Sahm Capital Chairman Steven Chou Highlights Cross-Border Innovation at Bahrain’s Market 2.0 Fintech Forum

Sahm Capital Financial Company, a subsidiary of Valuable Capital Group, joined regional and international fintech leaders at the Market 2.0 Forum in Bahrain, where Chairman Steven Chou outlined how cross-border regulatory collaboration is accelerating the next phase of digital-market innovation.

Speaking on the panel “The Sandbox Effect: Enabling Innovation in a Controlled Environment,” Chou shared how Valuable Capital Group’s multi-market regulatory experience — spanning Greater China, the United States, and the GCC — has enabled the company to build trading infrastructure that is both highly innovative and rigorously compliant.

Cross-Border Sandbox Leadership

Chou highlighted that Valuable Capital Group is among the first global financial institutions to operate a genuinely cross-border sandbox framework, enabling coordinated innovation across markets such as Hong Kong, the United States, and Saudi Arabia.

He noted that current initiatives span virtual-asset infrastructure, enhanced social-trading capabilities, and a pipeline of upcoming innovations tailored to the region.

“Sahm Capital is a central pillar of our group’s multi-market compliance strategy,” Chou said. “Working across diverse regulatory environments pushes us to innovate with discipline — and that’s how we earn institutional-level trust.”

Global Trends Fueling Regional Momentum

Chou pointed to the growing global adoption of regulatory sandboxes — more than 100 worldwide, with nearly 70% in emerging markets — as evidence that developing economies are setting the pace in fintech experimentation.

He highlighted Bahrain’s leadership, noting its launch of the region’s first regulatory sandbox in 2017, which helped shape a more innovation-friendly environment across the GCC.

“This global momentum, combined with strong regional openness, enabled our Group to deepen its presence in Saudi Arabia,” Chou added. “Sahm App — our locally built, fully regulated trading platform — has already surpassed one million Saudi users within its first year.”

Innovation Built on Protection

During the discussion, Chou emphasized that genuine innovation depends on strong protection frameworks, outlining Sahm Capital’s layered risk-management approach that spans pre-trade reviews, real-time monitoring, and post-trade client support.

“We believe protection enables innovation,” he said. “When guardrails are strong, you can safely introduce new products and new trading experiences without destabilizing markets.”

Strengthening Regional Collaboration

Chou also underscored the role of sandboxes as ecosystem accelerators, enabling faster product validation, deeper cooperation with regulators, and greater investor confidence.

He noted the Group’s ambition to expand collaboration within Bahrain:

“We see Bahrain FinTech Bay as a natural partner in building the next phase of regional fintech capabilities. The Kingdom’s regulatory clarity and openness make it an ideal environment for responsible innovation.”