Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
AFS and Oman Arab Bank enhanced their partnership to launch a scalable, tokenization-enabled digital payments platform, accelerating Oman’s digital banking transformation with support for Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay.
Kamco Invest acquired a stake in Foodics, Saudi Arabia’s cloud-based restaurant tech platform processing $10B GMV in 2024. The move complements Kamco’s regional tech investment strategy ahead of Foodics’ planned Tadawul IPO.
ADFD joined Jordan’s Digital Health Centre inauguration, supporting a unified electronic health records platform that advances remote care and healthcare modernization, reflecting strong UAE-Jordan development partnerships.
Syria has rejoined the GSMA after over a decade, reconnecting with global telecom systems and regional digital frameworks. The move, supported by lifted U.S. sanctions, marks a significant step in Syria’s digital reintegration and cooperation with neighboring Arab countries.
STC enhances the 2025 Esports World Cup with 27 5G towers, AI-powered network management, and ultra-fast indoor connectivity, building on its award-winning infrastructure to deliver seamless gaming and digital experiences.
“Mufeed” app launched a free housing reservation service for Arbaeen pilgrims, connecting over 1,500 hosts with 75,000+ daily users to facilitate lodging in Karbala through a user-friendly platform.
Egypt’s Digital Egypt 2030 mandates AI-driven, interoperable healthcare platforms aligned with public systems like UHIS. Enterprises must prioritize compliance, Arabic NLP, accessibility, and scalability to succeed in Egypt’s rapidly evolving healthtech ecosystem.
Bangladesh’s four licensed tower companies launched the Bangladesh TowerCo Association to drive policy reform and collaboration. Industry and regulators emphasized regulatory clarity, faster permitting, and infrastructure sharing as keys to unlocking 5G and digital growth.
Nepal now matches the digital connectivity level of 11 peer LLDCs, with 56% internet access and 94.5% mobile broadband penetration. While mobile data is affordable, fixed broadband remains costly. The country faces challenges in 5G rollout and data management, requiring government action to sustain progress.
Binance’s regional head Bader Al Kalooti discusses the company’s 20% MENA growth, regulatory licenses, halal crypto products, education initiatives, cybersecurity measures, and expanding institutional partnerships across the Gulf’s youthful, tech-savvy population.