LAUNCHPAD FOR VISIONAIRES
AIBC Eurasia kicked off the new year with its sixth edition, returning to Dubai’s Festival Arena at Dubai Festival City from February 9–11, 2026. This year’s summit brought together a dynamic mix of senior decision-makers, investors, and tech innovators, fostering connections across fast-growing markets in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
With a two-day conference and expo, the event spotlighted cutting-edge technologies, from AI and blockchain to fintech and smart infrastructure. Whether a first-time attendee or a seasoned delegate, participants were guided by intuitive event apps, curated panels, and exclusive networking opportunities—designed to ensure every moment counted in shaping the region’s digital future.
The SiGMA Eurasia Summit 2026 united 14,500 delegates at the crossroads of gaming and emerging tech, establishing itself as a powerhouse for innovation in the MENA region. With 300+ speakers and 250+ exhibitors, the event spotlighted the convergence of AI, blockchain, fintech, IoT, quantum computing, and big data—driving the next wave of digital transformation.
Designed for visionaries and decision-makers, it attracted a high concentration of C-level leaders (39%), government officials, operators, and affiliates, creating a strategic environment for partnerships, regulatory dialogue, and long-term market positioning. More than an expo, it was a launchpad for the future of tech-driven entertainment and enterprise.
AIBC Eurasia 2026 assembled a powerhouse lineup of industry leaders, uniting visionaries from across fintech, blockchain, and digital innovation. From keynote addresses to dynamic panels, the summit sparked vital conversations on digital assets, regulation, and the future of technology.
Highlights included Nameer Khan of MENA Fintech Association, Paul Dawalibi (CEO, Innovation City), H.E. Maher Al Kaabi, Mohammed Al Hakim of Crypto.com, Hans Moerman of Dubai Chambers, Charles D’Haussy from dYdX Foundation, entrepreneur Sara Al Madani, and Tech Hunter Tony Ventura, who delivered an AI workshop and live demo on Day 2. With startups taking the stage for live pitches, the event became a catalyst for bold ideas, strategic partnerships, and the next wave of digital transformation in the region.
The major takeaways from AIBC Managing Director Olga Yaroshevsky at the SiGMA World AIBC Eurasia summit in Dubai (held 9–11 February 2026) focus on geographic synergy, global expansion, and the convergence of tech and gaming.
For Olga Yaroshevsky, Managing Director of AIBC, Dubai’s geographic and economic positioning is key to the summit’s success. “Dubai enjoys a perfect position between east and west. And AIBC Eurasia is positioned really strategically to connect the east and the west and also the north and the south,” she said.
The region’s growing entrepreneurial culture also plays a major role in attracting founders. “The UAE is for the people who want to expand and are not scared of taking risk and being creative,” said Emirati entrepreneur and tech investor Dr Sara Al Madani. “It gives that platform to everybody and they support it. So it’s such a beautiful place for entrepreneurship.”
Core Takeaways from AIBC Managing Director Olga Yaroshevsky:
Strategic Tech Bridge: Dubai serves as an ideal geographic and economic hub connecting the East, West, North, and South for tech collaboration.
Global Expansion Launchpad: The 2026 Dubai summit acted as a springboard to announce AIBC’s upcoming global roadmap and expansion into entirely new markets outside Europe and the Middle East.
Tech & Gaming Convergence: A core mission is driving emerging technologies (AI, blockchain, Web3, and digital assets) closer to the iGaming industry to educate regulators and optimize operations.
High-Level Institutional Influx: The summit saw record attendance with over 14,500 delegates—nearly 40% of whom were C-level executives and major institutional decision-makers.
Support for Entrepreneurial Risk: The UAE provides an unparalleled platform for creators and founders who are willing to take risks and scale globally.
At the SiGMA World AIBC Eurasia Dubai 2026 summit, Day 0 kicked off at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City’s Vista Lounge with an exclusive, high-impact panel titled “Stop Selling Dreams: Why Most Crypto Marketing Is Broken.”
The discussion featured David Lolaev (Sal’Ad Labs), Anna Tutova (AI Crypto Minds), Vilen Gulian (Luna PR), and Benjamin Notini (Xtrends). They analyzed how traditional, hype-fueled Web3 strategies destroy industry reputation and detailed what a sustainable marketing framework must look like.
The Core Problem: Hype as a Credibility Killer
Short-Term Illusion: Exaggerated promises and artificial hype-driven narratives are highly effective at grabbing immediate public attention but fail to sustain long-term engagement.
Systemic Erosion of Trust: Over-promising and “selling dreams” continuously damages the foundational credibility of the entire cryptocurrency sector.
Damaged Brand Equity: When projects prioritize speculative noise over actual utility, they alienate serious investors, users, and traditional enterprise partners.
The 2026 Playbook for Sustainable Crypto Marketing
The panelists outlined a definitive shift in strategy required for projects navigating the digital assets market, focusing on moving from speculative hype to practical, enterprise-grade value:
Radical Transparency: Marketers must ground communications in clear, realistic milestones rather than unverified roadmap projections.
Long-Term Storytelling: Shift project narratives away from overnight financial returns and toward the steady, developmental journey of the technology.
Value over Volume: Focus campaign metrics on building organic community trust, rather than manufacturing temporary, artificial engagement cycles.
Sustainable Growth: Prioritize genuine adoption, product utility, and ecosystem engagement to shield brands from volatile market corrections.
The panel discussion “Lead, Empower, Scale: Building High-Performing Teams at Any Size”:
focused heavily on shifting from high-level marketing narratives to concrete internal execution. The global business leaders explored how to build trust, alignment, and strict accountability across both small, lean startups and fast-growing enterprise teams.
The panel emphasized transitioning from high-level strategy to concrete execution, focusing on fostering accountability and trust across diverse, scaling teams. Key discussions highlighted the necessity of breaking down corporate visions into short-term goals, utilizing data-driven performance management, and leveraging AI to handle routine management while maintaining human passion. For further details on the panel’s insights regarding operational structure and team building, you can read the full analysis at Woman Business Circle
Speaker Breakdown & Key Contributions
Asal Alizade (MENA Lead, Base)
Core Focus: Operational structure and realistic planning.
Key Insight: True leadership begins with breaking down massive corporate visions into manageable, short-term milestones.
Direct Quote: “Having short-term clear goals really matters.” She emphasized that this granular approach allows leaders to hand over true ownership to their teams, empowering them to act independently.
AMB. Laila Rahhal El Atfani (Founder & CEO, Woman Business Circle)
Core Focus: Strategic execution and collaborative culture.Key Insight: A strategy is completely useless without an explicit focus on final resolution and action. Furthermore, leadership must reject pure top-down authority.
Direct Quotes: “It’s not about today’s strategy… it’s what’s the point, what do you want to achieve?” She added that teams desperately need “action and resolution,” and concluded that, “We’re not here to just give orders. It’s not about ‘I’, it’s ‘WE’.”
Yousra Trachli (Regional Project Manager, Amazon)
Core Focus: Operational delivery.
Key Insight: She cut through corporate jargon to align leadership success directly with practical, tangible output.
Direct Quote: “It’s about execution.”
Kelly Machado (Founder & CEO/CTO, webTek)
Core Focus: Technical performance management.
Key Insight: Performance should never be judged by guesswork. Instead, optimization requires precise data mapping regarding time, capability, and required inputs to ensure a highly predictable final result.
Direct Quote: “Measuring properly what everyone can do in how much time… you know what is needed to get the result.”
Natalia Moskvina (Executive Director, Head of IP & Licensing, Virvance Holding)
Core Focus: Governance and alignment.
Key Insight: High-performing cultures cannot exist without a strong, top-down structure of accountability where leadership sets the standard for ownership.
Ewa Gadomska (Owner, Behind Labels Marketing)Participated in the foundational panel lineup, helping examine the shift from outward-facing marketing stories to the internal mechanics of building trust and scaling modern teams.
Key discussions highlighted the necessity of breaking down corporate visions into
short-term goals,
utilizing data-driven performance management, and
leveraging AI to handle routine management while maintaining human passion.
The SiGMA World AIBC Eurasia Dubai 2026 panel Stablecoins – Prospects for Gulf and Global applications, highlighted that stablecoins are evolving into mainstream financial instruments for cross-border trade, B2B payments, and regional infrastructure, transitioning from speculative assets to institutional utility. The UAE is leading this shift through proactive regulatory frameworks and the deployment of dirham-pegged stablecoins.
Moderated by Gustavo Montero, Founder & Chairman, Carter Capital, the session brought together key industry voices including Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta, Chairman, Middle East Stablecoin Association, Talal Tabba, CEO, CoinMENA and Kokila Alagh, Founder, KARM Legal, the experts discussed the transition of stablecoins into practical payment infrastructure, highlighting the shift toward corporate-backed, closed-loop ecosystems. Speakers emphasized the inevitability of this trend, driven by corporate-issued tokens and supported by a robust, pro-regulatory environment for virtual assets in the UAE.
The industry experts predicted the rise of corporate-backed stablecoins to automate payments, with Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta and Talal Tabba emphasizing investor protection and inevitability. Kokila Alagh highlighted the UAE’s proactive, pro-regulation framework for virtual assets while noting that stablecoin regulation will remain locally focused and tied to redemption parity.
The panel “Pathways & Play: Talent Development, Community, and Fan Engagement in MENA Esports”, the panelists Stefania Genesis, COO of EStars, Arshiya “Xarshyy” Faraghat – Esports Host & Co-Founder, Pixel Perfect, Lucy Chow – Investor & Author, Madiha Naz – Ex-Professional Player & Streamer at SiGMA World AIBC Eurasia Dubai highlighted several vital observations for building a sustainable gaming ecosystem.
Key Observations
Ecosystem Interdependence: Talent development requires a deeply integrated network. It is collectively shaped by creators, platforms, and scalable participation structures.
Foundation Over Spotlight: Long-term commercial viability depends entirely on foundational grassroots investments. Promoters must look beyond short-term “spotlight moments” to sustain growth.
Intentional Construction: The substantial market opportunities in MENA require deliberate, forward-thinking industry execution.
Cultural Integration: Building lasting fan engagement across the MENA region demands highly targeted localisation and storytelling.
Alex Riddick’s keynote at AIBC Eurasia 2026 outlined a shift from basic “exchange platforms” to complex, predictive performance models. He emphasized that success now requires a global mindset, adherence to regional regulations, and a “Partnership as a Service” model that prioritises product expertise over sheer traffic volume.
Key Observations & Strategic Takeaways
Shift to “Partnership as a Service”: Riddick highlighted that classic affiliate models are no longer sufficient. Modern networks must function as strategic partners, equipping affiliates with in-house product expertise, advanced analytics, and tailored tools rather than just bulk offers.
The Rise of Predictive Analytics: The industry has moved beyond surface-level growth. Affiliates now rely on automated creative generation, AI, and data modeling to reduce user friction and cut manual workloads.
Transparency and Trust: With the market flooded with offers, building a strong market reputation based on transparent, reliable partnerships is crucial for long-term sustainability.
Riddick’s Current Industry Standing
Award-Winning Growth: Under his leadership since 2024, Riddick’s Partners was recognized as the “Best Multi-Vertical Affiliate Network” at the Eurasia Awards.
Global Influence: His thought leadership is further amplified through his recognition as “Best Influencer of the Year” at the SiGMA Europe Awards.
Community and Thought Leadership: Riddick continues to shape industry conversations through his highly viewed The Riddick Level podcast and by hosting elite executive meetups designed to bring strategic consulting to key markets.
The panel discussion Trend or Trap – Tokenization of Real World Assets, Panelists – Katerina Zemskova (MODERATOR), Role: Managing Director Organization: Formula by Cointelegraph, Ekin Gultepe Role: General Manager Organization: MANTRA, Charles d’Haussy Role: CEO Organization: dYdX Foundation, Anton Golub Role: Founding Member Organization: RWA Labs, James Huang Role: Head of MENA Organization: Plume, decisively concluded that RWA tokenization is a structural financial trend transitioning into an “industrial phase”.
Industry experts rejected the idea of tokenization being a speculative trap, detailing how the ecosystem is shifting away from isolated financial models toward tangible economic infrastructure.
1. Shift from Financial Models to Real Economy
Panellists emphasized that tokenization must solve real business problems rather than existing as abstract cryptographic instruments.
Real-World Case Study: Ekin Gultepe (MANTRA) highlighted their active tokenization project financing a fleet of electric delivery bikes in Dubai. This project is directly integrated into the logistics and distribution supply chain, showcasing measurable real-world application.
Institutional Maturation: The market is moving out of purely speculative crypto cycles, with institutional-grade platforms providing structured yields tied to tangible off-chain cash flows.
2. Private Credit Dominating Growth
The panel identified private lending as the most disruptive vehicle for on-chain finance.
Primary Driver: Panellists aligned on the observation that “the main driver of tokenization market growth will be private lending”.
Liquidity Influx: Transitioning corporate debt, SME loans, and private credit portfolios onto public or hybrid ledgers streamlines deployment, making it easier to fractionalize and distribute previously illiquid corporate assets.
3. Clear Regulatory Infrastructure via Regional Hubs
The choice of Dubai for the summit underscored the importance of regulatory frameworks in defining the trajectory of RWAs.
Compliant Ecosystems: Panel discussions noted that the UAE’s proactive regulatory landscape provides the legal protections required by institutional capital.
Resource Tokenization: Hubs like Dubai are strategically positioned to lead the tokenization of heavy commodities (such as gold, silver, and oil) alongside traditional real estate.
4. Fragmented Timeline vs. Ready Asset Classes
While the macro outlook is universally bullish, panellists highlighted a vital distinction in current operational readiness:
The Production Class: Short-term U.S. Treasuries and sovereign debt are currently the only tokenized asset class operating at a highly mature, production-grade scale.
The Growth Pipeline: Complex structures like real estate and public equities face slower timelines due to cross-border regulatory fragmentation and secondary-market legal restrictions.