Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Morocco-based Enakl raised $2.3 million in Seed funding to expand its intelligent shared mobility platform. Backed by local and international investors, the startup will scale commercially, launch a SaaS product for operators, and test new ridepooling models, building on public-sector pilots and growing demand for sustainable urban transport.
Moroccan proptech Yakeey has raised a record $15 million Series A round, with Beltone Venture Capital joining IFC, Enza Capital, and 212 Founders. The funding will help Yakeey scale its end-to-end digital real estate platform, modernise property transactions in Morocco, and expand regionally across North Africa.
Jordanian technologist Tareq Amin has been named among the world’s top ten AI leaders for 2026, recognized for leading a PIF-backed, full-stack AI platform and shaping Saudi Arabia’s long-term artificial intelligence ambitions through national-scale innovation.
Manara launched the Cloud Catalyst Forum in Riyadh, bringing together Saudi hiring partners and emerging engineers, featuring a 1,000-participant AI hackathon and deep AWS collaboration. The initiative strengthens cloud and AI talent pathways aligned with Vision 2030, backed by a $2.8 million AWS training commitment.
ADCB Egypt has modernised its payments infrastructure by going live with the Temenos Payments Hub, enabling ISO 20022-compliant SWIFT transactions. The move reduces manual processing, accelerates settlements, and strengthens scalability, aligning the bank with global standards while supporting Egypt’s Vision 2030 digital and financial inclusion goals.
Egypt’s child protection authority has called for stricter regulation of children’s online activity, warning that social media and digital platforms expose minors to harmful content, exploitation, and abuse. As parliamentary debate intensifies, lawmakers are preparing legislation to strengthen safeguards, regulate platforms, and promote preventive digital safety for children nationwide.
Bangladesh inaugurated its largest technology expo in Dhaka as Professor Muhammad Yunus highlighted the sector’s national importance. The four-day Digital Device and Innovation Expo features innovation zones, seminars, and industry showcases, supporting the country’s ambition to scale ICT exports, build digital skills, attract investment, and position Bangladesh as a producer of homegrown technologies.
Bangladesh has launched e-learning in 12 schools across the Chattogram hill districts, with plans to expand to 149 institutions, as Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus pledged to bridge digital, education, and healthcare gaps in remote communities.
Primark is expanding rapidly across the Middle East, opening three stores in Dubai in 2026 and confirming new locations in Qatar and Bahrain by year-end, building on its Kuwait debut and tapping into strong regional demand for value-driven fashion.
IKEA Saudi Arabia and Bahrain has signed a three-year agreement with HITEK AI to deploy the SAFETEK HSSE digital platform, enabling real-time safety, compliance, and risk management across regional operations while modernizing policies, procedures, and employee engagement in health, safety, security, and environmental governance.