Chinese retail apps made up 73% of UAE e-commerce ad spend, while Riyadh kicks off initial 12-month operational phase of autonomous vehicle project
Here’s a look at today's biggest tech stories in the MENA+:
- Multiply makes first major European investment, acquiring Spanish retail group Tendam
- Chinese retail apps made up 73% of UAE e-commerce ad spend
- Hong Kong's Volar Air partners Falcon Aviation to bring electric aircraft to UAE
- UAE banks to cancel OTPs, switch to app authentication
- Konami Gaming gets gaming vendor licence
- Saudi films generated $27M at the box office so far in 2025
- Riyadh kicks off initial 12-month operational phase of autonomous vehicle project
- 31 local, foreign firms to compete for three new mineral belts
- SDAIA launches National AI Index to assess maturity of AI implementation across govt
- Govt launches first academy for arts and culture
- Mars expands local facility to become global production hub with $450M investment
- Dana Gas launches $100M investment program in onshore Nile Delta
- First Abu Dhabi Bank's Lime App launches with focus on education financing
- Schneider Electric, Hassan Allam partner for smart agriculture project
- NYK, MSC, Toyota JV open Egypt's first finished-vehicle logistics terminal
- BYD JV sees govt EV support as key to starting local manufacturing next year
- Pharma export growth reaches 20-year high
- Tax-to-GDP ratio improves 1.5% to 10.6% in FY2025
- Pakistan, Saudi govts to cooperate on expanding food security, minerals cooperation
- Punjab to ban phone use in schools
Other MENA+ Developments
- DP World Trade Finance crosses $1B in working capital mobilized for emerging market businesses
- Savvy, King Abdulaziz University to launch game production, esports management diplomas
- Future Fund Oman approves $3.1B in projects in first year of operations
- PayCargo launches in region with Emirates SkyCargo as launch partner
- UAE welcomes Trump AI Action Plan, pushes for partnership to be fast-tracked
Southeast Asia Developments
- Microsoft launches first Southeast Asia lab in Singapore
- Toyota to begin Indonesia EV production this year
- Vietrade, Amazon partner to boost Vietnamese brands globally
- Indonesia to exempt US firms from local content requirements under tariff deal
- VinFast launches EV SUV in Indonesia
India Developments
- Chery to transfer tech to help JSW launch its own EVs
- Trump tells US Big Tech to stop hiring in India, other countries
- India could emerge unscathed from EU sanctions on Russian energy sales
- PMI shows economic activity mixed in July
- Kotak Bank to offer affluent market with products reserved for wealthy segment
