The FDI boom is a product of Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ plan, first announced in 2016. Driven by a desire to diversify away from hydrocarbons, Saudi Arabia is looking to transform its economy by nurturing new industries, attracting investment and positioning itself as an early adopter of advanced technologies. One area that Saudi Arabia is…
e& enterprise, the digital transformation arm of the global technology group e&, and its partner World Wide Generation (WWG) are enhancing the ‘Sustainability as a Service’ offering for the MENA region. By joining forces with UAE entities—including regulators, financial institutions, and government bodies—they aim to support banks, investors, and corporations in meeting upcoming reporting regulations,…
Investcorp, a leading global alternative investment firm, is pleased to announce a commercial partnership with Awaed, the first commission-free Saudi trading platform. Under the terms of the partnership, Awaed will enable their clients to invest into Investcorp’s Saudi Pre-IPO Growth Fund. Investcorp is one of the first global asset manager to set up a strategic…
The Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Paul Chan has recently stated that fintech cooperation between Hong Kong and the Middle East region will enter a new milestone. Chan said in his blog that he will lead a business delegation consisting of representatives from the financial and innovation sectors to…
Kuwait Finance House (KFH) is set to implement Indian software vendor Gieom’s Digital Blueprint software to centralize and streamline its policy and procedure management. The software will enable the $55 billion-asset Islamic bank to create role-based business process flows in collaboration with employees and stakeholders using Gieom’s in-built BPMN 2.0-compliant drawing tool or Microsoft Visio….
Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business hub in the region, has been recognized with three notable awards, highlighting its dedication to fostering innovation in financial services and impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Among the accolades is the esteemed Emerging Technology Initiative Award, presented at the 8th Middle East Enterprise AI…
National Bank of Fujairah (NBF), a full-service corporate bank based in the UAE, has extended its partnership with Intellect Global Transaction Banking (iGTB) to digitize its wholesale business. The $15.1 billion asset bank first signed for the vendor’s open finance platform eMACH.ai in August, a move credited at the time as the first deployment of…
Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB), a leading hub for financial technology innovation, proudly announced the inception of the MENA Innovation Academy. This initiative is dedicated to cultivating talent, fostering fintech expertise, nurturing an innovation mindset, and enhancing career readiness within financial organizations across the MENA region. MENA Innovation Academy will be established in partnership with the…
The gargantuan rise of the fintech industry continues to spearhead transformation within the electronic payments sector, with a profusion of mobile wallets and payment systems offering staggered, interest-free settlements hitting the market. The shift towards non-cash payments is accelerating regionwide. By 2027, most payments in Saudi Arabia are expected to be electronic, with real-time payments…
Although Middle Eastern countries have been considered cash-forward economies, with the majority of residents using local fiat currencies to complete transactions and conduct trade, and although in some countries, cash is still considered to be the dominant form of payment, other advanced economic centers are changing their direction. As the advancement of digital payments and…
