- Breakout events such as AI Abu Dhabi Forum, Blockchain Abu Dhabi, Risk 4.0 Forum and Eastpoint Digital Assets Forum also took place during the day.
- Closed-door events this year included Web3 Leaders Roundtable – Presented by ADGM Emerging Tech and #Hashed and Stablecoin Dialogues.
Abu Dhabi, UAE: The third day of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) 2025, ADGM’s flagship event, featured Fintech Abu Dhabi and RESOLVE, which brought together the world’s most influential leaders in finance, technology, legal and dispute resolution.
Under the overarching theme of ‘Engineering the Capital of Capital’, the day delivered a powerful combination of thought leadership, discussions on disruptive innovation and cutting-edge insights, showcasing Abu Dhabi’s position as a future-focused financial hub and legal powerhouse.
Opening the day, H.E. Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development Abu Dhabi & Chairman, ADGM Academy, said, “The future of finance will not be written by algorithms alone, but by people with vision, courage, and purpose. Through platforms like Fintech Abu Dhabi, we are not only anticipating what’s next for the sector but actively building it. Today’s insightful conversations reflect Abu Dhabi’s ambition to become the launchpad for a new era of inclusive, intelligent, and resilient financial progress.”
Fintech Abu Dhabi: The Next Chapter of Financial Innovation
The ninth edition of Fintech Abu Dhabi, now the MENA region’s largest and most influential fintech gathering, highlighted the seismic shifts that are impacting financial services – from tokenisation and AI to digital banking and stablecoins.
The main stage hosted a series of powerful conversations and high-impact dialogues featuring some of the world’s most influential financial leaders. The line-up included prominent figures from the global fintech ecosystem, such as Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase; Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle; Richard Teng, CEO of Binance; Jennifer Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton; Anthony Soohoo, CEO of MoneyGram; Ambareen Musa, CEO of GCC, Revolut; and many more.
The sessions explored key topics including digital credit, regulatory innovation, digital assets, institutional adoption and next-gen banking, offering candid insights from fintech CEOs, investors and senior banking executives. The session with Teng examined the volatility of crypto markets and posed the essential question: Can crypto ever mature into trusted infrastructure? Meanwhile, the CEOs of Revolut, Capital.com, Erebor Group and Lukka explored how fintech founders are prioritising speed, regulatory clarity, and trust as they scale in a climate that demands agility and resilience.
Senior banking leaders from State Street, Al Hilal Bank and Piraeus Group discussed how legacy institutions are evolving. From embracing AI to redefining the customer experience, the session provided a candid look at digitisation efforts inside the traditional banking architecture. Early-stage investment experts from FJ Labs and Standard Chartered Ventures unpacked their strategies for identifying billion-dollar startups before they become mainstream by focusing on pattern recognition, pricing discipline, and the emerging science of ‘unicorn’ discovery.
RESOLVE Explores the Theme of ‘Courage’
In parallel, the fourth edition of RESOLVE 2025 convened under the theme ‘Courage’, focused on international dispute resolution and how legal systems must evolve in the face of rapid digital and market transformation. The forum brought together global legal experts, regulators, business leaders, and policymakers for a dynamic day of keynotes and discussions on cross-border crypto regulation, AI-driven legal strategies, and the legal implications of global capital markets.
H.E. Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Justice, delivered a compelling keynote on “Justice with Courage”, underscoring Abu Dhabi’s leadership in setting progressive legal standards. ADGM Courts’ Registrar & Chief Executive, Linda Fitz-Alan, opened the forum with a powerful message on navigating legal disruption with clarity and resolve. The day featured a high-calibre speaker lineup, including Matthew Lewis, Managing Director of Hintsa Performance, Netflix Co-Founder and Former CEO, Marc Randolph, and Professor Nancy Gleason of MBZUAI.
Breakout Events: A Convergence of Visionaries, Institutions, and Innovation
Running alongside the main events, the AI Abu Dhabi Forum examined the transformative power of artificial intelligence across financial systems. Sessions featured major tech and finance players such as Mubadala, Inception, Scale AI, Two Sigma, SS&C Technologies, PayPal, Visa, and Presight, which examined AI’s real-world applications in predictive analytics, risk modelling and digital infrastructure.
Elsewhere, Blockchain Abu Dhabi featured blockchain pioneers such as Charles Hoskinson, CEO and Co-Founder of Input|Output, Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder of Solana and CEO of Solana Labs, as well as thought leaders from BlackRock, Paxos and ADI Foundation. Discussions explored decentralised finance, digital asset infrastructure and institutional capital flows.
Throughout the day, closed-door summits such as the Web3 Leaders Roundtable – Presented by ADGM Emerging Tech and #Hashed and Stablecoin Dialogues were held with senior executives.
Other breakout sessions included the Risk 4.0 Forum, Bloomberg’s event on The AI Evolution: From Potential to Practicality, and Eastpoint Digital Assets Forum.
Newcomers and Major Collaborations
The third day of ADFW witnessed announcements from Galaxy Digital and the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), which are setting up offices in ADGM. NASDAQ-listed – Galaxy Digital, a global leader in digital assets and data centre infrastructure, is opening in Abu Dhabi to deepen the Company’s global footprint across three continents. Meanwhile, EDB’s announcement is in line with its preparation of an investment platform for investors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to access promising projects in Central Asia.
Another notable announcement for the day came from SAAS Properties, one of the leading luxury real estate developers in the UAE, when they officially unveiled their newest project – The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Al Maryah Island– an exceptional branded residential development, expanding its portfolio of luxury landmarks.
A total of 24 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were announced during the third day of ADFW. Partnerships were signed between local and international entities such as Blackrock, Finstreet, Swiss Re, RIQ, Kitopi Global, Lulu Financial Group, Crypto.com, 42 Abu Dhabi, Hanwha and Kresus.
ADFW continues for a final day with its featured event – Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum (ADSFF), and other key events will focus on sustainability and finance.
For more details on ADFW, visit www.adfw.com.
About ADGM
ADGM is the leading international financial centre (IFC) based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is one of the world’s largest financial districts by size and is the largest IFC in the Middle East and Africa by the number of active licences.
ADGM is also one of a handful of jurisdictions globally and the only one regionally to directly apply the trusted legal system of English Common Law.
Governing both Al Maryah and Al Reem Islands, which are collectively designated as Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone, ADGM connects the economies of the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region with global markets. Its progressive and inclusive ecosystem empowers financial and non-financial institutions to thrive, supporting innovation, sustainable growth, and long-term economic resilience.
Through its continued growth and cross-border partnerships, ADGM is strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as the ‘Capital of Capital’ and a leading global hub for finance, investment, and enterprise.
For more details on ADGM, please visit www.adgm.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram: @ADGM X: @adglobalmarket
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