ACCA spotlights urgent anti-fraud priorities at Abu Dhabi Audit, Anti-Fraud and I.T. Congress 2025

(MENAFN- Sheila Tobias) ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) brought global anti-fraud insights to the forefront at the Audit, Anti-Fraud & I.T. Congress 2025, organised by the Institute of Internal Auditors, held last month in Abu Dhabi.

During the conference, Kush Ahuja, Head of Eurasia and Middle East at ACCA, presented headline findings from ACCA’s latest global study, Combatting fraud in a perfect storm, revealing how cyber-enabled crime, governance gaps and AI-accelerated deception are converging to create an increasingly industrialised fraud environment. The report was developed in collaboration with leading professional bodies across fraud, audit, cybersecurity, risk, and corporate investigations including the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), the global cybersecurity certification body ISC2, the UK’s risk management association Airmic, and the Association of Corporate Investigators (ACi).

The session was followed by a high-level panel discussion featuring leading regional experts:
Imran Zia: Director, Internal Audit, Abu Dhabi Ports Group

Asim Ali Abid, FCCA, CIA: Senior Internal Audit Specialist, NMDC Group

Mohammad Salman: Risk Manager, Investment and Development Office (IDO)

Shoab Azhar: Head of Enterprise Risk Management, Taaleem PJSC

Kush Ahuja: Head of Eurasia and Middle East, ACCA

Together, the speakers shared on-the-ground perspectives on how organisations across the Middle East are responding to increasingly complex, cross-border and AI-fuelled fraud risks.
Kush highlighted the urgency of coordinated action: “This report is a wake-up call for organisations everywhere. Fraud today is fast-moving, AI-powered and deeply interconnected across value chains. The Middle East has an important role to play in reshaping fraud governance, strengthening detection frameworks and creating cultures where concerns can be raised safely and proactively. Accountancy and finance professionals are central to leading this change.”

Panelists emphasised the need for sharper cross-functional collaboration between audit, risk, finance and IT, alongside the use of behavioural insights to strengthen traditional controls. They highlighted the importance of investing in proactive detection measures and increasing transparency and reporting to address the persistent issue of under-recorded fraud losses. Speakers also echoed ACCA’s broader call to embed accountability, modernise oversight mechanisms, and build organisational cultures where integrity is both measurable and actively reinforced.

ACCA’s report urges organisations to strengthen resilience by using its new Prevalence vs Materiality matrix, updated typologies and practical calls to action aimed at helping boards, regulators and practitioners prioritise fraud prevention investments more effectively.

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