ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fintech Abu Dhabi returned for its highly anticipated eighth edition, reinforcing its status as the Middle East’s biggest fintech festival. Part of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), the flagship event series of ADGM attracted a dynamic mix of global tech leaders, tech innovators, banking institutions, developers, entrepreneurs, and investors who shape the future of finance. With a focus on payments, digital assets, digital security, and credit, the gathering also reaffirmed Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for financial innovation.

Commenting on the event, Salem Mohammed Al Darei, CEO of ADGM Authority said, “Fintech Abu Dhabi exemplifies our dedication to innovation, bringing global visionaries together to shape the future of finance and technology. We aim to facilitate meaningful conversations that continue to strengthen a thriving ecosystem coupled with progressive frameworks and a dynamic business environment. By cultivating this we have enabled collaborations where innovation in finance and technology could flourish and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for financial innovation and technology.“

Through a series of thought-provoking sessions and high-profile forums, Fintech Abu Dhabi highlighted key trends within this sector. A keynote address by Paul Kayrouz – Chief Fintech Officer at the Central Bank of the UAE shed light on ‘Seeding Success: The UAE as a Global Fintech Hub,’ while the fireside chat on ‘Investing in AI: What Does the Next World Look Like?’ with H.R.H. Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud – Founder & CEO, KBW Ventures, explored the promise of AI as a transformative asset class, as well as its impact on industries such as finance and health. In a well-attended session, Lord David Cameron – Former Prime Minister of the UK talked about the significant decisions and policies that worked for the UK a decade ago.

Meanwhile, a panel discussion on ‘Has the Unicorn Machine Stopped Working?’ examined the emergence of new unicorns in fintech despite challenges in the venture capital market and examined whether the ecosystem can sustain growth or if consolidation is necessary. For this discussion, representatives from FJ Labs, VentureSouq, Airwallex and Financial Technology Partners took to the stage. The ‘Building the Digital Assets Ecosystem’, panel included renowned names such as Sebastien Danloy – CBO at Euroclear Group, Nadine Chakar – Managing Director & Head of Global Digital Assets at Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, Domenico Nardelli – Treasurer at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Marianne Demarchi – Chief Executive EMEA at Swift.

This year’s Fintech Abu Dhabi also introduced new forums highlighting the evolving landscape of finance and technology. The inaugural Islamic Finance Summit (IFS) explored the future of Shariah-compliant finance and its alignment with sustainable finance and the DLT Foundations Roundtable focused on regulatory frameworks for distributed ledger technologies and digital assets. Returning forums such as AI Abu Dhabi, Blockchain AD, and the Risk 4.0 Forum addressed the key challenges and opportunities for technology and finance.

On stage, Richard Teng, CEO of Binance and Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle Internet Financial – —the issuer of USDC, announced a strategic partnership that will accelerate global USDC and crypto adoption. Other key participants included Lily Lui – President of Solana Foundation, Konstantin Richter – CEO of Blockdaemon, Jonathan Levin, Co-founder and CSO of Chainalysis, Rebecca Rettig – Chief Legal & Policy Officer at Polygon Labs and Angela Walker – Global Head of Banking & Capital Markets at Chainlink Labs.

Becoming a stage for strategic partnerships, ADFW has witnessed over 30 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) signed so far. This includes a couple of major MoUs signed by ADGM today; the first one with PaloAlto Networks and the second one with Ma’an.

Fintech Abu Dhabi also featured the MENA Fintech Awards recognising excellence in the fintech sector, and the ADFW Startup Campus and Venture Park, where local startups pitched their innovations to potential investors.

The various forums hosted today highlight Fintech Abu Dhabi’s commitment to fostering discussions that empower participants to thrive in a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.

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INNSBRUCK, Austria, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AV-Comparatives, the globally recognized authority in independent cybersecurity testing, has released its 2024 Endpoint Prevention and Response (EPR) Comparative Report, showcasing the exceptional performance of leading cybersecurity solutions. The report evaluates the ability of these products to detect, prevent, and respond to advanced threats in real-world scenarios.

AV-Comparatives’ rigorous assessment covered products from Bitdefender, Check Point, CrowdStrike, ESET, Kaspersky, Palo Alto Networks, and VIPRE, measuring each against a broad spectrum of complex attack vectors, such as PowerShell Empire, Metasploit Framework, and Commercial Attack Frameworks. The testing utilized the MITRE ATT&CK® framework, ensuring that the results provide invaluable insights for organizations looking to bolster their endpoint security.

Endpoint Protection Products (EPP), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions are vital components of enterprise security, providing defenses against targeted threats such as advanced persistent threats (APTs). AV-Comparatvies’ Endpoint Prevention and Response (EPR) Test is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of these solutions in countering complex, multi-stage attacks that target an organisation’s entire infrastructure.

Top Performers (in alphabetically order):

• Bitdefender had strong detection and response capabilities, delivering consistent protection across various threat scenarios.
• Check Point demonstrated reliable and comprehensive threat prevention, proving its effectiveness in mitigating complex cyber risks.
• CrowdStrike delivered a strong performance, showing reliable threat detection and response capabilities, ensuring minimal disruption to operations.
• ESET provided well-rounded defense strategies, particularly effective in handling advanced and emerging threats.
• Kaspersky offered a robust set of protection tools, proving reliable in both detection and prevention of targeted attacks.
• Palo Alto Networks delivered a solid performance, reinforcing its capabilities in proactive threat detection and security innovation.
• VIPRE delivered efficient protection, providing reliable defense mechanisms at a competitive cost.

These vendors achieved outstanding results by demonstrating their ability to protect against and respond to advanced persistent threats (APTs), ransomware, and other complex cyberattacks. This year’s evaluation highlighted their continual evolution in response to the growing complexity of attack tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).

Comprehensive Evaluation

The testing spanned several months, from June to August 2024, with products undergoing assessments in multiple phases, from Initial Access and Lateral Movement till Exfiltration and Impact. Each product was tested in real-world attack scenarios to simulate the high-stakes environments that enterprises face today.

AV-Comparatives emphasized the importance of these evaluations: “As cyberattacks grow more sophisticated, it is critical for organizations to rely on solutions that can offer not only prevention but also rapid and effective response capabilities. Our 2024 EPR report serves as a benchmark for IT professionals and cybersecurity analysts to assess and choose the most effective cybersecurity solutions.”

The difference between AV-Comparatives’ EPR Test and MITRE ATT&CK Engenuity

Both the AV-Comparatives EPR Test and MITRE Engenuity have their merits, each providing useful insights into endpoint security solutions. Understanding the differences between these two tests is essential for IT managers, CISOs, and other tech-savvy professionals looking to select endpoint security solutions that will effectively protect their environments.

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Read the details here:

https://www.av-comparatives.org/the-difference-between-av-comparatives-epr-test-and-mitre-attck-engenuity/

Key Takeaways for CISOs and Cybersecurity Analysts

For CISOs and cybersecurity analysts, the 2024 EPR Comparative Report provides a data-driven perspective on the capabilities of leading vendors. It offers an in-depth analysis of how each product performs under pressure, which is essential for making informed decisions about endpoint security investments. Given the evolving threat landscape, selecting the right EPR solution can significantly reduce the risk of breaches and improve overall incident response.

Download the full report here.

About AV-Comparatives

AV-Comparatives is a globally recognized, independent organization offering systematic testing of security software products. With one of the most comprehensive and rigorous testing methodologies in the industry, AV-Comparatives is dedicated to providing transparency and objective analysis to help organizations and consumers select effective security solutions.

This release not only highlights the stellar performance of leading cybersecurity products but also underscores AV-Comparatives’ engagement with the industry through their attendance and presentations at leading industry conferences as AVAR , inviting direct interaction with interested cybersecurity professionals.

AV-Comparatives is proud to announce that Co-Founder Peter Stelzhammer has been elected to the Board of Directors of AVAR https://aavar.org, where he will support the organisation’s mission to advance cybersecurity knowledge and collaboration globally.

Peter Stelzhammer
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: +43512287788

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• 89% of SMEs are confident about growing their business in 2025, with nearly 9 in 10 (89%) of these reporting that they feel part of their local community.
• 82% of SMEs aiming for growth expect to hire more people in 2025 – though access to skilled labour and transport infrastructure identified as key challenges to their expansion plans.

LONDON, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A new study by Aviva highlights widespread optimism among UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they look toward 2025, with around nine in ten (89%) business decision-makers confident about their growth prospects for the year ahead.

The study also reveals enduring optimism among SMEs, with 85% confident that their businesses will grow over the next five years.

Community and local talent driving SME optimism

There is a strong link between SMEs with deep relationships within their local communities and a positive outlook. The study reveals that, of SMEs who are confident about growth in 2025, 9 in 10 (89%) feel part of their local community, while overall 75% of SMEs credit local community as contributing either a lot or a great deal to their business success.

The study also highlights the pivotal role of local employees in fostering this optimism and growth; access to local talent was identified as the greatest advantage of being part of a community. Over half (53%) of SMEs who feel responsible about the future prosperity of the local community employ local people, and 82% of those aiming to grow anticipate needing to hire more people in 2025. Overall, 91% of SMEs believe access to the right local skills is important for their future success.

Other benefits of being part of a local community include high customer loyalty among local people (38%) and working with other businesses in the area (33%).

However, the research from Aviva also highlights challenges that need to be addressed to support SME growth prospects.

Skill shortages cited as potential barrier to SME growth

Although hiring from the local community is essential for SME expansion, only around one third of SMEs (36%) strongly agree there’s enough people with the right skills for their business in their community, revealing a potential skill gap that could hinder future growth ambitions. Micro and small businesses are marginally more impacted than medium-sized businesses, with 72% agreeing there is enough talent in the local community, compared to 80% of medium-sized businesses.

The research paints a picture of how access to relevant skills also varies by sector. While a greater proportion of SMEs in the IT sector strongly agree (51%) there is enough local talent available, there is less agreement among SMEs in manufacturing (31%), hospitality and leisure (29%) and financial services (32%).

This sector-specific gap suggests a need for targeted support in skills development and workforce training, particularly in industries experiencing acute shortages that could hinder their growth ambitions.

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Infrastructure investment could drive business expansion

Local transport infrastructure, deemed essential for supporting growth, is also identified as a key area for focus. More than half (63%) of SMEs surveyed believe their business will grow to the point where they will need better local transport infrastructure in 2025.

Adequate transport for employees is revealed to be a top priority for SME owners, with 41% identifying this as critical to the future success of their business. The study also reveals that, over the next five years, 65% anticipate changing to the point where they will have increased reliance on more sustainable transport options. Specific priorities for local transport infrastructure include greater access to electric vehicle charging points (26%) and sufficient cycle lanes (21%) to support employee commutes.

These findings underline the importance of building robust infrastructure to support connectivity and facilitate business expansion, especially for SMEs reliant on regional supply chains.

How Aviva is supporting SMEs in 2025

Aviva is working to provide SMEs with resources, insights, and solutions to make the most of the opportunities ahead. Through a series of initiatives, Aviva is seeking to empower SMEs to capitalise on their strengths and position themselves for sustainable growth. For example:

• Aviva’s Commercial Intelligence Tool (CIT) uses data and analytics to help identify where a business may be underinsured, have potential gaps in cover and get personalised insights to help SMEs make informed decisions;
• Aviva’s Sustainable Business Coach tool helps brokers to identify the impact of businesses on the environment and wider society and helps businesses to set sustainability goals and to measure progress against targets;
• SMEs with an Aviva Group Protection policy can help to keep their workforce healthy through the complementary Aviva Digicare+ Workplace App which provides a comprehensive blend of clinical services and benefits to help employees prevent, detect and manage physical and mental health problems¹.
• Aviva partners with the Money Advice Trust to help strengthen the financial resilience of businesses across the UK helping small business owners to get access to free, independent debt advice. This collaboration also seeks to improve small business owners’ access to support with business finance skills, by supporting the development of new, free virtual learning under the Money Advice Trust’s Building up Business programme. This initiative reflects Aviva’s focus on social action and community financial resilience.
• Aviva’s corporate venture capital fund, Aviva Ventures, makes early-stage investments in start-ups, many of which are UK SMEs, and builds long-term relationships to help support them with expertise, global reach and scale as they grow². Recent investments include Norfolk-based nature restoration company, Nattergal.
• Aviva is working with Business in the Community (BITC), as the Founding Place Partner to help expand their long-term national place strategy to support local communities and economies across the UK. This approach brings together key local stakeholders such as community organisations, local businesses and councils to create a strategic vision for long-term change by breaking down barriers to education and employment, improving housing and local facilities, and tackling wider inequalities throughout the UK.
• Aviva works in partnership with brokers across the UK to provide a comprehensive suite of SME insurance solutions, spanning a wide range of industry sectors. SMEs benefit from regional experts committed to understanding their business requirements, providing risk management guidance and protection if the worst should happen. 

David Schofield, Sustainability Director at Aviva said: “SMEs are the backbone of the UK economy. Their growth is vital not only for economic stability but also for the prosperity of local communities across the nation. These survey findings underscore their determination and optimism, while also highlighting the challenges that could impact their growth.

Aviva and our partners are helping SMEs get ready for 2025 by providing a range of tools, resources and support to help overcome challenges and seize opportunities. By providing tailored advice and financial assistance, we’re committed to playing our part in helping small businesses prepare for success in 2025 and beyond.”

Notes to editors:

1. Aviva Ventures is Aviva’s corporate venture capital fund, focused on delivering returns through investments into early stage businesses that bring Aviva new opportunities and insights into emerging technology and customer trends.

   The fund focuses on investments that generate long-term value creation as well as develop a strategic relationship. Investment themes include customer wellbeing, mobility, sustainability, and the opportunities created by new technology developments like Artificial Intelligence.

2. The Aviva Digicare+ Workplace app is provided by Square Health and the app and its services are non-contractual benefits which Aviva can withdraw at any time. Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace – Aviva

More about the research:

• The study, commissioned by Aviva, was conducted by Potentia among a sample of 508 key decision-makers representing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the United Kingdom. The research was undertaken in November 2024.

More about Aviva:

• We are the UK’s leading diversified insurer and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in India and China.
• We help our 19.6 million customers make the most out of life, plan for the future, and have the confidence that if things go wrong we’ll be there to put it right.
• We have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2023, we paid £25.6 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
• In 2021, we announced our ambition to become Net Zero by 2040, the first major insurance company in the world to do so. We are aiming to have Net Zero carbon emissions from Aviva’s operations and supply chain by 2030. While we are working towards our sustainability ambitions, we recognise that while we have control over Aviva’s operations and influence on our supply chain, when it comes to decarbonising the economy in which we operate and invest, Aviva is one part of a far larger global ecosystem. There are also limits to our ability to influence other organisations and governments. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the task and are committed to playing our part in the collective effort to enable the global transition. Find out more about our climate goals at www.aviva.com/sustainability/climate and our sustainability ambition and action at www.aviva.com/sustainability 
• Aviva is a Living Wage, Living Pension and Living Hours employer and provides market-leading benefits for our people, including flexible working, paid carers leave and equal parental leave. Find out more at www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people
• As at 30 June 2024, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £398 billion and our estimated Solvency II shareholder capital surplus as at 30 September 2024 was £7.6 billion. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
• For more details on what we do, our business and how we help our customers, visit www.aviva.com/about-us  
• The Aviva newsroom at www.aviva.com/newsroom includes links to our spokespeople images, podcasts, research reports and our news release archive. Sign up to get the latest news from Aviva by email.
• You can follow us on:
  o  X: www.x.com/avivaplc
  o  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/aviva-plc
  o  Instagram: www.instagram.com/avivaplc 
• For the latest corporate films from around our business, subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/aviva 

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