OpenAI is considering a contract to deploy its AI technology on North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) “unclassified” networks, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, days after the ChatGPT-owner struck a deal with the Pentagon.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that OpenAI was considering an agreement with NATO.

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The newspaper said the OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, had initially said in a company meeting that it was looking to deploy on all NATO classified networks, but a company spokeswoman later clarified to the Journal that Altman misspoke and the contract opportunity was for NATO’s “unclassified networks.”

NATO, a 32-member military alliance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, Amazon and others, announced a deal late last week to deploy its technology in the Pentagon’s classified network, after US President Donald Trump directed the government to stop working with rival Anthropic.

Mass surveillance

Anthropic’s removal followed a standoff in contract talks with the Pentagon over the use of the firm’s technology. Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, had stressed the company’s opposition to the Pentagon using its AI models for mass domestic surveillance or to power fully autonomous weapons.

The Pentagon has said previously it had no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans or using AI to develop weapons that operate without human involvement, but wanted any lawful use of AI to be allowed.

In an updated statement on Monday after striking a deal on Friday, OpenAI said its AI systems “shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of US persons and nationals,” adding that the Pentagon also affirmed that AI services would not be used by intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA).

“I think this was an example of a complex, but right decision with extremely difficult brand consequences and very negative PR for us in the short term,” Altman said in a company meeting on Tuesday, referring to the Pentagon deal, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Downtime that impacted some UAE banks’ digital services earlier this week is steadily being resolved, with lenders maintaining operations as the region navigates geopolitical tensions.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) confirmed on Wednesday that its retail mobile banking application is now successfully restored after a disruption that lasted around 48 hours.

The outage impacted the bank’s retail mobile banking app and customer contact centre.

However, ADCB said all other services — including branches, ATMs, card services, web-based internet banking, and corporate and commercial banking platforms — remained fully operational throughout the disruption.

“The reliability of our banking services is fundamental to the trust our customers place in us, and our teams worked tirelessly around the clock to restore services safely and as quickly as possible,” said Ala’a Eraiqat, group CEO of ADCB Group.

“While our systems are robust, we are taking this opportunity to further strengthen our operational resilience and service infrastructure to ensure we continue to deliver the high standards of reliability and service our customers expect from ADCB, even in unlikely extreme situations like this,” he added.

The bank said most mobile banking features are now available again, while some minor services continue to be progressively restored as systems return to full capacity.

Meanwhile, Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) said its operations have remained uninterrupted.

“All banking services, systems, digital platforms, and customer engagement channels remain fully operational, with no disruption to branch, digital, or remote banking services,” the bank said in a statement.

Dr Bernd van Linder, CEO of CBD, said the bank continues to operate normally across all channels.

“Our priority is to deliver uninterrupted banking services and maintain consistently strong customer interactions across branches, digital channels and all relationship-managed platforms,” he said.

“We are operating normally across all branches and channels, supported by a strong liquidity position and a robust capital base.”

Earlier disruptions across UAE banking services

The reassurances come after reported disruptions affecting several UAE banking services earlier this week.

Customers experienced difficulty accessing phone and digital banking services linked to Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic, First Abu Dhabi Bank and ADCB. Banks cited a region-wide IT disruption at the time, though the exact cause has not been confirmed.

The issues occurred amid Amazon Web Services (AWS) confirming that its facilities in the UAE and Bahrain had been impacted by drone strikes amid the wider Middle East conflict.

However, it remains unclear whether the cloud disruption was directly linked to the banking outages.

Despite the temporary issues, banks said core services remained accessible through alternative channels such as internet banking, branches and ATMs.

Financial institutions are also urging customers to remain vigilant against fraud attempts during the current situation.

Several banks, including HSBC UAE, have warned that scammers may attempt to impersonate government entities or authorities to obtain personal data such as Emirates ID details or banking credentials.

Banks stressed that customers should never share sensitive information through unsolicited calls or messages, and should verify communications only through official government or bank channels.

Saudi Arabia has announced the Eid Al Fitr 2026 holiday for private and government sector employees.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development said the holiday will begin at the end of the working day on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (Ramadan 29, 1447 AH), and will run for four days.

India’s services sector growth slowed in February as new business rose at its slowest pace in over a year and firms faced the steepest cost pressures in two-and-a-half years, a survey showed.

The HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, fell to 58.1 in February from January’s 58.4, and undershot a preliminary estimate of 58.4.

The 50-mark separates growth from contraction.

New business, a key gauge of demand, expanded at the slowest pace since January 2025, held back by intensifying competition among service providers despite increased marketing campaigns.

Read more-India’s economic growth slips to 7.8%, but still leads major nation

However, international sales provided a bright spot, rising at the fastest pace since August as firms reported higher demand from abroad.

Service providers faced a sharper increase in operating expenses, driven primarily by higher food costs along with energy and labour.

India’s maiden inflation reading under a revised data series showed an acceleration to 2.75 per cent in January, returning within the central bank’s target band of 2-6 per cent for the first time in five months.

The new series seeks to capture changing consumption patterns with adjusted weighting for components such as food and housing and an updated base year of 2024.

Companies passed on much of the cost burden to customers, pushing output prices up at the fastest pace in six months.

Employment grew for a second month, with hiring accelerating from January as firms prepared to meet current and future operational needs.

The outlook brightened, with business confidence jumping to a one-year high as companies expected increased demand and anticipated benefits from marketing initiatives.

The overall composite PMI, which combines manufacturing and services activity, rose to 58.9 in February from 58.4, marking the fastest pace of private sector growth in three months.

Volkswagen’s truck unit Traton on Wednesday forecast improved unit sales development for 2026, with return on sales broadly on par with last year’s number.

The German truckmaker expects its unit sales growth to come in within a range of -5 per cent to +7 per cent, with adjusted operating return on sales between 5.3 per cent and 7.3 per cent. Last year, unit sales fell 9 per cent and adjusted return on sales was 6.3 per cent, as reported in preliminary statements in January.

“The Group plans to offset additional costs from tariffs as much as possible through mitigation and cost measures,” Traton said in a statement.