Optro Opens Dubai Hub to Support Agentic GRC Transition Across Middle East

Optro, an AI-powered governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) intelligence platform formerly known as AuditBoard, announced its expansion into the United Arab Emirates by establishing Dubai as its regional center. The announcement was made at the 2026 CAE Conference held in Abu Dhabi.

According to the company, the expansion comes amid significant technological and governance shifts in the region. Optro cited the "UAE Government 4.0" directive under the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, which directs federal entities to convert 50 percent of government sectors, services, and operations to autonomous agentic AI models within a two-year timeline.

The firm stated that as non-human agents assume authority to execute workflows and process decisions, organisations face heightened operational and regulatory compliance demands. These operations intersect with UAE regulatory frameworks, including the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) AI & ML Guidance, the UAE National AI Policy & Ethics guidelines, the Federal Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), and Cybersecurity Council/NESA standards.

Optro Chief Executive Officer Raul Villar Jr. stated that deploying agentic AI requires a parallel evolution in control and assurance, noting that the Dubai hub will provide localized tools for risk assessment, data sovereignty, and compliance mapping. Fady Nader, EY MENA Risk Consulting Partner, noted that internal audit and GRC functions are playing an increasingly strategic role as entities adopt AI-enabled processes.

The UAE establishment follows Optro's opening of an Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore earlier this year and its acquisition of Midship, an AI-native autonomous controls testing provider.