- Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the deployment marks e&'s move beyond traditional chatbots to enterprise-grade agentic AI.
- Powered by IBM watsonx Orchestrate, agentic AI is embedded into mission-critical governance and compliance systems across e&.
DAVOS, Switzerland and DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global technology group e& and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a strategic collaboration to advance towards an enterprise-grade agentic AI foundation at e&, starting with policy, risk, and compliance. Unveiled at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the initiative reflects e&'s move beyond traditional natural language processing (NLP)-based chatbots toward governed, action-oriented AI embedded in core enterprise systems.
e& and IBM have introduced an agentic AI solution built on IBM watsonx Orchestrate – a product offering more than 500 tools and customizable, domain-specific agents from IBM and its partners – to help employees and auditors quickly access and interpret legal, regulatory, and compliance information. Integrated with IBM OpenPages and the broader watsonx portfolio, the solution delivers clear, traceable responses aligned with enterprise governance requirements.
A joint proof of concept delivered by IBM, GBM (Gulf Business Machines) and e& within eight weeks demonstrated how agentic AI can operate at enterprise scale under real-world conditions.
IBM's Client Engineering team led the design and integration of the agentic AI solution, with GBM supporting delivery through project coordination and deep familiarity with e&'s OpenPages and watsonx Assistant environment. The work showcased AI capabilities that move beyond traditional question-and-answer tools, enabling reasoning and action while remaining aligned with e&'s governance, risk, and compliance framework.
"Our ambition is to move beyond isolated AI use cases toward enterprise-scale agentic AI that is trusted, governed, and deeply integrated into how the organization operates," said Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, e&. "By collaborating with IBM, we are embedding intelligence directly into our risk and compliance processes, enabling faster decisions, consistent policy interpretation, and a foundation for broader agentic AI adoption across the enterprise."
IBM watsonx Orchestrate enables agentic AI that goes beyond chat-based interactions, allowing AI agents to reason, orchestrate tasks, and integrate with enterprise systems under governance controls. For e&, it provides a foundation for trusted, explainable AI that can scale across compliance and other enterprise domains. It helps to streamline compliance tasks, reduce response times, and enable 24/7 self-service access across the organization.
The initiative also aligns natively with watsonx.governance, already in use at e&, providing a strong foundation for AI governance, explainability, and compliance by design. By embedding agentic AI directly into the OpenPages governance, risk, and compliance platform, this represents one of the early enterprise-grade agentic AI implementations in the region, demonstrating how AI can support trusted, human-led decision-making under regulatory and operational requirements.
The deployment also demonstrates the flexibility of IBM's AI and model gateway approach, enabling large language models to run across hybrid environments, including customer-managed infrastructure, while remaining governed under enterprise controls.
"As organizations move from experimenting with AI to embedding it into the fabric of how they operate, governance and accountability become just as important as intelligence," said Ana Paula Assis, SVP and Chair for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, IBM. "Through our collaboration with e&, this proof of concept intends to demonstrate how agentic AI can be designed and validated for enterprise-scale use, deeply integrated into core systems, governed by design, and trusted to support human-led decisions and outcomes."
This collaboration marks an important milestone in e&'s enterprise AI journey, establishing a scalable and governed foundation for agentic AI adoption across the organization. By embedding action-oriented AI directly into core governance and compliance workflows, e& is reinforcing its commitment to responsible innovation and setting a new benchmark for trusted, enterprise-grade agentic AI in the region.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.
Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
About e&
e& is a global technology group committed to advancing the digital future across markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. With the group's financial performance in 2024 showing a consolidated revenue of AED 59.2 billion and a net profit of AED 10.8 billion, e& continues to maintain its position as a financial powerhouse, reflected by its strong credit rating and solid balance sheet.
Founded in Abu Dhabi over 48 years ago, e& has evolved from a telecom pioneer into a technology group. Its footprint now spans 38 countries, offering a comprehensive portfolio of innovative digital services ranging from advanced connectivity, entertainment, streaming and financial services to AI-powered solutions, cloud computing, ICT, cybersecurity and IoT platforms.
The Group is structured around five core business pillars: e& UAE, e& international, e& life, e& enterprise and e& capital, each catering to distinct customer and market needs. These pillars empower e& to lead in various sectors, from telecom and digital lifestyle to enterprise services and venture investments. The ongoing strategic investments in AI, IoT, 5G and cloud services reinforce its leadership in the global technology landscape, driving the future of smart connectivity and innovation.
Driven by innovation, sustainability and a commitment to digital empowerment, e& is set on creating a smarter, more connected future for individuals, businesses and communities.
To learn more about e&, visit eand.com.
Media contact:
Sherry Italia
IBM
Sherry.Italia@ibm.com
DAVOS, Switzerland and DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global technology group e& and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a strategic collaboration to advance towards an enterprise-grade agentic AI foundation at e&, starting with policy, risk, and compliance. Unveiled at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the initiative reflects e&'s move beyond traditional natural language processing (NLP)-based chatbots toward governed, action-oriented AI embedded in core enterprise systems.
e& and IBM have introduced an agentic AI solution built on IBM watsonx Orchestrate – a product offering more than 500 tools and customizable, domain-specific agents from IBM and its partners – to help employees and auditors quickly access and interpret legal, regulatory, and compliance information. Integrated with IBM OpenPages and the broader watsonx portfolio, the solution delivers clear, traceable responses aligned with enterprise governance requirements.
A joint proof of concept delivered by IBM, GBM (Gulf Business Machines) and e& within eight weeks demonstrated how agentic AI can operate at enterprise scale under real-world conditions.
IBM's Client Engineering team led the design and integration of the agentic AI solution, with GBM supporting delivery through project coordination and deep familiarity with e&'s OpenPages and watsonx Assistant environment. The work showcased AI capabilities that move beyond traditional question-and-answer tools, enabling reasoning and action while remaining aligned with e&'s governance, risk, and compliance framework.
"Our ambition is to move beyond isolated AI use cases toward enterprise-scale agentic AI that is trusted, governed, and deeply integrated into how the organization operates," said Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, e&. "By collaborating with IBM, we are embedding intelligence directly into our risk and compliance processes, enabling faster decisions, consistent policy interpretation, and a foundation for broader agentic AI adoption across the enterprise."
IBM watsonx Orchestrate enables agentic AI that goes beyond chat-based interactions, allowing AI agents to reason, orchestrate tasks, and integrate with enterprise systems under governance controls. For e&, it provides a foundation for trusted, explainable AI that can scale across compliance and other enterprise domains. It helps to streamline compliance tasks, reduce response times, and enable 24/7 self-service access across the organization.
The initiative also aligns natively with watsonx.governance, already in use at e&, providing a strong foundation for AI governance, explainability, and compliance by design. By embedding agentic AI directly into the OpenPages governance, risk, and compliance platform, this represents one of the early enterprise-grade agentic AI implementations in the region, demonstrating how AI can support trusted, human-led decision-making under regulatory and operational requirements.
The deployment also demonstrates the flexibility of IBM's AI and model gateway approach, enabling large language models to run across hybrid environments, including customer-managed infrastructure, while remaining governed under enterprise controls.
"As organizations move from experimenting with AI to embedding it into the fabric of how they operate, governance and accountability become just as important as intelligence," said Ana Paula Assis, SVP and Chair for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, IBM. "Through our collaboration with e&, this proof of concept intends to demonstrate how agentic AI can be designed and validated for enterprise-scale use, deeply integrated into core systems, governed by design, and trusted to support human-led decisions and outcomes."
This collaboration marks an important milestone in e&'s enterprise AI journey, establishing a scalable and governed foundation for agentic AI adoption across the organization. By embedding action-oriented AI directly into core governance and compliance workflows, e& is reinforcing its commitment to responsible innovation and setting a new benchmark for trusted, enterprise-grade agentic AI in the region.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.
Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
About e&
e& is a global technology group committed to advancing the digital future across markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. With the group's financial performance in 2024 showing a consolidated revenue of AED 59.2 billion and a net profit of AED 10.8 billion, e& continues to maintain its position as a financial powerhouse, reflected by its strong credit rating and solid balance sheet.
Founded in Abu Dhabi over 48 years ago, e& has evolved from a telecom pioneer into a technology group. Its footprint now spans 38 countries, offering a comprehensive portfolio of innovative digital services ranging from advanced connectivity, entertainment, streaming and financial services to AI-powered solutions, cloud computing, ICT, cybersecurity and IoT platforms.
The Group is structured around five core business pillars: e& UAE, e& international, e& life, e& enterprise and e& capital, each catering to distinct customer and market needs. These pillars empower e& to lead in various sectors, from telecom and digital lifestyle to enterprise services and venture investments. The ongoing strategic investments in AI, IoT, 5G and cloud services reinforce its leadership in the global technology landscape, driving the future of smart connectivity and innovation.
Driven by innovation, sustainability and a commitment to digital empowerment, e& is set on creating a smarter, more connected future for individuals, businesses and communities.
To learn more about e&, visit eand.com.
Media contact:
Sherry Italia
IBM
Sherry.Italia@ibm.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
e& and IBM Unveil Enterprise-Grade Agentic AI to Transform Governance and Compliance
e& and IBM Unveil Enterprise-Grade Agentic AI to Transform Governance and Compliance
- Leveraging Meta's technologies, WhatsApp is transformed into a pivotal business tool that engages customers across their entire lifecycle, converting initial interest into qualified leads and direct purchases while maximising ROI.
- Enabling seamless integration of third-party AI, Omnichat grants clients the ultimate flexibility to build a truly customised AI workforce on WhatsApp, establishing a complete social CRM and accelerating their digital transformation.
- Maxim's Group deployed a seamless "conversation-to-commerce" journey on WhatsApp, directly driving significant business growth and enhancing customer experience by leveraging the platform's convenience and cost-effective nature.
- MEDILASE bridged the online-to-offline (O2O) gap using a series of automated WhatsApp appointment booking flows, thereby increasing revenue and simultaneously driving new subscriber acquisition through interactive games.
HONG KONG, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnichat, a leading omnichannel AI customer experience platform offering conversational commerce solutions, recently hosted a highly scalable conference titled "Social CRM and AI". Industry experts from the global social media giant Meta, well-known F&B group Maxim's Hong Kong and the pioneering medical aesthetic provider MEDILASE, shared insights on the evolution of WhatsApp into a sophisticated platform for social CRM and conversational commerce, designed to deliver more personalised and connected customer experiences.
 
Meta x Maxim's x MEDILASE x Omnichat: Future Commerce Summit
Omnichat, a Meta WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, announced the launch of its Omni AI Agent Studio at the event. This new studio builds upon Omnichat's powerful native AI agents, including AI Customer Service Agent, AI Marketing Campaign Agent and AI Shopping Agent, which already provide extensive capabilities across the entire customer journey. The platform facilitates the seamless integration of these custom-built agents into any conversational workflow. Alan Chan, Founder and CEO of Omnichat, elaborated, "This launch signifies a pivotal moment in our commitment to democratising Agentic AI for businesses. When coupled with our advanced WhatsApp functionalities, including our Social Data Customer Platform and comprehensive WhatsApp loyalty program, our objective is to empower businesses to forge a powerful social CRM." This enables businesses to consolidate customer profiles, conduct omnichannel customer analysis with conversational data across CRM and all social channels, and ultimately deliver highly engaging experiences precisely aligned with customer behaviour throughout the complete customer lifecycle.
The role of social messaging in the customer journey has fundamentally evolved, shifting from a simple support function to an integral part of the entire commerce experience. According to recent research by Kantar, 71% of Hong Kong consumers message a business via WhatsApp at least once a week. Silvie Lam, Business Director, Greater China at Meta, explained that consumer expectations have moved far beyond basic enquiries. "Customers no longer just expect WhatsApp to be a customer service channel," Lam shared. "They now expect to be able to reach out to a brand via a messaging app immediately after discovering it through social ads." Lam further elaborated on how Meta's technologies are specifically designed to meet these new expectations, capture high-value sales moments and foster deeper, more profitable customer connections. Businesses can now manage and optimise the end-to-end customer journey by leveraging a powerful suite of tools within the WhatsApp ecosystem, such as Ads that Click to WhatsApp, Website-to-WhatsApp ads, WhatsApp Catalog, and WhatsApp Flows, eventually achieving omnichannel success.
Maxim's Group has successfully engineered WhatsApp into a high-performing e-commerce channel to complement and expand the reach of its popular Eatizen membership app. By implementing Omnichat's solutions, enhanced by Omni AI, Maxim's leverages WhatsApp to engage both existing Eatizen members and new customers. The platform streamlines daily operations with intelligent chatbots while strategically driving sales through targeted, AI-segmented broadcast promotions. Eileen Tang, Head of Digital Business of Maxim's Caterers Limited, highlighted a landmark transactional success from their recent Mid-Autumn Festival seasonal sales. "We established a comprehensive, end-to-end WhatsApp buying journey," Tang stated. "The results were immediate and profound, achieving a 2-3x higher Average Transaction Value compared to our traditional online marketplace channels." Tang attributed this significant financial uplift to two core advantages. First, it offered a truly frictionless customer experience which allowed them to capture sales from a wider audience by empowering customers to order and pay directly within WhatsApp. Second, the approach was remarkably cost-effective, enabling Maxim's Group to avoid the high costs associated with building complex new features within their existing app ecosystem. Maxim's Group is now actively scaling its WhatsApp commerce strategy, positioning the channel as a key pillar for future business growth and deeper customer engagement in the digital-first era.
MEDILASE, an aesthetic beauty brand, has integrated online and offline experiences by utilising Omnichat's WhatsApp API solutions. The company has automated critical touchpoints, including initial customer inquiries and key booking flows, such as treatment reminders and appointment confirmations, all delivered directly within WhatsApp. Omnichat's centralised management platform has unified the workflows of our marketing, customer service, and sales teams, strengthening cross-departmental collaboration throughout the entire customer lifecycle. KC Ng, CEO of MEDILASE, explained the platform's operational impact, "By leveraging the WhatsApp API solution, we've deployed 24/7 chatbots and achieved seamless cross-team collaboration, significantly elevating our service standards and operational transparency. Moreover, our chatbots systematically identify and anticipate customer needs, enabling staff to deliver higher-quality consultations that match each client with the right beauty treatment. This approach directly supports our core business goals, driving improvements in conversion and show-up rates." He also specifically shared results from a recent campaign: "Approximately 40% of our customers participated in an interactive WhatsApp game, which successfully resulted in a 5% conversion rate." MEDILASE aims to utilise Omnichat to enhance workforce efficiency, enabling our team to devote greater attention to specialised consultation and tailoring each beauty journey to the client's unique needs.
The collaboration between Meta, Maxim's Group, MEDILASE, and Omnichat at this event marks a pivotal moment for the future of customer engagement in Asia. The powerful case studies presented, powered by Omnichat's solutions, combined with Meta's strategic vision for WhatsApp to deliver a unified message: the integration of commerce and conversation is no longer a future concept but a present-day imperative for any brand seeking a definitive competitive edge.
About Omnichat Limited
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hong Kong, Omnichat is a leading provider of AI-powered conversational commerce solutions for the Asia-Pacific region. Uniquely positioned as the sole Meta Business Partner and LINE Biz-Solutions Tech Partner in APAC with integrated WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, LINE, WeChat, and KakaoTalk capabilities, Omnichat empowers brands to centralise communications, deliver personalised experiences, and drive digital transformation across their operations. Over 5,000 brands, including international retailers and enterprises, leverage Omnichat to optimise their customer journeys.
Website: https://www.omnichat.ai/
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/85291925071/?text=EnquiryForWhatsApp
LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/omnichat-easychat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmnichatAI
For media enquiries, please contact:
Omnichat Limited
Lily Yeung
Regional Vice President of Communications
Tel: (852) 9803 5977
Email: lily.yeung@omnichat.ai
Macy Chun
Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 6234 9555
Email: macy.chun@omnichat.ai
HONG KONG, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnichat, a leading omnichannel AI customer experience platform offering conversational commerce solutions, recently hosted a highly scalable conference titled "Social CRM and AI". Industry experts from the global social media giant Meta, well-known F&B group Maxim's Hong Kong and the pioneering medical aesthetic provider MEDILASE, shared insights on the evolution of WhatsApp into a sophisticated platform for social CRM and conversational commerce, designed to deliver more personalised and connected customer experiences.
 
Meta x Maxim's x MEDILASE x Omnichat: Future Commerce Summit
Omnichat, a Meta WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, announced the launch of its Omni AI Agent Studio at the event. This new studio builds upon Omnichat's powerful native AI agents, including AI Customer Service Agent, AI Marketing Campaign Agent and AI Shopping Agent, which already provide extensive capabilities across the entire customer journey. The platform facilitates the seamless integration of these custom-built agents into any conversational workflow. Alan Chan, Founder and CEO of Omnichat, elaborated, "This launch signifies a pivotal moment in our commitment to democratising Agentic AI for businesses. When coupled with our advanced WhatsApp functionalities, including our Social Data Customer Platform and comprehensive WhatsApp loyalty program, our objective is to empower businesses to forge a powerful social CRM." This enables businesses to consolidate customer profiles, conduct omnichannel customer analysis with conversational data across CRM and all social channels, and ultimately deliver highly engaging experiences precisely aligned with customer behaviour throughout the complete customer lifecycle.
The role of social messaging in the customer journey has fundamentally evolved, shifting from a simple support function to an integral part of the entire commerce experience. According to recent research by Kantar, 71% of Hong Kong consumers message a business via WhatsApp at least once a week. Silvie Lam, Business Director, Greater China at Meta, explained that consumer expectations have moved far beyond basic enquiries. "Customers no longer just expect WhatsApp to be a customer service channel," Lam shared. "They now expect to be able to reach out to a brand via a messaging app immediately after discovering it through social ads." Lam further elaborated on how Meta's technologies are specifically designed to meet these new expectations, capture high-value sales moments and foster deeper, more profitable customer connections. Businesses can now manage and optimise the end-to-end customer journey by leveraging a powerful suite of tools within the WhatsApp ecosystem, such as Ads that Click to WhatsApp, Website-to-WhatsApp ads, WhatsApp Catalog, and WhatsApp Flows, eventually achieving omnichannel success.
Maxim's Group has successfully engineered WhatsApp into a high-performing e-commerce channel to complement and expand the reach of its popular Eatizen membership app. By implementing Omnichat's solutions, enhanced by Omni AI, Maxim's leverages WhatsApp to engage both existing Eatizen members and new customers. The platform streamlines daily operations with intelligent chatbots while strategically driving sales through targeted, AI-segmented broadcast promotions. Eileen Tang, Head of Digital Business of Maxim's Caterers Limited, highlighted a landmark transactional success from their recent Mid-Autumn Festival seasonal sales. "We established a comprehensive, end-to-end WhatsApp buying journey," Tang stated. "The results were immediate and profound, achieving a 2-3x higher Average Transaction Value compared to our traditional online marketplace channels." Tang attributed this significant financial uplift to two core advantages. First, it offered a truly frictionless customer experience which allowed them to capture sales from a wider audience by empowering customers to order and pay directly within WhatsApp. Second, the approach was remarkably cost-effective, enabling Maxim's Group to avoid the high costs associated with building complex new features within their existing app ecosystem. Maxim's Group is now actively scaling its WhatsApp commerce strategy, positioning the channel as a key pillar for future business growth and deeper customer engagement in the digital-first era.
MEDILASE, an aesthetic beauty brand, has integrated online and offline experiences by utilising Omnichat's WhatsApp API solutions. The company has automated critical touchpoints, including initial customer inquiries and key booking flows, such as treatment reminders and appointment confirmations, all delivered directly within WhatsApp. Omnichat's centralised management platform has unified the workflows of our marketing, customer service, and sales teams, strengthening cross-departmental collaboration throughout the entire customer lifecycle. KC Ng, CEO of MEDILASE, explained the platform's operational impact, "By leveraging the WhatsApp API solution, we've deployed 24/7 chatbots and achieved seamless cross-team collaboration, significantly elevating our service standards and operational transparency. Moreover, our chatbots systematically identify and anticipate customer needs, enabling staff to deliver higher-quality consultations that match each client with the right beauty treatment. This approach directly supports our core business goals, driving improvements in conversion and show-up rates." He also specifically shared results from a recent campaign: "Approximately 40% of our customers participated in an interactive WhatsApp game, which successfully resulted in a 5% conversion rate." MEDILASE aims to utilise Omnichat to enhance workforce efficiency, enabling our team to devote greater attention to specialised consultation and tailoring each beauty journey to the client's unique needs.
The collaboration between Meta, Maxim's Group, MEDILASE, and Omnichat at this event marks a pivotal moment for the future of customer engagement in Asia. The powerful case studies presented, powered by Omnichat's solutions, combined with Meta's strategic vision for WhatsApp to deliver a unified message: the integration of commerce and conversation is no longer a future concept but a present-day imperative for any brand seeking a definitive competitive edge.
About Omnichat Limited
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hong Kong, Omnichat is a leading provider of AI-powered conversational commerce solutions for the Asia-Pacific region. Uniquely positioned as the sole Meta Business Partner and LINE Biz-Solutions Tech Partner in APAC with integrated WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, LINE, WeChat, and KakaoTalk capabilities, Omnichat empowers brands to centralise communications, deliver personalised experiences, and drive digital transformation across their operations. Over 5,000 brands, including international retailers and enterprises, leverage Omnichat to optimise their customer journeys.
Website: https://www.omnichat.ai/
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/85291925071/?text=EnquiryForWhatsApp
LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/omnichat-easychat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmnichatAI
For media enquiries, please contact:
Omnichat Limited
Lily Yeung
Regional Vice President of Communications
Tel: (852) 9803 5977
Email: lily.yeung@omnichat.ai
Macy Chun
Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 6234 9555
Email: macy.chun@omnichat.ai
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Meta, Maxim's Group, MEDILASE, and Omnichat Showcased Strategic Use of WhatsApp for Social CRM and Conversational AI
