New AI Investigator Launched In Abu Dhabi To Solve Financial Crimes

Can artificial intelligence outsmart criminals? That is the bet Themis is making with the launch of its AI Investigator at the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) auditorium on Wednesday. The platform promises to do what human investigators can't - sift through millions of data points in seconds to unmask hidden links to financial crime.

Themis, a UK-headquartered anti-financial crime pioneer, says its system automates due diligence and cuts investigation times from weeks to minutes. Trained on Themis' proprietary data and backed by an Innovate UK grant, the tool scans ownership structures, adverse media and regulatory filings, applying behavioural analysis and pattern matching at scale.

Dickon Johnstone, CEO of Themis, told Khaleej Times that financial crime often hides behind vast amounts of information and deliberately complex structures.“Criminals think no investigator could ever look up millions of data points. But our AI Investigator does it at a click, trawling across sources and exposing what lies beneath,” he said.

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He praised the UAE's AI-first approach, calling Abu Dhabi the right stage for the global launch.“The UAE has taken the lead in AI with initiatives like the AI University and a national strategy that sets the pace for the world. This is exactly the type of forward-looking environment where breakthroughs like ours can thrive,” he said.

The platform is designed to be cloud-agnostic and scalable, allowing adoption across sectors including finance, real estate, professional services and government. Johnstone said the goal was to make enhanced due diligence accessible to all.“When we look back in a few years, we'll wonder how checks were ever done without AI. This technology makes compliance not just faster but instinctive, giving us the upper hand in the fight against financial crime,” he said.

Abu Dhabi has pledged Dh13 billion in AI investment between 2025 and 2027 as part of its Falcon Economy vision, with ADGM and Hub71 among the institutions driving innovation. Johnstone said the ecosystem made the capital a natural launchpad.

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