Dubai, UAE – At this year’s Dubai FinTech Summit, Ant Digital Technologies made its global debut of a groundbreaking AI-powered FinTech suite, unveiling its next-generation platform “Agentar” alongside flagship tools ZOLOZ and mPaaS. This marked the company’s first international product showcase, with Dubai serving as a strategic launchpad.
The two-day summit drew global thought leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore the evolving landscape of finance and technology. Ant Digital Technologies’ presence highlighted its commitment to global financial inclusion, technological agility, and ecosystem collaboration.
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Following his keynote at the Innovation Stage, Yishi Chen, global managing director of Ant Digital Technologies, spoke in an exclusive interview with the American Bazaar about the driving philosophy behind their latest solutions and the role of AI in reshaping financial services.
The American Bazaar: Can you tell me about how you got into FinTech and the inspiration behind Ant’s latest direction?
Yishi Chen: It’s an exciting moment in technology, especially with AI transforming how services are delivered. The way we interact with financial services is changing fast. I believe AI is finally ready for commercialization, and the timing is right for FinTech to evolve in how it serves users. That’s why I got involved in this space — to help drive that transition and bring real-world applications to life.
What are some of the trends in FinTech that you’re most excited about?
One of the biggest trends is AI taking over tasks that used to be done manually. In banking and FinTech, there’s so much unstructured data and previously, people had to make sense of all of it. Now, with AI and large language models, we can process this data much faster and more effectively. This improves customer experience dramatically because AI is helping humans do their jobs better and faster.
How do you see AI supporting economic diversification in the Middle East?
The MENA area especially, is uniquely positioned. As AI technology becomes more commercialized, there’s a real opportunity to rethink and upgrade traditional IT infrastructure. We’re seeing a shift from basic cloud services to AI-enabled systems. This shift will benefit banks, FinTech companies, and end users alike by offering better digital experiences.
What are some of the lessons that the UAE can draw from China’s FinTech evolution?
That’s a great question. In China, we’re seeing large language models being adapted to meet the needs of both consumers and businesses. For the UAE to follow a similar path, it’s critical to address the unique needs of local users and enterprises. That means offering services in Arabic, ensuring strong data protection, and tailoring AI solutions to real-world use cases. Getting from a model to a meaningful user experience takes a lot of hard work, especially in the last mile. This is what we have to do in the UAE to commercialize the industry of AI.
Lastly, can you tell us more about your dual hub strategy — especially the role Dubai plays?
Dubai and Hong Kong are both key global cities. For us, Dubai is a gateway to MENA, Central Asia, and even parts of Europe. We’re setting up a strong presence here because it allows us to explore partnerships and grow in this region. It’s part of a broader global expansion plan, and we see Dubai as a vital base for our future operations and collaborations.
During the summit, Ant introduced:
- ZOLOZ, a global leader in digital trust technology, enabling secure and scalable e-KYC verification used by over 100 million users in Southeast and South Asia. Its newest innovation, ZOLOZ Deeper, leverages AI to combat deepfake threats in facial recognition.
- mPaaS, a mobile development platform derived from Alipay’s core technology, which allows enterprises to rapidly build and scale apps. Financial institutions like Malaysia’s Kenanga Bank have used mPaaS to launch “SuperAPPs” that enhance customer engagement and accelerate digital transformation.
- Agentar, introduced for the first time at the summit, is a low-code AI platform designed specifically for financial services. It enables institutions to easily deploy AI agents for investment advice, risk monitoring, trade execution, and customer service without intensive engineering resources.
With more than 300 partners and 10,000 clients across industries, Ant Digital Technologies is leading the charge in reshaping financial services. By combining security, AI, and user-centric design, the company is setting new benchmarks in global FinTech innovation.
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“At Ant Digital Technologies, we view the Dubai FinTech Summit as a crucial platform for exploring how AI and Web3 are reshaping financial ecosystems. We are enthusiastic about steering the forthcoming era of fintech, empowered by intelligent systems like Agentar and embedded financial cognition, built on collaboration, trust, and scalable innovation. The true transformative power of AI in finance will only be realized through collective efforts. Our objective is to forge closer partnerships with international communities to develop solutions that enhance financial services on a worldwide scale, leveraging our existing expertise to benefit the global market,” said Chen.