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Fintech Forward 2026 Concludes in Bahrain with over 60 Strategic Agreements Signed, Drawing 2900 Participants

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Fourth edition builds on last year’s momentum, advancing partnerships across financial services and technology.Bringing together 40+ speakers, international delegations, and the inaugural Tech Talent Hub, the event demonstrates the scale of industry participation behind Fintech Forward 2026.

MANAMA, Bahrain, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fintech Forward 2026 (FF26), the Gulf region’s flagship financial forum, wrapped up today at Exhibition World Bahrain with more than 60 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), strategic agreements, and key announcements unveiled, securing over 2900 local and international participants. Marking the fourth edition, the forum welcomed its largest number of sponsors and exhibitors to date, underscoring the strength of industry engagement and a shared ambition to shape the next chapter of financial services.

The 65% increase in announcements and signings at FF26 highlights the Forum’s growing role as a catalyst for tangible economic outcomes. Several of this year’s announcements and MoUs build on connections forged at FF25, demonstrating how Bahrain’s agile financial ecosystem converts dialogue and access to decisionmakers into sustained momentum. This is the Team Bahrain approach in action, harnessing public-private partnership to drive innovation, strengthen the ecosystem and unlock new pathways for growth.

Among the developments announced at FF26 was a Google Cloud Universal Ledger pilot showcased by BBK. The project is being delivered in collaboration with ARRAY Innovation, a portfolio company of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. It explores the use of advanced digital ledger technology within BBK’s core banking operations, with potential applications in tokenized payments and programmable settlement.

Beyon and barq Group’s (Technologies Union) also announced an agreement which brought together Beyon Money’s operations with barq’s fintech platform, with Beyon set to retain economic interest in barq, subject to final documentation and regulatory approvals.

FF26 also saw BENEFIT announce the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) as the first participating bank and anchor banking partner in the Trade Finance Registry pilot. Developed in collaboration with Singapore-based trade finance fraud prevention specialist MonetaGo and Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB), the pilot aims to reduce risk across trade finance. Bahrain FinTech Bay also launched its fourth Fintech Ecosystem Report (2024–2026), charting Bahrain’s progression to regulated execution and highlighting opportunities in AI, tokenisation, and cross-border payments. FF26 also marked the announcement of the third edition of the NBB Innovation Programme in partnership with BFB, continuing its presence at Fintech Forward for a second consecutive year. 

Further announcements included Beyon Connect’s plans to launch an AML Referral Programme, with AMAN Compliance Solutions joining as its first referral partner, helping organisations access specialised financial crime prevention and compliance expertise, alongside an MoU between Beyon Connect and BENEFIT to explore joint fintech opportunities locally and internationally, combining their complementary capabilities across digital identity, payments, credit and information services, as well as data analytics. BENEFIT and Huawei also signed an MoU to explore cooperation in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, reflecting the growing intersection between financial services and emerging technology.

Additionally, Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain announced an MoU with stc Bahrain to expand their existing partnership, exploring new areas of collaboration across digital solutions and integrated use cases, while further advancing digital capabilities in cash management, reconciliation, and trade finance.

The exhibition also debuted the Tech Talent Hub, featuring Citi, J.P. Morgan and KPMG and highlighting the role of Bahraini talent in supporting global clients and operations from the Kingdom, alongside the skills and career pathways shaping the future of financial services and technology. Bahrain’s highly skilled, future-proofed and diverse talent base continues to be a defining strength of the Kingdom’s economy, underpinned by strong workforce participation.

Bahrain has built a well-established financial services ecosystem over decades, supported by progressive regulation, advanced digital infrastructure, and a commitment to innovation. Financial and insurance activities remain the largest contributor to the Kingdom’s economy, accounting for 17.6% of real GDP in 2025, with the sector continuing to play a central role in driving economic growth and attracting investment. The sector is supported by a forward-looking regulatory environment led by the Central Bank of Bahrain, alongside a skilled workforce, and strong digital infrastructure.

Hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) and programmed by Forbes Middle East, FF26 was supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB) and was held under the theme “Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure.”

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GoDaddy Inc. to Announce Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results on Thursday, October 29, 2026

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TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY) will release financial results for the third quarter of 2026 on Thursday, October 29, 2026, after the U.S. stock market closes.

Following the news release, GoDaddy management will host a live webcast at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which will be available on GoDaddy’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.godaddy.net. To participate, please register here.

Following the webcast’s completion, a recording will be available on GoDaddy’s Investor Relations website.

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. Airo®, the company’s agentic operating system for small businesses, helps entrepreneurs get their idea online, run their business day-to-day and grow through an integrated identity, presence and commerce experience. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

© 2026 GoDaddy Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

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OMNICOM MEDIA AND REMBRAND PARTNER TO SCALE IN-CONTENT ADVERTISING ACROSS PREMIUM STREAMING

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First-to-market capability brings together Acxiom, Omni, and Rembrand’s VISTA platform, with access to premium inventory from major media partners

NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, and in-content advertising platform Rembrand are partnering to bring in-content advertising into the mainstream media mix with a first-to-market capability that enables brands to identify, plan, and activate in-content placements across first-look premium streaming inventory from multiple major media companies.

The partnership provides OM’s Content Collective – the group’s branded content center of excellence – first-mover access to Rembrand’s AI-powered VISTA platform, which scans publisher content to identify scenes that can be monetized by insertion of in-content advertising. Using AcxiomRealID™ and direct integrations with major streamers, brands can identify the most relevant content for a given audience. Pairing this intelligence with Rembrand’s VISTA platform, brands unlock a more systematic and scalable way to find relevant programming and activate against those opportunities across participating streaming partners.

Historically, in-content advertising has been managed through bespoke partnerships and individual content integrations. The new capability brings those opportunities into a common planning framework, giving media teams visibility across participating publishers and allowing in-content placements to be considered alongside broader media investments.

The collaboration is rooted in a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. Omnicom Media’s recent research, From Tuned Out to Leaned In: How to Combat Ad Avoidance, found that 65% of U.S. consumers avoid advertising to some degree, whether by skipping, scrolling, muting, or ignoring ads. As consumers use subscriptions, apps, AI, and other tools to exert greater control over their media experiences, brands need new ways to reach people without creating another interruption.

Additionally, commissioned research conducted by Omnicom Media’s Partner Intelligence team in collaboration with Rembrand evaluated the effectiveness of in-content advertising, finding that, when paired with traditional video ads, perceptions of premium content amplify the performance of ICAs, driving a 5.5 times impact on message recall, and a 4x increase in both purchase intent and perceptions of the brand as premium.

“Our research identified how quickly consumers actively or passively disengage when advertising feels intrusive or overly repetitive,” said Megan Pagliuca, Chief Product Officer, Omnicom Media. “To address this, we have launched new capabilities in streaming to address negative reach, improve relevance and measurability of traditional brand experiences, and now we are complementing these with a first of its kind data driven, scalable approach to in-content advertising.”

How It Works

The capability connects four stages:

Audience matching: Acxiom audience segments are matched with streaming viewership data to identify shows, movies, and genres that best index with a target audience.Inventory mapping: Relevant programming is matched against in-content advertising opportunities available through VISTA.Inventory expansion: Additional content can be onboarded through established processes with participating streaming partners when relevant opportunities are not yet available.Activation: Brands deploy in-content placements against selected audiences and programming across participating publishers.

The result is a way to put brands directly into content consumers have chosen to watch, while providing greater visibility into in-content supply across publishers.

“In-content advertising has always offered brands the opportunity to show up within content people have actively chosen to watch,” said John Sedlak, Chief Revenue Officer, Rembrand. “Our collaboration with Omnicom Media makes those opportunities easier to identify, plan and activate across premium streaming, bringing a new level of scale and consistency to the category.”

Applications range from an automaker placing a new model in relevant programming across a streamer, using Acxiom in-market auto segments to reach shoppers who routinely avoid traditional ads, to a beverage brand appearing in top-indexing summer programming during key seasonal purchase periods. Retail brands can similarly use in-content placements to directly connect exposure to the path to purchase.

Summing up the response to-date from clients who have been briefed on the new capability, Jillian Davis, Director of Marketing Technology for Auto Trader and Kelly Blue Book parent company Cox Automotive said, “We’re always eager to leverage new, scalable and organic ways to reach our customers within premium content.”

CONTACT:  isabelle.gauvry@omc.com

ABOUT OMNICOM MEDIA
Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, is the world’s largest global media management network. Powered by the Omni Intelligence Platform, Omnicom Media agencies leverage $75.6 billion in billings, 47,000+ specialists across 70+ markets, and the industry’s most powerful portfolio identity, commerce, and intelligence assets to design dynamic Growth Ecosystems that enable the world’s most ambitious businesses to grow faster and smarter. The Omnicom Media portfolio includes global media agency brands OMD, PHD, Initiative, Hearts United and UM; core Omnicom Integrated Media offerings Acxiom, the world’s premier identity solution, and the Flywheel end-to-end commerce solution; and specialty services across the cloud consulting, creator, financial, healthcare, and sports & entertainment categories.  For more information visit omnicommedia.com

ABOUT REMBRAND
Rembrand is the leading In-Content Advertising platform, using AI to seamlessly integrate brands into video content. The company’s technology provides a non-intrusive and engaging advertising experience for viewers while delivering increased brand awareness and improved engagement for advertisers. Rembrand works with a vast network of global content owners and media companies to deliver unparalleled reach and scale for its brand partners.  For more info, visit www.rembrand.com.

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SOURCE Omnicom Media

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Equifax Reports Accelerated Adoption of VantageScore® 4.0 Across the Mortgage Industry

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Nearly 2,000 Mortgage Lenders Implementing Modern, Alternative Data-Driven Scoring Model; Equifax Extends $1 VantageScore 4.0 Pricing through the End of 2028 to Drive Industry Adoption, Homeownership Affordability, and Cost Savings

Nearly 2,000 mortgage lenders and resellers are taking advantage of the Equifax offer of free VantageScore® 4.0 credit scores with paid legacy scores, and more than 165 lenders are exclusively using VantageScore 4.0 at the $1 price for certain types of loans.Equifax maintains $1 VantageScore 4.0 mortgage credit score pricing through the end of 2028 to expand industry adoption, reduce loan acquisition costs, and drive potential $1 billion in industry cost savings.Equifax continues to enhance the value of mortgage solutions by delivering The Work Number® Report Indicator and additional alternative data including telco, pay TV and utilities attributes alongside the Equifax mortgage credit report at no additional cost.

ATLANTA, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Equifax® (NYSE: EFX) today announced a significant milestone in mortgage scoring modernization, with nearly 2,000 lenders taking advantage of free VantageScore® 4.0 credit scores with paid legacy scores from April 2026 through September 2026, including a 230% increase in VantageScore 4.0 credit scores pulled between April 2026 and August 2026 for mortgages. This accelerated mortgage lender adoption follows Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) approval of VantageScore 4.0 for use in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages. Mortgage lenders are rapidly embracing this modern scoring model and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governed alternative data not included in traditional credit reports to expand access to credit and drive housing affordability for millions of Americans.

“Our AI technology helps borrowers see their best loan options in minutes. With lenders now able to choose their credit score model, we added VantageScore 4.0 as one of the scoring models we use, giving us more flexibility in how we evaluate applicants, while keeping the experience quick and easy,” said Magesh Sarma, Chief Operating Officer, AmeriSave Mortgage Corporation.

Equifax is maintaining $1 VantageScore 4.0 mortgage credit score pricing through the end of 2028 to expand adoption, reduce loan acquisition costs, and drive a potential $1 billion in cost savings for the industry and consumers from the cost difference among score providers.

“The landmark decision by FHFA Director William Pulte and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner to open VantageScore 4.0 for use across both conventional and FHA-insured loans has advanced homebuying into a new era of credit scoring competition that drives greater performance and cost savings for both lenders and consumers,” said Mark W. Begor, CEO of Equifax. “We are seeing strong momentum across the mortgage sector as lenders rapidly adopt VantageScore 4.0 to drive better decisioning and expand access to credit.”

More data drives better decisions
VantageScore 4.0 utilizes up to 24 months of trended data and incorporates alternative data, such as rental, utility, and telco payment histories, providing lenders with a more comprehensive view of borrower creditworthiness without adding additional risk. The model provides deeper financial insights that can deliver a 20% lift in originations and generate credit scores for consumers with thin credit files.

“The strong industry adoption has been driven by years of preparation by our teams to ensure that VantageScore 4.0 could be accessible to all lenders, allowing them to effectively test and evaluate the score through their processes,” said Joel Rickman, General Manager and SVP of U.S. Mortgage and Verification Services at Equifax. “Equifax is deeply committed to supporting the mortgage industry and the consumers we serve, especially as we navigate the most difficult mortgage market in decades. We view our role in expanding homeownership as a vital responsibility while delivering significant savings to consumers and the mortgage industry.”

Equifax remains the only Nationwide Consumer Reporting Agency to provide alternative data insights – such as payment histories for telco, pay TV, and utilities – alongside tri-merge consumer credit reports for the mortgage market at no additional cost to lenders. Equifax also empowers lenders with early access to an employment indicator through its suite of The Work Number® Report Indicator solutions at no additional cost including:

The Work Number® Report Indicator for Mortgage: Streamlines underwriting workflows by providing an indicator of whether data from The Work Number is available on the applicant

For more information about Equifax mortgage solutions and VantageScore 4.0, please visit our website.

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.
At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 15,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tiffany Smith for Equifax 
mediainquiries@equifax.com 

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SOURCE Equifax Inc.

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