Manama: Renowned football legend and global entrepreneur Louis Saha has joined Fintech Forward 2026’s speaker lineup to showcase his unique perspective on leadership, reinvention, and building long-term, sustainable success. The region’s flagship financial services forum will take place on 7-8 October 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain, under the theme “Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure.”
As a former Premier League and France international footballer, Saha has won the Champions League, two Premier League titles, a World Cup silver medal, and has represented some of Europe’s most recognised clubs, including Manchester United, Everton, Fulham, and Tottenham Hotspur. Following a distinguished playing career, he transitioned into entrepreneurship, founding KiiMasters, a technology venture designed to transform influence into measurable positive action, and AxisStars, a private networking platform now valued at £4.3 billion that helps thousands of professional athletes navigate business, financial, and career development opportunities.
At FF26, Saha will participate in a fireside chat titled “From the Pitch to the Platform: Turning Experience into the Next Opportunity.” The session will explore how personal experience can identify emerging gaps and catalyse solutions with the potential for broad, lasting impact, drawing on Saha’s journey from sport to building world-class technology-enabled platforms.
“Throughout my career, both on and off the pitch, I’ve seen how access to the right networks, guidance, and opportunities is critical to ensure lasting success. I’m looking forward to visiting Bahrain and joining Fintech Forward 2026 to share my experiences on the importance of connection, discuss the challenges of reinvention, and explore how technology can help people better navigate important transitions in their lives and careers,” Louis Saha said.
Hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) and supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority (BTEA), and Bahrain Fintech Bay, the event is programmed by Forbes Middle East. Fintech Forward 2026 brings together global thought leaders, innovators, investors, policymakers, and industry executives to examine the forces shaping the future of financial services. Through a programme of keynote sessions, panel discussions, fireside conversations, exhibitions, and strategic networking opportunities, Fintech Forward 2026 will provide a platform to build partnerships and explore opportunities emerging across the regional financial services and technology landscape.
Financial services is the largest contributor to Bahrain’s economy, accounting for 17.6% of GDP in 2025. Building on over 100 years of experience as a regional financial hub, the island nation has developed a dynamic fintech ecosystem supported by deep sector expertise, a collaborative business environment, forward-looking regulations, and a highly skilled, future-proofed talent base. Bahrain was the first country in the region to introduce an onshore regulatory sandbox, open banking regulations, crypto-asset regulation, and, most recently, the GCC’s first stablecoin framework, reflecting a long-standing approach to enabling innovation while supporting the responsible evolution of financial services.
