AI Bots Gulf ATMs Strike UAE and Saudi Machines

AI bots Gulf ATMs struck machines in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, prompting security alerts from Mashreq Bank and Saudi National Bank, according to a Reuters report on January 15, 2026. Bitcoin traded at $75,723 USD, down 0.6%, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 27, per CoinGecko data on February 10, 2026.

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) and Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) regulate over 150,000 ATMs linked to mobile wallets across both nations.

AI Bots Gulf ATMs Exploitation Tactics

These AI-driven bots deploy machine learning to scrape APIs and drain accounts in minutes. Emirates NBD detected 200 attempts last week, stated the bank's cybersecurity head, Fatima Al-Suwaidi, in a press release.

Attackers host bots on AWS servers that bypass firewalls. Bots mimic legitimate transactions via generative AI during peak hours at Dubai Mall and Riyadh Season events. SAMA reports Vision 2030 targets 70% cashless transactions by 2030.

Gulf states fund digital banking aggressively. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) invests AED 5 billion ($1.36 billion USD) in fintechs via Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) allocates SAR 50 billion ($13.3 billion USD) to King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).

Digital Banking Threats Escalate in UAE, Saudi ATMs

ATMs process AED, SAR, and USD transactions with blockchain integrations. Oil revenues surpass $300 billion USD yearly, accelerating cloud migrations. Google Cloud supports 40% of UAE ATMs, per a Bloomberg analysis on February 10, 2026.

Bots exploit unpatched APIs, siphoning $2.5 million USD in simulated hacks. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) funds Doha fintechs tying ATMs to crypto wallets, but UAE's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) mandates on-chain proofs for Dubai crypto ATMs.

Ethereum traded at $2,337.63 USD, down 0.8%.

• Asset: BTC · Price (USD): 75,723.00 · 24h Change: -0.6%
• Asset: ETH · Price (USD): 2,337.63 · 24h Change: -0.8%
• Asset: USDT · Price (USD): 1.00 · 24h Change: 0.0%
• Asset: XRP · Price (USD): 1.44 · 24h Change: -0.1%
• Asset: BNB · Price (USD): 624.32 · 24h Change: -1.5%

CoinGecko tracked these prices as of February 10, 2026.

Gulf Fintech Security Countermeasures Activate

Saudi Aramco partners with Palo Alto Networks for real-time threat detection, announced CEO Amin Nasser. CBUAE requires biometrics on 50,000 ATMs by Q2 2026.

Emirates NBD trains neural networks on 3 a.m. anomalies. Oracle Cloud sandboxes test bot attacks. G42's Falcon AI predicts 85% of threats, per the company's February release.

NEOM deploys facial recognition ATMs at 100 sites. AWS provides sovereign clouds to isolate Gulf data. Riyadh hackathons build defensive AI bots.

Investor Implications Amid AI Bots Gulf ATMs Risks

Mubadala invests $500 million USD in SentinelOne cybersecurity. PIF launches SAR 2 billion ($533 million USD) fund for AI security startups. Dubai's ADGM FSRA licenses edge AI for offline ATM processing.

Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) mandates AI audits for fintechs. Expat communities in Abu Dhabi turn to Ledger hardware wallets. UAE-Saudi consortia share threat intelligence on permissioned blockchains.

Bloomberg reports combined ATM upgrades cost $1 billion USD. GCC regulators eye annual AI audits by 2027. Banks strengthen defenses as Bitcoin stabilizes at $75,723 USD.