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Two high-level industry conferences held in the emirate gave Dubai's efforts to establish itself as a leading global financial hub new impetus.
The simultaneous forums brought together senior bankers, regulators, fintech entrepreneurs, and institutional investors to show how digital currencies, tokenisation, and artificial intelligence are radically changing the capital markets.
When taken as a whole, the incidents highlighted a more general paradigm change: digital assets and cutting-edge technology are evolving from speculative experiments into the fundamental framework of mainstream banking.
The Banking Innovation & Technology Summit (BIT 2026), hosted by Airpay and organised by Khaleej Times, attracted over 300 decision-makers to discuss “reimagining financial services in a new global order.”
Chief Content Officer at Khaleej Times, Ted Kemp, opened the summit by emphasising its role as a transparent platform for industry leaders to discuss systemic changes in the sector. Key topics included real-time tracking of capital movements, increased credit access through mobile wallets, and the growing influence of AI on financial growth.
Besides, the summit highlighted currency innovation, with experts discussing the role of stablecoins in settling commercial transactions and the potential of blockchain infrastructure to unlock illiquid balances via asset tokenisation.

In conjunction with BIT 2026, the first Digital Assets Leadership Forum, organised by Daman Virtual and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, focused on institutional adoption. It explored how the tokenisation of traditional asset classes, such as Sukuk, investment funds, and international equities, supports the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
Notably, Founder and Chairman of Daman Investments and Daman Securities, Shehab Gargash, stated that Dubai's future growth hinges on enhancing local capital markets. He suggested that transforming physical ownership rights into tradeable, blockchain-settled digital tokens could increase international participation and promote sustainable market growth.
Delivering on the promise of tokenisation necessitates more than just technology. CEO of Daman Securities, Ahmed Waheed, stressed that long-term success relies on a balanced alignment of strong market infrastructure, clear regulation, and institutional confidence.
Likewise, Co-Founder and Board Member of Daman Virtual, Ahmed Ismail, emphasised that for digital assets to achieve market maturity, they must align with the trust, transparency, and investor protections that are characteristic of traditional markets.
To support its institutional shift, Daman Virtual is expanding within Dubai's regulated virtual-assets ecosystem. The firm, licensed by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) as a Broker-Dealer, utilises over 27 years of financial services experience to bridge traditional banking systems with digital markets.
Ultimately, Dubai is constructing the essential framework to spearhead the global tokenised economy by utilising platforms that provide direct AED settlement and integrate with local banking infrastructure.
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Posted On: October 7, 2026 at 12:12:14 PM
Last Update: October 7, 2026 at 12:12:14 PM
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