Dubai – UAE, 9th October 2022: Fintech Surge 2022, the Middle East and North Africa region’s leading finance and innovation event, will open tomorrow at Dubai World Trade Centre from 10th-13th October 2022 (Monday-Thursday). 

Fintech Surge 2022 will serve as the largest gathering for the Fintech investor community, Fintech architects, startups, over 600 powerful investors and leading innovators from disruptive Fintech businesses globally. The summit will anchor visionaries and leading innovators who will share insights on how to navigate through the constantly evolving fintech ecosystem. 

The UAE has been at the forefront of financial innovation, and has witnessed a recent acceleration in the fintech sector. The country is currently home to 24 percent of all fintech organisations in the region, and accounts for 41 percent of MENA region’s $864 million startup funding in the first quarter of 2021.

Over four days, Fintech Surge 2022 will address global regulations, compliance issues and the role of Metaverse in fintech. The summit will host thought leaders from the public and private sector, including organizations such as Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Mashreq Bank, Mastercard, FintX by Emirates Post, EmiratesNBD, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. 

Fintech Surge 2022’s expert-led conference tracks will explore the sector’s most pressing issues and potentially lucrative opportunities. The summit will also witness startAD’s pitch day where ten startups of the CSA9 cohort will highlight their solutions and a winner will be announced.

Khalil Alami, Founder and CEO of Telr, said, “We are excited to be a part of Fintech Surge 2022 as a gold sponsor. Together, we can evolve and transform the fintech industry. The UAE is recognised as one of the world’s top ten Fintech hubs. It houses almost 50 percent of fintech companies in the Middle East, and we are happy to be part of its growth.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed consumer behavior and payment preferences over the last few years. Eighty-eight percent of consumers in the UAE have used at least one emerging payment method in the last year, with usage expected to increase further, according to Mastercard’s New Payments Index 2022. As the Headline Sponsor for Fintech Surge 2022, Mastercard will shine the spotlight on some of its innovative technologies and solutions. Global executives will share industry insights during panel discussions and fireside chats. Mastercard also intends to launch a report on the current state and growth potential of fintech sector in the region.

Ali Abulhasan, Co-Founder and CEO of Tap Payments, said, “While onboarding over 100,000 merchants, we have observed how the MENA region flourished into an ecosystem of early-stage startups and SMBs. This attributes to the government and local initiatives that accelerate development of startups. Our goal is to continue to support startups and innovation they bring to core markets, and to create an ecosystem that helps them scale easily. That is why we are keen to be a part of industry-leading events like Fintech Surge 2022 and competitive pitching activities like its Supernova challenge.”

Ahmed Mohamed Al Awadi, Managing Director and CEO of FINTX, the new fintech arm of Emirates Post, said, “FINTX will act as an incubator for fintech innovation. Through the newly established company, we aim to create a one-of-a-kind Fintech ecosystem and elevate the diversity and quality of the financial services provided by the existing companies we oversee, and new ventures we create. We intend to leverage our robust customer base and the extensive record of financial expertise spanning decades across our wide local and international network, to drive the success of the company.”

Fintech Surge 2022 serves as an integral part of GITEX Global 2022, the world’s biggest tech and startup event of the year which will feature over 5,000 tech and digital companies from 170 countries. 

Additional quotes

Kokila Alagh, founder of KARM Legal says, “KARM is a homegrown UAE law firm, aiming to put the Emirates on the technology map. KARM’s vision is in alignment with that of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which is to enhance Dubai’s position as a global hub for Web 3.0 and digital economy. Fintech Surge is a great initiative. We are excited to be part of Fintech Surge 2022, as it has given the world an overview into the evolution of blockchain and fintech space, while representing different jurisdictions.”

Vladimir Tatarinov, CEO, Armenotech Limited, said, “Fintech Surge 2022 will open a path to the Middle East market for us. It is where hundreds of large and medium-sized Fintech companies already exist, and more are planning their entry into the market.”

Renier Lemmens,CEO Geidea adds, “The Fintech ecosystem and digital payments landscape in the UAE and GCC is transforming on an unprecedented scale. Geidea is committed to empowering merchants in the large and SME space. As part of Geidea’s expansion plans in MENA, we look forward to our participation at GITEX Global’s Fintech Surge 2022 as a Platinum Sponsor.”