CfC St. Moritz has called off its first conference in the Middle East. CEO Nicolo Stoehr informed invited participants by email about the postponement. Originally scheduled for April 21 to 24, the event was set to take place at Qasr al Sarab, a luxury resort in Abu Dhabi's Liwa Desert.
The decision came after consultation with the Swiss Embassy in the UAE and Bahrain. Stoehr cited the escalating geopolitical situation in the Gulf region as the reason. According to CfC, this is not a cancellation. Instead, the organization reaffirmed its commitment to Abu Dhabi as a venue. A new date will be announced, as stated in an email obtained by CVJ.CH.
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Iranian strikes hit the UAE directly
The backdrop to the postponement is tangible. On February 28, the US and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran under the codename "Operation Epic Fury." This offensive killed, among others, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated with hundreds of missiles and thousands of drones targeting sites across the region.
Among all Gulf states, the UAE suffered the highest number of Iranian strikes during the first four days of the conflict. Targets included Abu Dhabi Airport and other landmarks in the capital. Drone attacks simultaneously damaged Dubai International Airport and temporarily shut it down. On March 2, Hezbollah entered the war.
According to the notice sent to participants, the current situation makes it impossible to guarantee the customary "high-trust experience." That trust, the message stated, is constitutive of the CfC brand. All conferences operate under Chatham House Rules, with no media, no recordings, and no press access. Standards for the surrounding conditions are correspondingly high.
First expansion into the Middle East
The Abu Dhabi event would have marked a strategic turning point for the CfC series. To date, the organization has staged seven in-person conferences in St. Moritz and one edition in Half Moon Bay. Two virtual editions took place during the pandemic. Yet a CfC in the Middle East had never been held. Organizers conceived the gathering as a standalone "anchor event" with up to 150 global leaders.
Its participant structure reflected this bridging role. Planners targeted a 50/50 balance between guests from the Middle East and the existing global CfC network. Ambassador Arthur Mattli served as official patron. Meanwhile, the website cfc-abudhabi.com already shows the status "POSTPONED."
Stoehr had personally visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi in March 2025 to lay the groundwork for the expansion. Abu Dhabi stood out as an ideal location with a progressive regulatory framework for digital assets. Beyond the regulatory advantage, its strategic position between Europe, Asia, and Africa also supported the choice. According to the CfC St. Moritz Report 2026, the UAE remains the world's preferred crypto jurisdiction. Still, the US has now moved up to second place.
CfC St. Moritz: from crypto boom to institutional platform
CfC St. Moritz originated in 2017 as a spontaneous event riding the Bitcoin wave. Marc P. Bernegger and Tobias Reichmuth laid the foundation. Nicolo Stoehr then took over the conference leadership together with his brother in March 2018, right after the market crash.
Since then, the format has evolved into one of the most exclusive investor conferences in the crypto industry. Up to 250 international UHNWIs, family offices, funds, and institutional investors meet annually at the Suvretta House in St. Moritz. Each edition falls immediately before the WEF in Davos. Only 12 percent of applicants gain admission.
Despite the postponement, CfC St. Moritz emphasizes its commitment to Abu Dhabi as a venue. Stoehr announced plans to travel to the UAE personally as soon as circumstances permit. His goal is to continue building local relationships. However, a new date for the conference has not yet been set. First, the security situation in the Gulf region needs to stabilize. Air traffic remains disrupted, authorities have rerouted shipping lanes, and the Strait of Hormuz continues to be under threat.
