{
  "id": 3176515,
  "title": "Banks can't afford to fall behind on AI. But can they afford for it to fail?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/banks-cant-afford-to-fall-behind-on-ai-but-can-they-afford-for-it-to",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-25T03:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/banking/2026/08/25/banks-cant-afford-to-fall-behind-on-ai-but-can-they-afford-for-it-to-fail/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Banks are investing heavily in artificial intelligence and digital technologies to keep pace with rapidly evolving customer expectations and growing competition from tech-driven banks. However, the increasing reliance on complex digital infrastructure leaves them vulnerable to disruptions, cyberattacks, and geopolitical risks. In recent months, a series of outages and cyber incidents have exposed the precarious balance between innovation and resilience in the UAE banking sector. From a regional cloud service provider being targeted by Iranian attacks to an intermittent outage at a major UAE lender, the consequences of technology failures have become all too apparent. As Pedro Cardoso, group chief digital officer at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, put it, \"Trust is the ultimate currency in banking,\" and the industry must ensure that innovation and customer experience progress hand in hand with robust risk management strategies.",
  "summary": "Banks are racing to put artificial intelligence and digital technology at the heart of everything from payments to customer service. But the deeper technology becomes embedded in banking, the greater the consequences when it fails. Recent disruptions have brought that risk into sharper focus. Iranian attacks during the war struck Amazon Web Services facilities in the UAE, while a region-wide IT…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Banks can't afford to fall behind on AI. But can they afford for it to fail?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/banks-cant-afford-to-fall-behind-on-ai-but-can-they-afford-for-it-to-3177034",
        "published": "2026-08-25T03:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}