Azakaw, a compliance operating system built specifically for the MENA region, has been officially named an IDC Innovator by global technology market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC). The firm was highlighted in the IDC Innovators: Middle East Regulatory Technology Providers, 2026 report.

The recognition comes at a critical juncture for the Middle East, where compliance is being rapidly reshaped by expanding regulatory frameworks and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in financial oversight. As financial institutions scale across these complex environments, there is an accelerating demand for systems capable of operating in real-time and adapting to multiple regulatory requirements.

Unifying compliance workflows

Built by compliance professionals, azakaw’s platform unifies digital onboarding—including Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) processes—with AML screening, transaction monitoring, and corporate compliance into a single system. This infrastructure allows institutions to manage their regulatory obligations with speed, consistency, and high visibility.

Jehanzeb Awan, founder and CEO of azakaw, highlighted the structural shift occurring within the financial sector.

“Compliance is moving from a function to an always-on system within financial institutions,” Awan stated. “The gap today is between what regulators expect and what legacy systems can support. Closing that gap requires infrastructure that reflects how regulation actually works in this region. That’s what azakaw delivers.”

A rapidly expanding regulatory landscape

Across key markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the sheer volume of regulated entities and the scope of financial supervision are expanding rapidly.

In the UAE alone, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has licensed 112 fintech companies to date. Concurrently, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) reported over 7,700 active registered companies in the first half of 2025, while the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) exceeded 11,000 active licences over the same period. Saudi Arabia is witnessing similar growth, with the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP) reporting 261 fintech companies operating in the Kingdom in 2024.

Consequently, the volume of onboarding, monitoring, and reporting obligations is rising in parallel, placing significantly greater demands on existing compliance infrastructure.

Navigating layered oversight with AI

Simultaneously, regulatory oversight is becoming increasingly layered and specialised. Financial institutions in the UAE must often navigate multiple regulators, including the CBUAE, the DFSA, the FSRA, and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), each wielding distinct compliance expectations. Furthermore, the introduction of dedicated frameworks for virtual assets has created entirely new categories of licensed entities and complex compliance workflows.

To manage this combination of growth and regulatory depth, AI-enabled infrastructure is actively replacing legacy systems. These new technologies enable real-time screening, transaction monitoring, and risk assessment at a massive scale.

By operationalising this shift, azakaw provides compliance teams with greater control and reduced manual workloads, securing its position among IDC’s select group of innovative regulatory technology providers.