Returning to Lisbon, SBC Summit will present a reimagined agenda designed to better serve a global audience, with a powerful new focus on market diversity, technological innovation, and actionable, real-world learning. Building on the success of its Lisbon debut, SBC Summit will return to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena on 16–18 September 2025. The event will welcome 30,000 attendees to a six-stage, industry-wide conference agenda spanning global and emerging markets, payments, affiliation, player protection, and new hands-on ‘Operator Academy’ workshops. Familiar to last year’s attendees and bigger than ever, the Super Stage will also return to the MEO Arena to spotlight headline sessions from the industry’s biggest names;…
Author: Mahdeehassan
Thndr, the leading retail investment platform in the MENA region, announced during its debut keynote event its second major investment round, raising an additional $15.7 million, bringing its total current capital to $37.76 million. The round was led by Prosus Ventures, with participation from BECO Capital, JIMCO Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Y Combinator, and a prominent U.S. university endowment, among other new global investors. These funds will now be strategically deployed to support Thndr’s regional expansion — with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia as key priority markets. Thndr is currently focused on deepening its operational presence in the UAE while…
Press release: VUZ, the world’s leading immersive media company, has secured the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to invest in its $12M Pre-Series C funding round. This strategic investment positions VUZ for accelerated global growth in immersive live streaming and content, AI-driven streaming technologies, and live spatial experiences, building on the next generation of media, the creator economy, sports, and entertainment. The IFC and the World Bank Group collectively manage over $1 trillion in global assets and investment commitments, operating in more than 100 countries. In fiscal year 2024, IFC committed a record of over $56 billion to private companies…
As the global betting and iGaming industry descends on Malta this June, payments will take centre stage as part of SBC Summit Malta’s dedicated Payments Innovation track. The track, which takes place on Thursday, 12 June at the InterContinental Hotel, will unite payments executives, fintech specialists, and compliance leaders to explore the most pressing challenges and emerging opportunities in payment technology. With sessions on Open Banking, crypto investment, and the future of fraud prevention and KYC, this track equips professionals to navigate regulatory changes, adapt to disruptive technologies, and meet rising player expectations. Discussing the inclusion of the Payments Innovation track at SBC Summit Malta, SBC CEO and founder, Rasmus…
AUTONOMOUS A2Z secured AV approval in Singapore and proved global scalability by adapting to right-hand drive through K-City testing. Singapore, May 19, 2025 — AUTONOMOUS A2Z, South Korea’s leading autonomous driving technology firm led by CEO Ji-hyeong Han, announced today that it has successfully obtained the Milestone 1 (M1) Vehicle Safety Assessment approval from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA). This achievement marks AUTONOMOUS A2Z as the first Korean company authorized to operate autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public roads in Singapore under specific designated conditions. In Singapore, autonomous vehicles must pass rigorous Milestone 1 (M1) safety assessments administered by the Centre…
Nawy, Africa’s largest proptech platform, has raised $52 million in Series A equity funding to scale its operations, enhance its technology stack, and accelerate regional expansion. The round was led by Partech, with participation from e& Capital, March Capital Investments (MCI), Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV), Endeavor Catalyst, Development Partners International (DPI) Venture Capital via the Nclude Fund, VentureSouq (VSQ), Outliers, HOF Capital, and Plug and Play and MENA’s leading alternative investment firm, Shorooq. In addition, Nawy secured $23 million in debt financing from some of Egypt’s largest banks and financial institutions, dedicated exclusively to fuelling the company’s rapidly growing mortgage…
AqlanX, a UAE-based artificial intelligence company, today announced a $10 million investment from Lakeba Group through their venture DoxAI, marking a significant milestone in the region’s digital transformation journey. The investment, facilitated through connections fostered by the UAE’s NextGen FDI initiative, will accelerate AqlanX’s mission to localise and expand the proven enterprise automation capabilities of DoxAI across the Middle East. Founded on the vision of building UAE-Made, Arabic-first AI technologies, AqlanX focuses on automating business processes, enhancing operational efficiency, and transforming enterprise document management for large organisations. The company’s roadmap is tightly aligned with the UAE’s innovation and digital economy…
Abu Dhabi, May 14, 2025 – South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) brought together their next-generation leaders to explore future cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and sustainability. A special exchange event was held at the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi, hosted by the Korea Foundation (KF). The event featured participants from the KF Global Fellows program and the UAE government’s National Experts Program (NEP), marking the first formal engagement between rising STEM leaders from both countries. The gathering served as a platform for in-depth dialogue on shared national goals, including sustainability through innovation, the future of energy, talent…
Sira, the MENA region’s pioneering membership professional community dedicated to fostering authentic connection and holistic growth, is proud to announce its expansion into the United Arab Emirates. This strategic move aligns seamlessly with the UAE’s 2025 declaration as the “Year of Community,” emphasising the nation’s commitment to fostering unity and inclusive growth. At The Core: Authentic Connections Over Transactional Relationships Sira was co-founded by Ayah Saeed and Zara Najjar, who both have experience working within global entrepreneurial networks, where they witnessed firsthand both the power and the pitfalls of traditional professional communities. “After attending countless networking spaces that felt more…
Qashio, one of the leading providers of spend management solutions, in partnership with Visa, a world leader in digital payments, has launched Qashio for Travel, a next-generation payment platform built to address the unique operational and financial pain points in the travel industry. The launch comes during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, the region’s flagship travel and tourism event. Travel companies have long grappled with inefficient card management, fraud risk, slow reconciliation, poor cash flow visibility, limited rewards, and costly foreign exchange fees. Qashio for Travel is built to help businesses gain full control over their global spend by…