As financial institutions race to outpace increasingly sophisticated digital fraud, INETCO stands at the forefront of developing intelligent defenses. Chief technology officer and co-founder Ugan Naidoo speaks with Gulf Business about how AI and machine learning are transforming fraud detection, the importance of real-time transaction intelligence, and why innovation is key to maintaining trust and resilience in modern banking.

What are the biggest threats today from AI-driven fraud targeting banks and payment processors?

Financial institutions worldwide are losing billions of dollars every year to fraudsters taking advantage of fast-paced digitalisation, expanding instant payments and insufficient regulatory implementation. In fact, 2024 saw an astounding $535bn in losses globally across banking, cards and payments. This figure not only highlights the scale of the problem but also serves as a wake-up call for the entire financial industry that it’s time to consider new ways to outsmart fraudsters, stay compliant and keep customers safe.

The most serious threats come from highly coordinated, AI-powered attacks that are well camouflaged, adaptive and move faster than human teams or traditional fraud systems can react.

Fraudsters now use AI-driven bots and fraud-as-a-service networks to access stolen customer data and automate scams such as account takeovers, synthetic identity fraud, and real-time payment transaction manipulation. They also deploy deepfakes and social-engineering campaigns to deceive customers and bank employees alike.

These multi-vector attacks — ranging from credential-stuffing and mule-account networks to transaction injection and DDoS extortion — are evolving in milliseconds, often bypassing web-application firewalls or never reaching the authorisation host at all. As instant payments compress detection windows to mere seconds, the combination of speed, automation, and deception has created an arms race that legacy fraud systems cannot win.

Does fighting AI-powered fraud require banks and processors to use AI themselves? If so, what are the trade-offs or risks in relying on AI for defence?

To counter AI-driven attacks, financial institutions must use AI themselves — specifically adaptive risk scoring and self-learning models that evolve with each transaction – the tools needed to proactively spot behavioural drift and suspicious anomalies associated with individual users, terminals and devices.

Static rule sets and generic models trained on population-based data simply can’t recognize new tactics or ever-changing fraud patterns. That said, deploying AI in certain scenarios does introduce trade-offs. Banks could risk over-blocking legitimate activity and creating opaque “black-box” systems that auditors struggle to understand.

The answer lies in explainable AI, where risk score details are transparent, understandable, and trustworthy. This approach provides both agility and precision, reducing false positives while satisfying regulators and customers that the decisioning is fair and accountable.

You echo the phrase “When fraud thinks faster, banks must think smarter” — what does “smarter” look like in practice?

“Smarter” means transforming fraud prevention from a reactive to a proactive discipline. Instead of waiting for a suspicious transaction to be flagged after damage is done, smart institutions harness transaction intelligence and real-time decisioning, analysing every field, correlating behavior across channels, and acting in milliseconds.

In practice, this looks like adaptive machine learning models that update continuously, dynamic risk-based authentication that adjusts friction to context, and precision blocking at the data-field level so legitimate transactions aren’t disrupted.

A smarter bank isn’t simply faster, it’s proactive, context-aware, and continuously learning to stay one move ahead of attackers.

What attributes, capabilities, or architecture differentiate a bank that “thinks smarter”?

Banks that think smarter have complete end-to-end transaction visibility across all payment channels to eliminate blind spots and rely on real-time data passively captured off the wire – that doesn’t depend on potentially compromised switches or authorisation hosts. Their AI agents and models are adaptive and individualized, recalibrating per entity — whether user, card, or device — after each transaction.

They combine behavioral analysis with predictive scoring, allowing them to identify subtle deviations while maintaining excellent customer experiences. Architecturally, they integrate fraud detection, cyber defence, and AML monitoring into a single pane of glass.

Why is INETCO especially well placed to advise or lead in this AI-fraud arms race? In what ways does INETCO’s technology, data access, or experience give it advantage or legitimacy?

INETCO’s legitimacy comes from scale, data depth, and technical differentiation. We safeguard nearly 100 billion transactions a year — about 3 per cent of the global total — across more than 30 countries. Our patented INETCO BullzAI platform collects and decodes every payment message across all retail, banking, and payment channels, correlating device, network, and behavioural data in real time. Unlike platforms that rely on external data scientists to retrain models, INETCO BullzAI continuously learns from every transaction and autonomously blocks threats in under 20 milliseconds. That’s why its measurable outcomes include 45 per cent fewer false positives, 25 per cent reductions in fraud-related monetary losses, and 40 per cent faster fraud investigations.

Recognition in Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Fraud and Financial Crime Prevention, 2025 report, underscores this leadership. Combined with decades of payment-protocol expertise, INETCO’s architecture offers unmatched explainability, precision, and speed, attributes that are critical in the AI-fraud era.

What concrete steps should banks and processors be taking right now to protect themselves?

Banks should first ensure comprehensive, real-time visibility by passively capturing transaction data directly from multiple points on the wire, not just from application logs.

Second, they should implement self-learning AI that continuously adapts to each customer’s unique transactional behaviour.

Third, enforcement must move closer to the transaction itself by using precision field-level blocking rather than blunt IP or port-based methods.

Fourth, dynamic risk-based authentication should balance friction and convenience by stepping up only when confidence drops.

Finally, institutions need to track measurable performance indicators such as false positive rates, fraud loss reduction, and mean-time-to-detect improvements to refine defenses over time.

What are the biggest pitfalls or blind spots that even well-resourced banks tend to slip into when trying to combat AI fraud?

Many banks are blind when an attack either bypasses the authorisation host or compromises it. Others depend on siloed systems that don’t correlate data across channels, producing overwhelming volumes of false alerts and analyst fatigue.

Static rules and population-based models miss emerging tactics, while overly aggressive blocking undermines customer trust. These blind spots stem from an outdated assumption that fraud can be fully captured after authorization, rather than predicted and prevented before it happens.

How do regulation, collaboration, and industry sharing need to evolve in the face of AI fraud?

To keep pace with AI-enabled threats, regulators, banks, payment processors and fintechs must shift from periodic reporting to continuous, privacy-compliant intelligence sharing. Harmonised standards for fraud protection and fraud data exchange, combined with secure, anonymised real-time sharing platforms, are essential.

Regulators should also update liability and chargeback frameworks for instant payments, ensuring that the burden of fraud prevention and remediation is distributed fairly across the ecosystem.

Looking ahead three to five years, what new forms of AI-enabled fraud do you foresee emerging, and how will the defense paradigm need to evolve?

In the next few years, we can expect fraudsters to weaponise both agentic AI and generative AI to create hyper-personalized deepfakes, synthetic social networks, and fully automated mule rings that simulate legitimate behaviour across multiple institutions. We will also see “authorisation-evasion” attacks that exploit intermediaries and APIs to hide malicious transactions from host systems.

To counter this, defenses must evolve toward predictive simulation — using AI to model potential attack vectors before they appear in the wild — and continuous self-learning systems capable of enforcing security at the data-field level. The future of defence will hinge on speed, adaptability, and collaboration: banks that can think as fast and as smart as the fraud they face will be the ones that maintain customers’ trust.

The UAE’s healthcare landscape is evolving, with preventive and long-term wellness taking centre stage. Women in the region are increasingly proactive about their health, yet gaps remain in awareness, access, and culturally sensitive resources, particularly around midlife and menopause.

In an interview with Gulf Business, Mazen Bachir, DSVP for Abbott’s medicines business in the Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan, discusses how Abbott is leveraging innovation, digital health, and local insights to empower women and drive the next chapter in preventive healthcare.

The UAE’s pharmaceutical market is one of the fastest-growing in the region. What unique opportunities and challenges do you see here, especially in preventive and long-term health segments like women’s wellness?

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a powerful shift from treatment to prevention. Women in the UAE are becoming increasingly proactive about their long-term health – from nutrition and physical activity to mental well-being and accessing medical treatment options.

Digital health has played a major role in accelerating this transformation. The use of telehealth in the Middle East has surged – for instance, data shows that 45 per cent of UAE residents have downloaded at least a health-related app. For many women, digital tools are no longer a convenience — they are a lifeline. The rise of telehealth platforms is giving women easier access to expert guidance in ways that respect privacy and cultural norms, which is especially important for sensitive topics.

However, opportunities remain to strengthen access to credible, localsed and medically verified information and resources. In the UAE, the word “menopause” is searched about 3,600 times a month, yet most of those searches are purely informational. In one UAE study, only 18 per cent of women reported good knowledge of menopause.

That’s why initiatives like Nawat Health — the winner of Abbott’s Innovate4Health Challenge, organised in collaboration with venture capital company Plug and Play Abu Dhabi, are so impactful. The platform offers culturally sensitive digital resources in Arabic and English, tailored to the unique needs of women in the region, empowering them to navigate all life stages with confidence and dignity.

Across the UAE, there is renewed focus on women’s health strategies and workplace support policies.Yet persistent misconceptions can discourage many women from seeking medical advice, especially for menopause-related symptoms. Studies show that a large percentage of women prefer to ‘live with and self-manage’ menopause symptoms, simply because they don’t know that support exists.

To pave the way for more women to feel they can talk about menopause with friends, family, and their doctor, there needs to be more access, more awareness-building, and more empathy, delivered through trusted channels and science-backed tools. The UAE is well-positioned to lead this next chapter in women’s health, and we’re working to support and accelerate this drive.

Globally, we’re seeing a shift from reactive treatment to proactive health management. How is this influencing product innovation in areas like supplementation, hormone health, and digital health tools in the UAE?

The global move from reactive treatment to proactive health management is not just a trend, it’s a fundamental redefinition of healthcare, and the UAE is no exception. People in the UAE are no longer waiting for illness to strike; more individuals are actively seeking tools, treatments and guidance to protect their long-term health.

We seek to be at the forefront of this important shift by developing integrated solutions for proactive health management that combine science, innovation, and access — from evidence-based nutritional support to digital tools that connect people to reliable information and expert care and help them achieve their health goals. Through partnerships with startups like the one with Nawat Health, we aim to equip women with the science-backed information they need, in Arabic, tailored to local insights. It’s about helping individuals make informed choices and feel confident at every stage of life.

From weight management drugs to personalised nutrition to longevity supplements, health trends are moving fast. Which innovations are you watching closely?

The growing movement toward people taking charge of their health is one of the most transformative trends within healthcare – where people aren’t just managing illness but actively shaping their own well-being. Across the Middle East, digital health platforms and apps are driving this transformation by making credible information and expert guidance more accessible than ever before.

For women, especially during midlife, these tools can be life-changing. When delivered in local languages and cultural contexts, they can empower women to make more informed decisions, adopt healthier lifestyles, and improve overall wellbeing.

Access to credible health information empowers women to better understand their bodies, seek the support they need, and confidently navigate the changes that come with age.

We’re also seeing a powerful convergence of medicine, technology, and nutrition, enabling more integrated and personalised care, especially in the cardiometabolic space, where conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are deeply interconnected and often lifestyle-driven. For people living with long-term conditions, an integrated approach to care means continuous, adaptive, and empowering support for sustained health and prevention.

Women’s health deserves particular attention – especially around menopause. This stage of life is not only about managing symptoms, but also about supporting long-term wellbeing through the right combination of medicines, nutrition, and lifestyle solutions.

Read: Why the longevity obsession misses the point

As more women in the UAE join and stay longer in the workforce, menopause is fast becoming a workplace and economic issue, not just a medical one. How can private sector players help bridge this gap?

As more women in the UAE build long-term careers, menopause is shifting from a private health matter into a workplace and economic reality. In 2024, women represented 34.6 per cent of the UAE workforce (up from 32.5 per cent in 2023), showing their growing contribution across sectors.

Yet, when women enter the menopause transition, typically in their late 40s or early 50s, the symptoms often disrupt performance, confidence, and career momentum. Many senior women reduce hours, pass up promotions, or even leave employment altogether. Left unaddressed, this becomes a talent-retention challenge and a barrier to both personal and organizational growth.

Workplaces can play a vital role by normalising conversations around menopause, just as they do for maternity or other health subjects. Offering education, flexible working hours and work-from-home options, and peer networks can help women feel valued and supported, while also enhancing overall retention and productivity.

We launched an internal initiative in the UAE to support our female employees during this transition, offering forums, tools and peer-to-peer education. Women’s and well-being are fundamental to our culture, our workforce and our long-term success.

Mid-career women carry institutional knowledge, client relationships, leadership potential and deep expertise. When companies invest in supportive health and workplace practices, everyone benefits — individuals, organisations, and society as a whole.

Which health trends do you believe will reshape consumer behaviour in the UAE and how is Abbott preparing to meet that shift?

We see a clear transition as people increasingly want to understand their own health data, make informed nutrition and lifestyle choices, and access care that is holistic, convenient, and culturally sensitive.

One of the most significant trends we anticipate is a heightened focus on women’s health, particularly during midlife and menopause. In the UAE, nearly one million women are between 40 and 64 years old.

The growing number of mid-life and mid-career women means that now is an important moment to transform the narrative around mid-life health. By providing women with knowledge, access to care, and integrated solutions, we aim to help them understand and manage this transition effectively. Our approach combines digital health tools, evidence-based information, and expanding access to care, ensuring that women can maintain their health, energy, and confidence as they navigate this life stage.

Our purpose has always been to help people live their fullest lives through better health. And as more women in UAE enter their mid-life prime, that means supporting women and families to embrace every stage of life with strength, confidence, and hope.

Al Khayyat Investments (AKI) has announced the launch of AKI Logistics, a new business unit offering third-party logistics (3PL) services to business customers across the UAE. With operations spanning multiple locations, AKI Logistics is anchored by its central hubs in Dubai Industrial City and Dubai Investments Park, signaling a major step in the company’s expansion into the fast-growing logistics and supply chain sector.

Read more-AKI sets the stage for continued growth, launches next-gen fulfillment centre

The end-to-end 3PL solutions will cater to businesses in the retail, healthcare, and FMCG sectors, among others. AKI Logistics customers will gain access to industry-leading services, including customs clearance, product track-and-trace, co-packing and relabelling, specialised product handling such as cold chain storage, and last-mile delivery. The company’s new logistics offering is designed to bring operational agility, scalability, and efficiency to its clients, helping them streamline supply chain operations in one of the region’s most competitive markets.

Strong market debut with government contract

Underscoring its strong market entry, AKI has already been awarded a large Dubai government contract for its 3PL services. This early success reflects confidence in AKI’s logistics capabilities and its ability to deliver reliable and high-quality solutions at scale. Following the UAE rollout, AKI plans to extend its 3PL operations across the wider MENA region, leveraging its existing footprint in nine markets and decades of industry experience.

“For decades, we have been a growth partner to some of the biggest global brands to reach a varied portfolio of channels, from healthcare providers to large and small retailers, to hotels, airlines, as well as direct to consumers,” said Zaid S Al Khayyat, MD of AKI. “The launch of AKI Logistics is part of our continued efforts to power businesses, communities, and people’s well-being whilst setting new benchmarks in speed, agility, and sustainability across the region.”

Next-generation fulfillment centre drives expansion

The launch of AKI Logistics follows the opening of the company’s next-generation Fulfillment and Innovation Centre in Dubai Industrial City earlier this year. The one-million-square-foot facility has quadrupled AKI’s fulfillment capacity in the UAE to over 1.5 million units per day, with provisions for an additional 200,000 square feet of expansion in the future. Serving as the hub of AKI’s supply chain, the facility already supports more than 30,000 business customers, underscoring the scale of AKI’s logistics infrastructure.

“Our logistics operations are designed to give our customers an edge, whether that’s faster delivery, reliable cold chain solutions, or the ability to scale seamlessly,” said Samer Sabri, Chief Supply Chain Officer of AKI. “With our Fulfillment and Innovation Centre as the backbone, AKI Logistics is setting the standard for efficiency and innovation in the UAE and beyond.”

Founded in 1982, AKI has been a driving force in the UAE’s business landscape for more than four decades. The family-owned conglomerate was among the early investors in Dubai Investments Park (DIP) and today operates across multiple sectors, including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, retail, food and non-food consumer goods, fitness, automotive, environmental services, manufacturing, and contracting. With the addition of logistics to its portfolio, AKI reinforces its position as one of the UAE’s most diversified business groups, continuing to shape the region’s industrial and commercial growth.

Rolls-Royce is set to deliver seven mtu backup power generators to strengthen the energy infrastructure of Kuwait International Airport. The 20-cylinder Series 4000 DS 3600 diesel generators will be installed in the new Terminal 2, where they will ensure uninterrupted power for the airport’s catering facility, central energy infrastructure, and other critical operations.

Kuwait International Airport is undergoing a major expansion, with Terminal 2 designed to position it among the most advanced aviation hubs in the Gulf region. Once complete, the new terminal will initially accommodate 25 million passengers annually, with scalability up to 50 million, aligning with Kuwait Vision 2035, the nation’s long-term development strategy.

The project contract was awarded by the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works, with Turkish construction firm Limak serving as the main developer.

The mtu gensets are engineered to operate under ambient temperatures of up to 55 °C, ensuring reliable performance in Kuwait’s extreme climate. Delivery is scheduled for early 2026, followed by commissioning, testing, and handover.

“We are proud that our products ensure the stable operation of critical infrastructure at the airport—even in this region with its extreme environmental conditions,” said Salim El Banna, Country Sales Manager UAE, Bahrain, Iraq & Kuwait for the Power Systems division of Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce’s mtu systems play a vital role in securing critical infrastructure worldwide, with over 85,000 emergency power systems in operation across airports, hospitals, data centers, industrial plants, and energy suppliers. mtu generators and combined heat and power systems are already in reliable service at major international airports including Frankfurt, Dubai, Madrid, Prague, Palma, and Hurghada, ensuring continuous operations across terminals, baggage handling systems, and control centers.

Global property and advisory firm BlackBrick, founded on more than two decades of senior real estate leadership, has unveiled its forecast of Dubai’s top-performing villa communities for the next 12 months. Drawing from client data and market analysis, the findings highlight the key trends driving villa demand in Q4 2025, underscoring Dubai’s continued position as one of the world’s most resilient luxury real estate markets.

According to Matthew Bate, founder and CEO of BlackBrick, Dubai’s villa segment is evolving into a phase of measured maturity, defined by informed investment strategies and data-led decision-making. He notes that end-user demand, lifestyle preferences, and long-term value creation are increasingly shaping how — and why — villas are being acquired across the Emirate.

“We’re seeing a clear evolution in what motivates today’s villa buyers, a movement that started in the pandemic, when Dubai built reputation as a viable location for long term real estate investment,” said Bate. “Today, it’s not about the biggest house or the most ornate finishes, but homes that work financially, emotionally and spatially. The trend is for intelligence over opulence.

“These buyers are thoughtful and discerning. They’re looking for spaces that breathe, communities that connect, and investments that grow with them. It’s a much more grounded form of luxury.”

12-month outlook: Dubai’s best performing villa communities

BlackBrick projects steady and organic price appreciation across Dubai’s prime villa communities over the next year, driven by genuine end-user demand and limited new supply.

“When prices rise through genuine demand and limited supply, not speculation, they hold,” said Bate. “That’s the kind of growth that strengthens both the market and the communities themselves. The market cannot jump 10-15% overnight, with sustainable gains coming from steady, transaction-led growth that is gradual and organic.”

Read: From Palm Jebel Ali to Emaar Hills: UAE’s hottest new homes, waterfront villas revealed

The firm’s data identifies the following communities as the strongest performers for 2025–26:

1. Al Barari – With its privacy, lush green landscapes, and strong end-user base, Al Barari is expected to outperform competitors as infrastructure links along E311 and E611 advance.
   Projected 12-month gains: 15–20 per cent

2. Arabian Ranches – A family lifestyle hub with upgraded stock and improved road connectivity, the community’s tight supply supports continued absorption of quality homes.
   Projected 12-month gains: 15–18 per cent

3. Jumeirah Islands – Growth will be supported by waterfront scarcity and a concentration of renovated villas. While transactions have moderated, demand remains strong for upgraded properties.
   Projected 12-month gains: 8–12 per cent

4. Jumeirah Golf Estates – With two championship courses and limited plot availability, JGE is set for steady growth, supported by disciplined listings and solid end-user interest.
   Projected 12-month gains: 7–12 per cent

5. DAMAC Hills – Emerging as a non-traditional luxury hotspot, DAMAC Hills continues to rise with its golf-front and design-led properties. Its full community maturity and vast green spaces elevate its appeal.
   Projected 12-month gains: 15–20 per cent

The five drivers behind Dubai’s villa demand

1. Spaces that feel alive: Buyers now value volume, natural light, and open, breathable layouts over sheer size.

2. Land, and ownership of it: Villas with usable plots are commanding premiums as buyers seek tangible ownership and personalization.

3. The upgrade horizon: Long-term buyers favour homes with upgrade potential, from smart extensions to design enhancements.

4. Community first: Social cohesion, family-friendly design, and connectivity within gated communities are as valuable as address prestige.

5. Design that speaks quietly: Authenticity, quality, and timeless design are replacing ostentatious “statement luxury.”

Together, these factors underline what BlackBrick defines as Dubai’s “intelligent luxury” era — where sustainable, emotionally resonant, and design-conscious living takes precedence over excess.