In opening the ninth edition of Fintech Abu Dhabi, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development Abu Dhabi, H.E. Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei framed the week as a turning point for financial innovation. ​ His Excellency reflected on the return of the AI Forum and on a community gathered to celebrate the innovation, disruption and transformation actively shaping the future of finance.​ As he noted, fintech’s purpose is to create thoughtful progress, the kind that earns trust, expands access, and endures beyond market cycles.