The DFSA brings 18 Authorities together to discuss AI and cybersecurity risks at inaugural Regulatory College during Dubai FinTech Summit 2025
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 2025: The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the independent regulator of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), hosted this week its inaugural high-level Regulatory College at the heart of the Dubai FinTech Summit 2025.
The closed-door session titled 'Innovation with integrity: Advancing Cybersecurity and AI oversight through international dialogue ' brought together more than 30 regulators from 18 Authorities from the UAE, the wider GCC region, and international jurisdictions to discuss pressing issues related to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI).
The DFSA Regulatory College marked a full day of engagements focused on knowledge-sharing, supervisory alignment, and proactive dialogue amongst regulators. Participants explored the emerging challenges and opportunities posed by advanced technologies such as post-quantum cryptography, and agentic AI, with a particular focus on how regulatory frameworks can evolve to safeguard financial stability and protect investors in a fast-changing digital landscape.
Justin Baldacchino, Managing Director, Supervision, DFSA, who opened the DFSA Regulatory College, said: 'Technology is transforming financial services at an unprecedented pace, and it is vital that regulators keep pace – not in isolation, but together. The DFSA is proud to lead this global conversation, bringing together regulators from multiple jurisdictions across the the United Arab Emirates, GCC, and international jurisdictions to discuss and share learnings on cybersecurity and AI oversight, seize opportunities, and shape the collective vision for the future of finance.'
The DFSA's Regulatory College builds on its broader efforts to support responsible innovation through initiatives such as its Innovation Testing Licence, now expanded to include tokenisation, and its active participation in international forums including the Global Financial Innovation Network and the International Organization of Securities Commissions' (IOSCO) FinTech Taskforce Working Groups on AI and crypto assets. These efforts align with Dubai and the United Arab Emirates' strategic ambition to be a leading global centre for innovation, while ensuring that the market is grounded in regulatory integrity and risk awareness.
In parallel with the Regulatory College, the DFSA engaged widely with participants at the Dubai FinTech Summit through multiple platforms: Leading the Regulatory Forum sessions on Day 1, with topics and speakers curated to shape global regulatory dialogue on AI, tokenisation, and stablecoins. Elisabeth Wallace, Associate Director, DFSA, who moderated a fireside chat on how regulators are shaping the future of AI in finance with Kristin Johnston, Commissioner, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said ' As AI becomes more embedded in the financial services market, many global regulators, including the DFSA and CFTC, are looking at how they can support innovation in this area while not stifling innovation and not at the expense of consumer protection and market integrity.'
Connecting with delegates at the DIFC exhibition stand to discuss the Innovation Testing Licence, Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox, Threat Intelligence Platform, and the DFSA's regulatory approach to crypto and digital assets – among other key initiatives.
Exchanging views on emerging priorities with industry stakeholders through roundtable discussions on key topics such as wealth management, crypto regulation – including a session co-hosted with the Global Blockchain Business Council – and sustainable finance.
Curating DFSA Talks, a series of discussions covering key regulatory topics including supervisory technology, DFSA's authorisation process, and AI policy developments.
The DFSA's broad-based participation at the Dubai FinTech Summit 2025 highlights its role as a catalyst for responsible innovation, regulatory integrity, and international cooperation – and reflects its continued commitment to supporting Dubai and the United Arab Emirates' position as a global fintech hub, while ensuring the stability, integrity, and resilience of the DIFC's financial ecosystem.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) is the independent regulator of financial services conducted in and from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a purpose-built financial free zone in Dubai, UAE. The DFSA regulates and supervises financial services firms and markets in the DIFC. These include asset managers, banks, custody and trust services, commodities futures traders, fund managers, insurers and reinsurers, traders of securities and fintech firms. We supervise exchanges and trading platforms for both conduct and prudential purposes, overseeing an international securities exchange (Nasdaq Dubai) and an international commodities derivatives exchange (Gulf Mercantile Exchange). The DFSA is also responsible for supervising and enforcing anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism requirements applicable in the DIFC. Please refer to the DFSA's website for more information.
Justin Baldacchino is the Managing Director of Supervision at the DFSA, bringing 25 years of international finance experience. He possesses deep expertise in regulatory interpretation, liaison, implementation, risk, regulatory affairs, compliance, anti-money laundering (AML), capital, liquidity, innovation, and technology. Joining the DFSA in 2020, Mr Baldacchino previously served as the Group Head of Regulatory Compliance for ANZ Bank in Australia and held various senior roles at JP Morgan in Hong Kong, including Head of Regulatory Compliance, Asia-Pacific, and Head of International Operational Risk, Asia-Pacific. He also served as Head of Compliance and Risk Governance, Asia for National Australia Bank in Hong Kong. Mr Baldacchino is an alumnus of Melbourne Business School with an MBA and a Post Graduate Diploma, and he holds a Bachelor of Economics from La Trobe University. He completed the Harvard Executive Programme in Regulatory Strategic Management and is a certified AML Specialist. He has served as an Executive Board Member for the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists and is currently a member of The Basel Consultative Group.
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