What is AI security?

AI security encompasses two key areas:

Using AI to defend systems through anomaly detection, log triage, and pattern recognition. Protecting AI assets like large language models (LLMs), vector stores, and training pipelines from emerging threats.

Most organizations nowadays have woven numerous AI technologies into their fabric, and yours is likely no different. So as adoption and usage continue to rise, it’s important not just to secure your AI implementations but also to use AI-based tools to improve your overall security posture .

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Using AI to enhance your security posture

AI-powered tools help you defend against cyber threats via various capabilities, such as behavioral analysis, automated threat detection, and predictive threat intelligence. Plus, many can perform real-time incident response to neutralize threats much faster than you could with traditional security methods. As a result, you can stay ahead of even the most sophisticated attacks, reduce false positives, and scale your defensive capabilities across complex IT environments.

The downside, however, is the proliferation of AI security vendors , each promising cutting-edge capabilities and faster, smarter protection. This surge reflects both the high priority that vendors and customers place on AI-driven security solutions and the market’s recognition of AI as a key differentiator. However, the sheer volume of new entrants and overlapping offerings only creates noise and leaves organizations to sort through a crowded field to find the right solutions for their needs.

What to look for in AI-based security tools

Traditional tools weren’t built for models that hallucinate, APIs that execute natural language commands, or data pipelines that ingest Reddit posts. If you’re evaluating AI security platforms, start with this question: can it see, analyze, and defend across the entire AI lifecycle?

Genpact’s case is a great example of the benefits of using AI-based security tools . The company was able to accelerate remediation, reduce manual work and unnecessary alerts, and enhance its security posture by taking advantage of some key AI-powered features. These include the following:

Contextual risk correlation: Correlates risks across cloud workloads, LLMs, code libraries, configurations, and identities

Automated attack path detection: Identifies critical attack paths and automates remediation recommendations

Continuous AI model monitoring: Detects misconfigurations and vulnerabilities within AI models, training data, and AI services in real time

LLM and AI model discovery: Provides full visibility into deployed LLMs and AI models so exposures and vulnerabilities are far less likely to go unnoticed

Risk-based prioritization: Reduces alert fatigue and the need to manually triage low-severity or low-business-impact issues

According to Genpact’s deputy chief information security officer, leveraging these AI-powered solutions ultimately helped the company “accelerate the pace of AI application development and deployment while enforcing AI security best practices. As a result, [they] can deploy AI applications that are secure by design and build trust with key stakeholders.”

You can do the same if you have a tool in your arsenal that offers the above features.

AI systems are a new attack surface

Enterprises need to defend against malicious actors especially. No matter the use case—service operations optimization, customer service chatbots, or otherwise—all AI is susceptible to cyber attacks and other vulnerabilities.

For example, many data engineers and other agile teams use generative AI solutions like LLMs to develop applications at speed and scale. And many cloud service providers, such as Azure Cognitive Services, Amazon Bedrock, and Vertex AI, offer AI services to support this development. However, they’re not as secure as you might think and require robust fortifications.

The importance of securing AI systems

AI vulnerabilities are a common vector for data breaches, and software development lifecycles (SDLCs) that incorporate AI are increasingly susceptible to vulnerabilities.

GenAI in particular poses many risks. Think of tools like WormGPT and FraudGPT, for example, which are similar to ChatGPT but with a focus on conducting criminal activity. This use of chatbots as weapons suggests that companies will soon have many unpredictable AI-related cybersecurity challenges to reckon with.

Add to this the fact that cloud environments are growing increasingly complex and, therefore, more challenging to secure, and the playing field grows even more complicated. For example, we found during research for our 2025 AI Security Readiness report that only 22% of respondents have a single-cloud architecture. 33% instead use multi-cloud setups, while an even larger percentage (45%) have a hybrid cloud setup.

Luckily, AI in cybersecurity helps you ward off various types of threats. But it’s important to remember that AI isn’t inherently secure—so it’s up to you to secure it.

AI security risks

The best way to tackle AI security is to thoroughly understand the biggest AI security risks :

Increased attack surface: Integrating AI into SDLCs fundamentally changes an enterprise’s IT infrastructure, introduces many unknown risks, and broadens the attack surface. If attackers are able to exploit expanded entry points, operational disruption and even regulatory violations can result. That’s why security teams need complete visibility into AI infrastructure to remediate vulnerabilities.

Higher likelihood of data breaches and leaks: Only 24% of GenAI projects are secure —and that doesn’t even account for broader AI projects. Less emphasis on security than on adoption means a higher risk of breaches. Besides consequences like disruption, profit losses, and reputational damage, companies are also facing more pressure to comply with emerging AI governance regulations like the EU AI Act.

Chatbot credential theft: Stolen credentials from ChatGPT and other chatbots are the new hot commodity in illegal marketplaces on the dark web. For instance, there were more than 100,000 ChatGPT account compromises between 2022 and 2023, which highlights a dangerous AI security risk that’s likely to increase. These breaches expose organizations to intellectual property theft—and, of course, they’re a competitive disadvantage anytime proprietary business info falls into the hands of threat actors and competitors.

Data poisoning: The Trojan Puzzle is one example of how threat actors can influence and infect datasets to choreograph malicious payloads. This type of attack— data poisoning —can lead to harmful or discriminatory outcomes that violate anti-bias regulations and increase the risk of costly litigation.

Direct prompt injections: Direct prompt injections involve threat actors deliberately designing LLM prompts to compromise or exfiltrate sensitive data. Among the risks of this type of attack are malicious code execution and sensitive data exposure.

Indirect prompt injections: Threat actors can also guide a GenAI model toward an untrusted data source to influence or manipulate its actions and payloads. Repercussions of indirect prompt injections include malicious code execution, data leaks, misinformation, and malicious information making it to end users. These attacks can also trigger compliance violations, fines, and breach notifications under data protection frameworks like GDPR and CCPA.

Hallucination abuse: AI has always been prone to hallucinating certain information, so threat actors often try to capitalize on this weakness. They do so by registering and “legitimizing” potential AI hallucinations so malicious and illegitimate datasets influence the information that end users receive. This is especially important to avoid in heavily regulated, sensitive industries like healthcare and financial services to keep operations running without interruption.

Vulnerable development pipelines: AI pipelines broaden the vulnerability spectrum, particularly in areas like data science operations that extend beyond traditional development boundaries and thus require robust security protocols to protect against breaches, IP theft, and data poisoning. To avoid software liability issues and regulatory non-compliance across the product lifecycle, it’s crucial to mitigate the supply chain risks that stem from unsecured AI development environments.

Top AI security challenges

To add to the risks above, there are many other challenges to be aware of. Below are some key findings from our 2025 AI Security Readiness report :

Challenge Supporting research Lack of AI security expertise “31% of respondents cite a lack of AI security expertise as their top challenge.” Shadow AI and lack of visibility “Shadow AI is also on the rise—25% of respondents don’t know what AI services are running in their environment, raising further concerns about visibility and governance.” Reliance on traditional security tools “While traditional security approaches like EDR and vulnerability management remain prevalent […] only 13% of respondents have adopted AI-specific posture management.”

If AI adoption is currently outpacing your organization’s security (as it is in so many others), it’s time for you to prioritize security initiatives.

8 AI security recommendations and best practices

Now that you know the biggest risks, let’s take a brief look at how enterprises can mitigate them. Here are eight AI security best practices that are worth implementing:

1. Use AI security frameworks and standards

Cybersecurity frameworks have long been a powerful tool for enterprises to protect themselves from rising threats. The following AI security frameworks provide a consistent set of standards and best practices to remediate security threats and vulnerabilities:

NIST’s Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework breaks down AI security into four primary functions: govern, map, measure, and manage.

The OWASP Top 10 for LLMs identifies and proposes standards to protect the most critical LLM vulnerabilities, such as prompt injections, supply chain vulnerabilities, and model theft.

Wiz’s PEACH framework emphasizes tenant isolation via privilege hardening, encryption hardening, authentication hardening, connectivity hardening, and hygiene (P.E.A.C.H.). Tenant isolation is a design principle that breaks down your cloud environments into granular segments with tight boundaries and stringent access controls.

Implementing any of these frameworks will require two things: First is cross-functional collaboration between security, IT, data science, and business leadership teams to ensure that your chosen framework aligns with both technical requirements and regulatory mandates. Second is clarity on the owners of each framework component so you can adapt as AI technologies and threat landscapes evolve.

2. Choose a tenant isolation framework and do regular reviews

While PEACH tenant isolation is specifically for cloud applications, the same principles apply to AI security . When you’re dealing with AI systems that serve multiple users or departments, you’re essentially managing a multi-tenant environment. Without proper isolation, one user’s interactions could potentially access another’s data, or a compromised AI session could spread across your entire system.

An illustration of a cross-tenant attack

To prevent this, audit current AI user access patterns and identify where shared resources increase the risk of cross-contamination. Then, separate not just the data but also the computational resources, model access, and conversation histories between different users or business units. From there, set up automated monitoring to detect any unusual cross-tenant access attempts and put together an incident response plan for tenant boundary violations.

3. Customize your GenAI architecture

Carefully customize your GenAI architecture to ensure that all components have optimized security boundaries. Some components may need shared security boundaries, others may require dedicated boundaries, and still others may depend on various contexts.

For instance, say your financial services company is implementing a GenAI-powered customer service chatbot. You might choose to share the underlying LLMs across all customer interactions to optimize cost and performance. That shared boundary would make sense—but you’d still need dedicated boundaries for each customer’s conversation data and financial info.

To help with situations like this, create a boundary decision matrix that weighs factors like data sensitivity, regulatory requirements, performance needs, and cost implications for each AI component. Then, build it into your architecture review process and assign specific owners who are accountable for monitoring and updating boundary configurations as your AI systems scale.

4. Evaluate GenAI contours and complexities

Mapping the implications of integrating GenAI into your organization’s products, services, and processes is a must. For instance, you’ll need to make sure your AI models deliver accurate (and private) responses to end users based on legitimate datasets.

But first, look beyond the technical integration to potential ripple effects across data flows, user touchpoints, and all other places where your GenAI system could either create or amplify vulnerabilities. Also consider how your AI implementation will affect compliance requirements, user privacy expectations, and your organization’s risk tolerance. Then, conduct stakeholder interviews across departments, like legal, product, and customer service, to understand the following factors:

The most likely impacts of GenAI integration on their workflows

What technical dependencies exist

Any regulatory implications that are worth considering

Overall, doing this will give all stakeholders insight into the opportunities and risks at hand before you move ahead with deployment.

5. Ensure effective and efficient sandboxing

Sandboxing involves moving applications that incorporate GenAI into isolated test environments and putting them under the scanner.

Your sandbox needs to mirror your production environment closely enough to catch real-life vulnerabilities, but it should also be isolated enough to prevent an actual disaster if something goes wrong. Mirroring your production environment includes creating realistic scenarios to test your AI system’s boundaries. For example, you can use edge cases, malinformed inputs, and different prompt injection techniques to see how your system responds.

As details emerge on the latest threats and real-world incidents, update the test scenarios to match. Additionally, it’s worth setting up automated testing pipelines so you can run various scenarios against every AI model update and spot vulnerabilities quickly.

6. Prioritize input sanitization

Set limitations on user input in GenAI systems to mitigate AI security risks like prompt injection attacks, data leaks, and model manipulation.

A simple example is replacing textboxes with dropdown menus. But you could also use a layered approach that combines controls like character limits, keyword filtering, and format validation (such as only allowing 500 characters and blocking suspicious phrases like “ignore previous instructions” or unusual character combinations).

In any case, find a balance between robust security and a smooth end-user experience. You’ll want to include user-friendly error messages to help legitimate users, but these shouldn’t give away too much information on your security measures, either. That’s why it’s helpful to track rejected inputs and user behavior patterns—this will allow you to see where users are truly getting stuck vs. what attempts are malicious so you can adjust sanitization methods and error messages accordingly.

7. Optimize prompt handling

You’ll need a reliable way to monitor and log end-user prompts while immediately flagging malicious code execution or anything else that seems suspicious. To help with this, you could implement a prompt logging system that does the following:

Automates prompt analysis to identify potential issues based on pattern recognition

Assigns threat levels based on factors like unusual syntax or attempts to access restricted info

Escalates questionable prompts (and all associated context) for human review

Besides implementing continuous monitoring and making sure your prompt handling strategies are up-to-date, you can also use techniques like prompt pre-processing to sanitize inputs before they reach your AI models while preserving the user’s intent.

8. Don’t neglect traditional cloud-agnostic vulnerabilities

Remember that GenAI is no different from other multi-tenant applications—it can still suffer from traditional challenges like API vulnerabilities and data leaks. Here are some examples of this:

AI endpoints will still need proper authentication and rate limiting.

Data storage will still need encryption in transit and at rest.

Network connections will still need secure configurations and monitoring.

While you definitely need to combat the latest AI security challenges, don’t forget that the basics still matter. To this end, make sure your organization doesn’t neglect overarching cloud vulnerabilities in its quest to mitigate AI-specific challenges.

How Wiz uses AI to more effectively secure your AI systems

Securing AI means protecting pipelines, models, data, and interfaces, many of which live in cloud services. Wiz, the first CNAPP to fully integrate native AI security into its platform, connects the dots between these layers. It offers full visibility, risk prioritization, and detection across code, cloud, and AI assets.

Wiz for AI Security introduces the following capabilities:

AI security posture management : Gives security teams and AI developers visibility into their AI pipelines by identifying every resource and technology in the pipeline without agents

Data security posture management (DSPM) AI controls: Automatically detects sensitive training data and ensures that it’s secure with new, out-of-the-box controls for extending DSPM to AI

AI attack path analysis: Offers full cloud and workload context around AI pipelines so organizations can proactively remove attack paths in their environment

AI security dashboard: Provides an overview of the top AI security issues with a prioritized queue of risks so developers can quickly focus on the most critical one

Wiz is also at the forefront of research and innovation in this area as a founding member of the Coalition for Secure AI. This means that its users are able to stay up-to-date on emerging threats and quickly access new capabilities that address them.

For more on Wiz’s current capabilities, grab our AI Security Posture Assessment Sample Report to learn what types of risks the platform can detect to improve your AI pipeline visibility.

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In 2025, B2B buyers expect more than a product pitch – they want proof. Long gone are the days when a static demo or slide deck could close a deal. Today’s prospects want hands-on access to real product experiences that reflect their needs, challenges, and environments.

That’s where Sales Proof of Concept (PoC) platforms come in. These tools allow sales and technical teams to deliver customized, interactive environments where buyers can test functionality, explore workflows, and validate value – all before making a purchase decision.

Whether you’re selling a complex cybersecurity platform or a product-led SaaS solution, a well-executed PoC can accelerate trust, shorten the sales cycle, and improve close rates.

We highlight the top 5 Sales PoC solutions for 2025, platforms that are helping go-to-market teams win more deals by delivering immersive, buyer-driven product experiences.

What Is a Sales PoC Platform?

A Sales Proof of Concept (PoC) platform enables companies to showcase their product’s capabilities in a practical, interactive environment. Unlike static slide decks or video demos, PoC platforms create real or simulated use cases that prospects can explore on their own or with guidance.

The goal is to help buyers understand the value of a solution by allowing them to test features, workflows, integrations, and outcomes that are relevant to their organization’s needs. These environments are often temporary, cloud-based, and highly customizable to the prospect’s vertical, pain points, or technical ecosystem.

PoC platforms are especially important in complex, high-stakes B2B sales—such as cybersecurity, enterprise SaaS, cloud infrastructure, or developer tools—where decision-makers need to see functionality in action before committing to a purchase.

Why Sales PoC Platforms Matter in 2025

The shift to remote selling, longer decision cycles, and the rise of self-directed buyers has put enormous pressure on sales teams to deliver more personalized and engaging product experiences.

Here are key reasons why PoC platforms are critical in 2025:

1. Buyers Want to Try Before They Buy

Modern B2B buyers prefer to evaluate products on their own terms. They want access to sandbox environments, test data, and real workflows before signing a contract.

2. Sales Cycles Are Complex and Multi-Stakeholder

Enterprise purchases often involve 6–10 stakeholders across IT, finance, and business teams. A PoC experience can align multiple decision-makers by showcasing tailored use cases for each role.

3. Proof of Value > Product Features

PoC platforms let sellers move beyond showing features and instead demonstrate measurable outcomes—such as time saved, errors reduced, or increased efficiency—directly within the buyer’s context.

4. Differentiation in Competitive Markets

When products are technically similar, the buying experience becomes a differentiator. A smooth, well-run PoC can create a lasting impression and tilt the decision in your favor.

The 5 Best Sales PoC Platforms in 2025

CloudShare is a virtual IT lab platform that allows sales and enablement teams to deliver complete, cloud-based environments tailored to enterprise buyers. It replicates production-like conditions, making it ideal for evaluating infrastructure-heavy products such as cybersecurity, DevOps, and enterprise SaaS solutions.

With CloudShare, teams can create pre-configured PoC templates and spin up isolated, multi-VM environments in minutes. Prospects can access the platform via browser with no installs or setup. Sales engineers can observe usage in real-time, guide users through tasks, and track completion rates.

CloudShare goes far beyond basic demos. It supports fully functioning replicas of complex environments with networking, permissions, and apps. It’s widely used by cybersecurity vendors, infrastructure providers, and technical platforms where performance and configuration are central to buyer evaluation.

Key Features:

Full-featured virtual environments for complex products

Support for real-time collaboration between SEs and prospects

Usage analytics and PoC lifecycle tracking

Integration with LMS, CRM, and product analytics tools

2. Reprise

Reprise empowers sales and marketing teams to create dynamic, interactive product experiences—without writing code. Users can capture live product screens and turn them into walkthroughs, click-through demos, or personalized sandbox environments.

It’s ideal for creating persona-based PoC flows or packaging key workflows for technical and non-technical users alike. Reprise experiences can be embedded on websites, used during sales calls, or shared via direct link to speed up decision-making.

Key Features:

No-code editor for building demos and PoCs

Guided and unguided experiences

Personalization options based on ICP or use case

Analytics for tracking engagement and drop-off points

3. Demoboost

Demoboost is designed to streamline the creation and delivery of interactive demos and PoCs while maintaining consistency and brand control. It enables technical teams to create a library of reusable assets and workflows that sales can easily customize for each opportunity.

Demoboost also supports multi-asset PoCs, where prospects can toggle between different use cases, industries, or technical configurations in a single experience. With built-in collaboration and commenting tools, it fosters ongoing buyer engagement even after the initial meeting.

Key Features:

Drag-and-drop builder for demos and PoCs

Central library for managing demo assets

Buyer collaboration tools (comments, notes)

Personalization workflows by industry or role

4. Navattic

Navattic specializes in creating click-through product tours that replicate core workflows without needing a full backend or cloud instance. These tours can be embedded directly into websites, landing pages, email campaigns, or used in outbound prospecting.

It’s a low-friction way to give prospects a feel for your product interface and flows, particularly for PLG companies and mid-market SaaS vendors. Navattic also offers engagement analytics, allowing sales and marketing teams to refine content based on user behavior.

Key Features:

Click-through demos and feature tours

Easy sharing via embed or link

Ideal for top-of-funnel education

Supports form gating and lead capture

5. Consensus

Consensus focuses on interactive demo automation and stakeholder alignment in enterprise sales. It uses adaptive demos that tailor the experience to each stakeholder’s interests and role, helping reduce the time sales reps spend repeating the same content.

Consensus provides robust analytics on stakeholder engagement, shares, and video watch behavior—giving sellers a clearer picture of where each buyer is in the journey. It’s ideal for sales orgs that deal with technical, financial, and executive stakeholders across one deal.

Key Features:

Personalized video and interactive demos

Stakeholder tracking and engagement scoring

Integration with CRMs and sales enablement platforms

Use-case branching and role-based flows

How to Evaluate and Select the Best PoC Solution

Choosing your PoC solution isn’t just about technical fit—it’s about matching your sales process and customer profile. Here are the key steps:

1. Define Your PoC Use Cases

Is your product self-serve or complex? Do prospects need guided help?

What environments do they need (cloud, on-prem, hybrid)?

What are typical PoC success benchmarks (speed, depth, features, integrations)?

2. Build Cross-Functional Buy-In

Involve pre-sales engineers, security, legal, product, and post-sales early.

3. Prioritize Security and Data Privacy

Are there strict requirements about customer or sample data?

4. Insist on Comprehensive Training and Support

Ensure robust onboarding resources, documentation, and expert support.

5. Pilot Before You Commit

Run 1-2 PoCs with real prospects—collect internal and external feedback.

Sales Ops Tips: How to Roll Out PoC Solutions Successfully

Implementing a new PoC platform requires more than just purchasing licenses. Consider these best practices:

Cyber threats and data leakage incidents are increasing in terms of their complexity and frequency, which affects all levels of business processes. This makes it imperative that cybersecurity is strong to protect the endpoints, the networks, and the cloud environments. This is especially important as organizations expand as they undergo the digital transformation process and manage the data of their employees and customers. In 2024, the average cost of a data breach was $4.88 million, which is 10% higher than the previous year, highlighting the financial effect of vulnerabilities. In order to avoid these risks, more and more companies are implementing managed cyber security solutions to implement continuous monitoring and threat response, thus minimizing the possibility of breach or attacks by advanced cyber criminals.

Furthermore, the security of cloud computing has become a major concern in protecting services, storage, and SaaS from unauthorized access. Managed services are being adopted by small businesses to realize Enterprise-grade protection with limited investment and resources. Cost-effective and easily implementable measures enable small and medium businesses to protect themselves from cyber risks without depending on human intervention.

In this article, we will discuss why cyber security solutions are more important than ever and review seven cyber security solutions for 2025 with features including automated threat detection, real time analytics, and adaptive defense against new and emerging threats.

What is a Cyber Security Solution?

Cyber security solutions refer to a set of tools, frameworks, and best practices that are used in order to prevent attacks on computer systems. Did you know that insider threat is responsible for more than 43% of data breaches? This shows that organizations with basic security measures such as antivirus are not safe from such threats. The cyber security solutions encompass endpoint protection, network firewalls, zero trust, and threat intelligence that combine several security layers for stronger security.

Moreover, cybersecurity managed services have ongoing monitoring to help identify and remediate threats as soon as possible and to minimize the duration of compromise. For small teams, cybersecurity solutions for small businesses pack the necessary features into convenient and affordable packages. As more companies are moving their workloads to the cloud, cloud computing security is critical, and serverless applications and containers create new opportunities for attackers.

Need for Cyber Security Solutions

Cyber threats are not restricted to the IT function and present a material risk to operations, brand, and customer trust. One incident can cause disruption in supply chains and data leakage and result in hefty fines. Having a unified security strategy in place, whether you do this with the help of in-house analysts or with the help of managed cybersecurity services, means that your company is ready to respond to new threats that may appear.

Below are some factors that reflect the need for cyber security in companies:

The Rising Stakes of Cybersecurity: Today’s cyber threats are not just an attack on the core IT system of an organization but an attack on the business itself. A breach can stop operations, break down supply chains, and cause financial damages. Reputation can be damaged in the short term and the long-term repercussions of the damage are also felt. This is because as the digital ecosystems grow, even the smallest of openings can create a big data breach, as a result, this requires an all-encompassing approach to cybersecurity. The Escalation of Attack Techniques: The latest cyber attack pattern includes having a strategy that has several steps to avoid conventional protection measures. Phishing, malware, and privilege escalation are employed by the attackers in order to maintain persistence. AI-based cybersecurity products prevent these attack chains from continuing their course. Managed services ensure that there is constant surveillance for any abnormality or threat. This provides a complex and more robust protection against advanced and persistent threats. Regulatory Pressure and Compliance Needs: Strict data protection legal frameworks demand that organizations strengthen their cybersecurity policies. Data protection and reporting is a critical issue for any organization, especially owing to regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Real-time compliance tools help organizations to meet these changing standards which may lead to penalties, and, most important, customers may lose trust in the company. A robust cyber security protects the organization’s information and its image. Protecting Distributed Workforces and Devices: As more employees work from home using their devices and networks, the attack surface has increased. Distributed workforces pose risks that are addressed by endpoint security and cloud-based solutions. EDR solutions protect remote access and continuously monitor the connections. By focusing on endpoint protection, the number of risks is minimized, and remote work is done more securely. Hybrid environments require a strong endpoint defense to prevent a breach from occurring. Mitigating Financial and Operational Risks: Ransomware and data breaches result in loss of work time and money, as well as damage to a company’s reputation. In addition to ransom, costs of recovery can hinder business continuity and dented reputations. Preventive cybersecurity is a prevention type that prevents threats from propagating and affecting the business. The automated response capabilities always contain the attacks and rarely affect the normal operation. The early identification of threats minimizes losses and accelerates business recovery. Scaling Security for Growing Businesses: Cybersecurity needs to adapt to the needs of small, medium, and large-sized enterprises. They provide automated updates, Artificial Intelligence detection, and user-friendly interfaces. Small businesses can have enterprise-level security without the need for a large IT department. It means that scalable solutions can be easily adjusted to the new infrastructure of the organization. This is because protection is maintained uniformly as businesses grow.

Cyber Security Solutions Landscape in 2025

In this section, we will look at seven effective cyber security solutions that can ensure robust protection against threat actors in 2025. All of them have their advantages, as some of them are based on artificial intelligence, while others are characterized by high integration potential.

Go through the features and ratings and then move on to learn about key considerations before selecting a solution.

SentinelOne

The SentinelOne Singularity Platform is an AI-powered Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solution that provides complete visibility, AI-operated threat detection, and instant response to threats. It protects endpoints, cloud workloads, and identities and offers protection for all the different attack vectors. With Singularity, real-time analytics and automated threat handling help to lower risk and the burden of work for security personnel.

It can operate in environments with millions of devices, while ActiveEDR and Ranger® tools improve threat hunting and detection of unauthorized devices. The platform secures data in public and private clouds, Kubernetes environments, and traditional data centers. Singularity allows organizations to prevent cyber threats that are constantly changing with ease and effectiveness.

Platform at a Glance

Single Console Management: The platform provides endpoint, cloud, and identity protection in a single, integrated, and AI-based solution. Currently, threat detection, response, and forensic analysis of security teams can be done without having to use and switch between numerous tools or dashboards. This approach integrates the various processes, hence, decreasing the overall task complexity and increasing the speed of incident handling. This means that organizations have the ability to have a complete and consolidated view of their security posture across their entire attack surface. Adaptive AI: The platform is an AI-powered solution that leverages real-time information to create new defenses against new threats. The machine learning algorithms it uses help to improve the detection of threats, including evasive attacks, without producing many false alarms. This dynamic adaptability guarantees smooth integration and guarantees the same level of protection for endpoints, cloud workloads, and identities. Cross-Environment Security: The platform provides endpoint, cloud, container, and Kubernetes cluster security. It offers complete protection of workloads in public and private clouds and protects against threats in different environments. Hybrid deployments are protected with the help of the platform that provides consistent security postures and minimizes risks. With SentinelOne, companies gain protection from cross-environment threats as they protect data and workloads in any environment.

Features:

Behavioral AI: It extends beyond signatures to identify malicious activities on endpoints, even if the malware is new to the system. One-Click Remediation: Enables the administrator to reverse affected devices to a pre-infection state at the time of detection. Integration with Managed Services: SentinelOne has integrated open APIs that allow it to work with cybersecurity-managed services to provide constant monitoring. Comprehensive Threat Hunting: This is achieved through an easy to use query interface that allows users to drill down and map out the actions of an attacker.

Core Problems That SentinelOne Eliminates

Manual Threat Analysis: Eliminates the need for analysts to search through logs because of strong automation. Delayed Detection: Real time data streams help detect anomalous activity which would otherwise lead to extensive harm. Isolated Visibility: Combines endpoint activities, cloud data, and identity information in one platform to eliminate gaps that are costly to companies’ cybersecurity.

Testimonials

“The autonomous endpoint protection that SentinelOne provides gives us the confidence that we’re going to be ready when that one attack comes.” – Martin Littmann (Chief Technology & Information Security Officer, Kelsey Seybold Clinic)

Discover ratings and reviews for SentinelOne Singularity Platform on Gartner Peer Insights and PeerSpot.

Singularity™ Platform Elevate your security posture with real-time detection, machine-speed response, and total visibility of your entire digital environment. Get a Demo

CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike Falcon offers a cyber security solution that provides endpoint visibility. It integrates threat information from various clients, thus providing knowledge to identify an attack in its infancy. Its cloud-native architecture and analytics enable the delivery of managed cyber security services, which provide continuous control.

Features:

Threat Graph: Collects events from different customers to provide early warning of new threats. Evasion Detection: Recognizes fileless malware and living-off-the-land attacks that are not detected by a conventional antivirus. Instant Deployment: The platform’s agent is easy to install and takes minimal time to deploy, thus minimizing barriers. 24/7 Managed Services: The Falcon Complete service includes incident response and provides an additional layer of protection.

Discover comprehensive CrowdStrike Falcon reviews and feedback directly from industry experts on Gartner Peer Insights.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks offers cyber security solutions that integrate into the network. Its firewalls integrate application layer analysis and threat protection to stop attacks at the perimeter. Palo Alto Networks can help organizations enhance cloud security and build a zero trust network security architecture.

Features:

Cortex XSOAR: It automates playbooks in various environments to minimise the risks of mistakes in threat-handling. WildFire Sandboxing: Identifies suspicious files and handles them in a protected environment to prevent the proliferation of new malware. Machine Learning Insights: Security models use real-time data inputs that identify and prevent advanced threats. Flexible Integration: Integrates with other logging systems, SIEM solutions and managed cyber security services and consolidates event management.

Read trusted reviews and detailed assessments of Palo Alto Networks solutions on Gartner Peer Insights.

Fortinet

Fortinet security spans from SD-WAN to endpoint security. It connects with the FortiAnalyzer to deliver cyber security in small and large organisations. The platform enables policies to be controlled and threat incidents monitored from one place, making it easier to report on compliance.

Features:

AI-Driven Intrusion Detection: The platform is capable of detecting malicious behavior patterns on its own, thus minimizing the use of static signatures. Security Fabric: It also offers a single solution incorporating all Fortinet products to provide a uniform cloud computing and network security posture. Sandbox Integration: All the suspicious files are scanned in a quarantined mode, thus preventing unknown threats from penetrating the main network. High-Performance Firewalls: The hardware based acceleration is suitable for organizations that are handling large traffic or have large data centers.

Explore how peers evaluate Fortinet by accessing verified reviews on Gartner Peer Insights.

IBM Security

IBM Security can deal with cyber threats and ensure compliance. It comes with QRadar SIEM for log management and Guardium for data auditing. IBM Security offers a threat intelligence network that can help organizations prevent data breaches and minimize security incidents.

Features:

QRadar SIEM: Collects logs from endpoints, networks, and applications and then identifies suspicious activities by generating automatic alerts. X-Force Threat Intelligence: IBM’s feed enhances your protection against new threats. MaaS360 for Endpoint Management: Streamlines management for remote and mobile devices, which is essential for cybersecurity for small business that deals with BYOD policies. Automated Incident Response: Eliminates the time that analysts have to spend on routine tasks of triaging and normal security operations.

Gain practical insights into IBM Security performance through real-world reviews on Gartner Peer Insights.

Trend Micro

Trend Micro protects digital assets by protecting email, endpoints, and server environments. The XDR platform of the company analyzes data from email, endpoints, and networks and detects patterns of behavior that single-layer solutions could not capture. It provides adequate security coverage for integrated threat hunting.

Features:

Smart Protection Suites: Prevents URLs, spam and phishing emails at the gateway level. XDR Ecosystem: Collects endpoint, email, and cloud workload information to increase threat detection. Cloud One Platform: Offers cloud based computing security for containers and serverless applications to enable a shift without having to compromise on protection. Virtual Patching: Keeps known vulnerabilities hidden until organizations are able to apply fixes.

Access authentic Trend Micro reviews and ratings from global IT leaders on Gartner Peer Insights.

Cisco

Cisco’s cyber security starts from the network layer, which includes routers and switches, to a include its security suite called SecureX. It integrates Network Visibility, Endpoint Protection, and Identity Management services. Cisco solutions also complement managed cyber security services and can help companies outsource some of their security functions.

Features:

Zero Trust Architecture: Authenticates every device and user before allowing them to access resources, thus increasing the cyber security of organizations with many endpoints. Umbrella DNS Security: Blocks malicious domains at the DNS layer, which helps to prevent access to phishing and malware. SecureX Integration: Integration of alerts and investigations from multiple Cisco products to provide a single point of view on threats. Talos Intelligence: It provides commercial threat intelligence networks and adapts defenses in near real time.

Get a closer look at Cisco Secure strengths and weaknesses through peer reviews on Gartner Peer Insights.

How to Select the Right Cyber Security Solution?

Selecting the right cyber security solutions is not as simple as checking off boxes on a list of features. It needs a comprehensive assessment that reflects your organization’s risk appetite, legal compliance, and business culture. Conduct a gap analysis or vulnerability assessment to determine the current state of your security, or perform penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities.

Utilize the following information to help you match your organization to the solution that will meet your immediate and future security planning.

Define Your Security Needs and Risk Profile: It is recommended to perform a risk analysis of your organization before choosing a cybersecurity solution. Some of the factors that you should take into account include the legal requirements of the industry in which you are operating, the current infrastructure in place, and the level of complexity of your IT environment. Conduct a comprehensive vulnerability assessment to determine the most valuable targets and possible points of vulnerability. This enables solutions to be in sync with real threats as opposed to potential ones. A specific approach guarantees that the investments are directed toward the most critical and risky issues. Prioritize Scalability and Future-Proofing: With the expansion of your organization, the cybersecurity framework that you use must also change. Opt for platforms that have the ability to grow with your business and handle more work, more users, and larger networks. AI and machine learning-based solutions not only help in identifying threats but also help in predicting future threats. This scalability is especially valuable for companies that are implementing cloud computing or remote working models. Preventive measures do not require significant investments in changes and allow for avoiding the need for expensive updates. Focus on Seamless Integration and Compatibility: Make sure that the cybersecurity solution is complementary to your current setup, and does not seek to completely overhaul it. Search for the service that has open APIs, has connectors that are ready to use and is compatible with SIEM systems, firewalls, and IAM systems. This interoperability makes the process efficient and guarantees consistency of monitoring throughout the attack surface. The integrated systems remove the barriers that lead to the creation of other separate systems for threat detection and response. The right ecosystem enhances the overall security posture of an organization without causing any hindrance to operations. Strengthen Endpoint and Device Security: As people work remotely and more companies allow employees to use their own devices, the protection of endpoints is crucial. The solutions must allow the organization to control the devices that are connecting to the company networks for protection against malware, phishing, and insider threats. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions such as SentinelOne Singularity™ offer real-time visibility and remediation of endpoints that have been attacked. Good endpoint protection decreases the number of pathways intruders can use to gain access and minimizes the ability of breaches to propagate. Ensure Regulatory Compliance and Reporting: In regulated industries, compliance is not a choice but a must because it forms the basis of their operations. Choose tools that are integrated with compliance templates that are ready to meet the GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, or CMMC standards. Automated reporting tools help in audits and show compliance, which decreases the chances of getting a fine or being taken to court. Other managed cybersecurity services may include continuous compliance monitoring, which means you will receive constant checks to ensure that your organization is in compliance at all times. Prioritize User Experience and Operational Efficiency: The usefulness of even the most sophisticated security tools becomes a question mark if they are hard to use or operate. Choose platforms with easy to use interfaces, low complexity, and which are capable of performing repetitive tasks. Solutions that are intended for small and mid-sized teams are simple and do not require specialized personnel to manage security functions. Intuitive interfaces enhance roll-out and decrease mistakes, guaranteeing that safety procedures are uniformly enforced throughout the enterprise.

Conclusion

In the end, it is imperative to understand that cybersecurity is not simply a technical necessity but rather a strategic necessity for the ongoing operations and future sustainability of a business. Since threats are evolving and are now more frequent and complex, organizations need to have protection that can cover endpoints, network, and cloud.

In this case, a disjointed approach creates openings that attackers seize, whereas a systematic, coordinated approach builds up protection and enhances organizational security against such attacks.

Whether you’re moving workloads to the cloud, growing your business, or looking for ways to optimize security through managed services, the right platform can help you anticipate and respond to new threats while reducing exposure. Learn how SentinelOne’s Singularity™ Platform leverages AI to detect and respond to threats and how it can help minimize downtime and stop threats from propagating. One click remediation enables your team to respond to threats and minimize the impact with little effort. Schedule a demo now and learn how a truly comprehensive, intelligent approach can help you feel more secure in your organization’s defenses.

1. The Fintech Landscape

1.1 Please describe the types of fintech businesses that are active in your jurisdiction and the state of the development of the market, including in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) objectives. Are there any notable fintech innovation trends of the past year within particular sub-sectors (e.g. payments, asset management, peer-to-peer lending or investment, insurance and blockchain applications)? The Saudi Arabian Fintech Market The fintech market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“Kingdom” or “Saudi Arabia”) has seen significant growth, supported by a robust and evolving legal framework. The Saudi Central Bank (“SAMA”) has played a central role in regulating the sector alongside initiatives like the Financial Sector Development Program, which aims to promote competition and strengthen the financial sector by implementing regulations that benefit both entrepreneurs and consumers and further positioning Riyadh as a global fintech hub, targeting an increase in fintech companies from 82 in 2020 to 230 by 2025, and further to 525 by 2030. A key initiative in advancing the Kingdom’s fintech ecosystem is Fintech Saudi, launched by SAMA to drive innovation and support fintech startups. The initiative offers a variety of resources, including the Fintech Accelerator Program, the Fintech Ecosystem Directory, Fintech Internship and the Fintech Job Portal, which collectively help entrepreneurs navigate the landscape and connect with key stakeholders. Fintech Saudi also fosters collaboration among fintech developers, startups and investors through resources such as the Fintech Tour, Podcast, Summer Sessions, Fintech Saudi Network and Fintech Saudi events and meetups. Furthermore, it provides transparency on regulations and fintech data via the Fintech Regulatory Assessment Tool, ensuring that businesses have access to the most up-to-date compliance information. Complementing this, SAMA and the Capital Market Authority (“CMA”) have established regulatory sandboxes, which allow fintech firms to test their products and services in a controlled environment before full market launch. These sandboxes provide an opportunity for startups to innovate while regulators gain insight into potential risks and establish the necessary regulatory frameworks to mitigate them. By the end of 2023, Saudi Arabia’s fintech sector grew to 216 companies, including 69 new entrants, attracting SAR 2.7 billion in funding and creating 6,726 jobs, highlighting the rapid expansion of fintech in the Saudi Arabian economy. Response to COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated fintech adoption in Saudi Arabia, driving growth in digital banking, contactless payments and electronic commerce. Lockdowns and social distancing fuelled demand for online lending, e-wallets and digital payments, reducing reliance on cash. This shift boosted regulatory confidence, leading to significant advancements in Saudi Arabia’s fintech market and regulatory framework since the pandemic, as further detailed below (see section 3 on Fintech Regulation). ESG Objectives Saudi Arabia is placing increasing emphasis on ESG objectives, particularly as part of its broader Vision 2030 strategy, with Neom standing as a flagship example of sustainable development. In line with these ambitions, the Kingdom launched the Saudi Green Initiative in 2021, aiming to combat climate change, enhance quality of life and protect the environment. This growing focus on sustainability is expected to extend to the fintech sector, encouraging companies to explore and implement green finance solutions, promote responsible investment and integrate ESG criteria into their business models. A notable example of this trend is the Saudi National Bank, which in 2022 issued a sustainable senior unsecured sukuk worth USD 850 million, marking a significant step towards green finance in the Kingdom. Further reinforcing this commitment, the Ministry of Finance published the Kingdom’s Green Financing Framework in 2024. This framework outlines Saudi Arabia’s strategy for ensuring that proceeds from green bonds and green sukuk are directed toward financing new or existing projects and expenditures align with the country’s sustainability objectives. Fintech Businesses in Saudi Arabia The fintech landscape in the Kingdom is diverse and rapidly expanding, with a variety of innovative businesses operating across multiple sectors. The key types of fintech businesses active in the Kingdom include: Digital Payments: The adoption of digital payment solutions has surged, with digital transactions expected to constitute 70% of all financial transactions by 2025, reflecting a significant shift towards a cashless economy. Companies like PayTabs and Geidea are leading the charge in digital payment solutions, offering services such as digital invoicing, QR code payments and point-of-sale systems. Peer-to-Peer Lending and Alternative Financing: Platforms like Lendo and Raqamyah provide peer-to-peer lending solutions, addressing funding gaps for SMEs and individuals. Insurtech: Startups are leveraging AI and machine learning to streamline insurance processes and offer personalised coverage. Asset Management: Digital investment platforms and robo-advisory services are democratising access to wealth management, appealing to tech-savvy investors. Notable Innovation Trends The Saudi fintech landscape continues to evolve, driven by regulatory advancements, technological innovation and increased market adoption. Key areas of innovation across various fintech sub-sectors include: Insurtech : Establishment of the Insurance Authority (“ IA ”) in August 2023, which now oversees the regulation of the insurance sector, including insurtechs under the Insurtech Rules.

: Establishment of the Insurance Authority (“ ”) in August 2023, which now oversees the regulation of the insurance sector, including insurtechs under the Insurtech Rules. Payments : SAMA issued the Rules for Regulating Buy-Now-Pay-Later (“ BNPL ”) Companies (Decision No. 450360390000 dated 05/06/1445H), which provides a formal regulatory structure for the growing BNPL market.

: SAMA issued the Rules for Regulating Buy-Now-Pay-Later (“ ”) Companies (Decision No. 450360390000 dated 05/06/1445H), which provides a formal regulatory structure for the growing BNPL market. Open Banking : SAMA’s regulatory sandbox (the Open Banking Lab) approved the testing of XSquare and NeotTek, both authorised to launch open banking platforms.

: SAMA’s regulatory sandbox (the Open Banking Lab) approved the testing of XSquare and NeotTek, both authorised to launch open banking platforms. Peer-to-Peer Lending : SAMA’s regulatory sandbox approved the testing of MoneyMoon, a peer-to-peer lending platform.

: SAMA’s regulatory sandbox approved the testing of MoneyMoon, a peer-to-peer lending platform. Cryptocurrencies: SAMA has been actively exploring the feasibility of a central bank digital currency (“CBDC”) over the past year. For further details, please refer to question 1.2 below. 1.2 Are there any types of fintech business that are at present prohibited or restricted in your jurisdiction (for example cryptocurrency-based businesses)? While no specific types of fintech businesses are explicitly prohibited in Saudi Arabia, SAMA maintains a cautious stance toward cryptocurrency-related activities. Indeed, in 2019, the Ministry of Finance issued a formal warning against cryptocurrency trading, emphasising that digital assets fall outside the scope of the Kingdom’s regulatory framework. Accordingly, banks in Saudi Arabia are prohibited from engaging in cryptocurrency transactions unless they obtain explicit approval from SAMA. Despite this cautious approach, SAMA has been actively exploring the feasibility of a CBDC. Indeed, in 2024, Saudi Arabia joined the Bank for International Settlements’ mBridge Project, which has reached the minimum viable product stage. This initiative focuses on the development of a multi-CBDC system aimed at enhancing cross-border payments between commercial banks across different jurisdictions. SAMA’s participation signals a potential shift in its stance on digital currencies, suggesting that regulatory approaches toward digital assets may evolve.

2. Funding For Fintech

2.1 Broadly, what types of funding are available for new and growing businesses in your jurisdiction (covering both equity and debt)? Businesses in Saudi Arabia have access to both equity and debt financing, with regulatory oversight ensuring compliance and market stability. Financing activities are primarily governed by the Finance Companies Control Law, issued under Royal Decree No. M/51 (1433H/2012G), along with its Implementing Regulations. Under this framework, any entity or individual seeking to engage in financing activities must obtain a licence from SAMA and operate in accordance with Shari’ah principles. Equity crowdfunding falls under the broader regulation of securities offerings and is overseen by the CMA, particularly under the Regulated Activities Related to Providing Financing Through Crowdfunding Platforms regulations. Platforms operating in this space must obtain a CMA licence and comply with strict governance, compliance and operational standards. Meanwhile, debt crowdfunding is regulated by SAMA under the Updated Rules for Engaging in Debt-Based Crowdfunding. Entities wishing to operate in this sector must secure the necessary SAMA licensing and comply with all applicable requirements. A key requirement under these rules is a minimum capital threshold of SAR 5 million, with SAMA retaining the discretion to adjust this amount based on market conditions. 2.2 Are there any special incentive schemes for investment in tech/fintech businesses, or in small/medium-sized businesses more generally, in your jurisdiction, e.g. tax incentive schemes for enterprise investment or venture capital investment? Fintech Saudi provides successful applicants to its Makken programme with a range of subsidised services to support early-stage fintech companies. These services include accelerated cloud setup within 72 hours, cloud consumption and infrastructure management, managed cybersecurity services and cybersecurity training. With respect to tax incentives, while there are no specific tax regulations for fintech transactions, traditional financial transaction laws continue to apply to fintech businesses, as follows: the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority imposes a 2.5% zakat on the enterprise value of local companies and a 20% tax on the revenue generated by foreign companies. This tax structure is particularly favourable for local fintech startups, as it offers a more tax-friendly environment for domestic businesses. Additionally, shareholders from Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) countries are subject to the same treatment as local shareholders and are required to pay 2.5% zakat on their capital. Furthermore, note that fintech companies establishing operations through the Regional Headquarter License programme are eligible for significant tax incentives. These tax benefits are available for a period of 30 years. 2.3 In brief, what conditions need to be satisfied for a business to IPO in your jurisdiction? To issue shares and undertake an Initial Public Offering (“IPO”), a company must first secure approval from the CMA. The CMA regulates the offering of securities on both the Saudi Stock Exchange (“Tadawul”) and the Nomu-Parallel Market, an alternative platform designed for companies seeking to go public with less stringent listing requirements compared to Tadawul. For companies wishing to list on Tadawul, the Listing Rules specify the following key requirements which must be met: The company must be structured as a joint-stock company. The issuing entity must be in operation for at least three financial years under substantially the same management. The company must have at least 200 public shareholders, with a minimum of 30% of its shares offered to the public. The company must have a minimum market capitalisation of SAR 300 million. However, Tadawul may reduce this threshold with the CMA’s approval. The company must designate two representatives to handle any listing-related matters: one must be a senior executive; and the other must be a member of the board of directors. For companies that cannot meet the primary market requirements but still wish to list their shares, the Nomu Parallel Market offers lighter requirements: The company must be a joint-stock company. A minimum market capitalisation of SAR 10 million is required. At least 20% of the issued shares or shares worth SAR 30 million, whichever is less, must be floated in the market. At least one year of operational and financial performance is required. A minimum of 50 public shareholders is required at the time of the listing. 2.4 Have there been any notable exits (sale of business or IPO) by the founders of fintech businesses in your jurisdiction? Rasan Information Technology, a leading fintech company, went public in May 2024, marking a significant IPO in the Kingdom. The company, which specialises in technology solutions for the financial services sector, priced its shares at SAR 37 per share, raising approximately SAR 2.8 billion (around USD 746.67 million). The offering was oversubscribed by 129.1 times, and the company’s shares surged 30% on their first trading day on Tadawul, pushing its market capitalisation to nearly USD 1 billion.

3. Fintech Regulation

3.1 Please briefly describe the regulatory framework(s) for fintech businesses operating in your jurisdiction, and the type of fintech activities that are regulated. Fintech companies operating in the Kingdom are primarily regulated by two key authorities: SAMA and the CMA, each overseeing distinct aspects of the financial ecosystem. SAMA is responsible for regulating financial services related to banking, finance, insurance, credit bureaus and payments. Specifically, in the context of fintech activities, SAMA oversees digital consumer microfinance, payment service providers, buy now, pay later services, debt-based crowdfunding, intelligent cash management and finance support activities, including regulatory technology solutions. These regulations ensure that financial services remain secure, transparent and aligned with the broader objectives of Saudi Arabia’s development of its financial sector. On the other hand, the CMA regulates fintech activities related to securities and capital markets, ensuring investor protection and market integrity. Key areas under the CMA’s supervision include equity crowdfunding platforms, robo-advisory services, platforms facilitating the issuance and trading of debt instruments, social trading platforms and digital platforms for the distribution of funds. While SAMA and the CMA serve as the primary fintech regulators, additional government entities may also have regulatory jurisdiction depending on the nature of the business. These include, but are not limited to, the Ministry of Commerce for licensing and commercial regulations, Ministry of Investment (“MISA”) with respect to foreign investment approvals, and the IA for insurtech regulation. The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (“CSTC”) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology regulate digital infrastructure and telecommunication-related aspects of fintech services. Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority supports fintech initiatives catering to SMEs. Given the digital nature of fintech, regulatory bodies such as the National Cybersecurity Authority and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (“SDAIA”) play crucial roles in ensuring that fintech solutions comply with national security and privacy regulations. 3.2 Are financial regulators and policy-makers in your jurisdiction receptive to fintech innovation and technology-driven new entrants to regulated financial services markets, and if so how is this manifested? Are there any regulatory ‘sandbox’ options for fintechs in your jurisdiction? To foster fintech growth and innovation, SAMA and the CMA have established regulatory frameworks allowing firms to test innovations in a controlled environment. These initiatives enable unregulated fintechs to refine their services under supervision while regulators gain insights into the evolving landscape. This dual benefit ensures practical, well-informed regulations while supporting fintech firms in developing compliant, market-ready solutions. SAMA introduced its regulatory sandbox in 2018 to encourage both domestic and international fintech companies to develop and refine financial products and services in a real-world market setting. This initiative is designed to drive technological advancements within the financial sector while ensuring that innovative solutions align with regulatory standards. In November 2022, SAMA approved the launch of the Open Banking Lab, a dedicated sandbox environment designed specifically for open banking businesses to test and refine their solutions before entering the market. Likewise, the CMA’s Fintech Lab, launched in 2017, provides a structured testing environment for fintech firms operating in capital markets. It enables businesses to explore new financial models, test investment platforms and assess the viability of their services before obtaining full regulatory approval. Companies with a registered commercial presence in Saudi Arabia can apply for an experimental permit under the CMA’s Fintech Lab for a period of up to two years, provided they satisfy the regulatory criteria set by the said authority. 3.3 What, if any, regulatory hurdles must fintech businesses (or financial services businesses offering fintech products and services) which are established outside your jurisdiction overcome in order to access new customers in your jurisdiction? International fintech companies seeking to enter the Saudi Arabian market have four primary options: (i) establishing a subsidiary within the Kingdom; (ii) launching a new fintech company based in Saudi Arabia; (iii) licensing their technology to a local Saudi startup; or (iv) appointing a sales agent to distribute their product. Each approach carries its own regulatory considerations and compliance requirements. For those opting to establish a company or subsidiary, foreign companies must navigate the regulatory framework governing foreign business operations in Saudi Arabia. This includes establishing a local presence in the Kingdom, as well as obtaining a licence from the MISA, all which impose a time, cost and burden on the foreign entity. This presents a particular challenge for fintech firms aiming to participate in the regulatory sandbox programmes offered by SAMA and the CMA. These sandboxes are primarily designed to support startups in testing their fintech solutions. The requirement for foreign entrants to establish a Saudi-based entity before obtaining an experimental permit creates a substantial hurdle, as this permit does not guarantee a permanent licence. Consequently, this prerequisite may be viewed as a barrier to entry for international fintech startups seeking to explore opportunities in the Saudi market. 3.4 How is your regulator approaching the challenge of regulating the traditional financial sector alongside the regulation of big tech players entering the fintech space? While the regulations do not explicitly differentiate between the traditional financial sector and big tech players entering the market, regulators have taken a proactive and adaptive approach to addressing the growing presence of major technology firms in financial services. Rather than imposing a rigid regulatory framework specifically targeting big tech companies, Saudi regulators have opted for a multi-faceted governance strategy that indirectly shapes the fintech landscape through initiatives, collaborations and industry engagement. One key initiative is Fintech Saudi, established in 2018 by SAMA and the CMA to position the Kingdom as a leading fintech hub. Fintech Saudi plays a critical role in fostering the industry’s infrastructure by developing capabilities, supporting entrepreneurs through its Fintech Saudi Network, and collecting data to produce industry reports and surveys. This initiative not only promotes innovation but also allows regulators to monitor fintech developments and understand the role of big tech players in the sector. In addition, SAMA has engaged in regional cooperation to explore new financial technologies. One notable example is its collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE on a study assessing the feasibility of a dual-issued digital currency for domestic and cross-border settlements between the two countries called Project Aber. The study yielded positive results, highlighting the potential benefits of new payment systems while identifying regulatory and operational challenges. By proactively testing emerging fintech solutions, regulators can assess the implications of big tech participation in financial services and adapt their regulatory approach accordingly. Furthermore, SAMA actively engages with fintech stakeholders through workshops, roundtables and direct discussions with industry leaders. These engagements include open meetings between the Governor of SAMA and fintech companies, as well as workshops focused on digitisation and innovation. This open-dialogue approach demonstrates the regulator’s willingness to collaborate with big tech firms, understand their business models and develop regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with financial stability. By leveraging these strategies, Saudi regulators are able to ensure that big tech participation in the financial sector is monitored, understood and guided without stifling innovation. This dynamic and responsive soft governance approach enables Saudi Arabia to remain competitive in the evolving global fintech landscape while appropriately regulating and safeguarding financial integrity.

4. Other Regulatory Regimes / Non-Financial Regulation

4.1 Does your jurisdiction regulate the collection/use/transmission of personal data, and if yes, what is the legal basis for such regulation and how does this apply to fintech businesses operating in your jurisdiction? The regulatory framework governing personal data in the Kingdom is as follows: The Personal Data Protection Law (“ PDPL ”), issued pursuant to Royal Decree No. M/19 dated 9/2/1443 H, and which governs the collection, processing, disclosure and retention of personal data.

”), issued pursuant to Royal Decree No. M/19 dated 9/2/1443 H, and which governs the collection, processing, disclosure and retention of personal data. The Implementing Regulations to the PDPL, issued by SDAIA Administrative Decision No. 1516 dated 19/02/1445H.

The Regulations on Transfer of Personal Data Outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“Cross-Border Data Transfer Regulations”), issued by SDAIA pursuant to Administrative Decision No. 1517 dated 19/02/1445H. The PDPL governs the collection, processing and retention of personal data in Saudi Arabia, applying to both local and foreign companies handling the data of residents. Organisations must obtain consent before processing personal data, with certain exceptions. For cross-border data transfers, the Cross Border Data Transfer Regulations allow transfers outside the Kingdom only if they do not compromise national security, violate local laws or harm the Kingdom’s vital interests, and further provided that the recipient country provides an adequate level of data protection. Additionally, the Electronic Transactions Law (issued by Royal Decree No. M/17) requires internet service providers to protect personal data, while the Electronic Commerce Law (issued by Royal Decree No. M/126 in October 2019) mandates service providers to ensure customer data confidentiality. 4.2 Do your data privacy laws apply to organisations established outside of your jurisdiction? Do your data privacy laws restrict international transfers of data? The PDPL applies to all businesses processing data in Saudi Arabia, including those outside the Kingdom handling data of Saudi residents. As such, data storage and privacy obligations extend to foreign entities. The PDPL also allows data transfers under specific circumstances, such as agreements involving Saudi Arabia or when in the Kingdom’s best interests, or when the data owner is a party to such an agreement. Furthermore, the Cross-Border Data Transfer Regulations permit transfers outside Saudi Arabia only if they do not affect national security, violate local laws or harm the Kingdom’s vital interests. In addition, the Electronic Commerce Law applies to service providers both within and outside the Kingdom offering goods or services to consumers within the Kingdom. Accordingly, the data privacy obligations extend to international service providers serving the Kingdom. 4.3 Please briefly describe the sanctions that apply for failing to comply with your data privacy laws. Non-compliance with the PDPL carries severe consequences, including fines of up to SAR 5 million, the suspension of business operations and potential criminal liabilities for serious breaches. Regulatory authorities, such as SDAIA and SAMA, actively oversee compliance through audits and investigations targeting fintech companies that manage sensitive financial data. Violations of privacy laws not only risk substantial financial penalties but also lead to reputational harm and restrictions on the ability to operate within the Saudi market. In cases of repeated offences, authorities may revoke business licences and impose further regulatory sanctions. Additionally, the PDPL prescribes imprisonment of up to two years for the intentional disclosure or publication of sensitive data with the intent to cause harm to individuals or to gain personal advantage. 4.4 Does your jurisdiction have cyber security laws or regulations that may apply to fintech businesses operating in your jurisdiction? The Anti-Cyber Crime Law governs issues related to cybersecurity, requiring entities to obtain consent from data owners before using their personal data. It criminalises activities such as unauthorised access to banking or credit information, accessing the computer of an individual with the motive of altering, destroying, redistributing or deleting information stored in the computer, and hacking or interrupting data transmitted over computer networks. The law applies to natural and legal persons and are therefore equally applicable to fintechs. 4.5 Please describe any AML and other financial crime requirements that may apply to fintech businesses in your jurisdiction. Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering framework is established under the Anti-Money Laundering Law and its Implementing Regulations, as per Cabinet Decision No. 80/1439. Financial activities, particularly those involving collective investments, carry inherent money laundering risks. To operate legally, fintechs must secure licences from the CMA and/or SAMA and comply with strict regulatory oversight. Authorities may conduct investigations to ensure compliance, and fintech companies are required to implement robust monitoring systems to detect and prevent illicit financial activities. 4.6 Are there any other regulatory regimes that may apply to fintech businesses operating in your jurisdiction (for example, AI)? Through its General Principles for Personal Data Protection, the CSTC imposes obligations on its licensed service providers to maintain and protect user data and treat such data as confidential. Under the same Principles, service providers are prohibited from processing customers’ personal data without their consent.

5. Technology

5.1 Please briefly describe how innovations and inventions are protected in your jurisdiction. Saudi Arabia offers various forms of intellectual property (“IP”) protection to safeguard innovations and inventions, including: Patents : Innovators can secure exclusive rights to their inventions for 20 years from the filing date, provided the invention is novel, innovative and industrially applicable. However, business practices, mathematical algorithms, and computer codes and programming generally do not fall within the scope of patentable items in the Kingdom.

: Innovators can secure exclusive rights to their inventions for 20 years from the filing date, provided the invention is novel, innovative and industrially applicable. However, business practices, mathematical algorithms, and computer codes and programming generally do not fall within the scope of patentable items in the Kingdom. Copyrights : Copyright protection extends to computer programs, audiovisual works and literary content under Saudi Copyright Law. Unlike patents, registration is not required for copyright protection. However, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (“ SAIP ”) offers an optional registration service for software and applications.

: Copyright protection extends to computer programs, audiovisual works and literary content under Saudi Copyright Law. Unlike patents, registration is not required for copyright protection. However, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (“ ”) offers an optional registration service for software and applications. Trade Secrets : Software, algorithms and computer codes can be safeguarded as trade secrets, preventing unauthorised use or disclosure.

: Software, algorithms and computer codes can be safeguarded as trade secrets, preventing unauthorised use or disclosure. Trademarks: Fintech businesses can protect their brand identity, logos and names by registering trademarks, ensuring exclusive rights and preventing unauthorised use by competitors. 5.2 Please briefly describe how ownership of IP operates in your jurisdiction. In Saudi Arabia, IP ownership is determined based on the type of IP and the party responsible for its creation or registration: Patents : The applicant who files for the patent holds ownership rights, with applications submitted through the SAIP online portal. If an invention is developed during employment, ownership typically belongs to the employer, unless otherwise specified in the employment contract.

: The applicant who files for the patent holds ownership rights, with applications submitted through the SAIP online portal. If an invention is developed during employment, ownership typically belongs to the employer, unless otherwise specified in the employment contract. Copyrights : The original creator of a copyright-protected work is typically the rightful owner. However, works produced within the scope of employment generally belong to the employer, unless otherwise stipulated in the employment contract.

: The original creator of a copyright-protected work is typically the rightful owner. However, works produced within the scope of employment generally belong to the employer, unless otherwise stipulated in the employment contract. Trademarks: Trademark rights belong to the individual or entity that files the application. Registrations must be processed through SAIP’s online platform to secure exclusive rights. Fintech businesses must proactively safeguard their IP ownership by incorporating clear contractual provisions in employment agreements, contractor engagements and confidentiality clauses. This ensures the proper protection of innovations, proprietary technology and trade secrets, thereby mitigating risks associated with IP disputes. 5.3 In order to protect or enforce IP rights in your jurisdiction, do you need to own local/national rights or are you able to enforce other rights (for example, do any treaties or multi-jurisdictional rights apply)? To enforce IP rights in Saudi Arabia, local registration with SAIP is generally required. However, as a party to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and several IP treaties, Saudi Arabia provides certain international protections, as follows: Patents : Saudi Arabia, a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (“ PCT ”) (since 2013), recognises patents registered in other PCT Member States. Saudi Arabia is also a member of the GCC Patent Office, through which an applicant files a single patent application which is then recognised across GCC countries automatically. In addition, as a party to the Paris Convention, Saudi Arabia recognises priority claims for patent applications in other Member States for a period of 12 months.

: Saudi Arabia, a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (“ ”) (since 2013), recognises patents registered in other PCT Member States. Saudi Arabia is also a member of the GCC Patent Office, through which an applicant files a single patent application which is then recognised across GCC countries automatically. In addition, as a party to the Paris Convention, Saudi Arabia recognises priority claims for patent applications in other Member States for a period of 12 months. Copyrights : As a party to the Berne Convention, Saudi Arabia automatically protects copyrights for literary and artistic works from other Member States without the need for registration.

: As a party to the Berne Convention, Saudi Arabia automatically protects copyrights for literary and artistic works from other Member States without the need for registration. Trademarks: In order for a trademark to be protected in Saudi Arabia, it must be registered in the Kingdom. That said, Saudi Arabia is also a party to the Paris Convention and recognises priority claims from trademark applicants in other Paris Convention countries for a period of six months. In addition, the Kingdom also joined the Madrid Protocol in 2023, which allows for an applicant to file a single trademark application and gain protection in all Member States, subject to the acceptance or refusal by each Member State, which shall not affect the registration in other Member States. 5.4 How do you exploit/monetise IP in your jurisdiction and are there any particular rules or restrictions regarding such exploitation/monetisation? An effective approach to exploit and monetise IP is through licensing, which grants third parties the right to use protected IP in exchange for compensation. Licensing allows businesses to generate additional revenue while expanding brand recognition by commercialising registered inventions, software, trade secrets, and trademarked products or services. Additionally, IP rights can be transferred to a third party through assignment, provided that the transfer is formalised in a written agreement signed by all involved parties.

Production Editor’s Note