Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Saudi Arabia’s STC Bank has partnered with Mastercard to expand cross-border payment services using Mastercard Move. The collaboration enables fast, secure transfers from the Kingdom to over 120 countries, supporting Vision 2030 by enhancing digital financial services, improving payment transparency, and offering flexible payout options for consumers and businesses.
Pakistan’s finance minister says the country is at a critical early stage in building a regulated digital asset ecosystem. With plans for a Crypto Council and Virtual Assets Authority, Pakistan aims to balance innovation with risk, align with global standards, and channel growing crypto activity into a secure, bank-integrated framework.
ABC Labs has been named among Global Finance’s World’s Best Financial Innovation Labs for the fourth time. The recognition reflects Bank ABC’s leadership in AI, automation, digital onboarding, and tokenised assets, delivering measurable gains in productivity, customer experience, and time-to-market across its regional and global operations.
Mastercard has announced new collaborations in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, partnering with STC Bank to enable fast cross-border transfers via Mastercard Move, and with MEPS to launch Click to Pay for e-commerce. The deals expand secure, transparent, and efficient digital payments across both markets.
CFI Financial becomes the first investment platform in Bahrain to integrate with eKey for Business, enabling biometric, passwordless onboarding. The move strengthens digital trust, streamlines KYC compliance, and advances Bahrain’s eKey 2.0 vision to extend sovereign digital identity across the private sector.
Pakistan is accelerating its shift toward a cashless economy as finance officials engage Visa on digital payments, government digitization, and financial inclusion. The talks align with IMF-backed reforms and focus on modernizing payment rails, expanding access beyond major cities, and building trust in digital finance nationwide.
Thawani and Monak have signed an MoU to embed secure, locally compliant payments into digital platforms across Oman. The partnership combines regulated fintech infrastructure with platform innovation to streamline services, improve onboarding, and support public and private sector digital transformation at scale.
Jordan is strengthening its fintech talent pipeline as Orange Jordan partners with JoPACC to give Coding Academy graduates hands-on industry exposure. The initiative bridges education and real-world payment systems, equipping young professionals with market-ready skills while supporting national digital transformation and financial innovation.
Dialog Axiata’s partnership with UnionPay International strengthens Sri Lanka’s push toward cashless payments by expanding fintech capabilities, merchant acceptance, and access to global payment networks. The collaboration supports e-commerce, MSMEs, and digital inclusion while aligning the country with regional fintech transformation trends.
Pakistan and the UAE are exploring collaboration in AI, blockchain, and digital infrastructure to support financial sector reform and digital transformation. Discussions focused on responsible innovation, financial inclusion, and opportunities in PropTech and tokenisation.