payments and programmable settlement.
In addition, Beyon and barq Group's Technologies Union announced an agreement which brought together Beyon Money's operations with barq's fintech platform, with Beyon set to retain economic interest in barq, subject to final documentation and regulatory approvals.
In an interview with Mubasher.info on the sidelines of Fintech Forward 2026, the CEO of Beyon Connect, Richard Budel stated that the growing opportunity for trusted interoperable digital identity solutions across the region and confirmed that Beyon aims to expand its solutions and connect digital identity systems between the Gulf markets.
Meanwhile, BENEFIT announced the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) as the first participating bank and anchor banking partner in the Trade Finance Registry pilot. Developed in collaboration with Singapore-based trade finance fraud prevention specialist MonetaGo and Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB), the pilot aims to reduce risk across trade finance.
Mubasher.info also had an interview with Abdulwahed Al Janahi, the CEO of Bahrain’s BENEFIT Company, who unveiled the ongoing launch of an Electronic IPO (E-IPO) service linked to Bahrain Bourse, as well as “FinSouq” platform.
Bahrain FinTech Bay also launched its fourth Fintech Ecosystem Report (2024–2026), charting Bahrain's progression to regulated execution and highlighting opportunities in AI, tokenization, and cross-border payments.
Fintech Forward 2026 also marked the announcement of the third edition of the NBB Innovation Program in partnership with BFB, continuing its presence at Fintech Forward for a second consecutive year.
Further announcements included Beyon Connect's plans to launch an AML Referral Program, with AMAN Compliance Solutions joining as its first referral partner, helping organizations access specialized financial crime prevention and compliance expertise.
This is in addition to MoU between Beyon Connect and BENEFIT to explore joint fintech opportunities locally and internationally, combining their complementary capabilities across digital identity, payments, credit and information services, as well as data analytics.
BENEFIT and Huawei also signed an MoU to explore cooperation in digital infrastructure, AI and other advanced technologies, reflecting the growing intersection between financial services and emerging technology.
Additionally, Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain announced an MoU with stc Bahrain to expand their existing partnership, exploring new areas of collaboration across digital solutions and integrated use cases, while further advancing digital capabilities in cash management, reconciliation, and trade finance.
Hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) and programmed by Forbes Middle East, Fintech Forward 2026 was supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB) and was held under the theme Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure.
