Binance founder Changpeng Zhao to open Proof of Talk at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao will open Proof of Talk's inaugural Gulf summit at Louvre Abu Dhabi on Dec. 3–4, 2026, bringing together executives from global banks, asset managers and digital asset companies to examine how tokenization, stablecoins and AI can be deployed in financial markets.

Following Proof of Talk's editions at the Louvre Palace in Paris, the Gulf edition marks the first summit Louvre Abu Dhabi has dedicated to digital assets and AI. It brings the programme to Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, a setting shaped by cultural exchange and a meeting point between global markets.

Maurice Gravier, Group Chief Investment Officer at Emirates NBD, and representatives from Wio Bank and Abu Dhabi Investment Council will join Jenny Johnson, President and CEO of Franklin Templeton; Richard Teng, CEO of Binance; Brett Tejpaul, Co-CEO of Coinbase Institutional; and Kim Hochfeld, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Cash, Digital and Securities Lending at State Street Investment Management.

Attendance is capped at 2,000 participants and the stage at 120 speakers. Admission is by application only, with no tickets or speaking slots for sale, and applications close on Nov. 22. The June 2026 Paris edition brought together 2,500 decision-makers and more than 120 speakers from institutions representing $25 trillion in assets under management.

Digital assets and AI will run across both days of the programme, with a principal AI block on Dec. 4 examining the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence in financial services and the practical requirements for institutional adoption.

StableDay will bring leaders from Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered and Emirates NBD into closed-door roundtables on how stablecoins connect with banking, payments and settlement. Participation is restricted to C-level executives, with no audience: every seat is a speaking seat.

Proof of Pitch, the summit's startup competition, has received more than 200 applications. Its jury includes investors from Pantera Capital, Spartan Group, dao5, RockawayX and Dragonfly, adding a venture investment perspective to a programme spanning established financial institutions and emerging technology businesses.

"In Paris, the Louvre stands for heritage. In Abu Dhabi, it stands for the bridge between cultures. And now it welcomes the future of finance," said Zohair Dehnadi, Co-Founder and CEO of Proof of Talk. "That says a lot about how far digital assets and AI have come, from the fringe to the core. The people who decide what comes next will be here."

Proof of Talk opens on Dec. 3, the day after the UAE's 55th Eid Al Etihad, as Abu Dhabi's major December calendar gets underway: the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix runs from Dec. 3–6, followed by Abu Dhabi Finance Week on Dec. 7–10 and the scheduled opening of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on Dec. 11.

Proof of Talk Abu Dhabi takes place on Dec. 3–4, 2026.

Attendance applications and further information are available at https://proofoftalk.io/