United Arab Bank (UAB) has partnered with AI and RegTech firm Smarbl to co-develop a new compliance management platform, RegPRISM, in a move that could transform how banks in the UAE and beyond handle regulatory obligations.
The newly launched platform is designed to provide real-time intelligence on evolving regulations, automate compliance workflows, and reduce operational inefficiencies traditionally associated with manual compliance systems.
The strategic collaboration comes at a time when financial institutions across the region are facing growing pressure to adapt to rapidly evolving global and local regulatory frameworks. By integrating artificial intelligence, RegPRISM aims to simplify the process of identifying, interpreting and responding to regulatory changes, all while cutting costs and improving accuracy.
In a statement, UAB’s Chief Executive Officer Shirish Bhide said the partnership was in line with the bank’s long-term digital transformation strategy.
“At UAB, we are committed to building a future-ready bank that embraces innovation to meet evolving regulatory and customer expectations,” he said. “RegPRISM is a game-changer in how we approach compliance.”
The platform, developed in partnership with Smarbl, leverages AI to monitor global regulatory developments in real time. It processes and organises large volumes of raw regulatory data into actionable insights, helping institutions stay ahead of compliance deadlines and emerging legal obligations.
Ajay Raju, Co-Founder of Smarbl, said the collaboration reflects a broader shift in how financial institutions view compliance—not just as a legal necessity, but as an area ripe for innovation.
“By aligning Smarbl’s AI and cloud-native architecture with UAB’s vision for digital-first governance, RegPRISM translates regulatory change into instant, clear, and workflow-ready intelligence,” he explained.
Zsombor Brommer, Chief Compliance Officer at UAB, emphasised the operational benefits of the platform, noting that traditional compliance models are increasingly unsustainable.
“Manual processes are time-consuming and prone to error,” he said. “RegPRISM offers a unified, intelligent approach that allows us to monitor developments and manage compliance risk more efficiently.”
RegPRISM features a dynamic regulatory library and an integrated workflow engine that can be customised according to specific compliance obligations. The platform is designed to grow with the institution, using machine learning to improve its capabilities over time.
The launch positions UAB as one of the first banks in the UAE to actively pursue AI-powered compliance solutions. Industry observers say the move could prompt other regional players to follow suit, particularly as regulators begin to demand more transparent, tech-driven approaches to governance.
While UAB and Smarbl have not disclosed the full scope of future updates, both organisations signalled their intention to expand RegPRISM’s capabilities in the coming year, potentially including advanced analytics and predictive regulatory modeling.
With financial regulation becoming more complex and enforcement tighter, AI-powered solutions like RegPRISM may soon become the industry standard, reshaping how banks meet legal obligations in a digital age.
