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Top 10 agtech innovators shaping the Mena market

Lush plains criss-crossed by fresh water lakes and grasslands where hippos and elephants roamed. This was the Arabian peninsula in prehistoric times, according to archaeologists who have uncovered traces of fertile landscapes beneath the desert sands. Today the terrain looks very different, as the region’s governments race to confront food scarcity on a warming planet. […]

RAK launches free zone for digital and virtual asset firms

The Ras Al Khaimah government has announced plans to launch RAK Digital Assets Oasis, a free zone dedicated to digital and virtual asset companies. The zone will be purpose-built for non-regulated activities in the virtual assets sector, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. It will be exclusively dedicated to digital and virtual assets service […]

'We’re already working on a product paper looking at how to work with crypto and digital assets,' says Srinivasan Sampath, chief technology officer at FAB

First Abu Dhabi Bank to launch crypto services

First Abu Dhabi Bank plans to introduce cryptocurrency and digital asset offerings to its customers. The move is part of a plan by the UAE’s biggest lender to implement Web3 technologies in its services to gain competitive advantage. “We’re already working on a product paper looking at how to work with crypto and digital assets,” […]

Metaverse

Become a master of the metaverse

For a time last year, all anybody seemed to be talking about was the metaverse. Some Gulf businesses said they were already planning for it, while others were trying to work out what the fuss was about. The frequently asked questions included: when will it really arrive? How much does it cost? Who’s on the […]

Crypto exchange auBinance has held workshops with Dubai Police and authorities across the GCC to increase learnings around crypto crimedit and investigations departments are tackling crypto transaction crimes

Binance focuses on security as crypto crimes hit $20bn

Cryptocurrency crime reached a record $20.1 billion last year according to blockchain analysis company Chainalysis, but Binance’s security chief says this is still little compared to traditional financial scams. Nils Andersen-Röed, deputy head of financial crime compliance at Binance, argues the sum must be put into context. “There seems to be a misconception about the […]

Shoppers at the Galleria mall

Where the mall meets the metaverse

“We’re working on a number of initiatives that start to blur the boundaries between Web3, the metaverse, and how that is implemented in a physical space.” This is not how retail bosses used to talk a few years ago – but the digital habits that shoppers developed during the pandemic are here to stay, so […]

DIFC launches metaverse platform to attract tech innovators

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has launched the “DIFC Metaverse Platform” to attract global technology innovators. The new platform is aligned with the Dubai metaverse strategy, which aims to add $4 billion to Dubai’s GDP, DIFC said in a statement.  The strategy aims to create 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030 and attract 1,000 companies specialised […]

Technology is believed to be the No1 disruptor this year

Technology is ‘biggest disruptor’ for regional CEOs this year

Two-thirds of chief executives in the Middle East view technology as having the biggest potential to disrupt their businesses in 2023 and beyond, above supply chain, regulations, energy and other issues. For its latest annual CEO Survey, PwC asked 4,410 chief executives across 64 countries the extent to which a range of potential disruptions would […]

Exempt offer sukuks have become more popular in the past five years

Saudi SMEs look to sharia funding to balance cash flow

In Saudi Arabia, small to medium-sized companies are increasingly turning to sharia-compliant funding to raise money for their businesses. But rather than borrow from banks, these SMEs instead rely on the kingdom’s nascent fintech sector to obtain bridging loans, invoice financing and other kinds of niche financial support. “SMEs are underserved by the banking sector, […]

People, Person, Crowd

Mena is Binance’s fastest growing region for institutional investors

Binance reported a 34 percent rise in the number of new Middle East and North Africa institutional investors adopting its cryptocurrency technology during the last quarter of 2022, the highest growth of all regions. The world’s largest crypto exchange attributed the results to strong appetite for digital banking and financial solutions in the region. This […]

European and Russian expats opt for freelance jobs in UAE

UAE job visa applications will increase by nearly one third this year, with many expats from Europe and Russia opting for freelance roles, the managing director of recruitment and HR consultancy Connect Group told AGBI.  Aaron Portero forecasts that visa applications will rise at least 25 to 30 percent in 2023. This is on top […]

Metaverse

The metaverse is alive and kicking

Just as online shopping drove internet penetration, the metaverse’s immersive interaction between physical and digital worlds will power its adoption 

DIFC

DIFC Courts issues rules for robots, drones, AI and fintech

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has issued a fresh set of rules designed to address digital business disputes across the emirate. The rules range from big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech and cloud services, to unmanned aerial vehicles, 3D printing and robotics. Established in 2004, the DIFC Courts is the English language, independent, […]

Dubai entrepreneur to launch crypto community for nickel

A prolific Dubai-based entrepreneur is set to launch a crypto token aimed at opening up the asset market and “shaping the future of nickel”. The Nikel token will launch in Dubai next week. Safi Qurashi, CEO of NewTek, told AGBI that it will “create a community that can help shape the future of nickel, and […]

Iridium uses AI to cut through jargon and multiple data points to offer actionable insights
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Dubai firm using AI to plot corporate sentiment in the Gulf

A UAE management consultancy firm is using artificial intelligence to help companies understand corporate sentiment across sectors and regions. Iridium Advisors in Dubai uses AI analysis to scan and draw insights from 6.7 million words in 1,300 historic earnings calls from companies across the GCC, quantifying what management teams, investors and analysts are telling the […]