The thesis
Most AI deployments in regulated finance enforce data policies inside the cloud, after the data has already left the institution. ZeroH Disclosure inverts that sequence: the institution’s policy is applied at the prompt boundary, on the user’s device, before any data reaches an external AI service. Each disclosure produces a cryptographic record stamped inside the institution’s sovereign region. Management, Shariah boards, auditors, and regulators can independently verify what was disclosed, to whom, and under which policy.
Why this matters now
Three forces are converging. Data sovereignty laws (Qatar PDPPL, GDPR, equivalents across the GCC) increasingly require provable in-region processing. Privacy regulations and AI governance frameworks demand evidence that policy was actually applied. And in Islamic finance, Shariah governance requires that compliance is demonstrably followed, not merely claimed. All three demand the same thing: cryptographic proof that institutional policy ran before the data moved.
What we built
ZeroH Disclosure is the patent-pending privacy and proof platform that satisfies all three. It runs the institution’s disclosure policy client-side, masks sensitive fields before they leave the device, sends only the redacted prompt onward to an external AI, and stamps a hash of every disclosure to a permissioned DLT inside the sovereign region. UK patent application GB2604344.8, filed 27 February 2026, covers the cryptographic disclosure architecture.
Building on the Digital Receipt System
The launch builds on Blade Labs’ earlier Digital Receipt System developed with Qatar Financial Centre and Hashgraph. That initiative introduced the core architecture now formalised as ZeroH Disclosure: applying institutional policy to data flows and producing verifiable proof of each action. While the Digital Receipt System demonstrated this approach in a specific use case, it also surfaced a broader requirement across regulated finance — the need to enforce disclosure policy before data reaches external systems. ZeroH Disclosure extends that model into a general platform for governed AI and cloud usage.
The first product on it: Ask Ali
Built on this architecture, Ask Ali operates entirely within the controls its host institution has already approved. It knows what data it is and is not permitted to use, and can prove it. Every action runs against the institution’s policy first and produces audit evidence as a byproduct.
Inside Ali, every answer cites its source (AAOIFI, IFSB, or BNM standard, clause, and version). The four major madhahib (Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali) are presented side by side. Every analysis maps to the five Maqasid al-Shariah objectives. The model never sees raw sensitive data — only redacted tokens.
“Islamic digital banks do not need another AI chatbot. They need a system that turns legal and Shariah requirements into day-to-day operating controls, lets teams use AI responsibly, and gives management, Shariah boards, auditors, and regulators something they can verify. Our technology starts before the cloud. Data does not leave the institution’s control unless the relevant disclosure policy has been applied first, so that institutions can actually use the cloud.”
A pivotal moment for Islamic digital banks
The Islamic digital bank category is at a pivotal moment. Institutions across the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and the UK are at different stages of licensing, and the governance and data infrastructure required by regulators is substantial, whether a licence has been granted or is still being sought.
Before a licence, ZeroH Disclosure supports the data controls, governance documentation, and audit-ready evidence that regulators expect during authorisation. After a licence, it supports continuous compliance reporting and proof that approved policies were applied to every relevant transaction and disclosure. The platform grows with an institution through each regulatory milestone.
Where it ships first
Qatar is the launch jurisdiction, and the choice is deliberate. Qatar National Vision 2030 places digital financial services at the centre of the country’s economic diversification strategy. The solution was developed with support of the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) through the Digital Assets Lab — the QFC’s innovation testing environment for next-generation financial technologies — and the architecture builds directly on the Digital Receipt System POC Blade Labs delivered through the Lab with Hashgraph in September 2025.
“The launch of ZeroH Disclosure by Blade Labs is a strong example of what the QFC Digital Assets Lab is designed to do: provide a robust environment where innovative solutions can be developed, validated, and brought to market with confidence. By enabling the advancement of solutions that unlock the potential of AI and cloud adoption while safeguarding data privacy, we’re enhancing the efficiency, security, and resilience of financial services in Qatar. Initiatives like this reinforce the QFC’s commitment to building a forward-looking financial ecosystem that aligns with global standards and addresses the evolving needs of regulated institutions.”
Beyond Islamic finance
The same disclosure-control architecture applies beyond Islamic finance to any regulated workflow where controlled, verifiable data sharing is a legal or governance requirement, including banking, insurance, healthcare, and legal services.
About Blade Labs
Blade Labs is an AI-native RegTech company building governance, risk, and compliance infrastructure for regulated financial institutions, with a focus on Islamic finance. Its flagship ZeroH platform, along with Ask Ali built on top, helps Islamic digital banks, traditional banks, and regulated institutions turn legal, regulatory, and Shariah requirements into enforceable operational controls, with cryptographic auditability.
ZeroH holds a full Fatwa pronouncement from Amanie Advisors, alongside SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, and GDPR compliance. Blade Labs won the FinoPitch International Grand Prize 2025 and the Islamic Fintech Awards 2025, and holds a UK Patent Pending on its disclosure-control architecture. The company is a Qatar Development Bank and Qatar FinTech Hub portfolio company, registered at the Qatar Financial Centre, active through the QFC Digital Assets Lab, and backed by The Hashgraph Association. Live deployments include a Shariah-compliant agricultural financing system in Bangladesh and a Digital Receipt System POC in Qatar.
What happens next
ZeroH Disclosure enters research preview on 12 May 2026, available first through Ask Ali. The free research preview is open at ali.zeroh.io — sign in with your work email or Google to start. Islamic digital banks, traditional banks, and regulated institutions can request early access, institutional pilots, and enterprise deployments at zeroh.io/ask-ali. The full press kit, media assets, and press release PDF are available at zeroh.io/press/ask-ali-launch.
Media contact: Intesar Haquani, Chief Business Officer, Blade Labs — ints@bladelabs.io