The three-year cooperation agreement aims to deepen collaboration between the two institutions through joint research and events, capacity building, and staff exchanges. It also seeks to leverage their respective expertise and experience to promote knowledge sharing and dialogue.

“In times of heightened uncertainty and geoeconomic fragmentation, safeguarding macroeconomic and financial resilience in our regions is a responsibility we must shoulder with resolve,”said AMRO Director Yasuto Watanabe. “This MOU with the AMF represents an important step forward in our collaboration and underscores our shared commitment to strengthening the Global Financial Safety Net by leveraging our combined expertise.”

The Arab Monetary Fund’s composite index of Arab capital markets recorded a decline of 0.72% during August, impacted by decreases in eight Arab stock exchanges, compared to increases in six others.

In detail, the Muscat Stock Exchange led the advancing markets with a rise of 5.21%, followed by the stock exchanges of Egypt, Iraq, Casablanca, and Amman. On the other hand, the stock exchanges of Damascus, Palestine, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia experienced notable declines, with Damascus registering the largest drop of 8.84%, followed by Palestine with 5.20%.

Globally, advanced markets ended trading in August with positive performance, as the Nikkei, Dow Jones, and Standard & Poor’s indices rose between 1.91% and 4.01%, despite persistent concerns over increased U.S. tariffs on imports from the European Union, India, and Brazil.

H.E. the Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan opened the festival with a speech welcoming participants and Arab and international delegations, stressing that hosting this event reflects a national vision that Jordan is steadily moving toward consolidating its position as a regional hub for innovation in the fintech industry. His Excellency noted that the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, and with the support and follow-up of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, has made significant progress in developing digital payments infrastructure, enacting advanced legislation such as the Virtual Assets Law, and enhancing financial inclusion in line with global best practices.

H.E. the Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan inaugurated the workshop with welcoming remarks, emphasizing that virtual assets have become one of the most pressing global issues shaping economic and regulatory agendas. He highlighted that virtual assets are not only a fertile ground for innovation and the development of financial services but also present significant challenges and risks related to money laundering, terrorist financing, consumer protection, and financial system stability.
His Excellency noted that Jordan, under the guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein and the follow-up of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, has in recent years conducted in-depth studies on this phenomenon and engaged in consultations with regional and international partners. This effort culminated in the enactment of Virtual Assets Law, which serves as the cornerstone for establishing a comprehensive, balanced, and nationally tailored legislative and regulatory framework aligned with global best practices.

The workshop was inaugurated by H.E. Dr. Fathi Zouhair Nouri, Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, and H.E. Dr. Fahad M. Alturki, Director General Chairman of the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund, with the participation of a number of governors of Arab central banks and monetary institutions. Also attending were representatives of prominent international institutions such as the Bank for International Settlements, the Financial Stability Board, the European Stability Mechanism, the Central Bank of Turkey, and the Central Bank of West African States, in addition to a distinguished group of experts and specialists.

The workshop discusses monetary and fiscal policies in light of rapid global changes, with a focus on three main themes: monetary policy amid uncertainty, financial stability, and the readiness of the financial sector to confront crises. This comes at a time when the global economy is facing mounting challenges that call for closer cooperation between regional and international financial institutions.