Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Khalid Humaidan used a panel at the Saudi Central Bank’s Bank for International Settlements Innovation Summit to argue that artificial intelligence will become central to global efforts to make cross-border payments faster, safer, more cost-efficient and more inclusive, including by reducing friction in international transactions. He emphasised the need for closer public-private collaboration to develop effective data-driven financial services models, while positioning regulators as critical to managing privacy, cybersecurity risk and data-governance challenges across jurisdictions to strengthen oversight, reduce systemic risks, and support consumer protection and compliance. Humaidan pointed to Bahrain’s instant payments system as an example of this approach, citing high adoption and ongoing work to link the system with international networks, and said the Central Bank of Bahrain will continue to focus on safeguarding data and maintaining trust as new technologies accelerate payment system efficiency.
Central Bank of Bahrain 2025-11-23
Central Bank of Bahrain Governor highlights AI as catalyst for faster and safer cross-border payments
Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Khalid Humaidan highlighted AI's role in enhancing cross-border payments at the Saudi Central Bank’s Innovation Summit. He stressed public-private collaboration in developing data-driven financial services and underscored regulators' roles in managing privacy and cybersecurity risks. Humaidan cited Bahrain’s instant payments system as a successful model and emphasized efforts to integrate it with international networks.