A Letter from…the U.A.E
By Adam Csabay
Earlier this month, I managed to briefly escape what has been a particularly cold and damp European winter to join my colleagues, Carlos León and Nadya Avirianta Simanjuntak, in the United Arab Emirates for a series of meetings and workshops with clients and prospects in the region.
FNA is deeply committed to supporting these institutions along their digital transformation journeys and their ambition to embrace technological innovation to better safeguard financial stability and curb the rise in consumer fraud and scams.
These themes continued as we attended Buna’s Arab Payment Week 2026. It was a privilege to engage in lively, “unfiltered” discussions with industry peers on the matters fundamentally reshaping finance in the region. We moved from the rapidly evolving payments landscape to conversations on combatting financial crime, enhancing supervision, and liquidity management.
As always, it was invigorating to exchange perspectives with representatives from central banks, financial institutions, and technology companies in the regions and beyond. These conversations are vital for gaining a shared understanding of the key issues and challenges faced in the region, as well as for identifying opportunities to work together on solutions.
A personal highlight for me was attending the World Government Summit in Dubai. Alongside Curtis Matlock from our partners, Proto, I had the chance to speak with government leaders about the topic on everyone’s mind: AI.
We noticed a clear shift in the narrative. The conversation is moving away from the “hype” of AI and toward the practical, high-stakes ways these technologies can be deployed today. At the event, Curtis and I presented on how FNA and Proto have joined forces to safeguard fast payment systems against the global rise in financial crime through our award-winning, end-to-end Anti-Scam solution.
It is encouraging to see how proactively these organizations are tackling AI’s risks while embracing its potential. At FNA, we are proud to support these initiatives, not just in the Middle East but globally. We look forward to further collaboration with our partners in the region as they embark on ambitious transformation programs, and with visionaries like Proto who share in our mission to make the global financial system safer and more efficient.
Warm regards,
Adam Csabay,
Global Head of Central Banking Engagement, FNA
