Mashreq is piloting IBM Bob, an AI tool designed to help engineers design, build and maintain software, as the UAE bank explores how AI agents can support technology teams across the project lifecycle.
According to IBM, early results show a 60% to 70% reduction in time spent on integration design and troubleshooting. Tasks that previously took two to three hours were completed in minutes, the company said.
The pilot covers planning, design, code reviews and issue resolution in live systems, with much of the work focused on Mashreq’s integration platform. The platform connects the bank’s digital banking, instant payments and cross-border services and handles an average of 650 transactions per second. IBM and GBM are supporting its upgrade.
Mashreq is also using IBM Context Forge to coordinate its AI agents. Based on the Model Context Protocol, the tool provides secure access to API specifications, design standards and operational data. Around 4,000 requests pass through the secure gateway each month to reach the bank’s payments, banking and business systems.
The bank is considering running IBM Bob on its own servers for critical systems, which could involve hosting AI models locally to keep data within the country and meet regulatory requirements.
Source: Fintech News
