Astra Tech brings Voice Live API in Azure AI Foundry to its fintech-first app

In the United Arab Emirates, few apps are as common as botim, often the first app installed on a new phone and the trusted way for millions of residents to call family and friends across borders. What began as a straightforward voice and messaging service is evolving into a gateway for digital services that touch nearly every part of daily life.

Behind botim is Astra Tech, a fast-growing UAE-based technology group part of G42 that has built one of the region’s most widely used platforms. The company is reshaping botim from a communications tool into a fintech-first service, adding features such as digital wallets, international remittances, and micro-loans. Eight out of 10 smartphone users in the UAE already rely on the app, and Astra Tech regards that as a foundation of trust for expanding into financial services. “botim has become part of daily life in the UAE,” says Frenando Ansari, Lead Product Manager at Astra Tech. “We want to build on that trust to make the platform even more useful for the communities that rely on it.”

That expansion requires more than new features. Many botim users struggle with digital literacy, language differences, or confusing app navigation. Critical steps like verifying identity or locating hidden services can be daunting. To achieve its broader vision, Astra Tech set out to make botim simpler, more intuitive, and more human. The goal was to create an experience that reflects how people actually want to interact with technology.

Adopting a voice-first strategy

For botim, the path to a more intuitive experience was voice. The company recognized that for its users, many of whom were more comfortable speaking than navigating complex menus, conversation was the most natural interface. “Voice removes a lot of complexity, and it’s the most natural way to interact,” explains Ansari. “For users with low digital literacy or language barriers, tapping through traditional interfaces can be difficult. Voice personalizes the experience and makes it accessible in their preferred language.” This insight led Astra Tech to seek out a voice-based AI companion to embed directly into the app, transforming how users engage with everything from calling to financial services.

The company chose the Voice Live API, a new feature in Azure AI Speech from Azure AI Foundry to power this conversational core. The decision hinged on the API’s advanced capabilities and fit within the UAE’s strict regulatory environment. “The Voice Live API acts as a connective tissue for AI-driven conversation across every layer of the app,” says Ansari. “It gives us a standardized framework so different product teams can incorporate voice without needing to hire deep AI expertise.” This accelerated development cycles significantly. More critically, the API’s deployment through Microsoft's cloud infrastructure addressed paramount data sovereignty and security concerns. It also aligns with UAE telecommunications and digital government rules, Central Bank fintech regulations, and international privacy standard, with Azure AI Content Safety providing guardrails for responsible use. “Compliance is a backbone for financial services,” Ansari emphasizes. “Having the Voice Live API service aligned with Central Bank requirements gave us the trust and the speed to build with confidence.”

Creating a new technical foundation for voice assistance

Meng Wang, AI Head at Astra Tech, immediately identified the features that would matter most for botim’s diverse user base. “The most impressive thing about the Voice Live API is the voice activity detection and the noise control algorithm,” he notes. This capability was paramount for users who rely on the app in loud workplaces or crowded homes, where clear voice interaction is a necessity. This technology ensures conversations continue smoothly, accurately detecting when a user has finished speaking even in challenging acoustic environments.

“We created middleware to connect to botim’s services with the Voice Live API, and we use the gpt-realtime model natively available in Voice Live API for its high performance and low latency,” Wang explains. The Voice Live API also incorporates Astra Tech’s proprietary optimizations to maintain call quality even on weak networks or during peak demand. This architecture grants the voice companion, called botim AI, secure access to the app's full range of services.

Together, these elements create a new paradigm for user assistance. The AI now guides users through multi-step processes with a conversational flow. A person can say, “Send money to mom in India,” and the voice assistant manages the steps, only pausing for final confirmation. “For our users, the identity verification process can be done in a more interactive way, a speech-to-speech way,” Wang explains. “This makes it much easier for them to adopt.” This approach is crucial for steps where users traditionally struggle with complex forms and legal terminology.

Transforming user engagement from navigation to conversation

The Voice Live API fundamentally changes how users discover and access services. People who might never explore financial features through menu navigation can now complete complex tasks with simple voice commands. With the Voice Live API, the botim AI assistant guides them through the process, revealing functionality naturally through conversation.

This voice-first approach generates a continuous cycle of improvement. Natural conversations reveal what users want but can’t find. These requests provide direct signals for development priorities, ensuring new features answer actual needs. The Voice Live API's multilingual core supports Astra Tech's expansion strategy, allowing the company to enter new markets with a conversational interface before undertaking complete linguistic localization of the app's text.

The Voice Live API becomes the central nervous system for a new type of digital interaction, repositioning botim from a static utility into an intelligent, evolving guide for millions of users. The technology transforms everyday tasks into natural conversations, making advanced digital services accessible to everyone regardless of language or technical skill.

Demonstrating the power of a voice-first ecosystem

The implementation of the Voice Live API is delivering measurable growth and solidifying botim’s competitive position. The AI features have rapidly become a core service, attracting 3.6 million users across botim’s large UAE base. Of these, the voice companion maintains 300,000 monthly active users (MAU) and 100,000 daily active users (DAU), signaling strong engagement. “Powered by the Voice Live API, the voice agent educates users and guides them directly into the journey, answering their questions and showing them why the process is faster and better than traditional methods,” observes Ansari.

This expanding user base translates into substantial business impact. Projections indicate remittance volumes will exceed AED 10 billion in 2025, underscoring the platform's critical role in the regional economy. Supporting this scale requires exceptional reliability, which the platform delivers with 99.99% uptime. "The Voice Live API gives us a very flexible pool of generative AI model options," notes Meng Wang, emphasizing the scalable technical foundation. "While the Microsoft cloud provides foundational resilience with geo-distribution and redundancy," he adds, highlighting the infrastructure that maintains performance during peak demand.

Beyond the metrics, Voice Live API is fundamentally transforming Astra Tech's relationship with its users. By turning navigation into conversation, botim becomes a companion rather than a utility, opening digital services to people who might otherwise be left out. Its multilingual design also speeds entry into new markets, delivering a localized voice experience long before full translation is complete. By creating technology that adapts to human behavior, Astra Tech is setting a new standard for digital inclusion while driving sustainable business growth.

Discover more about Astra Tech on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.