Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
At Abu Dhabi Finance Week, AI, crypto and global capital coalesced as experts highlighted the UAE as a testbed for the next era of digital finance.
Aletihad spoke to AI and digital finance experts about how the UAE is becoming a testbed for the next era of digital finance.
As a sponsor of the event for the third consecutive year, George Naddaf, Managing Director of eToro Middle East, said Abu Dhabi Finance Week reflects both eToro’s long-term commitment to the UAE and the country’s growing global financial role.
“This event is an amazing. We met key players, decision-makers, and well-known figures, so it was very successful.”
Naddaf described ADFW as a comprehensive platform for financial dialogue. “It is talking about everything related to finance,” he said, ranging from financial technologies and cryptocurrencies to traditional markets.
Regarding the future of crypto, he said the past year marked a decisive shift. “Crypto now is here to stay,” he said, pointing to growing institutional and government support.
“What happened with Bitcoin this year shows that the future of crypto is here.”
He added that the wider ecosystem is increasingly tied to Web 3.0. “Everything now is being connected to Web 3.0, the new era where everything is decentralised,” he said, noting that this transition will “reshape the future of finance.”
Tokenisation, he said, has become central to industry discussions. “The main conversation today is about tokenisation, how we can tokenise stocks and real estate,” he said.
This shift is being driven largely by younger generations. “Gen Z was born and raised understanding that crypto is part of their life.”
Naddaf described the UAE as a natural hub for fintech innovation. “What is happening in the UAE is mind-blowing,” he said, citing supportive regulation, advanced infrastructure, and long-term national vision. “The vision here looks ten years ahead.”
Artificial intelligence, he added, is already transforming finance. “At eToro today, we are adopting AI everywhere,” he said, pointing to Tori, the platform’s AI-powered tool.
In addition, highlighting Abu Dhabi’s growing appeal for global Web3 players, Simon Seojoon Kim, CEO and Managing Partner at Hashed, said the South Korea-based venture capital firm recently registered in ADGM to expand into the Middle East.
“We registered in ADGM to expand our network into the Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Kim said Hashed is actively investing in local startups working at the intersection of blockchain, Web3, and AI, while also partnering with Hub71 as judges and advisors.
During Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Hashed hosted a Web3 Leaders Roundtable with ADGM. “We invited around 40 public figures from the blockchain ecosystem globally,” he said, to discuss regulation, opportunities, and challenges. On AI’s role in digital finance, Kim said Abu Dhabi’s regulatory environment is a key advantage.
“Many countries face regulatory obstacles around AI,” he said. “But the UAE is one of the most regulation-friendly environments for AI companies.”
He highlighted the convergence of AI and blockchain as central to future economic activity.
“AI agents need transactional infrastructure,” he said. “Blockchain can provide digital identity-based financial infrastructure for AI agents.”
From an ecosystem perspective, Kim said regulatory clarity is critical. “Blockchain is born global,” he noted, adding that ADGM and DIFC are now among the most welcoming environments for blockchain and Web3 startups.
Further, he identified stablecoin-based payments, credit, and tokenisation as key trends for the UAE. “This makes the UAE one of the best experimental environments to combine fintech, blockchain, and AI,” he said.
Reflecting on Abu Dhabi’s rapid transformation, Kim said progress has been striking.
He concluded by underlining Abu Dhabi’s growing opportunity. “There are huge opportunities here, whether you are a tech startup founder or a venture capital investor,” he said.
