DEAD SEA — The Jordan FinTech Festival 2026 highlighted the growing role of financial technology in attracting investment, supporting sustainable development and creating opportunities in digital assets and tokenisation, industry leaders said.

 

Speaking to the Jordan Times on the sidelines of the festival, MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) Chairman Nameer Khan said tokenisation could open new avenues for foreign direct investment (FDI), commercialisation and regional business opportunities.

 

“Our session focused more on tokenisation and how it can open doors for more FDI, create avenues for commercialisation and unlock more opportunities in the region,” Khan said.

 

Khan was a speaker at the “Green FinTech & Climate Risk — How Digital Innovation Drives ESG” session, which examined the role of digital innovation in supporting sustainable finance and addressing climate-related risks.

 

“Sustainability is playing such a critical role in economies globally and is becoming part of every industry,” he said.

 

“However, sustainability cannot scale without financial services. This is where financial services and technology come together to ensure that sustainability can scale and accelerate.”

 

Digital assets, regulation

 

Talal Tabaa, CEO of CoinMENA and a speaker at the “Regulating Stablecoins & the Compliance Frontier” session, said Jordan's move to regulate digital assets could provide a framework for the sector's development.

 

“The digital asset industry is growing at a very rapid pace globally and it’s clearly something that needs to be looked at with a different lens,” Tabaa told the Jordan Times.

 

He said the Central Bank of Jordan's regulatory sandbox allows companies to test new financial technologies under regulatory oversight and within defined limits before moving towards full licensing.

 

CoinMENA is currently participating in the CBJ's regulatory sandbox, he said, adding that the company hopes to obtain a full licence in Jordan.

 

Tabaa said the Jordan Securities Commission is expected to license digital asset companies as brokers, exchanges and custodians, providing a pathway towards full-scale operations.

 

He said Jordan's young and technology-oriented population could benefit from the development of digital assets and related financial services.

 

“It's very important that Jordan becomes the regional hub,” Tabaa said, describing the country's regulatory developments as an opportunity for financial institutions to develop expertise in the sector and serve regional markets.

 

He also pointed to the potential interaction between digital assets and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, saying AI could increasingly use digital assets and cryptocurrencies for financial transactions in the future.

 

Investment, regional opportunities

 

Nameer Khan said MFTA's participation in the festival reflected growing regional cooperation in fintech and praised the Central Bank of Jordan for bringing together financial institutions, technology companies, investors and other stakeholders.

 

“We are honoured to be here. Jordan welcomes players from all over the world to be part of and contribute to the growth of its economy,” he said.

 

The discussions reflected the expanding role of fintech beyond digital payments, with participants examining how technology can support investment, sustainable finance and new financial products.

 

Khan said tokenisation could create new opportunities for investment and commercialisation by enabling new ways of structuring and accessing assets.

 

The festival, held under the theme “Where Regulation Meets Innovation”, brought together regulators, banks, fintech companies, investors, development partners and technology firms to discuss regulation, artificial intelligence, investment, digital infrastructure, sustainable finance, start-ups and financial inclusion.