Oberthur Technologies (OT), a leading French digital security company, recently was selected by Kuwait’s Boubyan Bank to offer its first contactless payment cards. OT’s contactless payment system is a non-cash payment transaction that does not require a physical connection between the consumer payment device and the physical point-of-sale (POS) terminal.. Read More »

The most recent stage of the successful United Arab Emirates-Pacific Partnership Fund (UAE-PPF) involved completing a solar power project in Vanuatu in the South Pacific. This is the sixth Pacific project that is designed to improve local energy security as well as economic growth. The initiative is under the management of Masdar, a renewable energy company based in Abu Dhabi. Read More »

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry partnered with the Economist Intelligence Unit to publish “A Common Wealth: Building Gulf-CIS Ties” to emphasize investment opportunities in trade relations between the Gulf region and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The chamber has a significant role in providing investors with data and information for the private sector. Read More »

The Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) recently released its important provisions and action plan for the next several months. The DIAC board discussed details about implementing the Islamic arbitration window in order to meet the growing demand of the Islamic economy. The initiative would also encourage efforts to make Dubai the worldwide capital of the Islamic economy. Read More »

Mubadala Development Company Managing Director and Group CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak addressed the Global Aerospace Summit in Abu Dhabi last week and said that although the Gulf region faces ongoing economic tests, the UAE will not diverge from its long-term plan to expand business. Al Mubarak said the UAE is an “oasis of security in this region” at the summit hosted by Mubadala. Read More »

Saudi Arabia saw softwood lumber imports increase 24 percent between 2014 and 2015, Woodstat, a statistics firm that tracks changes in the forestry and lumber industries around the world, recently reported. Organizers of the Dubai WoodShow 2016, the Middle East’s biggest trade fair for wood products, attribute the rise to the increase in demand for wood furniture and construction. Read More »

In order to mitigate mounting cybersecurity challenges in the Middle East, DarkMatter, based in the Unite Arab Emirates (UAE), recently partnered in the introduction of an advanced voice and chat application to facilitate a highly secure communication environment for government agencies and commercial entities in the region. Read More »

The Qatar Tourism Authority estimates that the Qatar tourism industry will reach $7.2 billion by 2025, based on the country seeing 3 million visitors in 2015 and expecting 4 million by 2020. The growing industry is expected to increase tourism's GDP contribution in the next 10 years. Experts also expect significant investments for hotel pipeline, rail network and leisure facilities. Read More »

Grandstream Networks, which offers SIP unified communication solutions, recently partnered with Baud Telecom, the leading supplier for integrated solutions in Saudi Arabia, to expand Grandstream’s footprint in Saudi Arabia. Installers, resellers and integrators in Saudi Arabia can use Grandstream and Baud Telecom as their local source for SIP unified communications solutions. Read More »

Space and aviation industry leaders in Saudi Arabia and India said their industries are good opportunities for foreign direct investment projects. "For those people who have cash in their pockets, this is the time to move into the kingdom," Abdulmohsen Aynousah, director of technical sales and marketing for Saudi Aerospace Engineering Industries, said. Read More »

Your dream home may be in Lusail City, north of Doha’s West Bay Lagoon. A two-bedroom luxury apartment in the Burj DAMAC Waterfront apartment complex is being listed by DAMAC Properties for $858,172. The furnished apartment offers views of the sea from two separate balconies. Residents will be able to take advantage of concierge and reception services, 24 hours a day. Read More »

The 11th edition of the Spring of Culture festival, organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), Economic Development Board (EDB), the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research and numerous art galleries, is taking place in Bahrain through April. The festival incorporates a large variety of cultural events and activities. Read More »

Houston Community College (HCC) is massively scaling back operations at its satellite location in Doha, Qatar. HCC is one of a handful of American universities and colleges running in Qatar’s Education City, an undertaking designed by the oil-rich country to bring American higher education to the Middle East. Under a new agreement outlined in the Houston Chronicle, HCC will now work with Qatar on a “consulting basis” focusing on curriculum and staff support. Read More »

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s U.K. subsidiary, Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, is expanding the capabilities of air traffic control communications systems at Dubai International and Dubai World Central airports. The new system will support legacy E1 and VoiP connectivity, enabling radio channels to connect to a network of controllers and the legacy voice switches at the airports. Read More »

Located in Dubai's sought-after Zulal, The Lakes residential development, this beautiful, two-story villa sits on a spacious and well-maintained corner lot with a large landscaped garden. The villa has a flowing, open floor plan with 2,618 square feet of living space and includes a large living area and an open kitchen with a great dining area. Read More »

Blue Sky Real Estate has listed a villa in Saar for $2.3 million. The villa features six bedrooms, five bathrooms and two large living areas. Separate majlis and servants’ quarters are on the grounds. Downstairs is one bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a living area and a kitchen. Several more bedrooms, two large spaces for entertaining and a kitchenette are upstairs. Read More »

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Industrial Sector Committee hosted a consultative meeting to evaluate the International Standard Industrial Classification for all of the economic activities (ISIC4). The goal was to inform the industrial and business communities about ISIC4, a tool for analyzing economic activity, that will be implemented at of the end of March. Read More »

Star Real Estate has listed a five-bedroom villa on Amwaj Island for $901,882.. This two-story, five-bedroom villa includes four full bathrooms and one half-bathroom, a kitchen and a balcony that is a great place to take in the gorgeous view of Al Marsa. There are two parking spaces allotted to the villa. The villa is equipped with central air and an intercom system. Read More »

New High Definition channels and the launch of Ultra HD services are expected to be part of new benefits OSN, the Middle East and North Africa’s top pay-TV service provider, will be offering after signing a contract to increase capacity on the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite. OSN plans to capitalize on the added capacity to allow for the most technologically advanced TV experience. Read More »

The SAMENA (South Asia, Middle East, North Africa) Telecommunications Council recently named Batelco Group CEO Ihab Hinnawi as vice chairman of its board of top executives from the region’s leading telecommunications companies. Hinnawi's election to the board is part of the telecommunications council's effort to put a new leadership team in place. Read More »