Adel Al-Qulish is a senior adviser to the governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) and vice-chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Permanent Committee (AMLPC).
Al-Qulish began his career in the private sector and later joined SAMA with the responsibility for onsite supervision of financial institutions to ensure their compliance with Saudi laws.
In 2004, he joined the MENA Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) as the first executive secretary. He moved to Bahrain to perform his professional duties, which included coordinating with member countries in their efforts to curb money laundering and fight terror financing.
He subsequently became an associate member of the Financial Action Task Force, as it managed to accomplish remarkable achievements.
After a successful stint with MENAFATF, he rejoined SAMA in 2017.
Speaking at the 11th Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Seminar in Riyadh on Monday, he said: “We have had several AML laws since 2003. During the past few years, we have been working to fill the gaps in these legacy laws in line with our vision to protect the financial sector and support global efforts in combating financial crime.”
On the evaluation process, Al-Qulish noted that members of the assessment team came from different countries. “The team had diverse perspectives and interpretations. We knew the process would not be an easy one and for that reason, we started our preparations three years prior to the exercise.
“Throughout the exercise, we managed to prove the effectiveness of our system and our capacity to produce solid results,” he added.
Adel Al-Qulish, senior adviser to the governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority
Adel Al-Qulish, senior adviser to the governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority
SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem
RIYADH: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi says that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi said the goal is to use AI to help develop government services, enhance competitiveness, build human capacity and improve quality of life through a comprehensive strategy based on three main pillars that unlock the potential of this technology and achieve sustainable developmental impact.
“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” he said.
The second pillar is building an integrated national AI ecosystem that drives expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and with effective governance, Al-Ghamdi said.
The third pillar, he said, is governance that ensures responsible and measurable AI through a national framework aligned with international standards.
This came during Al-Ghamdi’s speech at a high-level ministerial session held on Thursday on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
He is heading the Saudi delegation, and the session saw broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers and technology leaders from around the world.
Al-Ghamdi also had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening, discussed AI cooperation and expressed his gratitude for hosting the summit and for the hospitality extended to the participants.
