Gulf-based compliance platform azakaw has been recognised in the Chartis RiskTech KYC Data and Solutions 2026 Quadrant Report, earning a place in the Point Solutions category on its first submission.
Published by Chartis Research on 19 October 2026, the report assesses providers of know-your-customer (KYC) data and solutions worldwide. azakaw operates across the Gulf, with a team in Saudi Arabia, integration with the Kingdom’s Nafath national identity service and in-Kingdom data hosting.
Chartis Research is an independent research and advisory firm covering risk, compliance, governance and financial technology. It describes Point Solutions providers as companies that address specific risk management challenges through specialised software and technologies.
For azakaw, this focus centres on identifying, verifying and monitoring customers while maintaining records of compliance decisions.
Philip Mackenzie, Research Principal at Chartis Research, said the platform’s placement reflects its focus on efficient digital onboarding. He also highlighted its modern architecture and integrations with regional identity infrastructure as features relevant to clients in the Middle East.
Supporting Compliance Across the Gulf
Regulated businesses across the Gulf face increasing expectations from regulators regarding customer identification, verification and ongoing monitoring.
azakaw brings onboarding, screening, transaction monitoring and regulatory obligations together on one platform. It supports Arabic and English, including customer-name matching in both languages. In Saudi Arabia, its Nafath integration allows firms to verify customers against official sources during onboarding.
The platform was developed by the team at j. awan & partners, where compliance officers and money laundering reporting officers (MLROs) bring direct experience of regulatory responsibilities.
Zohaib Awan, Group Director of Business Development at azakaw, said the platform’s recognition reflects its focus on addressing critical risk and compliance challenges.
He emphasised the importance of understanding the experience behind a compliance technology provider, particularly whether its developers have firsthand experience of defending compliance decisions before regulators.
One Platform for Onboarding and Monitoring
Cristiano Machado, Deputy CEO and CTO of azakaw, said the platform was developed in response to compliance teams that were using separate tools for individual checks without a unified process.
He explained that azakaw connects customer onboarding, screening and monitoring with the governance frameworks that support compliance operations. The platform is designed to follow the requirements of individual regulators across different markets.
Machado described the recognition from Chartis as an important milestone as the company continues developing technology to support compliance teams across the region and internationally.
azakaw operates across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
The Chartis RiskTech KYC Data and Solutions 2026 Quadrant Report is available through Chartis Research under KYC Data and Solutions, 2026: Quadrant Update.
