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The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates will host the annual UAE Banks’ Reception on October 15 in Bangkok, according to a statement distributed by the Emirates News Agency. The event will take place on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings, which are set to run from October 12 to 18 in the Thai capital. The Central Bank is partnering with the Ministry of Finance and the UAE Banks Federation to organise the gathering. This side event continues a pattern of UAE engagement at the multilateral forums that draw finance ministers and central bank governors from across the globe.
The reception is designed to strengthen the UAE’s standing as a global financial centre, improve the competitiveness of national banks and broaden international partnerships, the WAM statement said. Discussions are expected to connect with the meetings’ priorities around global financial stability, sustainable finance and digital transformation. Such forums allow for high-level exchanges on economic resilience and policy coordination. The initiative aligns with broader UAE efforts to expand its role in cross-border financial infrastructure.
More than 26 entities will support or participate in the reception, the announcement detailed. Government bodies, regulatory authorities, international financial institutions and licensed fintech firms operating in the UAE make up the guest list. The scale of involvement points to the breadth of the country’s financial services sector. Organisers have emphasised opportunities for direct engagement among attendees.
Leading institutions backing the event include First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Mashreq Bank and HSBC along with several others, according to the statement. The roster also features entities such as the Abu Dhabi Global Market and the Dubai International Financial Centre. Community-focused banks and additional Islamic institutions round out the participants. This coalition reflects coordinated promotion of UAE finance abroad.
Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, said, “This reception reflects the UAE’s growing standing as a strategic partner in shaping the future of the international financial system, and embodies the Central Bank’s vision of enabling an advanced financial sector that drives innovation and sustainable finance at both the regional and global levels.” Balama serves as the UAE’s governor to the IMF and regularly heads delegations to these sessions. His remarks were contained in the official statement released on August 25. The governor’s comments highlighted the event’s role in advancing innovation at regional and global scales.
Comparable receptions have been held in past years, including a 2025 gathering in Washington organised by the Ministry of Finance in cooperation with the Central Bank and the UAE Embassy there. That event similarly sought to build relations between UAE banks and international counterparts while creating networking avenues with investors. Records from the Ministry of Finance show those meetings focused on knowledge exchange and sustainable growth opportunities in the banking sector. The recurring format demonstrates sustained UAE attention to multilateral financial forums.
