In this context, H.E. Dr. Fahad M. Alturki, Director General Chairman of the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund, emphasized the importance of continuing to hold such workshops in light of ongoing global economic and financial challenges, as well as the relative increase in public debt levels resulting from regional and international developments and the need to support economic activity. 

His Excellency noted that the workshop forms part of the Fund’s efforts to support Arab countries in enhancing the efficiency of public debt management and strengthening institutional and technical capacity building, in line with the Fund’s vision to support economic stability and sustainable growth in the Arab region. 

The Fund explained that the Composite Index of Arab Financial Markets increased by 0.79% compared to the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, supported by improved performance in a number of major Arab markets, particularly the Saudi stock market. On an annual basis, the index recorded growth of 2.8%.

The Fund indicated that five Arab stock exchanges recorded gains during the period, supported by stronger performance in the banking, energy, industrial, telecommunications, utilities, and services sectors. In contrast, eleven Arab exchanges recorded declines due to weaker performance across the real estate, financial services, basic materials, petrochemicals, transport, and insurance sectors.

The Muscat Stock Exchange recorded the highest increase among Arab markets at 39.23%, followed by the Tunis Stock Exchange at 14.24%, and the Egyptian Exchange at 8.35%. Meanwhile, the Saudi stock market, which carries the largest relative weight among Arab markets, recorded an increase of 7.23%.

These programmes reflect the Institute’s commitment to advancing institutional capacity by developing Arab talent capable of keeping pace with evolving economic and financial challenges.

The courses covered a range of key topics aligned with regional economic and financial priorities. They addressed climate change by exploring mitigation and adaptation concepts, related policies, and climate finance, while also highlighting smart solutions and practical applications for designing sustainable plans. They further examined the use of data derived from social media and news to measure economic expectations and sentiment, through natural language processing techniques, textual data analysis, and the development of specialized indicators.

The Working Group operates under the Council of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities’ Governors and comprises directors of financial inclusion departments at Arab central banks, in addition to the Arab Monetary Fund, which serves as the technical secretariat of the Group. Representatives from several international and regional institutions are also participating, including the World Bank and the Better Than Cash Alliance.

On this occasion, H.E. Dr. Fahad M. Alturki, Director General Chairman of the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund, emphasized that the meeting represents an important platform for exchanging experiences and expertise, and for strengthening coordination among Arab countries on priority issues related to financial inclusion.

The conference highlighted the strategic transformation in the concept of financial inclusion—from focusing on access to financial services to fostering individuals’ financial health—thereby enhancing their ability to achieve financial stability and economic sustainability.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Fahad M. Alturki, Director General and Chairman of the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund, stated that Arab countries have achieved notable progress in expanding financial inclusion, with financial account ownership reaching approximately 53% by the end of 2024, compared to 43% in 2014. He emphasized that the next phase requires moving from merely enhancing access to financial services to focusing on the actual impact of these services on individuals.