Tagged: middle east

November 17, 2019 @ 11:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cashless or digital payments have become increasingly popular, however, cash still remains a widely-used payment method in most nations, especially in rural communities and jurisdictions with a large unbanked population. Following many years of steady growth, the total number of cash withdrawals made via ATMs… Read More

September 29, 2019 @ 4:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Three out of four, or 75%, bank customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prefer managing their finances online, instead of visiting a physical bank location. A majority of bank customers’ visits to physical locations has decreased to 0-2 times per year, according to a… Read More

April 28, 2019 @ 9:48 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

International payment systems provider Vocalink, a Mastercard company, announced last week it has partnered with the Saudi Payments, a fully owned subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), to launch real-time payments in Saudi Arabia. According to Vocalink, the partnership will enable account-to-account payments… Read More

March 26, 2019 @ 12:02 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Plug and Play Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) announced on Tuesday it has kicked off its second fintech accelerator and innovation program in the Middle East. The organization has partnered with BNP Paribas, Boubyan Bank, Finablr Group, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and Riyad Bank. According… Read More

February 27, 2019 @ 3:58 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Temenos AG (SIX: TEMN), the Switzerland based banking software provider, announced on Wednesday it has been selected by Al Rajhi Bank, a Saudi Arabia-based bank, to enhance its Islamic lending and financing product capabilities. The bank has opted for a complete renovation using Temenos T24 Transact as well as… Read More

December 10, 2018 @ 8:11 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

KoreConX announced over the weekend it has formed a partnership with Metis Management Consultancy, a UAE-grown consultancy firm focused on providing services to SMEs in the MENA region. KoreConX reported that Metis will become part of the KorePartner’s Ecosystem, which is described as a group of selected… Read More

August 30, 2018 @ 3:00 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UK-based Finastra announced on Thursday it has joined the Bahrain FinTech Bay hub, which reportedly brings financial service players from various financial institutions, banks, and investors to fintech companies, developers, industry bodies and academics in order to drive innovation and create new growth opportunities. Finastra… Read More

August 1, 2018 @ 12:38 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  Pundi X (CURRENCY: NPXS) announced on Wednesday will make its debut in the Gulf and Middle East following a partnership with fintech company, ebooc. Pundi X reported that it will work closely with ebooc on developing digital payment gateway services for governments, financial institutions and major corporates in the… Read More

April 5, 2018 @ 1:19 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

In an effort to identify key innovators in fintech, the LATTICE80 team has created “top” Fintech influencers lists in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  The Fintech Hub’s  lists are prefaced with sector highlights. Let’s start with Europe: “The Fintech industry in mainland Europe and… Read More

February 26, 2018 @ 11:39 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, the Middle East and African fintech hub, Bahrain FinTech Bay, announced it is now officially open for business. Along with its opening, it also announced startups and founding partners. Bahrain FinTech Bay claims it is the region’s largest fintech and is aiming to… Read More

August 29, 2017 @ 7:29 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last week, India-based online lender Capital Float announced it secured $45 million during its Series C funding round, which was led by Ribbit Capital with participation from returning investors SAIF Partners, Sequoia India, and Creation Investment. Founded in 2013, Capital Float describes itself as a… Read More

July 3, 2017 @ 6:59 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone (Qianhai Authority) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) entered into a new partnership to further develop and promote closer investment and financial innovation opportunities and collaborations for… Read More

May 22, 2017 @ 9:57 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Dubai’s pioneering government-backed initiative to implement blockchain technology across the city is now into its third month, and the pilot schemes continue to roll out. The move aims  to secure the city’s reputation as a leading Middle Eastern business center. This month Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates… Read More

April 23, 2017 @ 8:00 am By Jonathan Nieh  |  

According to a report released last month by middle eastern media platform Wamda, Fintech startups located in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) raised over $100 million over the last decade. That may not seem like much compared to the billions raised by Fintech startups… Read More

January 21, 2017 @ 2:10 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Gaza Sky Geeks is running another crowdfunding campaign called “Power Up Gaza’s Geeks”.  There is just over a week left in the campaign, and the group is currently at $277,869 — or 292 percent of its original goal. Initially, Gaza Sky Geeks had a goal… Read More

June 28, 2016 @ 1:00 am By JD Alois  |  

  Inaugural Middle East & Africa Alternative Finance Benchmarking Study. The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School is launching its first Middle East & Africa Alternative Finance Benchmarking Study. This study on alternative finance follows the successful publication of… Read More

June 7, 2016 @ 3:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Eureeca is the very first investment crowdfunding platform to set up shop in the Middle East. The home office in Dubai has been complimented with offices in both London and Kuala Lumpur.  Eureeca is a truly global platform seeking to help smaller companies raise capital in… Read More

July 16, 2015 @ 12:30 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

This week, Middle East’s crowdfunding platform, Zoomaal, announced that it has teamed up with Oasis500 and Flat6Lab launched a new acceleration program. Wamda reported that the program guarantee to approve for seed investment projects in tech, the Internet of Things, wearable technologies, and other physical B2C… Read More

February 17, 2015 @ 12:50 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Tuesday (February 17th), peer-to-peer lender, Linked Finance, announced it has hired Lloyd Nolan as its new chief operating officer. According to The Independent, Nolan joins Linked Finance from computer software company Symantec, where he was senior operations director of the customer management center for… Read More

February 9, 2015 @ 3:37 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Real estate crowdfunding platform of GCC and Middle East, Durise, is launching its services online to all  investors in the region and also to those outside region who wish to invest in the market through crowdfunding. The platform’s current offering is one of Dubai’s most prestigious properties, Old… Read More