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ALKHOBAR: As ��������’s Vision 2030 accelerates, the Kingdom’s rapid transformation is exposing organizations to new layers of forensic risk — from AI-driven cyberattacks to complex compliance demands. 

Regional data shows that while opportunities are booming, vulnerabilities are growing just as fast.

��������’s decade of transformation is compressing decades of progress into a few short years, creating both immense opportunity and unprecedented forensic challenges.

According to PwC’s Capital Projects and Infrastructure Survey 2025 (Middle East), 63 percent of executives in the region reported cost overruns or delays linked to governance and procurement weaknesses, highlighting the difficulty of managing megaprojects at scale. 

Meanwhile, the Global Economic Crime Survey 2024 found that 46 percent of organizations globally experienced fraud, corruption, or economic crime within the past two years — a figure that mirrors rising regional trends.

“The forensic landscape in the Middle East is evolving at a formidable pace,” said Rana Shasha’a, PwC Middle East forensic leader. “The sheer scale of investment in megaprojects and infrastructure programs brings exposure to procurement fraud, conflicts of interest, and delivery risks.”

Artificial intelligence has transformed both business operations and criminal tactics. PwC’s Global Digital Trust Insights: Middle East 2025 shows that 70 percent of Middle East executives believe GenAI has already increased their cyber risk exposure, compared to 55 percent globally.

“AI is augmenting business capabilities at an incredible pace, but the same technology is being weaponized by cybercriminals,” Shasha’a said. “We’re now seeing scalable, hyper-personalized attacks — from GenAI-powered phishing to identity theft and disinformation campaigns.”

Recent high-profile attacks across the region have demonstrated that cybercrime can ripple through entire supply chains, inflicting reputational and financial damage far beyond the initial breach. Forensic investigators, she explained, are now required to navigate AI-enabled crimes that demand new technical depth and speed.

With billions invested in Vision 2030 projects — from giga-developments to fintech expansion — Saudi regulators are tightening oversight.

“Nazaha is driving a national anti-fraud strategy, SAMA is raising standards on financial fraud and cyber controls, the CMA is pushing for stronger governance and disclosure, and the new data protection law is reshaping how evidence and personal data are handled,” said Shasha’a.

These measures signal that compliance is no longer a tick-box exercise. PwC’s Global Compliance Survey 2025 found that 85 percent of executives say compliance requirements have become more complex in the past three years, and 82 percent plan to invest more in technology to automate compliance.

For organizations, this means embedding forensic readiness into operations — from procurement checks to contract oversight — to detect and mitigate risks before they escalate.

Not all sectors face the same threats. Shasha’a noted that financial services and fintech remain prime targets for cyberattacks, while energy and infrastructure projects carry high procurement and contractor-related risks.

“Family businesses, which are central to Middle Eastern economies, often have less formal governance structures and greater reliance on related-party transactions, leaving them exposed if transparency is lacking,” she said.

Beyond industry boundaries, reputational risk remains constant. “A single breach or fraud can quickly become a crisis of trust,” she warned.

As technology reshapes the threat landscape, it is also revolutionizing how forensic experts respond. Forensic teams across the region now rely on AI-driven anomaly detection to sift through millions of records in hours rather than weeks — a leap that has already exposed previously undetectable fraud schemes.

“AI can connect far more data points than any human team,” Shasha’a explained. “It’s enabling faster action, sharper prevention, and more resilient risk management.”

In cybercrime cases, AI-driven malware analysis and GenAI-powered forensic chatbots are accelerating investigations while uncovering deeper patterns of misconduct. The result is not just faster response times but a proactive model in which digital forensics becomes integral to governance.

The region’s approach to forensics is shifting fundamentally. What was once a reactive field — stepping in after a crisis — is now a core pillar of corporate resilience.

“The role of forensics has expanded beyond crisis response,” Shasha’a said. “Organizations are embedding forensic thinking into governance, using continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, and tighter controls.”

This evolution is cultural as much as technical. Leadership teams increasingly view prevention as cheaper and more strategic than remediation, and regulators reinforce this mindset through stricter disclosure and cyber-resilience requirements.

Across the region, the forensic transformation is not just about compliance — it’s about trust.

“The future of forensics in the Middle East will be defined by scale, sophistication, and integration,” Shasha’a concluded. 

“Forensics will no longer be a separate response function; it will be built into governance, compliance, and transformation programs as a frontline defense.”

As �������� and its neighbors continue to digitize at record speed, the ability to anticipate and neutralize risks will determine which organizations thrive and which fall behind.

JEDDAH: Trade among Gulf Cooperation Council states reached $1.5 trillion in 2024, ranking sixth globally and representing 3.2 percent of world trade, in a reflection of the region’s economic resilience and diversification, a senior official said. 

Speaking at the 61st preparatory meeting of GCC trade ministry undersecretaries, Khalid Ali Al-Sunaidi, assistant secretary-general for economic and development affairs at the GCC General Secretariat, said the bloc collectively posted a $110 billion trade surplus, the third-largest worldwide, Kuwait News Agency, or KUNA, reported. 

The development underscores the GCC’s position as a financially resilient and strategically coordinated bloc, despite challenges such as oil price volatility, global economic slowdown, and geopolitical tensions. 

Al-Sunaidi emphasized that trade within the GCC serves as a key driver for economic diversification, enhancing competitiveness, and expanding investment and innovation opportunities. 

“He noted that intra-GCC merchandise trade reached around $146 billion in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 9.08 percent compared to 2023, and a ten-year average annual growth rate of non-oil goods of 5.3 percent,” KUNA reported. 

Al-Sunaidi stated that the Secretariat believes the future of GCC trade relies on deepening institutional and legislative integration through the development of unified trade policies, updating shared legal and regulatory frameworks, and facilitating the flow of goods and services. 

He also highlighted the Secretariat’s commitment to supporting digital transformation in trade systems, which will shift intra-GCC trade from mere commodity exchange toward productive and economic integration, the agency reported. 

Kuna reported that the senior official said that expanding intra-GCC trade helps leverage comparative advantages, create shared production and supply networks, and consolidate the foundations of GCC economic integration. He added that this integration is considered a key pathway for comprehensive and sustainable development in the region. 

Al-Sunaidi noted that the Secretariat also focuses on free trade agreement negotiations, describing them as strategic opportunities to increase market access, diversify trade partners, and attract quality investments, strengthening the GCC’s role as an active hub in the global trade system. 

The preparatory meeting reviewed progress across several committees, including domestic and foreign trade, small and medium enterprises, consumer protection, and the GCC Secretariat General’s Patent Office. It also set the stage for the 69th session of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Trade Cooperation, scheduled for Oct. 29 in Kuwait City, according to the Saudi Press Agency.