Steadfast on the path of economic diversification and structural reforms, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) seem to have finally found the equilibrium to adjust to the “new reality” of lower oil prices. This is reflected in the just released outlook for the region in 2018 by various international organizations and analysts….
TRENDS speaks with Jorn Lambert, Group Executive, Digital Channels in Emerging Payments, Mastercard, about how Mastercard is offering richer experiences to its regional clients and sees massive opportunities in this region that are beyond developed markets. When it comes to evolving payment technology, how do you look at Middle East region? Today, consumer patterns are changing at a…
The digitally connected world has made the consumer the real king. With rapid technological advancement and innovation, the entire focus has shifted toward delivering services to consumers online in a secured way. The financial service industry is witnessing an upheaval with fintech startups gaining stronghold and challenging the traditional business models of established players like…
Sitting on the vast reserves of oil wealth, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nations, especially those in the Gulf region, have been hit hard by continuing lower crude prices over the past few years. Ever since crude oil prices took a plunge from a high of $125 per barrel in 2014 to their lowest…
The advent of new technologies is disrupting the life of businesses and the business of life, and the financial services sector is not immune to this change, where customer-first models are getting a huge boost with financial technology or fintech. Globally, from the brand image point of view, financial services firms took a severe beating…
Morgan Gatsby, a diversified financial services business, focuses on investment banking, wealth management and corporate advisory, meeting the needs of corporates, families and individuals, including a number of the leading names in the Middle East and beyond. A unique proposition and focus “We are unlike any other financial advisor,” says Ajay Arora, Chief Executive Officer…
Strategic partnership reinforces Dubai’s reputation as region’s innovative, business friendly hub Will also see DIFC and Dubai Economy collaborate to enhance consumer protection Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading financial hub in the $7.4 trillion Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai Economy…
Ten of the world’s freshest and most promising financial technology – fintech – companies will be showcasing their ingenious innovations to more than 1,000 executives from the region’s leading financial institutions at next week’s MEFTECH 2017 exhibition. The ten fintech businesses have been selected as they are in the early stages of funding and therefore…
In an exclusive interview with TRENDS, Tirad Al Mahmoud, Group CEO, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, speaks about the immediate need for adopting digital banking and why things would be easier for Islamic banking than for traditional financial institutions. In light of the current challenges such as the drop in oil prices, the problems with exchange rates and the…
In an exclusive interview with TRENDS, Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Economy, talks about the robustness of the UAE economy, while highlighting the main projects that could bring good fortune. Q: How is the UAE economy doing right now? How has the past year been, according to you? A: The performance of the…
