Zero trust for UAE financial institutions: where to start

Zero trust is often marketed as a product purchase; for regulated banks it is an operating model that connects IAM, network segmentation, workload protection, and SOC use cases.

Start with crown-jewel mapping—core interfaces, payment hubs, privileged admin paths, and developer platforms that can reach production. Controls should be measurable, not slogans on architecture slides.

API gateways and open finance consent layers introduce new trust boundaries. OAuth flows, partner onboarding, and token lifecycle management belong in the same risk committee agenda as firewall rules.

Executive reporting should translate cyber metrics into business language: downtime avoided, fraud losses prevented, and examination readiness—not alert counts alone.