Discover the 2026 Agenda | Money20/20 Middle East

1:10 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 01:10 PM—01:30 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Designing Financial Systems That Scale Safely

Balancing innovation, competition, and systemic stability

Speakers

William Mason

Director General | Guernsey Financial Services Commission

Balaji Rajagopalan

CTO | State Bank of India

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 01:10 PM—01:25 PM (15 min)

Fireside Chat : Capital Markets Outlook

Global investment is entering a new era, driven by structural shifts rather than short-term market cycles. As geopolitics, technology, and economic transformation reshape the global economy, investors are rethinking where capital flows and where long-term value will be created.This session explores the macroeconomic trends, investment strategies, and cross-border capital flows shaping the future of global finance and what they mean for investors, institutions, and markets worldwide.

Off The Record

Monday 14 September, 01:10 PM—01:50 PM (40 min)

Panel Discussion : The Threat Has Scaled. Have We?

We assume security spend equals security. It doesn’t. Cybercrime is now automated, organised and AI-powered and it targets fintech first, faster than anyone wants to admit.This session combats the comfortable belief that the threat is “handled", and asks what the industry is still treating as covered when it plainly isn’t.

Speakers

Christophe Makni

Head of Data, Automation and AI | Migros Bank

Vittorio Furlan

Independent Non-Executive Director | Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank)

Sumnesh Joshi

Deputy Director General | Government of India

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 01:10 PM—01:30 PM (20 min)

Live Demo : Meet the Other Joseph: A Digital Twin Takes the Stage

Joseph Bradley opens Next-Gen Money Stage alongside his own AI twin, live and unscripted, and the audience questions both. When the room can no longer tell the difference, the question stops being philosophical and becomes a governance problem. Joseph then opens the twin up, shows what actually keeps an agent accountable, names the one decision no institution should ever delegate, and hands the audience the harder question of where their own line sits.

Speakers

Joseph Bradley

Chairman & CEO | JMB X

Beverly Rider

Co-Founder & COO | JMB X

Hamza Aqeel

CTO | JBM X

1:25 PM

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 01:25 PM—01:55 PM (30 min)

Panel Discussion : Part. 1 Capital Flow Equation: Entry, Retention & Exit

Attracting investment is only the first step. The real measure of a competitive investment ecosystem lies in its ability to deploy capital efficiently, retain investor confidence, and deliver successful exits. From market access and regulatory certainty to liquidity, IPO readiness, and secondary markets, this session explores the conditions that enable capital to flow, grow, and recycle - creating sustainable investment ecosystems that attract long-term global capital.

Speaker

Lukas Bonko

CEO | Bratislava Stock Exchange

1:30 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 01:30 PM—02:00 PM (30 min)

Fireside Chat : Trust Corridors: Where Policy Alignment and Fintech Infrastructure Meet

A strategic conversation on how diplomacy, policy alignment, and fintech infrastructure can unlock resilient Cross-Border investment and payments corridors across high-growth emerging markets.

Speakers

Nilixa Devlukia

CEO | Payments Solved

Petra Janež

Financial Controller | Ministry of Finance, Republic of Slovenia

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 01:30 PM—02:10 PM (40 min)

Panel Discussion : Influence Is the New Distribution: Who Owns the Financial Customer?

For a growing share of consumers, financial decisions begin before they ever reach a bank or fintech app. Creators, communities and social platforms increasingly shape what people save, invest in, trust and how they understand risk.This panel explores who owns the customer relationship when financial influence moves outside the institution. How should fintechs engage with creators without outsourcing trust, and when influence turns into product adoption or financial loss, where does responsibility sit?

Speakers

Raji Kaippallil Raji

Financial Advisor & Content Creator | FinancewithRaji

Aydan Al-Saad

Influencer | What do you do?

Panagiotis Kriaris

Director / Strategic Advisor | Unzer / Nordic Fintech

Hatem Jarad

Head of SMB - Saudi | Snapchat

1:55 PM

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 01:55 PM—02:15 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Part 2. The MENA Exit Gap: Where Liquidity Breaks Down

As investment into the MENA region continues to accelerate, the next challenge is ensuring capital can exit as effectively as it enters. Without deeper public markets, more active secondary transactions, and stronger cross-border M&A activity, venture ecosystems risk stalling before reaching full maturity.This conversation explores the reforms, market infrastructure, and capital market evolution required to close the region's liquidity gap and enable a more self-sustaining investment cycle.

Speakers

Yazeed Alturki

Associate Partner | STV

Alex Hageman

Managing Director, Head of EMEA ECM | Moelis & Company

2:00 PM

Off The Record

Monday 14 September, 02:00 PM—02:30 PM (30 min)

Deep Dive : Young, Digital, Credit-Shy: Why BNPL is Quietly Winning in KSA & GCC

The accepted wisdom says a young, credit-wary, cash-first population won’t take on credit. The data says the opposite, nearly 85% of payments are already digital, smartphones are universal, and BNPL fits the behaviour like a glove.So why are we still designing for a consumer who no longer exists?

2:10 PM

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 02:10 PM—02:40 PM (30 min)

Deep Dive : Engineered Money: Who Is Programming Financial Behaviour?

Every nudge has an economic consequence. Credit limits, savings defaults, repayment reminders, rewards, streaks and AI prompts are no longer just UX features — they influence conversion, retention, borrowing, savings behaviour and credit performance.As fintechs race to make money more personalised and frictionless, the same mechanics that improve engagement can also encourage overspending, dependency and debt.This panel asks what financial products should optimise for when engagement and customer outcomes start to diverge, where behavioural design becomes manipulation, and who is accountable when a product is deliberately built to change how people use money.

2:30 PM

Off The Record

Monday 14 September, 02:30 PM—02:50 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Innovation or Imitation? Beyond the Copy-Paste Playbook

Fintech sold itself on disruption, yet most startups are reskinning the same five business models. Payments, lending, neobanks, embedded finance: proven, scalable, fundable... and identical. Has the industry mistaken a copy-paste playbook for innovation?

Speaker

Brad Maasdorp

FinTech Growth Partner | TMC (The Member Company)

2:40 PM

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 02:40 PM—03:20 PM (40 min)

Panel Discussion : Capital Meets Africa’s Growth Opportunity

As global investors diversify beyond traditional regional allocations, Africa is emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing investment corridors. Sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, family offices and strategic partners are increasingly deploying capital across infrastructure, energy, digital economies, manufacturing and financial services.

Speakers

Neo Mooki

Chairwoman | Botswana Stock Exchange

Efayomi Carr

Investment Partner | Flourish Ventures

Hortense Mudenge

CEO | Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC)

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 02:40 PM—03:00 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Building the Next Digital Economy: What the New MENA Consumer Expects

MENA is moving from digital adoption to digital advantage. Consumers are shopping more frequently, managing money through digital wallets and increasingly expecting payments to disappear into the experience: fast, secure and effortless.But convenience is changing more than checkout. It is reshaping where consumers shop, which brands they trust, how quickly they abandon a poor experience and how much control they expect to retain as payments become increasingly automated.The session explores what these changing behaviours reveal about the next MENA consumer, and how merchants and financial institutions can translate better performance, local relevance and trust into sustainable growth.

Speaker

Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo

General Manager, MENA | Checkout.com

2:50 PM

Off The Record

Monday 14 September, 02:50 PM—03:20 PM (30 min)

Networking : Networking Break

3:00 PM

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 03:00 PM—03:40 PM (40 min)

Panel Discussion : The Business of One: Financial Services for Independent Work

Income has fragmented. Banking has not.Millions now earn across platforms, projects and several sources at once, while credit models, account structures and financial planning still assume one employer, one salary and a predictable month.Creators, freelancers, drivers, merchants, consultants and AI-enabled entrepreneurs run financial lives that sit half in the personal column and half in the commercial one, and are routinely served well by neither.The question on the table is what financial services owe the business of one, and how much of the existing stack has to be rebuilt rather than adapted to deliver it.

Speakers

Susana Ponce Froment

Board Advisor | Gifftid

Panagiotis Kriaris

Director / Strategic Advisor | Unzer / Nordic Fintech

Omair Ansari

Co-Founder & CEO | Abhi FinTech Ltd

3:20 PM

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 03:20 PM—03:50 PM (30 min)

Panel Discussion : Governments as Financial System Builders

The world's most competitive investment destinations are being shaped not only by markets, but by governments building the institutions and infrastructure that enable capital to thrive. From sovereign wealth funds acting as ecosystem builders to state-led capital market development and forward-looking regulation, governments are redefining their role as architects of financial systems designed to attract investment, accelerate growth, and strengthen long-term economic competitiveness.

Speakers

Senator Osita Izunaso

Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Markets | Federal Republic of Nigeria Government

William Mason

Director General | Guernsey Financial Services Commission

Akshata Namjoshi

Equity Partner | KARM Legal

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 03:20 PM—03:35 PM (15 min)

Live Demo : Innovation Sandboxes: What We Learned from Real-World Experiments

3:35 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 03:35 PM—04:00 PM (25 min)

Fireside Chat : Quiet Layer: Why is Insurance the Framework Nobody Talks About?

Every mortgage, trade finance deal and infrastructure project depends on someone agreeing to carry the risk. This session treats insurance as core financial infrastructure rather than an add-on, and asks what changes when protection is designed into the system alongside payments and credit rather than layered on afterwards.

Speaker

Basil Mimi

CEO | Mantas

3:40 PM

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 03:40 PM—04:20 PM (40 min)

Panel Discussion : The Borderless Customer: Building One Financial Life Across Many Markets

Consumers increasingly earn, spend, save and support family across multiple countries, currencies and platforms, while financial services remain fragmented by market.This panel explores how fintechs can build a more connected financial life for borderless customers, bringing payments, FX, savings, credit and investing together across markets, and competing to become the primary financial relationship wherever the customer goes.

Speakers

Sandra Mianda

Founder & CEO | Paypr.work

Ravi Jakhodia

CEO | MonieWorld (from Moniepoint)

Neil Ni

Chief Strategy officer | XTransfer

4:00 PM

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 04:00 PM—04:20 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Building an Investable Nation: Why Global Capital is Choosing Saudi Arabia

Global capital is increasingly favouring markets with long-term vision, institutional credibility and investment-ready ecosystems. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a focal point for this shift, driven by regulatory reform, sovereign investment, expanding capital markets and a rapidly evolving innovation economy.Explore what makes a market truly investable, why investors are increasing their allocation to the Kingdom, and what it will take for Saudi Arabia to become one of the world’s leading long-term capital hubs.

Speaker

Sebastian Frederiks

CEO | ING Securities Capital

4:10 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 04:10 PM—04:50 PM (40 min)

Panel Discussion : Closing the Wealth Gap by Design

Learn how intentional inclusion by design can create better financial infrastructure that expands access, builds real economic participation, and drives long-term wealth creation for all.

Speakers

Uyoyo Edosio

Chief ICT Operations Expert | African Development Bank (AfDB)

Nadine Jaafar

Chief Business Officer | Moyasar Payment Services

Maria Medvedeva

Managing Director, Middle East | Skyro

Margaret O’Connor

Chairman | Launch Africa Ventures

4:20 PM

The Capital

Monday 14 September, 04:20 PM—06:00 PM (1 h 40 min)

Startup Competition : DAY 1: MoneySurge Pitch Competition

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 04:20 PM—04:50 PM (30 min)

Fireside Chat : From Saving to Investing: Who Will Own the Next Generation Investor?

Investing is increasingly moving beyond traditional brokers and wealth managers into fintech apps, wallets, banks, super apps and digital wealth platforms, powered by APIs, embedded brokerage, robo-advisory and AI.As access becomes more seamless and investing moves closer to the consumer, this panel explores how the next generation will discover and experience investing, whether easier access leads to better financial outcomes, and what happens to trust as investing becomes increasingly embedded and automated.

Speaker

Roger Rouhana

Co-founder & CEO | Alpheya

4:30 PM

Off The Record

Monday 14 September, 04:30 PM—05:00 PM (30 min)

Fireside Chat : Founder Story: “It Started With A $90 Problem”

What do you do when you stumble across a problem that you simply can’t ignore? For Chris Maurice, it started with a $90 fee and a question: why should moving money be this hard? That question took him from spotting a broken system to building Yellow Card, and ultimately serving millions across Africa and beyond. This is the personal, messy and unexpected story of what happens when you decide to solve the problem yourself.

Speakers

Christopher Maurice

Co-founder & CEO | Yellow Card

Afua Hagan

Journalist & Broadcaster | News Central

4:50 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 04:50 PM—05:00 PM (10 min)

Panel Discussion : Rewiring Capital from the Inside

The incentive structures that quietly decide who finance reaches.How venture capital decisions shape who gets access to financial tools, credit, and wealth creation globally. From bias in funding pipelines to emerging inclusive fintech models, this session unpacks how investors can actively redesign access. Expect insights from operators-turned-investors deploying capital into underserved founders and cross-border financial ecosystem

Speakers

Nivesh Pather

Investment Principal | Norrsken22

Mareme Dieng

Head of M&A, Strategy & Fintech Future | Axian Group

Arth Malani

Founder & CEO | NorthStar Insights

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 04:50 PM—05:30 PM (40 min)

Fireside Chat : The Consumer the Credit File Cannot See

Credit models were built to read one kind of life: a single employer, a documented salary, a visible history of borrowing and repaying. Millions of people live outside that pattern. They have income but no payslip, discipline but no credit history, years of digital activity but no established banking relationship.Alternative data, open banking and verified income could bring them inside the system. They could equally create a new form of exclusion, harder to see and harder to contest, because the reasoning sits inside a model rather than a policy.The session turns on three questions: which signals deserve weight in a lending decision, how credit-information providers widen the file without lowering the standard, and what recourse a person has when an automated decision concludes they are not creditworthy.

Speakers

Adeola Adedewe

Founder & CEO | Kredete

Nilixa Devlukia

CEO | Payments Solved

Omar Saleh

Co-founder & Group CEO | Khazna.App

5:00 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 05:00 PM—05:20 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Identity as financial infrastructure

Money can't move until identity is established and trusted. This session explores identity not as a compliance requirement, but as the foundation every financial system depends on. It examines how interoperable identity systems are being designed, who governs them, and how that foundation must evolve as AI agents begin acting on behalf of people and businesses.

Speaker

James Smith

Chief Strategy Officer | ADI Foundtation

5:20 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 05:20 PM—05:40 PM (20 min)

Fireside Chat : Both Sides of the Design Table

Financial systems are shaped as much by supervisors as by builders. As innovation accelerates, regulators are increasingly designing the frameworks that determine how new technologies scale safely and responsibly. This fireside explores how supervisors and industry are working together to create regulatory foundations that enable innovation while maintaining trust, resilience and financial stability.

Speakers

Joanne Kubba

SVP, head of Government Affairs CEMEA | VISA

Monica Jasuja

Chief Expansion and Innovation Officer | Emerging Payments Association Asia

5:30 PM

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 05:30 PM—05:50 PM (20 min)

Panel Discussion : Who Do You Trust With Your Money? The Rise of Community Finance

Money has always been social. People save with family, pool money with friends and learn financial habits from those they trust.Technology is now turning those behaviours into products, from digital savings circles to group investing and fractional ownership. This panel explores why consumers increasingly make financial decisions through communities, how social trust shapes behaviour, and whether fintech can turn collective saving into long-term ownership and wealth.

Speaker

Turki AlShlail

Co-Founder & CEO | Jozo

5:40 PM

Off The Record

Monday 14 September, 05:40 PM—05:40 PM ()

Closing Remarks

5:50 PM

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 05:50 PM—06:20 PM (30 min)

Fireside Chat : How Technology Shapes Financial Behaviour: Building Financial Confidence in the Digital Age

Technology is no longer just changing how consumers access financial services, it is reshaping how they think, decide and behave with money. From AI-powered financial guidance and behavioural design to creator-led advice, digital communities and embedded financial experiences, the next generation is developing new habits around spending, saving, investing and long-term financial planning. As trust shifts beyond traditional institutions towards digital experiences and personalised advice, this session explores how technology is redefining financial confidence, consumer behaviour and household wealth, and what banks, fintechs and wealth platforms must do to earn trust in the next era of money.

Speakers

Tolani Abere

Influencer & Investment Professional | Tolani Talks Money

Dr. Jasmin B. Gupta

Global Fintech Academic | University of Wollongong, Australia, GIFT City India

Dr. Preston Cherry

Founder & Wealth Advisor | Concurrent Wealth

6:00 PM

The Bridge

Monday 14 September, 06:00 PM—06:05 PM (5 min)

Closing Remarks

6:20 PM

Next-Gen Money

Monday 14 September, 06:20 PM—06:30 PM (10 min)

Closing Remarks : Closing Remarks

THE 2026 AGENDA