In response to the impact of digitalization on global financial systems and who governs them, the Centre for International Governance Innovation hosted a virtual conference titled “The Future of Digital Finance: Emerging Opportunities in India, in China and on the African Continent” on September 24–25, 2025. As an official side event of the Think 20 under South Africa’s Group of Twenty presidency, the event explored the critical roles that emerging economies play as both testing grounds and strategic actors in steering the direction of global financial innovation.