Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Padash, an Iraqi startup, has secured $125,000 to enhance its quick commerce platform, focusing on rapid food and grocery delivery within Erbil. This investment will support the expansion of its services and app development, aiming to revolutionize convenience in urban Iraq.
Pakistan is showcasing its digital transformation at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh, highlighting its advancements in AI, fintech, and startup innovation. With over 100 companies and 1,000+ delegates, Pakistan’s participation emphasizes its growing tech sector, robust talent pool, and commitment to becoming a leading hub for global tech investment.
Oman’s Tahawul digital programme has achieved an 80% performance rate, with significant progress in government service digitization, infrastructure readiness, and digital transaction volumes, advancing the country’s goal of a fully digital government by 2025.
Fortinet has opened a new FortiCNAPP PoP in Singapore to deliver AI-driven, scalable cloud security for ASEAN and South Asia. The move supports data residency, compliance, and low-latency access, helping organizations protect cloud-native applications while enabling partners to provide localized security services.
Bangladesh ranks 112th in the 2024 Frontier Technology Readiness Index, showing progress in adopting AI, robotics, and biotech. While the country excels in research and development, challenges remain in ICT development and workforce skills. To fully harness frontier technologies, Bangladesh must enhance digital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.
JLL has expanded its technology division, JLL Technologies (JLLT), into the Middle East to enhance innovation in commercial real estate. Led by Dr. Matthew Marson, the division aims to provide advanced digital solutions, focusing on smart building design and data-driven strategies to improve client outcomes and operational efficiency.
Kuwait’s ambitious healthcare projects and strategic vision reinforce its commitment to modernizing medical services, expanding capacity, and fostering a future-ready healthcare workforce to meet evolving national health needs.
Dr Gift Machengete of POTRAZ has called on global regulators to embrace adaptive and inclusive governance models to keep pace with AI, blockchain, and IoT. Highlighting evidence-based regulation, innovation sandboxes, and multi-stakeholder engagement, he stressed the importance of balancing innovation, consumer protection, and sustainability in digital transformation.
Islamabad will soon have free Wi-Fi at 35 major locations including markets, bus stations, and parks. The CDA-NTC project aims to make Islamabad Pakistan’s first free Wi-Fi city, with revenue reinvested for sustainability. Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa assured uninterrupted, high-quality connectivity for residents.
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) – Medical University of Bahrain will utilize an AI tool to enhance medical students’ diagnostic skills.