Author: Mahdeehassan

Oxford Business Group and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University release report on women’s empowerment and academic excellence in Saudi Arabia Riyadh, March 2025: A new report examining Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University’s (PNU) role in advancing women’s empowerment and academic excellence in Saudi Arabia has been released. Produced by Oxford Business Group (OBG) in partnership with PNU, the report, PNU: Empowering Women to Shape the Future of Saudi Arabia, comes as the Kingdom continues its drive to enhance female participation in the workforce and align higher education with Vision 2030 objectives. The publication provides in-depth analysis of how PNU is…

Dubai, UAE – Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, recently organised a virtual workshop on sustainability reports. The online session highlighted the important role played by sustainability reporting in enhancing transparency surrounding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards for investors, consumers, and regulatory bodies. Organised by the chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business, the workshop attracted the participation of 147 representatives from private sector companies. The session explored how sustainability reporting serves as a vital tool that enables businesses to demonstrate their ESG performance, manage risks, and effectively engage with stakeholders. Participants…

CAIRO: Telecom Egypt, the country’s leading telecommunications provider, has joined forces with Truecaller, the world’s leading Caller ID and spam protection platform, to redefine customer communication and experience. The partnership aims to provide Telecom Egypt’s customers a more secure, personalized, and seamless calling experience. In an era where customers are increasingly wary of answering unknown calls due to the prevalence of unsolicited calls, businesses face mounting challenges in connecting with their audience. Leveraging Truecaller’s Verified Business Caller ID solution, Telecom Egypt now ensures that its customers can instantly recognize incoming calls from the company. Official branding elements, including Telecom Egypt’s…

Valeo Health, a pioneering leader in AI-driven healthcare, has successfully raised $12 million in its Series B funding round, bringing its total funding raised to $20 million to date. Co-founded by Sundeep Sahni, Nadine Karadag, and Ankur Majumder, Valeo Health is redefining personalised, data-driven healthcare across the region. The round was led by Flintera, with participation from existing investors Nuwa Capital, FJ Labs, Oryx, and Mindshift Capital, as well as new investors like Oraseya and Eirad. The investment will be used to accelerate the company’s mission to make personalised, science-backed healthcare solutions more accessible across the KSA, UAE and the…

Arabian Pay, the leading national fintech platform, has announced the signing of an agreement to secure funding as part of its Pre-Seed investment round from “Al Bassami Holding Group”, a leader in the logistics and transportation sector in the Kingdom and globally. The signing ceremony was attended by Mohammed Rashid Alabdullatif, Founder and CEO of “Arabian Pay”, and Omar Al Bassami, CEO of Al Bassami Holding Group. This agreement strengthens the partnership between “Arabian Pay” and “Al Bassami Group”, providing Arabian Pay with not only financial investment but also a strategic pathway for collaboration. This support fuels Arabian Pay’s innovations…

NymCard, the only embedded finance platform operating across 10+ countries in MENA, has secured $33 million in its latest Series B funding round, led by QED Investors. This marks QED Investors’ most significant investment in the region and the first one in the Gulf, underscoring the growing global confidence in MENA’s expanding fintech ecosystem. The round saw strong backing from existing investors, including Lunate, Dubai Future District Fund, Mashreq Bank, Knollwood, Reciprocal, FJLabs, and Endeavor, with the region’s leading investment institution, Shorooq, alongside new participation from Oraseya Capital, further validating NymCard’s role in powering the future of embedded finance in…

MERED, the award-winning international real estate developer, is supporting the inaugural Pininfarina Academy, an educational initiative by Pininfarina, a global icon of Italian design. The academy is dedicated to fostering excellence in architectural design among emerging industry professionals, providing them with the opportunity to learn from world-renowned experts and explore cutting-edge design concepts at the company’s headquarters in Turin, Italy. As part of this initiative, MERED will sponsor four students to attend the Pininfarina Architecture Summer School. The exclusive 3 X 3 X 3 Summer School launches this July with a course integrating advanced design techniques and Design for Manufacture and…

AUTONOMOUS A2Z has risen to 11th place in Guidehouse Insights’ 2024 Automated Driving Leaderboard, moving up two spots from last year’s 13th-place debut and marking its second consecutive year in the rankings, further reinforcing its growing influence in the autonomous vehicle (AV) sector. Guidehouse Insights, a U.S.-based market research firm, evaluates AV companies annually based on corporate vision, market strategy, partnerships, product development, and technological capabilities. This year, the ranking expanded from 16 to 20 companies, reflecting intensifying global competition as autonomous trucking firms entered the list. As the only South Korean company included, AUTONOMOUS A2Z continues to lead the…

The Saudi proptech startup Ajras has successfully raised a $1.5 million pre-Series A funding round, led by Veda Holding. Founded in 2022 by Muath Aljubailan, Ajras provides unique financing solutions to facilitate rent payments. The startup focuses on commercial and industrial sectors and is licensed by the General Authority for Real Estate. Additionally, it has recently introduced a “Rent Now, Pay Later” solution. Previously, Agras closed a seed funding round of SAR 105.05 million in November 2023, led by Madarek International. Veda Holding, based in Riyadh, is a business incubator that supports both startups and established companies by providing the necessary capital for growth.

Dubai, UAE: Masafi, the UAE’s pioneering bottled water brand, is marking the holy month of Ramadan with a special-edition packaging, created in collaboration with Emirati artist Mariam Abbas. The design, featured on Masafi’s water and tissue products, pays homage to the nation’s cultural heritage, woven with the values of resilience, unity, and tradition. The design, inspired by iconic Emirati symbols, includes the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the Together sculpture in Downtown Dubai, and traditional water pitchers once used to cool and store water. Masafi is one of the UAE’s most iconic homegrown brands. Masafi has led the UAE’s bottled water industry since 1977,…