Tagged: mena

October 27, 2020 @ 11:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa, the CEO at Qatar Development Bank (QDB), which offers financial services, banking, and loans to support the development of the nation’s economy, has said that changing mindsets regarding entrepreneurship is “critical to growth.” QDB plans to help both government employees… Read More

October 26, 2020 @ 9:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Central Bank of Bahrain has introduced FinHub 973, which aims to serve as a virtual Fintech platform for the MENA region. The platform has been launched with the help of the Economic Development Board, Bank ABC, ila Bank, Benefit, National Bank of Bahrain, and… Read More

October 20, 2020 @ 10:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dr. Ahmed Abdulkarim Alkholifey, the Governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), the nation’s reserve bank, says that central bank digital currencies or CBDCs seem to be promising and are worth further exploration. Dr. Ahmed’s comments came during a recent webinar held by the International… Read More

October 19, 2020 @ 10:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  Dubai Economy recently brought together the main stakeholders in the country’s cashless economy ecosystem at the Future Economy Lab event (workshop). The event was conducted as part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to address COVID-19 related challenges. The Middle Eastern country is focused on… Read More

October 13, 2020 @ 9:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), which aims to serve as a global financial center and hub for the MENA region, says it’s always working to ensure the economic well-being of its community members. ADGM has released its State of Sustainable Finance Report – which outlines… Read More

October 12, 2020 @ 8:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UAE based Fintech Galaxy, a Fintech marketplace and innovation platform, has teamed up with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in order to launch a virtual hackathon – which focuses on supporting financial inclusion and encourages regulatory collaboration in the MENA region. According to… Read More

October 11, 2020 @ 11:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has reportedly issued updated guidelines and instructions that will allow local residents and small businesses to open certain types of bank accounts under various terms and conditions. The CBE sent a letter to local banks in which it noted… Read More

October 11, 2020 @ 10:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Abraham Accords were recently signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain.  The agreement is officially called the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace. It establishes diplomatic relations and “full normalization” between Israel and several Middle Eastern… Read More

October 8, 2020 @ 3:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubai-based Fintech firm Rise has launched a new platform that allows expatriate workers to make low-cost or affordable remittance payments. The platform’s users are able to send payments in real-time to friends and family members living abroad. At present, the remittance service is in its… Read More

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

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ is reportedly planning to launch a digital banking platform. ADQ, which operates as a state-managed holding firm, confirmed that it will establish a virtual bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As reported by Reuters, the ADQ said it would be using… Read More

October 5, 2020 @ 11:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

AsiaMoney Magazine has selected Qatar’s Commercial Bank as the nation’s “Best Digital Bank” for 2020. Commercial Bank’s management noted: “Spearheading the digital innovation scene in the country, and more particularly in the financial and banking sector, Commercial Bank never ceases to launch state-of-the-art banking services… Read More

October 5, 2020 @ 10:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mo Ali Yusuf, the VP at Checkout.com for the MENA and Asia Pacific region, notes that for anyone who has been living in the UAE for over 4 years, it’s clear to see that the digital payments are increasingly being adopted, instead of using cash… Read More

October 4, 2020 @ 5:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Michael Gerber, CEO of 360F, a Fintech firm that offers automated financial advice, has been focused on expanding the company’s operations into the MENA region. Gerber previously worked as the Managing Partner and CEO of a globally active management consultancy company. His professional career began… Read More

October 3, 2020 @ 7:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech Saudi, an initiative that’s supported by startup accelerator, Flat6Labs, has announced that it’s launching a 3-months-long innovation and entrepreneurship program. The program will aim to bring together Fintech Saudi’s extensive MENA region market reach and Flat6Labs’ resources, in order to provide up to 10… Read More

September 30, 2020 @ 7:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Fintech firm Fasset, a provider of blockchain-based solutions for the financing of sustainable infrastructure, has reportedly been approved or authorized to test out its software which tokenizes hard assets. The project is part of Bahrain’s Fintech regulatory sandbox program. The permit was issued by… Read More

September 29, 2020 @ 8:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Egypt’s Banque Misr, which is the nation’s second-largest commercial bank, is reportedly planning to launch an all-digital or digital-only bank during the third quarter of 2021. Akef El Maghraby, the Vice Chairman of Banque Misr, confirmed that the digital banking platform would go live next… Read More

September 24, 2020 @ 11:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia has become a more active player in the global economy as it focuses on diversifying its economy. The Saudi government and local businesses have been adopting the latest technologies to streamline operations. The MENA region country has also… Read More

September 22, 2020 @ 7:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mohammed Al Beloushi, CEO at Barker and Booth Commercial Agency LLC, has confirmed that his company will make a strategic investment into the operations of Israel-based Fintech firm Fintica AI LLC, a deal made after the signing of the Abraham Accords – which is the… Read More

September 21, 2020 @ 7:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Financial Regulatory Authority’s (FRA) Board of Directors in Egypt has reportedly approved a draft law that aims to regulate and support the use of Fintech services in the non-banking financial sector. Mohamed Omran, Chairman at the FRA, noted that the approval will aim to… Read More

September 18, 2020 @ 7:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The UAE’s Ministry of Finance will be working with the First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) in order to launch electronic or digital Dirham contactless payments cards for settling governmental service charges. The eDirham has been set up as a system of digital channels that are… Read More