Tagged: middle east

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

July 9, 2020 @ 7:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech Abu Dhabi Innovation and startups team is reportedly planning to “digitally visit” 23 different countries throughout the world between July and November 2020, The Fintech group aims to meet and potentially work with the founders of high-potential early-stage financial technology companies. The best… Read More

July 7, 2020 @ 12:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

United Arab Emirates (UAE) based “Shop Now, Pay Later” Fintech Spotii announced on July 5, 2020 that Daman Investments had invested in its operations. Daman Investments is a non-banking financial services company that’s known for its involvement in the MENA region business sector. Spotii is… Read More

July 6, 2020 @ 9:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), a leading UAE-based financial institution, reports that it has experienced significantly increased levels of digital banking adoption across its retail and corporate services during H1 2020. As noted in a release, almost 60% of ADIB’s retail clients have been using… Read More

July 4, 2020 @ 5:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dr. Deep Datta Ray, a  Visiting Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, writes that Qatar’s opportunity creation in the “new normal” (following the COVID-19 outbreak) is in Fintech, aviation, and digitization. He notes that Qatar’s… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 7:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The central bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Abu Dhabi Global Market, an international financial center and free zone based on the Al Maryah Island in the nation’s capital, Abu Dhabi, noted on July 1, 2020, that they’re inviting Fintech firms to… 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 28, 2020 @ 4:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

IFN Islamic Fintech, a “one-stop-shop” for industry knowledge, networking and communication in the global Islamic financial technology space, revealed on June 26, 2020 that there are now at least 127 Fintech firms globally that reportedly provide a Shariah-compliant product. IFN says that it will soon… Read More

June 27, 2020 @ 5:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubai is consistently ranked among the world’s leading Fintech hubs. Fintechs in Dubai have been supported by the UAE (United Arab Emirates) government which has introduced many progressive policies and regulations. In statements shared with the Khaleej Times, Arif Amiri, CEO at the Dubai International… 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 @ 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

June 25, 2020 @ 11:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qatar Financial Center (QFC) Authority, a business and financial center based in Doha, recently confirmed that it remains focused on becoming a major hub for Fintech in the MENA and South Asia region. The Middle East region’s Fintech sector reportedly saw global investment increase… Read More

June 24, 2020 @ 10:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fahad Al Dosari, Commercial Attaché for the Embassy of Qatar in the US, has argued that the Middle Eastern financial hub is one of the world’s most stable economies. Dosari, whose statements came during a virtual panel discussion that covered Qatar’s evolving Fintech sector and… Read More

June 23, 2020 @ 11:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Over 80% of banking customers in the Middle East say they’re ready or willing to use Fintech apps, however, many traditional lenders have not started integrating financial technology products, according to a recent study by Big Four auditing firm Deloitte. The study revealed that 18%… Read More

June 22, 2020 @ 10:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Narayanan Ganapathy, a financial analyst, angel investor, and the CEO at Angivest Ventures, recently noted that significantly more people are using smartphone apps and other types of software to make digital payments, because of the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting challenges. Ganapathy, whose comments came during… Read More

June 21, 2020 @ 4:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were recently ranked among the world’s top 100 destinations for startups across the globe. A new study published by StartupBlink, called the Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report, determines the score for each country by taking into consideration many different… Read More

June 17, 2020 @ 7:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB), has teamed up with Samsung-backed blockchain tech company, Blocko, in order to implement a distributed ledger technology (DLT)-powered “smart” credit management platform. As mentioned in a release shared with… Read More

June 15, 2020 @ 11:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH), co-founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), is planning to encourage and support multinational Fintech firms to establish operations in the Middle Eastern country. The QFTH noted during a recent meeting that it’s working with several global Fintech hubs. The organization’s… Read More

June 10, 2020 @ 9:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), an organization that connects the MENA and Southeast Asia region’s markets with the economies of Europe, Asia, and the Americas, has made strategic investments in four Fintech companies. According to a press release, the DIFC has invested in… Read More

May 21, 2020 @ 11:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  Bahrain’s residents have been using mobile and digital payments platforms a lot more now than they were before the COVID-19 outbreak. Safe distancing measures have been introduced throughout the Kingdom, in order to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus. There are currently 7,888… Read More