Agent-based AI reshaping industrial operations
During the event, Honeywell, a Fortune 500 company and a key technological backbone of Egypt’s Smart City project, highlighted how autonomous and agent-based artificial intelligence can support faster, data-driven decision-making across industrial and infrastructure sectors.
Speaking during a panel discussion, Honeywell executives said autonomous AI systems are designed to assist operators by analyzing large volumes of data in real time and adjusting operational parameters to improve efficiency, while keeping humans in control of critical decisions.
The company explained that AI agents function as digital operators with defined tasks, capable of monitoring thousands of data points simultaneously to optimize performance in facilities such as petrochemical plants and energy-efficient buildings.
Honeywell noted that the level of human involvement varies depending on operational risk, with organizations able to set thresholds that determine when human intervention is required, ranging from basic alarm notifications to predictive actions taken before issues arise.
The company added that advances in cloud computing, edge devices, and data analytics are enabling less experienced operators to perform tasks that previously required decades of hands-on expertise by embedding operational knowledge into AI-driven systems.
The AI Everything Summit and Expo Egypt was held over two days, bringing together global technology companies, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss the deployment of artificial intelligence across key economic sectors.
During the event, Egypt's Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) stated that it has adopted a three-track digital transformation strategy to accelerate digital transformation in the non-banking financial sector to expand financial inclusion, Ahmed Khalifa, Executive Director of the FRA Sandbox and Chief Data Officer, said during the summit.
Speaking at a panel discussion, Khalifa said the FRA views digital transformation as a tool rather than an end in itself, aimed at reaching underserved segments, particularly unbanked citizens and populations in rural areas who lack access to banking and non-banking financial services.
He explained that although the first track focuses on encouraging financial institutions to upgrade their digital capabilities, not all institutions can carry out such transformations in-house. Therefore, Khalifa added, the FRA introduced a second track to regulate and register specialised technology service providers, enabling financial institutions to partner with them in implementing digital solutions.
Moreover, he noted that the third track allows fintech startups to obtain licences to operate as fully digital financial institutions, noting that the authority has already applied this model in the consumer finance sector.
Under this framework, licensed digital-only companies are subject to significantly lower capital requirements, EGP 15 million compared to EGP 75 million for traditional players, provided they operate entirely through digital channels.
Khalifa said the move is intended to intensify competition and accelerate digital adoption, warning that institutions that fail to adapt quickly risk losing market share as regional competition in financial services intensifies.
Fintech seen as key driver of financial inclusion in Egypt
Fintech has played a central role in expanding financial inclusion across Africa and Egypt by addressing structural challenges in access to traditional banking services, Ahmed Yehia, CEO of FinTech and Digital Lifestyle at e& Egypt, said during the event.
Speaking at a panel discussion, Yehia said Africa was an early adopter of fintech solutions due to limited access to banks, particularly in underserved communities where visiting a branch remains inconvenient or impractical for large segments of the population.
He noted that fintech solutions emerged nearly two decades ago to bridge this gap by integrating unbanked customers into the formal financial ecosystem, adding that recent advances in technology have accelerated this process.
Yehia identified customer onboarding, efficient transaction management, and system integration as key challenges facing the sector, stressing that financial inclusion initiatives must be designed to handle large transaction volumes at low cost.
He added that understanding customer behaviour and integrating data across platforms remain critical to delivering scalable digital financial services.
Egypt, he explained, still has significant room for growth in financial inclusion, noting that more than 60 percent of the population remains outside the formal financial system, creating strong demand for modern, accessible financial services.
Banks closing the experience gap with fintech through AI and partnerships
Traditional banks are narrowing the gap with fintech companies by redesigning customer experience and accelerating decision-making through artificial intelligence and partnerships, Ahmed Abdelaal, Group CEO of Mashreq Bank, said during the summit.
Speaking at a panel discussion, Abdelaal said banks have historically prioritized governance, regulation, and risk controls before focusing on customer experience. By contrast, he added, fintech firms typically take the opposite approach by designing services around user needs first and adding controls later.
He noted that banks have begun to adopt fintech practices by working closely with startups and technology partners, which allows them to learn faster and improve service accessibility while maintaining regulatory standards.
Abdelaal said artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a key differentiator in banking, not through the sophistication of individual tools, but through faster learning cycles and shorter decision times.
He cited small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) onboarding as an example, noting that processes that previously took months can now be completed in a significantly shorter time using predictive analytics and AI-driven credit assessment models.
He added that AI enables banks to anticipate customer needs and proactively offer financing, citing seasonal demand cycles such as Ramadan, where data-driven insights can support faster credit allocation for suppliers and retailers.
Moreover, Abdelaal stated that collaboration across the banking, fintech, and technology ecosystem remains essential to sustaining innovation while managing risk in an increasingly digital financial landscape.
The two-day AI Everything MEA Egypt 2026 is being held in Cairo this week as part of Egypt’s efforts to expand the use of artificial intelligence across key economic sectors.
The event is organized by GITEX Global and hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in cooperation with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA).
The summit comes within the framework of Egypt’s second national AI strategy, which aims to attract investment into the sector and generate an estimated $42.7 billion in AI-related economic value by 2030.
Short link: