Foreword 4

Executive summary 5

1 Introducing the sprint to accelerate sustainability through AI 6

  1.1 MENA’s sustainability progress and the role of AI 6

  1.2 The paradox of AI potential vs. action7

  1.3 Sprint methodology and engagement design 7

  1.4 Cross-sectoral approach with sustainability leaders 8

2 Banking on AI: Where profit meets purpose 10

  2.1 AI-driven sustainable finance transformation: From ambition to execution 11

  2.2 The sprint to build Pulse 12

  2.3 Main lessons learned from the Pulse build 13

  2.4 What’s next: Moving from prototype to scaled adoption 14

  2.5 A regional blueprint for success 14

  2.6 Looking ahead 15

3 Sustainable development and SME resilience: A Bahrain-led use case 16

  3.1 AI-driven public-sector transformation: Translating vision  to results 17

  3.2 The journey to build SME SMART 18

  3.3 Main lessons learned from the SME SMART build process 20

  3.4 What’s next: Moving from prototype to scaled adoption 21

  3.5 A regional blueprint for success 21

  3.6 Looking ahead 22

4 Harnessing AI for a resilient and sustainable energy sector 23

  4.1 AI-driven energy sector transformation: From insight to impact 24

  4.2 A regional blueprint for success 31

  4.3 Looking ahead 31

5 Boosting cross-sector partnerships for sustainability adoption 32

  5.1 Advancing cross-sector collaboration through AI 33

  5.2 The journey to build SUSTAIN 33

  5.3 Main lessons learned from the SUSTAIN build 36

  5.4 What’s next: Moving from prototype to scaled adoption 36

  5.5 A regional blueprint for success 37

  5.6 Looking ahead 37

6 Distilling cross-sector insights and accelerating the transition 38

  6.1 Cross-sector insights 38

  6.2 Accelerating the transition 40

Contributors 41

Endnotes 43