More than 300 banking, fintech and financial services leaders gather in Dubai to explore how AI, capital and digital currencies are reshaping finance.
More than 300 senior leaders from banking, fintech and financial services have gathered in Dubai for the Banking Innovation & Technology Summit (BIT) 2026, as the industry examines how artificial intelligence, digital currencies and emerging forms of capital are transforming financial services.
Opening the summit, Ted Kemp, Chief Content Officer at Khaleej Times, said BIT aims to bring together key decision-makers shaping the future of finance while providing a platform for industry leaders to openly discuss and debate the major changes affecting the sector.
“BIT brings the people who are actually deciding that into one room and lets them disagree with each other in public for a change,” Kemp said.
This year’s summit is being held under the theme “Reimagining Financial Services in a New Global Order”, with discussions focusing on the evolving nature of capital and currency, as well as the expanding role of artificial intelligence in driving growth and innovation across the financial sector.
Tracking where money is moving
Kemp said the opening sessions at BIT 2026 would focus on capital and currency, examining where global investment is flowing and how money is moving across markets and financial corridors.
“We open this morning with capital and currency, tracing where global capital is actually choosing to land,” he said.
The discussions will also look at the increasing movement of money through digital channels and mobile wallets, as well as how technology is helping extend access to credit to consumers and businesses that have traditionally been underserved by conventional financial services.
“We’re following money as it moves across corridors and mobile wallets and into credit people couldn’t access before,” Kemp said.
The focus comes as financial institutions worldwide reassess traditional banking and payment models, while fintech platforms and digital financial services continue to change the way individuals and businesses access, transfer and manage money.
From stablecoins to tokenised assets
The summit, presented by Airpay, will also explore how the concept of currency is evolving, with technologies that were once largely experimental increasingly finding practical applications in financial transactions.
Kemp said the discussions would cover stablecoins being used to settle real-world transactions as well as the growing tokenisation of assets.
“And then we’ll turn to how currency itself is being reinvented,” he said.
“We’re talking about stablecoin settling real transactions. We’re talking about the tokenizations of assets that used to just sit still.”
The conversations highlight a wider transformation across financial services, where digital assets, blockchain-based infrastructure and artificial intelligence are increasingly being considered for practical applications that could change how money is transferred, assets are managed and financial services are delivered.
