Exclusive Interview with Tom Kilroy, Chief Executive Officer at Keyloop

How is Keyloop’s unified Fusion platform approach fundamentally changing automotive retail?

Fusion is an end-to-end Automotive Retail Platform (ARP) that will help motor retailers across the Middle East manage and optimise the full vehicle sales and aftersales process – from initial enquiry through to ownership and retention.

Fusion is different to anything automotive retailers have seen before, incorporating four distinct ‘domains’: Demand, Supply, Ownership, and Operate – and covering all key functions within a dealership’s business. Our Drive Dealer Management System (DMS) is a critical element in the Operate domain.

Each of Fusion’s domains draws upon information held in the platform’s Active Data Core, which provides users in all departments with a single comprehensive record of customer interactions and transactions. This is in line with our commitment to provide a way of working that prioritises outcomes, making efficiency, automation, and an AI-driven future a core part of Keyloop’s strategy.  

What leadership principle has proven universal in your transition from finance to enterprise tech, to automotive retail?

The guiding principle for me in all these areas is the importance of convenience, for customers and for users. I have found it important to keep that concept right at the centre of what we do and to put it first as we consider “how can things be improved?”. It requires bringing the right information to the right place at the right time, making the experience far more convenient for the customer. We saw this in finance with the move to online banking, being accessible 24 hours of the day. And the same applies in automotive retail.

So, whether it’s paying a bill through your phone, booking your car in for a service with your trusted dealer, or browsing for a new car, the ultimate goal is convenience. At Keyloop we call this “Experience-First” which we use to guide our direction.

How is Fusion helping bridge gaps between vehicle supply, retail demand, and financing processes?

Fusion tools and functionality can be deployed rapidly and securely for organisations of all sizes, even major dealer groups operating in multiple countries and with distribution networks of sites representing a diverse portfolio of vehicle brands. Fusion puts the customer at the heart of all activity, helping retailers deliver positive customer outcomes and amplify revenues through the full purchase and ownership cycle. It also streamlines and automates key processes to reduce operational costs, making businesses more agile.

What advantages does the Fusion platform offer fleet suppliers in managing large-scale vehicle operations?

Keyloop pulls from more than 9,000 OEM integrations to help facilitate a connected user and customer journey. Fleet suppliers can either select the elements of the Fusion ARP that best meet their requirements or introduce the full platform across the entire business.

Our intelligent inventory and asset risk management tools provide a single source of truth, enabling more proactive and strategic decision-making when it comes to vehicle supply, pricing and advertising. Whether you’re managing new, used, pipeline or fleet vehicles, our technology gives you the insights and tools to keep stock moving, profitably. The outcomes? Maximised vehicle visibility, faster stock turn, greater profit per day and reduced advertising spend.

Reducing days in stock starts with having complete visibility of every vehicle in your ecosystem. Keyloop’s Vehicle Hub allows fleet providers to centrally manage all stock, providing a consistent, up-to-date view of vehicles and more importantly vehicle status across all sales channels and teams. Regardless of the sales models they follow, this data clarity helps them act quickly and with confidence. What’s more, tools like Keyloop’s Fleetbase streamlines complex order processes that can be often fragmented, bringing everything into one simplified flow. It’s a unified approach that saves time and helps turn stock faster.

How is Keyloop adapting its platform to support the unique sales cycles of EVs and hybrids?

Fusion accommodates all vehicles but recognises the lesser impact of EVs on the aftersales journey. The platform creates efficiencies elsewhere to help make up the shortfall and to focus on adding other valuable services. We also offer the ability to search for charging points via our front-end ecommerce websites, working with integration partners to offer greater awareness of EVs and the different makes, models and battery types available to consumers.

How are regulatory changes around data privacy impacting automotive retail platforms?

As guidelines evolve, the automotive industry is facing heightened responsibility when it comes to data handling and consumer transparency. Regulatory changes concerning data privacy are inevitably shaping new motor retail technologies.

At Keyloop, we prioritise robust data protection methods and seamless integration of our solutions. This ensures regulatory compliance is always met, enabling dealerships to navigate the evolving complexities of the regulatory landscape, while continuing to deliver exceptional customer service.

How do you see the role of physical dealerships evolving over the next decade?

For many, a car is one of the biggest purchases they’ll ever make, so offering an exemplary experience is crucial and a core Fusion value. Retailers know that the conventional dealership showroom model needs to evolve, and they are gradually shifting towards experience centres, with less stock on site and more immersive technology available for visitors. The industry is already offering customers in-store visualisation and car-building technology, so augmented reality isn’t far off.

Rather than managing four walls and focusing on closing sales, retailers are beginning to manage an ecosystem and build strong, retainable customer relationships online and offline – all made possible thanks to the cohesive management of data and the integration of customer-first technology such as Fusion.

From a Canadian startup to a key player in the global financial evolution

Bridging Two Worlds

While many were retreating from crypto in 2018, three friends with deep roots in capital markets saw something others missed: the foundations of a new financial system taking shape. They founded Aquanow with a bold vision—to build the infrastructure connecting traditional markets with the digital asset frontier.

“Before Aquanow, I was trading equities, focused on the intersection of technology and markets,” says CEO Phil Sham. “We saw early that crypto wasn’t a fad—it was a new asset class where the best parts of finance could be reimagined.”

What sets Aquanow apart is the team’s ability to empathise with clients. “Coming from traditional finance gave us a unique perspective,” explains Sham. “We understood the stringent requirements financial institutions face—from regulatory compliance to risk management. But we were also immersed in blockchain’s innovative potential. This dual expertise allowed us to build bridges between these worlds in a way that pure crypto natives or traditional finance veterans couldn’t achieve alone.”

From Liquidity Provider to Global Infrastructure

Fast forward to 2025, and Aquanow has transformed into a leading financial infrastructure provider with over 120 employees, powering digital asset services for over 300 institutional clients across 50 countries and processing billions in monthly volume.

Today, the company’s comprehensive service offerings are comprised of four essential building blocks:

• Trade: Advanced trading infrastructure with deep liquidity pools and low-latency execution
• Pay: Solutions that allow businesses to accept and process digital asset payments
• Send: Secure and efficient cryptocurrency transfers across platforms and regions
• Hold: Institutional-grade custody services ensuring maximum security and compliance

This evolution has positioned Aquanow at the center of institutional crypto adoption—particularly in regions embracing digital asset innovation, like the Middle East.

A Foundation of Trust

“When a bank with millions of customers decides to offer crypto services, they’re essentially extending their trust to us,” explains Sham. “We take that responsibility incredibly seriously. Our systems are designed with multiple layers of redundancy, sophisticated security protocols, and rigorous testing methodologies familiar to any enterprise IT department.”

Aquanow’s technology stack features advanced encryption, real-time monitoring systems, and advanced anomaly detection capabilities. The company maintains 99.99% uptime across its core services, with automated failover mechanisms that detect and respond to potential disruptions before they impact end users.

“Compliance isn’t an afterthought for us—it’s built into our DNA,” Sham emphasizes. “From day one, we’ve designed our systems with regulatory requirements in mind, working closely with authorities across multiple jurisdictions to ensure our infrastructure meets or exceeds their standards.”

This proactive approach has been particularly valuable in the Middle East, where authorities are crafting thoughtful frameworks to govern digital assets. Aquanow maintains a dedicated compliance team that continuously monitors regulatory developments worldwide, embedding controls directly into its infrastructure—from robust KYC/AML procedures to real-time transaction monitoring.

The UAE: A Strategic Focus for Growth

Among Aquanow’s global expansion efforts, the United Arab Emirates and wider MENA region have emerged as a particular focus. The region’s progressive regulatory environment and growing interest in digital assets have created fertile ground for innovation.

“Around six years ago, we started expanding internationally, targeting markets with regulatory clarity and strong consumer demand. The UAE checked both boxes,” Sham notes. “I came here about four years ago to begin the licensing process, and since then, we’ve made significant progress.”

That progress culminated in February 2024 when Aquanow received a comprehensive Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)—one of the most extensive awarded to a VASP in Dubai to date.

“Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority has played a significant role,” Sham explains. “They’ve proactively created a responsible oversight framework that allows innovative crypto concepts to become a reality. That clarity and openness have made it easier for companies like ours to build here.”

Powering Emirates NBD’s Crypto Journey

Perhaps the clearest sign of Aquanow’s growing influence is its landmark partnership with Emirates NBD, one of the Middle East’s largest banking groups with approximately $271 billion in assets.

Announced in early 2025, the collaboration enables Emirates NBD’s digital bank, Liv, to offer cryptocurrency trading through its Liv X mobile app—bringing digital asset access to a broad retail audience via a trusted banking platform.

“This partnership enables millions of users to buy and sell crypto like they access other financial services,” says Sham. “With that infrastructure in place, we can start layering on more services—tokenization, payments, cross-border transfers—all the things that blockchain promises but requires a solid foundation to deliver.”

What makes this collaboration particularly significant is Emirates NBD’s century-long history of serving customers in the region. The bank has spent decades building trust with its client base—trust that it’s now extending to digital assets through Aquanow’s infrastructure.

“When we partner with institutions like Emirates NBD, we recognize that they’re entrusting us with relationships they’ve cultivated over generations,” explains Sham. “That’s a profound responsibility. Our infrastructure has to be absolutely bulletproof, because we’re not just supporting a new product—we’re supporting the bank’s reputation and the trust their customers place in them.”

Enabling Crypto Payments in the UAE

While trading is often the first step for institutions entering the digital asset space, Aquanow’s work increasingly focuses on other sources of utility. In February 2025, the company partnered with Hubpay—a leading UAE-based cross-border payments platform—to launch the country’s first fully regulated crypto payment gateway tailored for businesses and SMEs.

The solution enables merchants across industries to accept cryptocurrency alongside traditional fiat, while addressing a major barrier to adoption: volatility.

“Volatility has always been a core concern for businesses considering crypto,” says Sham. “The key is giving them flexibility. Most of our clients aren’t trying to speculate—they want to offer customers the option to pay in digital assets while managing their treasury in fiat.”

Aquanow’s infrastructure supports instant conversion, allowing merchants to settle in either crypto or fiat at the point of transaction. “For example, a real estate developer in Dubai might accept USDC for a property but settle in AED,” Sham explains. “Our job is to remove exchange rate risk and operational friction so businesses can focus on what they do best.”

The Collaboration Ethos

Aquanow operates on the belief that advancing financial services requires close collaboration with existing institutions. The goal is to expand their capabilities while maintaining the trust they’ve built over decades.

“We don’t see ourselves as disrupting traditional finance,” Sham explains. “We see ourselves as enhancing it—providing infrastructure that allows institutions to embrace new technology while staying true to their core values.”

This mindset shapes how Aquanow approaches partnerships. Instead of imposing a one-size-fits-all solution, the team collaborates with each partner to understand their unique needs, constraints, and goals.

“Every institution we work with has its own history, client base, and strategy,” says Sham. “Our role is to provide flexible infrastructure that adapts to their context—not the other way around.”

That same spirit carries through to regulatory engagement. Aquanow works closely with policymakers across jurisdictions, sharing insights to help shape clear, workable frameworks for digital assets, while accounting for regional nuance.

Expanding Access
As Aquanow expands in the Middle East, CEO Phil Sham sees the company’s role as foundational: enabling access, liquidity, and movement across the digital asset economy.

“At its core, crypto is about distribution,” he says. “People need the ability to on-ramp and off-ramp between fiat and crypto. Once that’s solved, everything else—from tokenized assets to borderless payments—becomes possible.”

This vision aligns with the UAE’s ambition to become a global hub for digital finance. Regulatory clarity and rising institutional interest have created a fertile environment—one Aquanow is helping to catalyze.

“Every time a traditional distributor enters the space, they bring thousands—sometimes millions—of users with them,” Sham notes. “That’s where the network effects start. If a fintech in the UAE enables crypto trading and one in the Philippines does the same, we can power remittances between them.”

With large expatriate populations relying on cross-border transfers, the impact is tangible. By reducing cost and complexity, Aquanow’s infrastructure aims to lower friction and expand access to financial services across the region.

The Invisible Infrastructure

As Aquanow continues to expand, the company is guided by a somewhat counterintuitive measure of success: invisibility. The most effective infrastructure, in Aquanow’s view, is infrastructure that users don’t even notice—technology that works so seamlessly that it fades into the background.

“Our ultimate goal is to make the underlying complexity of blockchain technology invisible to end users,” explains Sham. “When someone sends money to family overseas, they shouldn’t need to understand blockchain consensus mechanisms. They should just know that the money arrived instantly, at minimal cost, and with complete security.”

This philosophy shapes how Aquanow designs its solutions. The company focuses relentlessly on user experience, working with its institutional partners to create interfaces that feel familiar and intuitive, even as they leverage the revolutionary capabilities of blockchain technology.

“Traditional fintech wallets and crypto wallets are converging,” Sham observes. “In the future, people won’t need to know they’re using crypto to send money—they’ll just know it works. That’s the direction we’re heading in.”

A Foundation for the Future

Aquanow, once a startup navigating difficult market conditions, has proven its long-term commitment to reshaping financial infrastructure. Through the development of enterprise-grade technology, embedded compliance, and deep institutional collaboration, the company has positioned itself as a key enabler of financial innovation—particularly in markets like the UAE, where trust and transformation go hand in hand.

“The businesses that succeed will be those that move early, build the right partnerships, and stay agile as the regulatory and technological landscape evolves,” says Sham. “We’re proud to provide the infrastructure that makes that possible—secure, compliant systems that let institutions explore digital assets without compromising their core values.”

As the UAE cements its role as a global digital asset hub, Aquanow is helping to turn ambition into execution—bridging the gap between today’s financial system and tomorrow’s possibilities.

As data becomes the lifeblood of modern organizations, Qlik’s agnostic platform spanning data integration, quality, analytics, and AI/ML enables enterprises to make smarter, faster decisions, no matter where their data resides. We spoke with James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik, about how the company is helping businesses unlock AI’s full potential globally, while deepening its commitment to the UAE with the launch of Qlik Cloud on AWS bringing speed, sovereignty, and strategic growth to the region.

You’ve been in the industry for over 30 years. What is it about this moment in data and AI that really excites you, especially here in the UAE?

I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years, started out at PwC, spent nearly a decade at SAP, and then joined Qlik. Honestly, I’ve never seen a more exciting time for data, analytics, and AI. The pace of innovation is incredible, and what really stands out is how committed governments and organizations— especially in the UAE—are to tapping into AI’s full potential. From big public initiatives to a thriving startup scene, there’s real momentum, and Qlik is right at the center of it all.

You wear many hats at Qlik—what does a typical day look like for you?

My role is about making sure our customers get real value from their data—using analytics and AI to drive meaningful outcomes. As Chief Strategy Officer, I help shape Qlik’s vision, build the right partnerships, and steer our growth strategy across areas like products, M&A, and even broader priorities like sustainability and diversity. I also spend a lot of time keeping up with market trends. It’s a busy role, but what I enjoy most is how cross-functional it is—it lets me connect innovation with real business needs.

Qlik’s mission is to help customers ‘do data differently.’ Can you unpack what that means in practice—and how your strategy role helps turn that vision into impact?

Our mission is to help customers get the most out of their data to tackle big, real-world challenges. When we say, ‘do data differently,’ we mean rethinking how data—structured or unstructured—is accessed and used, wherever it lives. On the strategy side, I work closely with our product teams to stay ahead of market trends, and with our services and customer success teams to ensure we’re truly partnering with clients. And that collaboration mindset is something I truly value—it makes Qlik feel like a trusted advisor, not just a vendor.

How do you ensure that your global capabilities align with the specific needs of markets like the UAE?

For Qlik, adaptability is key. We really focus on listening— whether it’s to our customers, partners, or the broader market. In the UAE, we’ve been active for years and have a solid customer base, which gives us valuable insights into regional needs. We also set up a global AI Council, including a member based here, who works closely with local companies and government entities. This helps us adapt our global strengths to deliver real, local value. It’s not just about the product—it’s about how we approach the market, offer training, and engage with the community to reflect local nuances.

With major shifts happening in analytics and data integration, particularly the surge in AI investments in regions like the UAE, how has Qlik evolved its technology to stay ahead of the curve?

Qlik has been in this space for over 30 years. From the beginning, it was about helping customers turn questions into insights by pairing human curiosity with machine intelligence. That is essentially an AI problem—and it has been core to our platform since day one. Over time, we’ve evolved our technology to be cloud-native on AWS, expanded our data integration capabilities, and made it easier for everyone in an organization, not just analysts, to access insights and take action. In markets like the UAE, where AI investment is booming, we’re in a great position to support that momentum. A key part of our strategy has been democratizing data access so that teams across all departments—sales, marketing, HR, finance, and more—can leverage it, not just analysts.

How does Qlik ensure it supports each organization’s unique data and AI journey without disrupting what’s already in place?

Our approach is simple—we’re here to enable, not disrupt. Every organization is on a different path with different needs, whether that’s industry-specific, company size, or their own pace of digital adoption. That’s why flexibility and openness are a big part of how we operate. We don’t ask customers to start over—we work with what they already have and help them get more out of it. A great example is in highly regulated sectors, where security and hybrid environments are a must. We meet them where they are, and build from there. That’s how we earn trust and become long-term partners.

Organizations are juggling data across cloud, on-prem, and even the edge—how does Qlik stay flexible enough to handle all that?

Data today is vast and varied. For years, most analytics solutions focused only on structured data; but about 80% of an organization’s data is unstructured. At Qlik, we do both. Our platform allows us to reach data wherever it is—in cloud apps, in on-prem systems, or even at the edge. That openness allows us to solve real-world problems, not just run analytics in silos. And we are not limited by any single cloud provider. Customers can choose what works best for them—AWS, Azure, Google Cloud—and we will be right there with them.

As someone steering strategy at a data and AI company, how do you personally approach using data to guide big decisions—and what advice would you give to leaders trying to cut through the AI hype?

As Chief Strategy Officer, I see data as the lifeblood of any organization, it’s behind every smart decision we make. At Qlik, we use our own analytics and AI technology to shape our strategies. We build a team with the capability to understand what problems we want to address the right use cases we want to drive, and what data we need to get there—and then making sure we can actually access that data. My biggest piece of advice? Don’t get swept up in the AI hype. Start with a real business problem. Then ask: what data will help me solve this, and how do I get it? Strategy isn’t something you set and forget. The best strategy leaders are the ones who stay humble, curious, and ready to pivot.

What recent launch or initiative is Qlik most excited about in the UAE?

We are announcing the availability of Qlik Cloud on AWS in the UAE. This is a big milestone. It enables innovation and AI-driven value while ensuring robust data sovereignty— customer data stays within the country’s borders. It also boosts performance and latency for applications running locally. This is a major step in helping our clients generate real-time insights and act on them with confidence.

What long-term plans does Qlik have for the region?

We are here for the long run. We are often asked, “Where will Qlik be in five years?” And the answer is simple, we will be right here, growing with our customers. We are expanding our partner network, building up our regional team, and investing in training and enablement. We have only just scratched the surface of what AI can offer, and we are committed to helping customers realize that potential through long-term partnerships. As the region continues its digital transformation, we want to be a steady, trusted enabler—helping organizations turn complexity into clarity.