海湾合作委员会的人工智能金融科技转型

Building the next generation Managementsummary F landscape is evolving into a data-first ecosystem where Fintechs, banks and telecomoperators redefine how consumers engage with financial services. Roughly USD 260 billion Several forces are driving this convergence. GCC consumers are already digitalnatives: Mobile wallet penetration surpassed 60 percent in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) in 2024,2for instance, and smartphone usage is on track to reach 97 percent by Practical applications are moving from pilot to production. AI-driven fraud detectionhas reduced false-positive rates by up to 90 percent,4automated credit models nowdeliver real-time loan decisions and conversational chatbots resolve as much as Yet challenges remain. Legacy core systems, fragmented data and a shortage ofAI-literate talent threaten to slow momentum, while issues around privacy, bias and By embedding AI into the heart of their Fintech strategies, GCC banks, telecomoperators and startups can move beyond experimentation and capture the full promise Contents The disruptive role of Fintech To understand how AI's impact will play out, it is essential to first consider the disruptive role offinancial technology in reshaping financial services. Financial technology – or Fintech – refersto applications that enhance, support or replace the functions of traditional financial and To help with our analysis, we divide the industry into five major areas: payments, lending,next-generation banking and investments, insurance, and banking infrastructure. In theoverall Fintech landscape, the GCC region has emerged as a forerunner over the pastdecade. Indeed, as of 2024, the UAE hosted 329 active Fintech companies, while Saudi Arabia AMapping the Fintech landscape BEnablers of Fintech adoption Regulation, demographics Legacy financial institutions haveoften failed to meet the specificneeds of large segments of the growth.8On the consumer side, half the GCC population used a digital wallet in 2024,reflecting a clear shift toward a cashless economy. On the business side, more than 40,000 The acceleration of Fintech adoption in the GCC reflects three main drivers: A pro-Fintech regulatory stance, a youthful and tech-savvy demographic and unmet needs in In addition to serving mass-market needs, Fintechs in the region are expanding into morespecialized offerings through embedded Fintech. This model allows non-financialbusinesses to integrate payments, lending and insurance directly into their platforms. The AI is further amplifying this disruption, enabling Fintechs to accelerate productinnovation, enhance customer personalization and improve fraud detection at scale.Traditional banks, which have historically relied on slower, manual processes, are undermounting pressure to embed AI into their operations – from predictive analytics for customerretention to intelligent process automation in back-office workflows. Failure to adapt risks AI as a strategic lever for growth 2.1/Developments in AI – globally and in the GCC The global surge in AI has accelerated across industries and functions, driven bybreakthroughs in large-language models that promise faster, more informed decision- In the GCC region, the opportunity is compelling. Economist Impact projects that AI couldgenerate up to USD 260 billion in economic contribution to GDP by 203014– about 2 percentof global AI benefits – with compound annual growth rates (CAGR) between 20 and 34 CWhere AI value will be created Estimated contribution of AI to GCC countries' GDP (includingestimated AI share of GDP in 2030) [USD billion; percent]16 Luca Turba, Principal Governments are actively nurturing this ecosystem. In 2017, the UAE made a bold move byappointing the world's first "Minister of Artificial Intelligence."17Similarly, for the 2025-26academic year, the UAE has integrated AI topics into their school curriculum.18Qatar has 2.2/Horizontal and vertical applications in Fintech AI solutions in Fintech can be categorized as horizontal (or broadly applicable acrossindustries) and vertical (tailored to sector-specific needs). Early adopters tended to focus onhorizontal use cases such as fraud detection and KYC, but vertical AI is rapidly outpacing them,delivering sharper value and compliance advantages. Horizontal AI powers functions such as The following examples highlight how horizontal and vertical applications deliver PAYMENTS Horizontal Fraud detection across transactions, customer-support chatbots in wallets, anomaly AI-driven transaction routing optimization, dynamic foreign exchange (FX) pricing in cross- LENDING Horizontal Generic document recognition via optical character recognition (OCR) for loan applications, Vertical AI-based credit scoring for consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),BNPL risk modeling, intelligent underwriting using alternative financial data, revenue-based NEXT-GENERATION BANKING AND INVESTMENTS Horizontal Chatbots for digital