AI in Payment Security and Business Operations
Mundhada said the reduction in analysts’ workload had been accompanied by better outcomes and fewer false positives in fraud and risk management.
NEOPAY is also using AI in transaction monitoring and compliance activities, he said. Internally, the technology supports programming and coding, while merchant-facing applications include dashboards that aggregate payment data and help business owners track performance.
Those dashboards are designed to give merchants a clearer view of daily and monthly sales, seasonal patterns and other business indicators. Mundhada described the conversational tools as a “mini CFO” for a small business, allowing owners to ask questions about their operations.
Additional insights depend on the information merchants connect to the platform. Integrating inventory data, for example, can support cash-flow forecasting and help businesses assess ordering decisions, he said.
Small Businesses Navigate Data and Funding Gaps
Access to working capital remains a major financial challenge for small and microenterprises, according to Mundhada. He cited the example of a bakery owner seeking to open a second location but lacking the audited statements and other documentation a traditional bank might require.
Operational challenges can compound that problem. Some businesses use separate systems for payments and enterprise resource planning, leaving transaction information disconnected from their wider operations. Others have data available but lack the tools to interpret it, he said.
NEOPAY’s response includes industry-specific solutions for restaurants, supermarkets and laundries, alongside software that combines payments with functions such as cash registers, business management and value-added tax compliance. The aim, Mundhada said, is to reduce the number of separate providers a small business needs to deal with.
The company is also developing a payment-data-based credit score that lenders could use alongside their own assessments. Mundhada said merchants could add product-level sales information to provide further context.
NEOPAY’s Regional Plans Include noon payments
NEOPAY’s regional strategy combines product development with acquisitions, Mundhada said. Its priorities include expanding services for small businesses and developing specialized payment systems for larger customers, including hotels and e-commerce businesses.
NEOPAY announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments.
The proposed transaction would combine NEOPAY’s merchant payment acceptance infrastructure with noon payments’ e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Mundhada said the businesses’ capabilities would support NEOPAY’s ambition to operate as a regional payments platform.
That ambition extends beyond processing transactions. Mundhada expects merchants to place greater weight on analytics, integrated business tools and other services when choosing a payment provider.
Instant Payments and Evolving Payment Methods
Mundhada identified instant payments, closer connections between payment data and financial services, and regulated stablecoins as areas he expects to grow in the UAE and wider Gulf region.
He also discussed demand for payment methods used by international visitors. NEOPAY’s approach includes supporting alternatives to traditional card payments, such as UPI, WeChat Pay and Alipay, he said.
Alongside the technology discussion, Mundhada emphasized the operational demands of running a payments business. He described an industry that requires constant attention to systems and day-to-day execution, as well as long-term planning.
“Pretty slides don’t run payment businesses,” he said, urging entrepreneurs entering the sector to prepare for the demands of a round-the-clock operation.
