Ahmed bin Saeed meets with global fintech leaders on the sidelines of Dubai FinTech Summit 2025

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, met with global finance industry leaders participating in the Dubai FinTech Summit 2025. The event brought together over 9,000 attendees including senior executives, fintech pioneers, investors, policymakers, and innovators from more than 120 countries.

Attendees included Ashok Vaswani, Managing Director and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank; Monica Long, President of Ripple; and Justin Grooms, President of Bolt. The meeting explored opportunities for collaboration in expanding digital payment infrastructure and accelerating innovation across the financial ecosystem.

His Highness welcomed the attendees and reaffirmed Dubai’s commitment to supporting global financial leaders with world-class digital infrastructure, agile regulation, and a forward-looking vision that supports the growth of transformative financial solutions. He highlighted the city’s ongoing efforts to modernise its regulatory environment to meet the evolving needs of key sectors — including finance — and strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading global financial hub.

The meeting was attended by His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC); His Excellency Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD Group; and Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of the DIFC Authority.

The meeting reflected the priorities set out in the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to position Dubai among the world’s top four global financial centres and generate AED100 billion annually in added economic value through digital transformation by 2033.

The meeting also highlighted the influential role of DIFC as a leading hub for advanced financial technologies and cross-border partnerships, and a strategic gateway for global financial institutions. Discussions focused on DIFC’s continued efforts to foster innovation in the financial sector, a key driver in strengthening Dubai’s position as a launchpad for technologies that connect East and West, supported by the city’s strong competitive advantages and an ecosystem designed to enable business success across sectors.

The meeting also reviewed the core strategies of leading institutions, including Kotak Mahindra Bank’s plans to expand its global digital banking services, Ripple’s blockchain-based payment solutions and Web3 innovations, and Bolt’s role in enabling seamless and secure international transactions.