Tech Amazon to invest $5.3bn in data centres in Saudi Arabia Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud division of Amazon, is to invest $5.3 billion (SAR20 billion) in establishing data centres in Saudi Arabia. The move will allow customers to run workloads and securely store customer content within the kingdom, as well as offer high-speed access to users. “Today’s announcement supports Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation with the […] March 5, 2024
Aviation Aviation spends billions on IT to improve experience The aviation sector invested billions into IT in 2023, as companies sought to improve passenger experience, according to a new industry report. Global airports increased their IT spending by 23 percent year on year to almost $11 billion last year, while airlines upped spending by 15 percent to $34 billion, according to the 2023 Air […] March 4, 2024
Banking and Finance Zain KSA profit at $347m as revenue reaches record high Mobile Telecommunication Company Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA) more than doubled its profit in 2023 to SAR1.3 billion ($347 million). Revenues reached a record high of nearly SAR10 billion, rising 9 percent yearly, fuelled by growth in business-to-business, 5G, digital products, wholesale and fintech unit Tamam. Gross profit increased 10 percent year on year to SAR541 […] March 4, 2024
Tech e&’s $6bn pledge to advance ‘affordable’ connectivity The UAE’s e&, the telecommunications company formerly known as Etisalat, has committed $6 billion to improve network connectivity and digital services across its 16 operating countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The investment pledge was made to the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, which will help drive technological advancement, infrastructure development, […] March 3, 2024
Renewable Energy EGA’s industrial data centres go green Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the UAE’s largest non-oil industrial company and one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, has broken ground on the first industrial data centres in the emirates to be totally powered by renewable energy. The two data centres in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah will be developed in collaboration with Scientechnic, a […] March 1, 2024
Tech Sovereign funds must be ‘enablers of progress’ says Mubadala chief Sovereign wealth funds have a responsibility to transform from asset investors to enablers of global progress, the CEO of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has announced. Al Mubarak told an investor conference in Abu Dhabi: “We are in the business of driving progress and investing in solutions to global challenges.” The government-controlled fund was […] February 29, 2024
Tech Ericsson and Turkcell to lead 6G research in Turkey Swedish telecom company Ericsson and Turkish operator Turkcell will begin advancements on research and development of 6G in Turkey. The sixth-generation wireless network will use higher frequencies than its predecessor 5G and provide substantially higher capacity and much lower latency. The advent of 6G networks holds promise of faster connectivity in various sectors including wireless […] February 28, 2024
Infrastructure Ooredoo to spend $1bn upgrading overseas networks Qatari telecoms group Ooredoo is to spend $1.1 billion upgrading its mobile coverage and quality of servies in a number of key overseas markets. Over the period 2024-26, the company will allocate substantial sums to improve connectivity in Algeria, Tunisia, Gaza and the West Bank, Iraq and the Maldives. Ooredoo’s operations in Gaza have been […] February 27, 2024
Tech Qatar’s new $1bn fund to propel global tech growth State-backed Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will launch the country’s first venture capital (VC) fund to invest more than $1 billion in international and regional VC funds. The “Fund of Funds” seeks to attract international VC funds and entrepreneurs to the Gulf state and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, focusing on the finance, education […] February 27, 2024
Banking and Finance Mubadala and Goldman Sachs to put $1bn into Asia-Pacific Mubadala and Goldman Sachs have signed a $1 billion agreement to invest in private credit deals in the Asia-Pacific region. The partnership between Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund and Goldman Sachs Alternatives will put private credit into “high-quality companies and sponsors” throughout the region with a particular focus on India, they said in a joint […] February 26, 2024
Cybersecurity UAE authority issues security alert for Google Chrome users The UAE Cyber Security Council has issued a high-risk alert for those using the desktop version of Google Chrome browser. Google released Google Chrome security updates last week to patch several high-risk vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to remotely execute code on affected systems or compromise sensitive data. The UAE’s council recommended updating to the […] February 26, 2024
Construction Dubai Science Park reveals expansion plans Dubai’s biotechnology free zone is adding 60 percent more offices, laboratories and warehouses over the next few years to cater for an influx of new companies, its senior vice-president told AGBI. Dubai Science Park, part of Dubai-listed Tecom Group, is planning an expansion of 200,000 sq ft of additional storage and logistics facilities at the […] February 23, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Saudi wealth fund pitches kingdom as global AI centre The governer of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, expects the kingdom to emerge as a centre for artificial intelligence activities outside the US. “We are fairly well positioned to be an AI hub outside of the US,” Reuters reported, citing the Public Investment Fund governor’s speech at a Miami investment event. The head […] February 23, 2024
Markets Saudi Arabia prods blue chips to list more shares Saudi Arabia is prodding blue-chip companies on its stock exchange to offer more shares to the public as part of a drive to become a global financial centre. Abdullah Binghannam, deputy head of financing and investment at the kingdom’s Capital Market Authority, told a markets forum in Riyadh on Tuesday that a regulatory framework was […] February 21, 2024
Finance Vodafone dividend helps push e& to record profit Telecommunications company e&, formerly known as Etisalat, reported record net profit in 2023. The Abu Dhabi-listed company said profit was driven by higher dividends from Vodafone Group, higher income from associates and lower tax expenses. Net profit for the full year reached AED10.3 billion ($2.80 billion), up three percent year on year, as revenue rose […] February 21, 2024
Tech Damac and Vodafone to build $100m data centre in Turkey Edgnex, a data centre subsidiary of Dubai real estate developer Damac, has established a joint venture with Vodafone Turkey to build its first data centre in the Turkish city of Izmir at an estimated cost of $100 million. The six megawatts capacity data centre is expected to be completed next year, as cloud computing gathers […] February 21, 2024
Opinion Banking and Finance Gulf’s neobanks must hone the user experience Digital banking in the region must learn from European pioneers and innovate further February 20, 2024
Tech US-Saudi venture will use AI to analyse space data A US-Saudi joint venture has been launched in the kingdom to use satellite imagery to monitor infrastructure development, traffic congestion and carbon sequestration, the natural process of CO2 storage in the atmosphere. Front End Limited Company, based in Alkobar, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and SpaceKnow, a New York technology company dedicated to transforming […] February 20, 2024
Banking and Finance VC firm Shorooq focuses on AI, biotech and gaming Venture capital company Shorooq Partners will target companies specialising in sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotech and gaming, a senior executive told AGBI. Shorooq is based in Abu Dhabi and manages about $350 million in assets and invests in startups in the Middle East and North Africa and beyond. It is focused on on fintech […] February 20, 2024
Industry STC proposes special dividend of $1.3bn for 2023 The board of directors at Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has proposed a special dividend for 2023 after the company’s profit rose nine percent year on year. The proposed special dividend payout will total almost SAR5 billion ($1.33 billion) or SAR 1 per share, subject to shareholders’ approval. In addition, the company announced a cash dividend […] February 20, 2024
Tech Yahsat introduces smartphone to satellite connectivity Al Yah Satellite Communications Company – Yahsat – has launched a “direct-to-device” strategy aiming to connect smartphones and internet of things devices to satellites, irrespective of their location. UAE-based Yahsat plans to introduce voice and messaging services before expanding to texting and internet of things capabilities on smartphones by 2025, it said in a statement. […] February 19, 2024
Cybersecurity Mena cybersecurity spend grows to $3.3bn to fight AI crime Spending on cybersecurity and risk management in the Middle East and North Africa will rise 12 percent in 2024 to $3.3 billion, the research group Gartner is forecasting. The rise in spending is a reaction to the growing use of generative AI to create fake information and fake images for use in cybercrime. Shailendra Upadhyay, […] February 19, 2024
