Sends CEO, Alona Shevtsova, will lead a discussion with senior banking and payments executives on real-time payments, cross-border infrastructure and the growing role of digital wallets. Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, will moderate a senior-level panel discussion at the 17th Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS 2026), taking place on 16–17 September at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. The session, “Payment Innovation in Banking: Real Time, Cross Border and Wallet Driven Evolution,” will bring together banking and payments leaders from across the Middle East to examine how real-time payments, digital wallets, cross-border rails and changing customer behaviour are reshaping the…

P2P crypto trading has a security problem that escrow alone cannot solve. A standard escrow protects the digital asset while a buyer and seller complete a trade. It can confirm that the crypto remains locked until the seller acknowledges payment. What it cannot reliably establish is whether the person who sent the fiat is actually the person buying the crypto. That gap is where a P2P crypto triangle scam begins. The risk has become harder to ignore as crypto, bank transfers, and P2P payments increasingly overlap. The US Federal Trade Commission reported around $16 billion in fraud losses for 2025,…

In 2017, as much of the crypto industry chased exchanges, token launches, and trading volume, Shawn Yan was focused on a different question: what infrastructure would enterprises actually need if digital assets became part of mainstream financial operations? That question became the foundation of Cregis, the digital-asset infrastructure company he founded later that year. Nine years on, it serves more than 4,000 enterprises globally, and its strongest institutional demand is now coming from the Middle East, where it supports financial institutions, brokers, and payment companies. A Founder Who Skipped the Crypto Boom Shawn Yan is Founder and CEO of Cregis.…

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has moved from proof-of-concept to pilot phase with the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Dirham, signalling more than a technological upgrade — the initiative represents a strategic pivot toward instant domestic settlement, cross-border interoperability, and programmable finance. Early prototypes already demonstrate how value can travel across wholesale and retail rails with cryptographic certainty, minimal latency, and near-zero reconciliation costs. That re-timing of money has consequences well beyond the banking perimeter. Any participant holding or hedging AED exposure — corporate treasuries, payment processors, and multi-asset brokerages among them — must revisit how settlement speed…

Money20/20 Middle East, the region’s home for the global money ecosystem, will return to Riyadh from 14–16 September 2026, bringing together regulators, financial institutions, fintech innovators, investors and technology leaders.  Hosted by the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP), Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), Capital Market Authority (CMA) and Insurance Authority (IA), and co-organised by Tahaluf and Fintech Saudi, the 2026 edition has already announced an initial line-up of globally recognised speakers and confirmed support from leading organisations across the financial services ecosystem, setting the stage for another landmark edition in Riyadh. Money20/20 Middle East returns to Riyadh as Saudi Arabia continues…

Leading fintech company FinVolution Group met with senior leadership of PTCL Group, Pakistan’s largest integrated telecommunications and ICT company, at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2026 to discuss how credit technology can accelerate financial inclusion in Pakistan. The PTCL Group delegation was led by Hatem Bamatraf, President & Group Chief Executive Officer of PTCL & Ufone 4G, and included Mohammad Nadeem Khan, Group Chief Financial Officer, Jafar Khalid, Group Chief Technology & Information Officer, and Interim CEO of Telenor Pakistan, Awais Vohra. The delegation met with the FinVolution team at the Global System for Mobile Communications Association’s flagship gathering of…

Sinder, a UAE-based travel fintech, today announced the launch of its staged beta for UAE residents. The product combines an AED account with a local IBAN and a Mastercard Platinum debit card with app-based tools designed to make international spending easier to understand and manage. Customers can open and manage their account through the Sinder mobile app, receive a virtual or physical card, fund their account, track spending and access practical travel tools. Sinder’s Founder Card has no annual or monthly subscription fee. Customers spend internationally directly from their AED balance at the Mastercard Exchange Rate, with 0% Sinder FX…

In today’s evolving financial landscape, returns alone are no longer enough. Investors across the UAE are asking a deeper question: Where is my money going and what impact is it creating? This shift has fueled the rapid growth of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investment in UAE, especially among those exploring mutual funds. But beyond the buzzword, what does ESG really mean for you as an investor in the UAE? And more importantly, how can you use it effectively without compromising returns? What ESG Investing Really Means (Beyond the Definition) At its core, ESG investing is about making better informed decisions,…

When you buy comprehensive car insurance in the UAE, you often get to choose how your car will be fixed after an accident — at the manufacturer’s agency or at a garage approved by your insurer. This choice affects your premium and the way your car is repaired. Here is a clear look at both options. What is Agency Repair? Car insurance in the UAE with agency repair means your car is repaired inside the manufacturer’s own authorised workshop, known as the “agency.” The car is fixed at the brand’s official workshop. You can ask for brand-new original parts (a…

The United Arab Emirates has established itself as one of the world’s most forward-looking markets for digital assets. While cryptocurrency was initially associated almost exclusively with investing and trading, the conversation is rapidly evolving. Today, businesses, regulators, and consumers are increasingly focused on how digital currencies can be used in everyday life. From Dubai’s ambition to become a global blockchain hub to the growing number of licensed virtual asset companies operating across the country, the UAE has built an ecosystem where crypto innovation extends well beyond exchanges. As adoption matures, one question is becoming increasingly important: What can people actually do…

The opening of the trading session is often when the most significant price movements of the day occur. Volume is building, overnight developments are being priced in, and participants are establishing their positions. The only comparable period is typically around major economic announcements or earnings releases. The following five strategies are widely used in short-term forex and shares trading, and are applicable on platforms such as Pocket Option, whose forex and shares modes are also reported to be compatible with its Islamic (Halal) Account for Muslim traders. A Note on Demo Testing All five strategies are best explored in a…

Kora, the payment infrastructure platform, has joined the International Air Transport Association’s IATA Financial Gateway (IFG), connecting global airlines to Africa’s payment ecosystem through a single, reliable infrastructure layer. IATA Financial Gateway is the airline industry’s dedicated payment orchestration and management platform. IFG brings together global, regional and local payment partners to provide airlines with the right mix of payment options to maximize acceptance, reduce cost, and better serve customers in every market. Through this integration, airlines and travel agencies using IFG can now accept payments across Africa via Kora, including cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and local alternative payment…

For decades, regulation in emerging markets was viewed primarily as a constraint—something businesses needed to navigate and comply with. Across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), however, that perception is changing. A new reality is emerging: regulation is no longer just a set of rules. It is becoming part of the infrastructure itself. As a result, a new category of opportunity is attracting growing attention from investors, institutions, and technology builders. What Is Regulatory Infrastructure? Regulatory infrastructure refers to the systems and platforms that enable businesses to comply with regulations, interact with authorities, operate across jurisdictions, and scale within structured…

In the Gulf, cyber activity tends to track the news. When regional tension rises, so do attacks on the systems that keep the economy running, and fintech is right in the firing line. In early February 2026, the UAE Cyber Security Council counted between 90,000 and 200,000 daily breach attempts against national infrastructure. After the escalation late that month, the number tripled. By spring the Council was reporting a daily average of around 600,000 to 800,000 attempts, most of them tied to state-aligned actors and their proxies. If you run a fintech, the hostility of the environment is a given.…

Velmie, a digital banking system integrator and delivery partner for regulated fintech programs, announced a partnership with Flot, an emerging fintech initiative building a next-generation neobank for consumers and businesses across Africa. The collaboration reflects growing demand from EMI platforms, payment institutions, and fintech operators across African and Middle Eastern markets for scalable digital banking infrastructure capable of supporting faster launches, localized payment integrations, and long-term operational scalability in regulated environments. The Challenge: EMI Platform Complexity As fintech adoption accelerates across Africa, EMI operators continue to face increasing complexity around payment integrations, mobile money connectivity, compliance workflows, and production-grade digital…

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has long been a magnet for expatriates drawn by tax-free salaries, world-class infrastructure, and a high standard of living. But beyond the gleaming skyscrapers and luxury malls lies a quieter aspiration shared by many expats: the desire for more space. Whether you’re a growing family craving a garden, a remote worker needing a home office, or simply someone who values room to breathe, Abu Dhabi offers a surprisingly diverse range of spacious living options. This guide walks you through everything you need to know about finding and settling into a larger…

A striking disconnect is emerging on Wall Street as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq push into uncharted record territory, even as global economic leaders warn of a “persistent shadow” cast by geopolitical friction and sticky inflation. U.S. equities finished Friday with their best weekly performance of the year—the S&P 500 jumped 4.3% while the Nasdaq surged 6.2%. The rally, fueled by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, suggests that investors are looking past the immediate cooling of the global economy toward a “Goldilocks” finish for 2026. However, new data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests that the path…

Dubai is no longer just a hub for oil trading. Over the past few years, the United Arab Emirates has grown into one of the most active financial centres in the world, and this isn’t just confirmed by rankings but by a genuine flow of capital and traders arriving from every corner of the globe. Regulatory liberalisation, expanding tech infrastructure, and a growing middle class across the region have made retail trading more accessible than at any previous point. CFDs (contracts for difference) have become one of the most widely used instruments for those seeking exposure to global markets without…

Artificial intelligence has moved from experimental to essential in financial markets. Traders today are overwhelmed by information, from nonstop news cycles to social sentiment and macroeconomic shifts. The challenge is no longer access to data. It is interpretation. Edge Hound positions itself as an AI-powered intelligence layer built to solve that exact problem. Rather than offering automated execution or simplistic signals, the platform focuses on transforming fragmented market noise into structured, decision-ready insights. In this 2026 review, we examine how Edge Hound works, what differentiates it, and who stands to benefit most from its approach. What Is Edge Hound? Edge…

The African retail landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation. As a business scales and the payment ecosystem becomes more intricate, the volume of data becomes growingly complex. Yet, for many retailers, the “back-office” hasn’t kept pace. The gap between a successful sale and seeing that reflect in the bank is where risk lives—it is clear that manual reconciliation is not a viable strategy. Traditional reconciliation for retailers has long been a “detective work” exercise. Finance teams often spend days matching till slips to fragmented banking records-a process highly prone to human error. This complexity leads to a “domino effect” of…