Tagged: middle east

May 11, 2023 @ 1:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Standard Chartered (LON: STAN) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in order “to collaborate on digital assets, including digital asset custody.” Subject to regulatory approval, Standard Chartered plans “to launch digital asset custody services, starting in DIFC and… Read More

May 9, 2023 @ 10:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) seeks public consultation on the draft “Rules for Regulating Buy Now Pay later (BNPL) Companies.” In the interest of transparency and wider participation, SAMA reportedly “invites stakeholders and public to provide suggestions and observations on the draft Rules by visiting… Read More

May 9, 2023 @ 5:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Airwallex, a global payments and financial platform for modern businesses, announced its official launch in Israel to fuel future expansion across the region, including the appointment of Or Liban as Airwallex’s Head of Israel and the Middle East. This expansion comes at “a pivotal moment… Read More

May 3, 2023 @ 10:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ADIA Lab, the Abu Dhabi-based institute dedicated to basic and applied research in data and computational sciences, has partnered with CrunchDAO, a research team of data scientists leveraging Web3 and machine learning to produce next-generation financial insights, “to launch the ADIA Lab Market Prediction competition… Read More

May 3, 2023 @ 5:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Following the Investor and Marketplace Alert dated 12 April 2023 in relation to opnx.com (OPNX) conducting unregulated activity, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has issued “a formal Letter of Reprimand to OPNX and its founders” for the following: Carrying out VA Exchange Services on… Read More

April 27, 2023 @ 5:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Continuing to build its footprint as a leading global acquirer, global financial technology firm FIS (NYSE: FIS) has announced its Worldpay merchant business will be “expanding its payment processing capabilities into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year.” Worldpay has “secured a category II payment… Read More

April 11, 2023 @ 10:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Republic Crypto, part of US-based securities crowdfunding firm Republic, has “expanded to the UAE with an aim to grow its presence and offer its services across the MENA region.” Republic Crypto is partnering with Ghaf Labs, a UAE-based incubator in supporting blockchain-based firms. Ghaf Labs… Read More

April 8, 2023 @ 4:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Várri Consultancy, an independent management consulting boutique specialising in strategy, risk and governance advisory, is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement with Clausematch, a technology company developing solutions for regulatory compliance. This is reportedly “the first collaboration with a business in the Middle… Read More

April 6, 2023 @ 10:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has launched its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Implementation Strategy in collaboration with R3, G42 Cloud and Clifford Chance. For Phase 1, R3 and G42 Cloud have been “selected as the technology and infrastructure providers of the initiative… Read More

April 5, 2023 @ 9:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Temenos (SIX: TEMN) announced that Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM Bank) has implemented Temenos core banking platform, going live in just six months. Temenos enables Saudi EXIM Bank “to drive operational and financial efficiency, making it faster and easier for businesses to access trade finance,… Read More

April 3, 2023 @ 9:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Central Bank of Bahrain has issued amendments to its Crypto-assets (“CRA”) Module in March 2023, “following a consultation process with the industry stakeholders.” The amendments aim “to cater to the ongoing developments in the crypto-assets markets and comply with the industry best practices while… Read More

April 3, 2023 @ 2:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Surging oil prices are likely to mean higher interest rates “for longer as the price rally adds to inflationary pressures,” warns the CEO of an independent financial advisory, asset management and fintech organization. The warning from deVere Group’s Nigel Green comes as the price of… Read More

April 2, 2023 @ 6:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

NdcTech, a technology services firm transforming banks and financial institutions globally has successfully modernized the core banking system of Samba Bank onto the latest release of Temenos Transact. Samba Bank Limited is “a subsidiary of Saudi National Bank (SNB) KSA in Pakistan, offering personal and… Read More

March 30, 2023 @ 9:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Paymentology, the global issuer-processor, has joined forces with Wio Bank PJSC, the region’s first platform bank, “to power its innovative banking model with customer-centric card payment services.” Wio Bank PJSC is leveraging Paymentology’s in-cloud card issuing platform and data analytics capabilities “to launch financial products… Read More

March 26, 2023 @ 11:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sygnum, the digital asset bank, announces the opening of its Middle East hub in the Abu Dhabi Global Market international financial centre “to provide a portfolio of Swiss-regulated crypto banking services.” This move should further strengthen Sygnum’s global reach, “following Sygnum Singapore’s growth via corporate… Read More

March 23, 2023 @ 9:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank ABC, which claims to be one of MENA’s major international banks, has signed agreements with Temenos and NdcTech in order “to replace its core banking systems for its retail, corporate and wholesale businesses and power its subsidiary, ila Bank, the MENA region’s fast-growing digital… Read More

March 19, 2023 @ 2:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed recently a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to enhance cooperation and jointly enable innovation in financial products and services. Under the MoU, the… Read More

March 15, 2023 @ 10:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

This is notably the first ‘directly integrated’ open banking API in MENA’s crypto sector. The collaboration will allow Rain customers in Bahrain “to quickly and easily top-up their crypto wallets via bank transfer through the Rain app.” Tarabut Gateway, which claims to be one of… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 10:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Zad is reportedly the “first-of-its-kind digital investment platform launched in Kuwait by Securities House, “offering end-users access to trade over 4,000 stocks and ETFs in full compliance with Islamic Shariah principles.” As noted in a blog post, Zad is “the brainchild of the fintech Securities… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 10:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Astra Tech’s PayBy, a Central Bank-UAE licensed Fintech offering a variety of financial technology services, has achieved a significant milestone in the MENA region fintech space by becoming one of the first fintech player “to obtain a Mastercard (NYSE: MA) principal membership license.” This achievement… Read More