Zoho launches Catalyst 3.0 to accelerate AI application development across MENA
Zoho Corp. has launched new capabilities for Catalyst by Zoho, its cloud-based application development platform, aimed at helping developers and businesses across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) turn AI-generated code into production-ready applications more quickly and with greater control.
The enhanced Catalyst 3.0 works directly with leading agentic AI coding assistants, including Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex. Instead of requiring developers to connect separate cloud services and infrastructure, Catalyst provides the cloud environment and controls needed to build, deploy and operate applications, reducing operational complexity and simplifying future development.
Zoho said the platform is designed to bridge the gap between AI-generated code and reliable production deployment by giving AI coding assistants a structured and predictable way to build and deploy applications.
Hyther Nizam, CEO for the Middle East and Africa at Zoho, said AI coding assistants have significantly accelerated application development, but deploying and operating AI-generated code in production remains a challenge. Catalyst 3.0 is designed to reduce the infrastructure work required by developers and AI agents while enabling applications to be built, deployed and scaled with less operational overhead.
A key regional feature is local data residency in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where Catalyst is hosted on Zoho’s data-centre infrastructure within each country. This gives organizations access to an AI-ready development platform while supporting local data residency requirements.
Catalyst 3.0 introduces Agentic AI skills that help coding assistants understand the Catalyst platform and generate production-grade code. These skills are also available through the Claude Code, Codex and Cursor marketplaces, making them more accessible to developers while helping optimize token consumption.
The platform also introduces a non-interactive command-line interface (CLI) capable of completing tasks from start to finish without requiring manual input during execution. Its Model Context Protocol (MCP) support allows developers to carry out development actions and requests from within a single coding-assistant console rather than repeatedly switching to a separate platform interface.
An orchestration layer connects these capabilities by directing AI coding assistants through the appropriate CLI or MCP process when executing tasks. Zoho said the deterministic approach reduces unnecessary decision-making by the AI model, lowers the risk of incorrect tool selection and supports more reliable application development.
To increase transparency, Zoho has made its AI skills available through an open-source repository, allowing developers to inspect and extend them. The company is also open-sourcing Catalyst’s SDK, CLI and Slyte lightweight JavaScript framework.
Security controls are another component of the platform. Applications benefit from Zoho’s infrastructure protections, including DDoS protection, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, SOC compliance and a web application firewall. Development and production environments are separated so that AI agents cannot directly modify live applications.
Businesses can also define the actions permitted to developers and AI agents, while detailed audit records provide visibility into changes and activities. These controls are intended to provide greater oversight as AI becomes more deeply integrated into software development.
Zoho also offers a free student programme across the region, providing access to full-stack hosting, functions, databases and AI tools to support students and future developers. The company said it plans to further expand Catalyst’s AI capabilities, including support for multiple AI agents working together, connections to additional AI tools and greater automation across the software development lifecycle.
