Dubai regional centre will provide local support for audit, risk and compliance teams across the Middle East and North Africa
Optro, the leading AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform, today announced its expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE), establishing Dubai as the company’s newest regional center. The move represents a major step forward in serving global GRC teams and providing localised support for its rapidly growing customer base across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The announcement was made at the 2026 CAE Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The expansion comes at a historic inflection point for technology governance in the region. Under the “UAE Government 4.0” directive of the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, federal institutions are tasked with converting 50 percent of government sectors, services, and operations to autonomous Agentic AI models within a two-year timeline. As non-human agents gain authority to execute workflows, invoke APIs, and issue binding administrative decisions, enterprise and public-sector audit, risk, compliance, and infosec teams are facing unprecedented operational, cybersecurity, and regulatory complexities.
With strict regulatory frameworks taking shape, including Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) AI & ML Guidance, the UAE National AI Policy & Ethics guidelines, the Federal Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), and Cybersecurity Council/NESA standards, demand is surging for connected, real-time approaches to audit, risk management, data sovereignty, and non-human access control. Optro is built specifically for this paradigm shift. By deploying agentic AI tailored to regional frameworks, Optro gives local practitioners an unmatched ability to execute continuous risk assessments, manage non-human access identities, and automate live compliance mapping against evolving UAE regulations.
“Enterprises and public sector organisations across the Middle East are setting a global benchmark for autonomous innovation,” said Raul Villar Jr., Chief Executive Officer at Optro.
“However, deploying agentic AI at scale requires a corresponding evolution in control and assurance. By establishing our regional hub in the UAE, we are delivering the localised presence, partner network, and agentic GRC tools required to help organisations govern autonomous operations, protect data sovereignty, and turn regulatory compliance into a competitive advantage.”
Optro’s expansion into the UAE follows the company’s recent launch of its Asia-Pacific (APAC) regional hub in Singapore, announced at The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Conference in June. Earlier this year, Optro also acquired Midship — the premier AI-native autonomous controls testing solution — delivering highly governed, enterprise-grade AI agents to Optro’s customers and prospects, enabling Optro to rapidly scale across global innovation centers, helping risk, compliance, and audit teams modernise operations and navigate complex regulatory environments in real time.
“Internal Audit and GRC functions are playing an increasingly strategic role in helping organisations strengthen resilience, enhance governance, and respond to emerging risks,” said Fady Nader, EY MENA Risk Consulting Partner.
“As organisations continue to embrace digital transformation and AI-enabled ways of working, there is a growing need for integrated assurance and timely risk insights. We are pleased to collaborate with Optro in supporting organisations across the region as they evolve their governance, risk and assurance capabilities and adapt to an increasingly dynamic business environment.”
“Our alliance with Optro reflects Deloitte’s commitment to helping clients modernise their control environments,” said James Smith, Controls Assurance Leader at Deloitte Middle East. “Optro’s investment in regional data hosting is another important step and demonstrates their long-term commitment to the region and we are proud to partner with them.”
Source: Tahawul Tech