Cabinet approves $79.7B spending for 2027-29, Riyadh airport to remain shut this week following strikes, Oman global financial center to open in 2027, Malaysia aims to sign EU trade deal by June 2027, Kaynes Semicon seeks foreign partners for India JVs
Here’s a look at today's biggest tech stories in the MENA+:
- Cabinet approves $79.7B spending for 2027-29, up 28% from 2024-26
- Botim Business, Geidea launch MSME lending
- Kraken gets full market approval from VARA, to launch in UAE
- Dubai's Bluewaters district launches autonomous vehicle trial with Glydways
- Etisalat launches novel smartphone uplink tech on 5.5G network
- CST Commission calls for global space cooperation
- East-West Pipeline capacity to expand to 10M bpd
- Riyadh airport to remain shut this week following strikes
- Saudi data center operators under pressure to boost physical protection
- SAR doubles intercity train fleet order to 20 for 2029 launch of East-West line
- Elsewedy Electric proposes Algeria EV assembly plant
- Indonesian SWF Danantara, TSFE plan joint fund for strategic projects
- FRA requires NBFCs to update activity monthly
- Bank NXT to migrate onto Network International infrastructure
- MCIT, Google offer university students free year of AI tools
- Digital transformation could generate up to $80B in benefits over five years
- IMF raises Pakistan's FY27 inflation forecast to 9.9%
- Pakistan nears finalization of satellite internet rules
- PM forms 11-member monitoring committee for K-P governance
- Pakistan targets 60% tower fiberization
Other MENA+ Developments
- U by Emaar, Visa launch lifestyle rewards partnership
- Low-cost power, infrastructure advantage to support regional data center growth
- Oman global financial center to open in 2027
- Mubadala's GlobalFoundries signs $2B deal to supply TSMC with silicon interposers
- Syria opens formal banking channel for Saudi oil imports
Southeast Asia Developments
- Indonesia's tax drive to hit e-commerce sellers, big firms
- Malaysia aims to sign EU trade deal by June 2027
- Malaysia to introduce new e-commerce law to protect MSMEs
- Naver Cloud, FPT expand partnership to develop AI factories, GPU-as-a-service
- Philippine lower house approves bill introducing age-gated social media access
India Developments
- IndiaAI Mission GPU bidders now permitted to sell capacity internationally
- HCLTech, Anthropic partner to accelerate enterprise agentic AI adoption
- Modi pitches India as trusted partner amidst coercion in global supply chains
- Kaynes Semicon seeks foreign partners for India JVs
- FTA push seen to offer $140B GDP gain
