Tagged: mena region

September 13, 2020 @ 9:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which serves as an global financial hub in the MENA and South Asia region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). Both organizations have agreed to focus on supporting innovative Fintech projects in… Read More

September 11, 2020 @ 10:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The MENA region’s digital payments sector is projected to grow by 6.5% from 2020 to 2021. The Coronavirus crisis may have accelerated the shift towards the adoption of all-digital platforms and services, including virtual payments. The MENA region’s Fintech industry participants recently noted that the… Read More

September 10, 2020 @ 9:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Middle Eastern country of Bahrain has identified key focus areas to further develop its economy. The nation’s government has outlined a national strategy for supporting digital commerce. Zayed Alazayani, the Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister, stated that the Kingdom will be introducing new laws… Read More

September 10, 2020 @ 12:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fawry for Banking & Payment Technology Services SAE, an Egyptian digital payments provider, was listed on Cairo’s exchange about a year back. The company recently experienced a 300% increase in its market value to 20 billion Egyptian pounds (appr. $1.3 billion). The payments firm confirmed… Read More

September 9, 2020 @ 10:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments giant Mastercard has teamed up with the Qatar Development Bank (QDB) in order to support the ongoing development of the nation’s Fintech sector. Through the partnership, Mastercard and QDB will support the Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH), which is a technology ecosystem that aims to… Read More

September 7, 2020 @ 10:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kokila Alagh, Founder of KARM Legal and a member of the MENA Fintech board, recently shared the latest updates from the Middle East region, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Crowdfund Insider. Alagh works closely with the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), the Dubai International… Read More

September 7, 2020 @ 11:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech industry in the Middle East and wider MENA region has experienced significant growth during the past several years. The State of Fintech report reveals that the number of financial technology companies in the Middle East was expected to increase from around 105 in… Read More

September 4, 2020 @ 7:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Contactless transactions are expected to double the number of digital payments to $8.26 trillion by 2024, which is a key Fintech trend that has been accelerated due to COVID-19. Businesses are increasingly using contactless technology to improve customer experience and help them make secure payments,… Read More

September 4, 2020 @ 7:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital solutions provider Thales is reportedly supplying the Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) with its Gemalto Trusted Services Hub (TSH), which will allow the bank’s customers to perform secure contactless payments from their smartphones. According to a release, a tokenization process will be used to… Read More

September 2, 2020 @ 11:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sameer Nawani, Chief Representative of the Dubai Chamber’s International Office in Mumbai, has noted that the digitization and ongoing growth in technology will lead to significant changes in financial and healthcare services. Nawani, whose comments came during a recent webinar about the impact of COVID-19… Read More

September 2, 2020 @ 8:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Delivery Hero, a Berlin-based online delivery platform operating in the Middle East, has teamed up with Mastercard in order to digitize its entire payment process across all its products offered to MENA region customers. Delivery Hero app users will have the option to pay for… Read More

August 31, 2020 @ 11:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The MENA region is reportedly experiencing a strong revival of its digital commerce and virtual payments sector, particularly during the past quarter of this year. This key Fintech trend is expected to continue and also keep up its current growth rate in the coming years,… Read More

August 24, 2020 @ 1:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The National Bank of Egypt (NBE), the country’s largest banking institution in terms of total assets, number of branches and employees, has introduced several services via its Al Ahly Net and NBE mobile app, in order to support its digital banking strategy. Hisham Okasha, chairman… Read More

August 17, 2020 @ 7:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Supply@ME recently committed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Khaled Abdulla Almass and his investment firm, iMass LLC, in order to focus on the expansion and ongoing development of Supply@ME into the Middle East region. Supply@ME is a Fintech firm that’s owned by Italy’s… Read More

July 17, 2020 @ 11:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Fintech Vesuvio Labs is reportedly planning to establish an investment business in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar in order to further expand its operations and assist firms in Doha, particularly startups, with branching out into other global markets. Vesuvio Labs is a vertically… Read More

July 9, 2020 @ 10:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Approximately 20% or one-fifth of bank account holders in the Middle East are now using Fintech solutions, according to a recent survey performed by Deloitte. The survey, which examined nine key markets in the Middle East, reveals that consumers in the region are quite willing… Read More

June 29, 2020 @ 10:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech startup ecosystem in Bahrain has been ranked among the highest in the Middle East region. The sector is also ranked near the top in terms of Islamic finance regulation, according to Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2020. The Central Bank of… Read More

June 26, 2020 @ 9:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Randy Rivera, Executive Director of FinTEx, a member-led community focused on promoting innovation and collaboration within Fintech in Qatar and the MENA region, has said that his organization continues to work with international financial services industry participants. During a June 23, 2020 virtual panel discussion… Read More

June 26, 2020 @ 7:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cashless transactions continue to rise globally due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has forced many world governments to enforce lockdowns and introduce safe distancing measures. Fintech expert Mohamed Okasha, co-founder and ex-managing director of Egypt-based Fawry Banking and Payment Technology Services, introduced a $25-million “Disruptech”… Read More

June 26, 2020 @ 12:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech firms based in India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plan to continue working cooperatively in order to address key socio-economic changes and challenges resulting from the global COVID-19 outbreak. India and UAE’s financial hub Dubai aim to stay on top of major changes… Read More