Money20/20 Riyadh Puts Fintech Licences to the Test

Money20/20 Middle East has become a key meeting point for banks, fintechs, investors and regulators as Saudi Arabia uses Vision 2030 to diversify its economy and digitise finance. After the inaugural 2025 event drew more than 38,500 participants, the test has shifted from splashy market-entry announcements to execution: whether companies can secure licences from the Saudi Central Bank, or SAMA, and the Capital Market Authority, build supervised infrastructure and process meaningful volumes.

The second edition opened at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Centre in Malham on Sept. 14 and runs through Sept. 16, 2026, with more than 38,000 attendees expected. Tabby raised $233 million at a $6.5 billion valuation in a Blue Pool Capital-led round. Fina, SILQ’s B2B embedded-finance arm, launched a SAR 500 million SME financing fund managed by Joa Capital and licensed by the CMA, while Thunes added payouts in Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman, South Yemen, Syria and the UAE.