As digital payments surge across the Middle East, so does fraud sophistication. Against that backdrop, i2c Inc. has been named a finalist in the Best Security or Anti-Fraud Development category at the The Card & Payments Awards Middle East 2026.
The recognition highlights i2c’s AI-driven Fraud Risk Management solution—technology embedded directly into its unified banking and payments platform and designed to make fraud decisions in real time at the point of transaction authorization.
In high-growth digital economies, milliseconds matter.
Fraud Prevention at the Moment of Authorization
Traditional fraud models often operate in layers—screening transactions pre-authorization, flagging anomalies post-authorization, or relying on external tools to supplement issuer decisioning.
i2c’s approach integrates fraud evaluation directly within the authorization flow itself. That means risk is assessed the moment a payment is initiated, not after funds are approved.
By analyzing transactions in real time using adaptive AI and contextual signals—including customer behavior, merchant data, device fingerprinting, biometrics, authentication methods, and dispute history—the system aims to stop fraud earlier without suppressing legitimate approvals.
That balance is critical. In competitive payments markets, overly aggressive fraud controls can erode customer experience and depress approval rates, directly impacting revenue.
Measurable Impact in High-Growth Markets
According to i2c, its fraud platform has delivered quantifiable improvements for clients in the Middle East:
- Fraud rates reduced by up to 60% in prepaid portfolios, declining from roughly 6 basis points to just over 2 basis points
- Authorization approval rates reaching up to 90%, exceeding typical industry benchmarks
- Up to 40% of fraud volume captured
- Customer friction held to approximately 0.5%
- Fraud-related operational costs reduced by up to 40%
Those figures reflect a core challenge in payments security: improving detection without increasing false positives.
In prepaid and digital-first ecosystems—where transaction velocity is high and margins are tight—precision matters as much as detection strength.
Adaptive AI With Closed-Loop Learning
A standout feature of i2c’s system is its closed-loop learning framework. Confirmed fraud cases and dispute outcomes are fed back into the model, enabling continuous adaptation.
That design reflects the evolving nature of fraud. Attack vectors in digital payments can shift rapidly, particularly in markets experiencing accelerated fintech growth.
By refreshing models frequently and leveraging outcome-based learning, the system aims to sustain approval performance while identifying emerging threats earlier.
This architecture differs from legacy rule-based systems, which often require manual updates and lag behind fraud evolution.
Why This Recognition Matters
The Middle East represents one of the fastest-growing digital payments regions globally, driven by:
- Government-backed digital transformation initiatives
- Expanding fintech ecosystems
- Rising contactless and mobile payment adoption
- Cross-border commerce growth
With that growth comes increased fraud complexity. Regulators and financial institutions are under pressure to strengthen security without impeding digital adoption.
Being named a finalist at The Card & Payments Awards Middle East underscores the competitive intensity in the region’s payments innovation landscape. The awards program spotlights solutions delivering tangible improvements in security, customer trust, and operational performance.
For i2c, the recognition also reinforces its strategy of embedding fraud prevention directly within core payments infrastructure rather than layering it externally.
The Bigger Picture: Real-Time AI as a Competitive Lever
Across global markets, real-time AI decisioning is becoming table stakes in payments.
Issuers can no longer afford trade-offs between fraud reduction and customer approval rates. Consumers expect frictionless transactions; regulators expect robust controls.
Solutions that can evaluate contextual signals at authorization—without introducing latency—are gaining strategic importance.
i2c’s finalist status signals that embedded, adaptive fraud models are not just a defensive necessity but increasingly a competitive differentiator in digital-first economies.
As digital payments continue to scale in the Middle East, the next frontier in fraud prevention will likely center on precision, speed, and seamless customer experience—all delivered in the blink of an eye.
Power Tomorrow’s Intelligence — Build It with TechEdgeAI
