More AI start-ups seen next year

The DIFC FinTech Hive is likely to see more finalists focused on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in 2019, an Accenture executive said.

“What I expect to see is a lot more emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) next year,” said Amr Elsaadani, Accenture’s managing director for financial services. With the likes of Hong Kong prioritising AI, he said, the Middle East needed to bolster its own efforts.

The Accenture executive also said he anticipated cybersecurity start-ups to feature prominently next year.

When asked if cybersecurity could be considered a subset of financial technology, Elsaadani said: “If you have an application that’s not secure and it’s handling transactions, that doesn’t make sense. Security is a key player. All the banks will question any security aspects [of their technology].”