The Kingdom of Bahrain is preparing to host the third edition of Fintech Forward, a premier regional event for the finance and fintech sectors, on October 8-9, 2025. The event will take place at Exhibition World Bahrain and will be hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) and programmed by Economist Impact. This significant gathering aims to bring together influential leaders, industry trailblazers, investors, and financial players from the payments, fintech, and broader financial ecosystem.

Fintech Forward has established itself as a key platform for exchanging knowledge, celebrating milestone successes, and fostering connections within the industry. The upcoming edition, Fintech Forward 2025 (FF25), is held in collaboration with the Central Bank of Bahrain and supported by Bahrain FinTech Bay. It promises to be a dynamic two-day event featuring keynotes, panel discussions, and interactive sessions designed to spotlight opportunities and challenges for fintechs, as well as highlight notable successes.

Under the banner "The era of integration: the maturing age of fintech," FF25 will convene fintech experts, financial firms, governments, and regulators from across the globe. Participants will discuss trending themes, share insights, and exchange knowledge to further advance the industry. Key topics will include the industry's shift from rapid growth to sustainable maturity, the emergence of embedded infrastructure and advanced technologies, a heightened focus on trust, regulation, and integration over mere disruption, and the crucial, ongoing collaboration between regulators, sovereign investors, and traditional banks.

Bahrain, as the host nation, boasts a robust financial services sector that effectively combines traditional banking with innovative fintech firms, encompassing areas such as crypto assets, digital payments, and open banking solutions. The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the country's single regulator, has been instrumental in fostering fintech innovation. This is achieved through its dedicated Fintech Innovation Unit and pioneering regulatory frameworks. Notably, the CBB's onshore Regulatory Sandbox, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, provides a secure environment for both local and international fintech companies to test and develop new technologies, thereby supporting the growth of a resilient and compliant fintech ecosystem.

Building on the success of previous editions, which attracted participants globally, Fintech Forward aims to continue its role as a pivotal platform for industry leaders to share insights, foster collaboration, and drive regional fintech advancement. Interested parties can find more information and register their interest for Fintech Forward 2025 via the event's official website.