The Forum offered an opportunity to engage in discussions and debates on topics related to fintech innovations and entrepreneurship that included different perspectives such as the economic, social and technical views on the development and trajectory of these innovations in the region.

The University of Bahrain’s 2nd Digital Business Ecosystem (DBE) Research Forum was held on June 25, 2019. The forum reflects the University’s objectives of enhancing its long standing relationship with the industry and the public sector. The event took place at the Wyndham Grand Hotel. The DBE-Research Forum brought together speakers from key organizations such as the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Supreme Council of Women and Arab Financial Services and fintech startups. Panel themes included the localization of fintech innovations and the role of diversity in startups. The keynote speech of the forum was entitled ‘Emergent Changes and Fintech Developments’ and was given by Dr. Simon Galpin from the EDB.

The President of the University, Professor Riyad Hamzah, noted that the forum and stakeholder roundtable that followed helped enrich the multi-disciplinary approach to work on important issues such as entrepreneurship and development and also helped embed research and empirical data in the ecosystem. Dr. Noora H. Alghatam, the forum’s chair, explained that the forum is a space to engage in discussions with stakeholders to understand the needs of the ecosystem in order for people and organizations to support them through collaborative projects organized by the
university.

At the forum it was announced that the University of Bahrain is launching a new research platform called the Digital Entrepreneurship Research Collaborative (DERC). The collaborative aims to bring together researchers from various sectors and regions to work on projects that support various players in the business ecosystem and startups. Future strategies for the collaborative were discussed in a consultative stakeholder roundtable later in the day.

For more information
www.uob.edu.bh