Money20/20 Middle East Brings Together the Voices Driving Fintech Forward

Money20/20 Middle East has unveiled its initial speaker lineup for the September 2025 event in Riyadh, marking a significant expansion of the global fintech platform into Saudi Arabia. For fintech professionals, this signals a major shift in regional influence, bringing together over 45,000 attendees to navigate AI, regulation, and strategic capital in a rapidly evolving market.

What was announced

The event, scheduled for 15–17 September 2025 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, is anchored by the theme “Where Money Does Business.” It aims to host more than 350 speakers across seven stages, alongside 450 global and regional exhibiting brands and 600 investors from over 40 countries. Key topics on the agenda include AI in finance, cross-border regulatory alignment, and inclusive innovation.

The initial speaker list features high-ranking regulatory and industry figures, including Hon. Caroline D. Pham of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Mario Nobile from the Agency for Digital Italy, and Colin Payne of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. From the private sector, confirmed speakers include Dr Mohammed Rahim of Standard Chartered Bank, Lori Schwartz of J.P Morgan Payments, and Tom Zschach of Swift.

Beyond the stages, the event introduces Venturescape, a pre-event platform designed for early-stage deal-making between venture capitalists and fintech founders. Startups will also compete in the MoneySurge20/20 Pitch Competition, which offers $400,000 in equity-free funding for high-potential firms. The exhibition floor will feature brands such as Ant International, Mambu, Column, Tabby, and Bupa Insurance, supported by AI-driven matchmaking to facilitate networking between investors and exhibitors. A dedicated MoneyPot podcast booth will also be on-site to capture real-time interviews with industry leaders.

"Hosting Money20/20 Middle East in Saudi Arabia is a powerful reflection of the Kingdom’s role in shaping global fintech. We’re proud to create a platform that brings together local pioneers and international leaders to reimagine the financial future, right here in the region."

Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice President of Tahaluf

The companies involved

The event is a collaborative effort hosted by the Financial Sector Development Program, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the Capital Market Authority, and the Insurance Authority. It is co-organised by Fintech Saudi and Tahaluf. Tahaluf is a major event organiser in the region, responsible for scaling large-scale international platforms within the Kingdom. Fintech Saudi, a key partner, was launched by the Saudi Central Bank and the Capital Market Authority to act as a catalyst for the development of the fintech industry in Saudi Arabia.

The initiative is supported by founding partners that represent the heavyweights of the regional and global financial landscape. These include Visa, the global payments leader, and Al Rajhi Bank, one of the largest Islamic banks in the world. Joining them are STC Bank, a digital-first banking entity, and Tamara, a prominent buy-now-pay-later platform that has become a cornerstone of the Middle Eastern fintech ecosystem. Other participants like Swift provide the underlying global messaging infrastructure for over 11,000 institutions, while exhibitors like Mambu and Ant International represent the cloud banking and digital payment sectors respectively.

What this means

The arrival of Money20/20 in Riyadh underscores Saudi Arabia’s aggressive push to become the dominant fintech hub in the Middle East. By drawing in regulators from the US, UK, and Italy alongside global giants like J.P. Morgan and Swift, the event highlights a critical need for cross-border regulatory alignment. As the region moves away from oil dependency, the financial sector is under pressure to modernize rapidly. This announcement suggests that the center of gravity for fintech deal-making is shifting, forcing established European and North American hubs to compete with the sheer scale of capital and regulatory support currently available in the Gulf.