Financial Center News #168

Earlier today, we hosted an expert workshop for our members and their communities. Dr. Ashish Kakar, a renowned expert from Singapore, gave a presentation titled “From AI Investments to AI Returns,” in which he discussed whether the enormous investments in AI will ultimately pay off—both in the financial services sector and beyond.

It’s not just AI infrastructure providers that have to invest substantial sums. Financial institutions and companies in general must do so as well. Current developments, particularly their pace and the valuations in play, remind me of the internet boom of the late 1990s, which, at least initially, did not end well. On the other hand, AI is an opportunity nobody can afford to miss, as it significantly boosts our productivity. I am curious to see how we will look back on this period in hindsight.

📬 The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC)’s August Newsletter is out.

This month’s edition puts the spotlight on the ideas, people, and financial centers shaping the future of global finance.

🎓 Exclusive: Meet the Top 3 of the 2026 Young Academic Award

We asked our three winners one essential question: What is the most profound insight from your paper that you would like the audience to remember?

Discover the perspectives of Won Woo, Wiktoria Chrzanowska, and Natalie Playford — covering agentic finance and AI governance, tokenized capital markets, and the role of financial institutions in turning gender commitments into enforceable action.

🤖 AI: From investment to real business value

We also look ahead to our World Alliance Expert Workshop, “From AI Spend to AI Returns: Building the Trust and Business Case for AI Adoption,” led by Dr. Dr Ashish Kakar — exploring trust, ROI, successful AI use cases, and the role financial centers can play in responsible AI adoption.

📲 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eydyQkKJ

📰 News from across our member network

This edition features developments from ADGM, Casablanca Finance City, NIFC Africa, Stuttgart Financial, Frankfurt Main Finance, Financial Services Authority – Oman, Bahamas Financial Services Board, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority, and DIFC — from tokenization and financial-center development to talent, governance, sustainability, and community impact. 🌐

📅 And don’t miss the upcoming events across our international community, including Astana Finance Days, Focus on Corporate Finance, Casablanca Finance Forum, Greenwich Economic Forum, Dubai FinTech Summit, Hong Kong FinTech Week, and Warsaw Finance Week.

💡 One newsletter. A global network of financial centers. And a snapshot of the conversations shaping the future of finance.

👉 Read the August 2026 Newsletter and discover the full stories, interviews, member news, and upcoming events.

📲

Two weeks, 110 young participants, and a hands-on journey into the technologies shaping the future.

The fifth edition of ADGM and ADGM Academy Summer Internship Programme brought together young talent aged 12–19 for an immersive experience across AI, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, InvestmentTech and EnergyTech, combining expert-led workshops, industry visits, mentorship, collaborative projects and real-world learning.

As we celebrate another successful cohort, we’re proud to see young minds turn learning into practical experience and new perspectives into possibilities for the future.

🤝 The Astana Finance Days 2026 partner network is now fully confirmed.

Applications for partnership are closed, and we thank all companies and organisations joining AFD 2026 this year.

With the forum approaching, registration remains open until 1 September.

If you have already registered, now is the time to prepare for AFD: download the Astana Finance Days 2026 app, explore the programme, identify relevant participants and start scheduling meetings in advance.

AFD 2026 will bring together representatives of the financial sector, investors, businesses and international organisations, creating a strong platform for new connections and cross-border dialogue.

📍 9-10 September 2026 | Astana | 55/18 Mangilik El Avenue | AIFC

🌐 astanafindays.org

ITS CICC BI Group Code Coin

📢 To all of our member firms, we invite you to save the date for our upcoming Annual General Meeting on Thursday, September 10th, 2026!

As this is a voting year, your participation is an opportunity to help shape the future leadership and strategic direction of BFSB.

Check your inboxes for the RSVP link and Nomination Form or get in touch with us directly: events@bfsb-bahamas.com

"Establishing a representative office at Casablanca Finance City reflects Standard Chartered's long-standing focus on supporting clients in markets that are becoming more integrated into global trade and investment flows." — Cynthia El Asmar, CEO & Head of coverage Standard Chartered Morocco.

As a proud member of the Casablanca Finance City ecosystem, Standard Chartered leverages its global network and regional expertise to connect international investors with high-impact projects across Africa in energy transition, infrastructure, and sustainable growth.

In this latest episode of #CFCSuccessStories, Cynthia El Asmar shares how Standard Chartered is driving cross-border trade and regional connectivity from Casablanca.

🎥 Watch the video to discover their insights and regional strategy.

Dubai PropTech Hub, an initiative of DIFC Innovation Hub, has partnered with Innovo Group to accelerate construction innovation across the UAE and the wider Global South.

The partnership connects Dubai’s PropTech ecosystem with Innovo’s live projects and engineering expertise, providing start-ups with direct access to real-world testing environments to pilot and scale innovative solutions, while supporting Dubai’s D33 and Real Estate Sector Strategy 2033 ambitions.

Historical distrust, cultural and religious perceptions, and the view of insurance as a product for the wealthy remain barriers to deeper insurance penetration in Nigeria.

The industry must tell its story better — showing Nigerians that claims are being paid, and at scale. Demonstrating that insurance delivers when it matters can help build trust and change perceptions.

Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, MD/CEO of Rex Insurance Limited shares her perspective on what it will take to deepen insurance penetration in Nigeria.

At EnterpriseNGR, we bring together the leaders shaping Nigeria's Financial and Professional Services sector to examine the challenges, opportunities and pathways to progress.

Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/egfBC6tk

🎓 Advance Your Private Equity Expertise

FinanceMalta is proud to support the PEVCA Malta Private Equity Certified Masterclass 2026 as Education Partner.

Four days, 12-15 October at Hilton Malta, covering the full private equity and venture capital investment lifecycle: deal screening, valuations, fund structuring, exits and more, led by practitioners including Gavin Ryan and Albert Alsina.

FinanceMalta members qualify for a preferential rate. Places are limited.

Register and full details: https://lnkd.in/dT-cZUKC

🔵 The #FSA has issued the Regulation Governing Insurance Loss Assessment and Estimation Activities to enhance service quality protect policyholders’ rights and promote transparency fairness and impartiality in loss assessment and claims settlement

𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

With evolving geoeconomic dynamics and the growing importance of Asian demand, the case for developing a leading gold trading hub in Asia is becoming increasingly compelling – and that presents a significant opportunity for Hong Kong.

In a recent interview with i-CABLE News Limited, #FSDC Executive Director Dr Rocky Tung highlighted how Hong Kong’s common law system, strong connectivity with the Chinese Mainland and the global markets, supportive policy measures, and efforts to build a comprehensive gold ecosystem spanning the entire value chain – from mining and refining to warehousing and trading – provide a solid foundation for the city to develop into an international gold trading centre.

He also noted that growing Hong Kong’s commodities markets would broaden product offerings for hedging and portfolio diversification, providing a valuable complement to the city’s well-established equity and bond markets, further reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an #InternationalFinancialCentre.

🏙️ Want to experience Frankfurt from a height of nearly 200 meters? There’s only one place where you can do that.

With Skyline Stories, we team up with our members to take a look behind the facades of Frankfurt’s skyline and reveal the stories, people, and unique features behind the towers that define Frankfurt as a financial hub.

In our second episode, we join Helaba for a visit to the MAIN TOWER—the city’s only skyscraper with a public observation deck. Volker Harr and Tien Le take us behind the scenes and show us why the MAIN TOWER is so much more than just a viewpoint.

🪟 Europe’s first skyscraper with a fully glazed facade.

🏋️ Europe’s highest-altitude gym.

🎨 One of the largest publicly accessible collections of contemporary art.

🎥 Enjoy this look behind the facade of the Frankfurt skyline!

And the best part? That’s not all. Stay tuned for more exciting Skyline Stories.

The Financial Planner is heading to mObywatel! 🚀

This is a major milestone for building financial awareness in Poland. Following successful talks with the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Centre for Information Technology (COI), our cross-sector initiative - the Financial Planner - is set to be integrated into Poland’s national mobile app, mObywatel!

The Financial Planner will provide millions of citizens with a secure and trusted tool to:

📊 Get a unified view of their overall financial situation,

👴 Check their projected pension,

🎯 Plan concrete actions and financial products to sustain their future standard of living.

Driven by Future Finance Poland’s Open Finance Specialization, the project brings together key industry leaders: Visa (Main Substantive Partner), DLK Legal (Regulatory Partner), COI (Technology & Integration Partner)

On August 10th, we held our official project kick-off alongside 12 leading financial institutions (banks and insurers) that have already joined our coalition to shape the roadmap for the coming months.

🚨 This is the last call to join the initiative!

If your institution wants to be part of this nationwide ecosystem, reach out to our Project Manager, Anna Bogucka: abogucka@futurefinancepoland.com

Stay tuned for future progress updates!

Pawel Widawski Piotr Brewiński Zuzanna Krauzowicz Katarzyna Multan Artur Bartosiak Zuzanna Czarnecka Krzysztof Korus Rafał Sionkowski Joanna Koczorowska Paweł Tkaczyk

Istanbul Financial Center unites leading financial institutions, international investors, and dynamic markets under a global financial hub. Designed to support efficiency and innovation, our ecosystem provides the ideal environment to elevate your business on an international scale.

Take your place in this prestigious ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/dxA9i6YC

This year marks 250 years since our namesake across the Atlantic, New Jersey, adopted its first state constitution in 1776. Around the same period, Jersey was experiencing a defining legal milestone of its own.

In his latest blog, Joe Moynihan, our Chief Executive Officer, explores the history of the legal foundations that have helped shape Jersey’s success as a leading international finance centre.

From the landmark Code of Laws of 1771 to the Island’s legal framework today, Joe reflects on how centuries of legal certainty and institutional integrity continue to provide confidence for investors, businesses and advisers around the world.

Read Joe’s latest blog, The Legal Backbone to Jersey’s IFC Success: https://jsy.fi/4zIXCD1

📢 KIFC & GBM MoU Signing Ceremony - Bonds, Loans & ESG Africa

Today, Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC) and Global Banking & Markets (GBM) formalized a partnership to deepen international finance and capital market development across Africa.

At the heart of the partnership is the Bonds, Loans & ESG Africa event, bringing together international investors, ministries of finance, development finance institutions, and other financial players to connect African opportunities with global capital.

Kigali is ready to convene the capital conversation from 16–17 November 2026.

Read more : https://lnkd.in/eVjnVk93

Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning | Capital Markets Authority Rwanda | National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) | Hortense Mudenge | Aveen Prasad

Over the last decade, Luxembourg has grown into a vibrant global FinTech hub, seamlessly combining cutting-edge innovation with its long-standing expertise as a key international financial centre.

With more than 250 FinTech companies active across payments, AI, RegTech, cybersecurity, blockchain and fund technology, Luxembourg offers an ecosystem closely connected to the needs of the financial industry. For FinTech firms, this means a place where innovation can be tested, scaled and embedded into real financial services.

Explore our interactive FinTech publication to learn more about Luxembourg’s digital finance ecosystem: https://lff.social/dc19d2

#Luxembourg #fintech #finance #financialcentre #innovation

ABBL, The LHoFT - Luxembourg House of Financial Technology, ALFI - Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry

Growth is not just a buzzword for us at CareEdge Analytics and Advisory, and the exceptional line-up of speakers and panellists at our maiden edition of the ‘Kenya ESG & Sustainable Finance Forum’ reaffirms the same!

If you are attending this forum, brace yourself for unique industry-led insights as leaders from government institutions, public exchanges, industry associations, and private corporations grace the ceremony with their experience-driven anecdotes and expertise-based opinions on the scalability of sustainable businesses in Kenya.

We are ecstatic to introduce our esteemed panellists for Panel Discussion I and Panel Discussion II at the event.

Looking forward to an engaging day of insights, dialogue, and partnerships!

Nairobi Securities Exchange PLC | NIFC Africa | CareEdge Group | Rose Mwaura | Samson Kanai | Titus Kiilu | Samuel Tiriongo (PhD) | Gauri Gupta | Josphine Kimanzi | Swati Agrawal | Vikram Thirani | Kedar Deshpande | Charudatta Patil

QFC closed H1 2026 with strong momentum, welcoming 1,135 new firms and recording a 37% year-on-year increase in registrations. 📈

From sector growth to new milestones and stronger partnerships, the first half of the year reflects QFC’s continued progress in supporting business and investment in Qatar. 🇶🇦

Explore our H1 2026 highlights. ⬇️

We strongly support the Government's decision to give the Bank of England a new secondary objective to support innovation in payments and digital money, including tokenised assets and blockchain-based settlement. This recognises the need for regulation to keep pace with technological change while maintaining financial stability.

https://lnkd.in/es_8qcbk

In our response to the FCA and Bank of England's tokenisation call for input, we highlighted the importance of greater regulatory certainty, interoperability and commercially viable use cases.

Embedding innovation within the Bank's formal mandate is an important step towards moving from tokenisation pilots to scalable, competitive market infrastructure in the UK.

Read more in Bee's blog on why the time has come to move from ambition to action on tokenisation and unlock its potential for UK financial services.

https://lnkd.in/eRxQSNsN