Abu Dhabi:Over 820 Chief Audit Executives and internal audit leaders from 25 countries convened at the Chief Audit Executives (CAE) Conference 2026 held at Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island. The event was graced by the presence of Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, and organized under his patronage by the UAE Internal Auditors Association (UAE IAA).

According to Wam, the three-day conference focused on providing independent assurance to boards, regulators, and investors that organizations maintain strong governance and control. The conference emphasized enhancing the legislative and regulatory framework for accounting and auditing in the UAE, as outlined by Bin Touq. He highlighted the issuance of the Accounting and Auditing Profession Law as a milestone in improving business transparency and efficiency.

The theme of the conference, "Connect. Innovate. Transform.," directed attention to internal audit, corporate governance, enterprise compliance, and the governance of artificial intelligence. With the UAE's plan to integrate agentic AI into half of its government sectors within two years, the need for independent assurance on AI decisions has become pressing.

Dr. Ali Bin Mohammed AlMuwaijei, Chairman of the Board of the UAE Internal Auditors Association, underscored the profession's role in ensuring that machine-made decisions are sound and accountable, thus maintaining market confidence. The conference also featured an AI Masterclass and sessions on various topics, including AI governance, transformation risk, and fraud investigation.

The UAE IAA, as an affiliate of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA Global), connects its members to global standards and practices. The association recognized 14 entities for their external quality assessments, marking strong governance. The conference concluded with a call for collaboration with regulators and companies to elevate governance standards across the UAE economy.

Source Wam