The Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) announced last Wednesday a strategic partnership with the Qatar Development Bank (QDB), represented by Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH) to establish a Global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Finance and Technology in Doha.
GFTN said in a statement that the initiative is designed to drive regional collaboration, strengthen connectivity with Asian markets, and deepen partnerships with Singapore’s FinTech ecosystem.
The duo will establish a long-term framework for cooperation in global mindshare, policy innovation, ecosystem enablement, and capacity building.
The partnership will serve as a key pillar of Qatar’s national FinTech and innovation strategy, advancing GFTN’s mission to bridge policy, capital and technology to build resilient, efficient and inclusive financial systems.
Under the agreement, GFTN and QDB will jointly develop a CoE in Qatar to foster a dynamic FinTech community and stimulate innovation across local and regional ecosystems.
The CoE will advance an integrated, impact-driven hub providing strategic policy insights and pioneering research on transformative financial technologies influencing markets from Africa and Central Asia to the GCC, serving as a key node linking Asia and the Americas.
By connecting regulators, financial institutions and innovators, the CoE will promote regional collaboration and harmonized, inclusive, and forward-looking policy frameworks for emerging economies.
The center will also focus on capacity development through advanced knowledge transfer, leadership programs and targeted policy workshops.
“Qatar’s bold innovation agenda provides fertile ground for global collaboration,
“GFTN brings to this partnership the collective intelligence of our global network connecting more than 130 markets – regulators, investors and innovators – to help design scalable solutions for Qatar and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,” said Sopnendu Mohanty, Group Chief Executive Officer, GFTN.
“Together with QDB’s deep commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation, and national capacity building, we are creating a platform that connects capital, policy, technology and talent into an engine for accelerated and inclusive digital growth across MENA,” he added.
Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Hesham Al-Sowaidi, Chief Executive Officer, QDB and Chairman of Qatar Fintech Hun (QFTH), said the partnership with GFTN reflects their commitment to position Qatar as a global hub of excellence for financial innovation.
He noted this step is fully aligned with the 3rd Financial Sector Strategic Plan and the Qatar FinTech Strategy led by Qatar Central Bank.
“At QDB, our mission has always been to empower entrepreneurs, elevate investments, and build ecosystems that turn vision into high-impact enterprises,
“Through this partnership with GFTN’s unparalleled global network, policy expertise, and digital innovation platforms, we aim to accelerate the development of local fintech capabilities, attract world-class innovators to Qatar, and complement the existing fintech infrastructure to create an ecosystem that connects local capacity with global opportunity,” he added.
He added these efforts on top of the existing solid infrastructure built will drive sustainable growth, in the financial sector and support our long-term economic diversification efforts in Qatar under the Qatar National Vision 2030.
According to the statement, the QDB-GFTN partnership strengthens Qatar’s collaboration with Singapore, leveraging both countries’ fintech expertise to drive innovation, cross-border investment, and knowledge exchange.
Through the Qatar Forum GFTN and the CoE, the alliance will advance regional connectivity and set a global benchmark for inclusive and resilient financial systems.