The Artificial Intelligence Office and Mastercard’s Center for Advanced AI and Cyber Technology in Dubai have picked six AI startups for the inaugural Mastercard Lighthouse UAE cohort: Loyyal, NewForm Technologies, NodeShift, Polynome, Valura.Ai and zypl.ai. The six were chosen from 14 finalists and will spend four months in a mentorship programme run with Mastercard’s global experts, ending in a Demo Day, Mastercard announced — a selection also carried by WAM.
Mastercard Lighthouse UAE: who made the cut
| Startup | What it does |
|---|---|
| Loyyal | AI and blockchain-powered loyalty platform for banks, airlines and retailers |
| NewForm Technologies | FinAI Studio, an agentic AI platform that automates banking operations for regulated institutions |
| NodeShift | Secure access to leading AI models with data anonymised before processing |
| Polynome | Multilingual agentic AI for banks, government and aviation, in Arabic and English |
| zypl.ai | AI risk management built on synthetic data for credit scoring and fraud detection; active in 20+ markets |
| Valura.AI | AI investment platform covering onboarding to portfolio rebalancing, licensed in the UAE and India |
“Investing in AI startups is a direct investment in the future economy. Initiatives such as the Mastercard Lighthouse UAE program provide an integrated ecosystem that enables high-potential companies to refine their solutions, accelerate growth, and scale internationally.”
“Mastercard Lighthouse UAE is proud to welcome its first cohort of founders. Delivered under our Center for Advanced AI and Cyber Technology, the selected startups bring together different strengths, diverse perspectives and a shared ambition to build bold solutions that can shape the future of financial services and AI in the UAE.”
Dr. Abdelrahman Al Mahmoud, Director at the Artificial Intelligence Office
What Mastercard Lighthouse UAE adds to the ecosystem
The UAE edition launched in May. Globally, Mastercard Lighthouse has run since 2018, starting in the Nordic and Baltic regions and expanding to Türkiye and now the UAE; it claims 300-plus collaborations, more than $1.3 billion in investments and 228 alumni, several of them unicorns.
The selection is the latest sign of Dubai’s push to host AI startups — the same thread as the Mastercard-backed founder finance offer at Dubai Founders HQ, the AI startups Dubai’s biggest bank lets loose on its systems and Abu Dhabi’s early-stage AI programme. Smaller rounds are part of it too: a $1 million pre-seed for a Dubai customer-intelligence startup landed earlier this year.
What is Mastercard Lighthouse UAE?
It is an accelerator run by the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office with Mastercard’s Center for Advanced AI and Cyber Technology in Dubai. The inaugural UAE edition launched in May 2026 and focuses on Agentic AI, fintech, smart commerce and risk management.
Which startups were selected?
Loyyal, NewForm Technologies, NodeShift, Polynome, Valura.Ai and zypl.ai. They were chosen from 14 finalists by a panel assessing innovation, team capability, business model, scalability and global growth potential.
What do the selected startups get?
A four-month mentorship programme led by global experts, access to financial institutions and investors, pilot collaboration opportunities, and a Demo Day at the end.
What has Mastercard Lighthouse achieved globally?
The programme has run since 2018, expanding from the Nordic and Baltic regions to Türkiye and the UAE. It claims more than 300 collaborations, over $1.3 billion in investments and 228 alumni, several of them unicorns.
