Speaking on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF), he said that in a global economy projected to grow by just 3.1 percent, the Middle East and Africa face both a challenge and an opportunity.

Outperforming global peers will depend on building infrastructure that drives productivity at scale and delivers value across the region.

Speaking at Semafor’s Next 3 Billion event at Davos, Agboola elaborated on how Flutterwave is addressing this need. He highlighted the urgency of reducing friction in financial transactions and enabling seamless access to reliable data, positioning these rails as critical enablers for the region’s full participation in the global economy.

“Stablecoins and open banking are not abstract ideas; they are practical tools acting as the operating system for productivity at scale,” Agboola said.

He positioned Flutterwave’s recent acquisition of Mono, a leading open banking platform, as a foundational data layer for this new operating system.

By enabling secure, interoperable access to financial data, open banking allows lenders to make better decisions and businesses to build more tailored products.

Complementing this is an additional and faster movement of value. Agboola highlighted Flutterwave’s stablecoin infrastructure as key to transforming cross-border trade, noting its ability to slash settlement times from days to minutes.

“When settlement is instant and data is interoperable, innovation follows. That is how you move from exclusion to opportunity for the next three billion people,” Agboola added.

Agboola’s engagement at Davos aligns with Flutterwave’s broader focus on technical excellence as a driver of long-term economic output.

By investing in modern rails that cut settlement times and verify identity instantly, Flutterwave empowers enterprise merchants and small businesses, the backbone of Africa’s economy, to operate faster and more efficiently.

This creates new opportunities for businesses, individuals, and partners, ensuring the entire region can harness the benefits of these new economic realities and be fully integrated into the global economy.

The collaboration was formalized during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, marking a significant step in deepening international cooperation to shape the future of frontier technologies.

Established with a clear mandate to lead breakthroughs in frontier research and development, advance global policy on emerging technologies, and foster international collaboration that moves innovation from the lab into real-world deployment, the Centre builds on the UAE’s position as a real-world testbed for innovation.

Supported by an agile regulatory environment and a strong link between research, policy and execution, the UAE offers a unique platform for piloting, deploying and scaling emerging technologies at national level – a capability that will now be amplified through the World Economic Forum’s globally connected C4IR network.

The new Centre positions Abu Dhabi as a global epicenter for pioneering research of advanced technologies, with a focus on Quantum Computing, Robotics, Propulsion & Space systems, and related AI applications.

Through this strategic partnership, TII joins a globally connected innovation ecosystem designed to accelerate the responsible adoption of transformative technologies.

Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, said:

“As frontier technologies accelerate, there is a growing imperative and opportunity to guide their responsible and impactful adoption. This Centre brings together research excellence, policy leadership and global collaboration in one platform – pushing the boundaries of frontier R&D while enabling breakthrough science to move beyond the lab into real-world application. By translating innovation into responsibly governed, scalable solutions, we are reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s role as a global hub for science, innovation and impact.”

With this announcement, Abu Dhabi strengthens the UAE’s presence within the World Economic Forum’s global C4IR network, joining a distinguished group of Centres across countries such as the US, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and India.

The addition of Abu Dhabi Centre for Frontier Technologies strengthens the C4IR Global Network’s ability to shape global technology agenda” said Jeremy Jurgens, managing director, World Economic Forum. “By bringing world-class research capabilities into the Network, this Centre will support industries in translating innovation into practical, responsible solutions that advance inclusion, sustainability and trust in technology.”

The Centre aims to push the boundaries of research and development in critical frontier technologies, while showcasing Abu Dhabi’s thought leadership through proof-of-concept pilots, regulatory sandboxes, and global convenings.

It will serve as both an innovation engine and a strategic platform, advancing responsible technology adoption and reinforcing the UAE’s global standing in science and innovation.

Constituents around the world agree there’s room for improvement when it comes to government service.

Forty percent struggle with government interactions, and over a third are unsure of available programs.

However, the research indicates overwhelming public support for AI solutions — with 90% of global constituents saying they’d use an AI agent to engage with their government.

The arrival of AI agents presents governments with an exciting opportunity to strengthen public trust by streamlining services and speeding up response times.

And in the face of tightening budgets, agents can augment public servants and better serve their constituents — without having to add headcount.

“It is clear from our research that there is a need for AI solutions like Salesforce’s Agentforce that help governments streamline and scale services to better meet the needs of their constituents,” said Nasi Jazayeri, EVP and GM of Public Sector at Salesforce. “As global leaders gather in Davos, we have a tremendous opportunity for the public and private sectors to come together and explore how major advancements in technology like AI agents can improve how governments support citizens.”

Key Highlights:

• 40% say it’s difficult to interact with the government when they have questions or need help.
• Less than half of survey respondents find it easy to understand what public services (42%) and public assistance programs (46%) are available to them.
• Top service delivery improvements desired by global constituents include:
  • Reducing the number of steps to address needs
  • Responding to their needs faster

Constituents eager to engage with agents

• 90% of global respondents said they’d use an AI agent to interact with the public sector.
• Constituents in Brazil, Spain, Singapore, and Italy are among the most willing to use AI agents to interact with the public sector, providing these countries with the opportunity to be trailblazers in the agentic AI era.
• 20% of German and American respondents say they’re very likely to use an AI agent to help fill out government forms (e.g. filing taxes, completing applications).
• Three factors global respondents said they prioritised when considering using AI agents in the public sector:
  • 24/7 access to information and services (47%)
  • Helping them efficiently access government resources (44%)
  • Reducing the number of websites and steps needed to address their needs (40%)