Mashreq says its IBM Bob pilot has reduced integration design and troubleshooting time by up to 60–70%.
IBM has announced that Mashreq is piloting IBM Bob, its AI-powered software engineering platform, to accelerate integration development and improve developer productivity.
According to IBM, early results from the pilot show a 60–70% reduction in time spent on integration design and troubleshooting. Tasks that previously required two to three hours of manual effort have been completed within minutes.
Mashreq Pilots IBM Bob
The pilot explores how AI agents can assist integration teams across the software development lifecycle, including solution design, planning, coding, code reviews and production troubleshooting.
Mashreq’s integration platform supports digital banking, payments, APIs and cross-border transactions, processing an average of 650 transactions per second across digital channels, payments and enterprise systems.
“As we continue to advance our digital-first strategy, we are investing in technologies that help our engineering teams move faster while maintaining the resilience and quality our customers expect,” said Mohamed Abdel Razek, Group Head of Technology, Transformation and Information at Mashreq. He said the pilot is helping the bank explore how agentic AI can simplify integration engineering and improve developer productivity.
Join the Techitup Executive Network
Join the Middle East’s inner circle of C-Suite Tech Leaders. Exclusive access to closed-door regional roundtables, priority VIP seating at our annual awards, and strategic industry briefings.
“Mashreq is taking a strategic approach by combining a modern, cloud-native integration platform with agentic AI and IBM Bob to transform how software is designed, developed and maintained,” said Shukri Eid, VP & General Manager, IBM Gulf Levant and Pakistan, IBM. “Together, we’re helping build an intelligent digital foundation that accelerates innovation, improves operational efficiency and prepares the bank for the future of AI-driven banking.”
Mashreq is also exploring IBM Context Forge, based on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), to give AI agents secure access to enterprise integration knowledge, API specifications and architecture standards. IBM said the bank manages around 4,000 requests per month from AI agents to connected banking, payments and enterprise systems through a secure gateway.
The pilot is part of Mashreq’s work with IBM and GBM to modernize its integration platform. The bank is also evaluating a potential on-premises deployment of IBM Bob for use cases that may require locally hosted models to address data residency and regulatory requirements.
Disclaimer: This article is based on an official joint announcement by IBM and Mashreq and has been edited for length and readability. Product capability claims and pilot results are based on information provided by the companies.
