Manama – September 21, 2026 -- Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha will join the speaker lineup of Fintech Forward 2026, set for October 7-8 at Exhibition World Bahrain under the theme "Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure."
Saha brings athlete-to-entrepreneur pedigree to Bahrain's flagship fintech forum
The former France international, who won the Champions League and two Premier League titles during a career spanning Manchester United, Everton, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, also holds a World Cup silver medal. Saha founded KiiMasters, a venture converting athlete influence into measurable social impact, and AxisStars, a private networking platform for professional athletes now valued at £4.3 billion.
Fireside chat to link sports transition strategy to fintech reinvention
Saha will appear in a session titled "From the Pitch to the Platform: Turning Experience into the Next Opportunity," examining how personal experience identifies market gaps and scales technology-enabled solutions. "Access to the right networks, guidance, and opportunities is critical to lasting success," Saha said.
Bahrain's financial sector contributed 17.6% of GDP in 2025
Fintech Forward 2026 is hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, with backing from the Central Bank of Bahrain, Tamkeen, the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority and Bahrain Fintech Bay, and programmed by Forbes Middle East. Bahrain was the first country in the region to launch an onshore regulatory sandbox, open banking rules, crypto-asset regulation and, most recently, the GCC's first stablecoin framework.