Ammon News - The 20th Jordan Economic Forum kicked off on Sunday under the theme "Blockchain, Financial Innovation and Entrepreneurship".

The two-day forum is organized by the Afaq Media Group, the Jordanian Forum for Democracy and Economy, the al-Aman Association for Financial and Banking Awareness and the Association of Banks in Jordan.

The forum tackles recent global challenges that changed the investment and economic map, especially post-Covid, and the rapid advancements in digital economy, as well as aspects related to Arab economies their capabilities and response to digital transformation.

Additionally, the forum discusses leveraging the blockchain information recording technology in commercial and central banks, and its benefits in the economic process and electronic payment, in addition to financial investment, women empowerment in digital economy.

During the opening session, the Minister of Digital Economy Ahmed Hanandeh said the technological shift in trade, industry, social communication and education methods and the use of Internet, to name a few, has changed the traditional lifestyle, which made room for major economies to develop.

According to Jordan's payment and monitoring methods, 130,000 Jordanians own virtual currencies, he said, underlining the importance for Arab legislation and strategies to keep pace with the virtual world and support electronic commerce, artificial intelligence and virtual currencies, as well as research their advantages and disadvantages.

Jordan, he noted, is a breeding ground for entrepreneurship projects, constituting 23 percent of the overall Arab entrepreneurship, adding that 85 percent of the local economy depends on start-up companies.

Hanandeh anticipated that 50 percent of today's jobs will not exist in the future due to digital transformation, but assured that Jordan's digital infrastructure is capable of managing the upcoming "most advanced phase" of digital transformation.