Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — The first Digital Assets Forum (DAF) in the Middle East will open on May 13, 2026, bringing together senior leaders from global finance, digital asset infrastructure, and regulatory bodies. The event, held under the UAE’s progressive regulatory framework, aims to drive real-world adoption and institutional-level cooperation.
From London to Abu Dhabi: A Proven Format Expands
The Digital Assets Forum previously ran three successful editions in London, attracting nearly 2,000 senior attendees from global banks, asset managers, and infrastructure providers. Now it expands to the Gulf at a time when the UAE has established structured licensing regimes, sovereign-backed innovation programs, and a thriving ecosystem where banks and institutional investors are actively deploying capital and forming strategic partnerships.
Keynote Speakers and Agenda Highlights
Confirmed institutional speakers include Christoph Richter, Head of Digital Assets & AI at ADGM; Sebastian Widmann, Head of Dubai at Komainu; Karl Naim, Group Chief Commercial Officer at XBTO Middle East; Yan Ma, Executive Director at Spartan Group; Catrina Wang, General Partner at Portal Ventures; Elliot Andrews, CEO of Aspen Digital; and Rachel Conlan, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Binance.
The forum will examine UAE digital asset regulation versus other jurisdictions, institutional digital asset management and portfolio strategies, stablecoins, payments and CBDCs, DeFi and TradFi integration, real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, the state of crypto ETFs, liquidity, custody and institutional market infrastructure, and institutional risk management frameworks. Each topic is designed to yield practical outcomes for investment, capital allocation, and partnership execution.
Closed-Door Deal-Making, Not Retail Education
DAF Abu Dhabi is positioned as a highly curated, executive-level gathering focused on deal-making, capital deployment, and strategic partnership formation. The format includes main-stage panels, closed-door sessions, one-to-one meeting areas, and private briefing rooms. The objective is not retail awareness but turning dialogue into concrete agreements and coordinated investment strategies for 2026 and beyond.
“Across our successful London editions, we have seen how regulatory clarity drives institutional engagement,” said Victoria Gago, Co-Founder of Digital Assets Forum. “Abu Dhabi is now at the center of a structural shift in global finance, with capital concentration, infrastructure buildout, and global firms relocating headquarters. This forum brings together the decision-makers who are shaping the future of digital finance and turning strategy into action.”
About the Digital Assets Forum
The Digital Assets Forum is a global institutional series bridging traditional finance and digital assets. The Abu Dhabi edition marks its expansion into the Middle East, following established editions in London. The series is organized by the European Blockchain Convention, founded in 2018 in Barcelona, which has become one of Europe’s leading platforms for financial institutions, policymakers, and infrastructure providers integrating blockchain into mainstream finance.