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High-Level Participation in Abu Dhabi

Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, participated in the 50th Annual Meeting of the Council of Governors of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities held in Abu Dhabi. The event witnessed the presence of representatives from the World Bank Group, the OECD, along with elite decision-makers and financial experts, coinciding with the MENA Financial Health Leaders Summit and the Golden Jubilee of the Arab Monetary Fund.

Boom in Digital Payments and the "InstaPay" Experience

The meeting reviewed developments in the comprehensive instant payments program across the Arab region. The Governor highlighted the accelerating regional digital transformation driven by modern platforms such as "InstaPay" in Egypt, "Sarie" in Saudi Arabia, and "Aani" in the UAE.

He also revealed a remarkable surge in Egypt's Instant Payment Network (IPN) metrics as of the end of Q2 2026:

Registered Users: ~22 million users

Transactions: 1.47 billion transactions

Total Value: ~EGP 4.33 trillion

A Future Vision for Cross-Border Payments

The Governor emphasized the need to align instant payment programs with each country's priorities, outlining 3 main pillars for the upcoming phase:

Enhancing the inclusivity of instant payment services.

Expanding use cases for digital payment platforms.

Supporting regional integration and developing cross-border payments.

Central Bank Independence and Policy Coordination

During a workshop titled "Macroeconomic Resilience Amid Geopolitical Disruptions," the CBE Governor stressed the importance of safeguarding central bank independence and credibility. He noted that coordination between fiscal and monetary policies must be mutually reinforcing, especially amid rising global uncertainty.