The Kuwait Banking Association (KBA) and the Asian Bankers Association (ABA) are jointly organizing the GCC–Asia Economic Forum: Banking, Investment and Digital Infrastructure on 14 October 2026, from 09:00 to 13:00, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Convened alongside the 2026 IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings, the invitation-only, high-level Forum will bring together senior government officials and leaders from banking, investment, finance and technology institutions across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Asia.
Among the senior figures currently included in the programme are H.E. Jassim Adbudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC, H.E. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Thailand, H.E. Dr. Yaqoub Yousef Al-Refaei, Minister of Finance of the State of Kuwait and Hamad Abdulmohsen Al-Marzouq, Chairman of the Kuwait Banking Association. Additional prominent bankers and financial-sector leaders from the GCC and Asia are currently finalizing their participation.
Supported by The Business Year and the Kuwait Business Council, the Forum is conceived as a closed-door, institution-led platform focused on practical GCC–Asia cooperation. The programme is being organized around three strategic pillars:
Pillar I: Core Banking and Balance-Sheet Partnerships will focus on cross-border lending, liquidity and treasury coordination, Shariah-compliant financing, sukuk-linked funding and regulatory alignment.
Pillar II: Cross-Border Investment, Capital Markets and Deal Flow will cover infrastructure finance, private credit and equity, co-investment platforms, capital-market access, sukuk issuance and sustainable deal pipelines.
Pillar III: Digital, AI and Financial Infrastructure for Cross-Border Finance will address cross-border payments, digital identity, AI, cybersecurity and scalable infrastructure supporting secure and interoperable financial systems.
As the GCC–Asia Economic Forum is an invitation-only event, qualified senior officials and banking executives interested in attending are encouraged to contact the Asian Bankers Association regarding invitation availability at mig.moreno@aba.org.tw or +886 (2) 2760 1139.
AGENDA
(as of 1 September 2026)
09:00 – Registration & Arrival
09:30 – Opening Remarks & Keynote Speech: Hamad Abdulmohsen Al-Marzouq, Chairman, Kuwait Banking Association
09:35 – Keynote Speech – (1) GCC: H.E. Jassim Adbudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC & (2) H.E. Dr. Yaqoub Yousef Al-Refaei, Minister of Finance, State of Kuwait
09:50 – Keynote Speech – Asia:H.E. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Thailand
10:00 – Pillar I: Core Banking & Balance-Sheet Partnerships
Moderator: The Business Year
Speakers: (1) Issam Al-Sager, Vice Chairman, Kuwait Banking Association; (2) Chartsiri Sophonpanich, President and Director, Bangkok Bank
10:55 – Pillar II: Cross-Border Investment, Capital Markets & Deal Flow
Moderator: The Business Year
Speakers: (1) Ali Khalil, CEO, Markaz; (2) Wajana Wongsupasawat, Managing Director, Kasikorn Asset Management
11:40 – Pillar III: Digital, AI & Financial Infrastructure for Cross-Border Finance
Moderator: The Business Year
Speakers: (1) H.E. Deemah AlYahya, Secretary General, Digital Cooperation Organization; representative of (2) Sajit Vijayakumar, CEO, Infosys Finacle; and (3) Huawei, to be announced
12:25 – Closing Remarks & Networking
