Regardless of world journey restrictions and limitations on motion coupled with social distancing, many occasions in the Center East and Africa (MEA) area have nonetheless continued.
Whereas nearly all of occasions have moved on-line, it hasn’t stopped discussions on Fintech and monetary companies from persevering with together with:
Woman Code

One of many highlights within the area from earlier within the week included debates over the obstacles girls in tech have to beat. Gender imbalances within the know-how business stays a trending subject, but alternatives in different departments are quickly increasing. The panel introduced rising and seasoned professionals who will talk about urgent challenges that stand in the best way of bridging the gender hole in tech-based roles. The session was moderated by Abdulla Almoayed – CEO & Founding father of Tarabut Gateway.
Panelists included: Raja Al Mazrouei – Government Vice President, Dubai Worldwide Monetary Centre (DIFC) – FinTech Hive; Dalal Buhejji – Director – Enterprise Growth – Monetary companies, Bahrain Financial Growth Board; Hassan Sheikh – Head of promoting & Enterprise growth at SmartCrowd & Co-founder of sempro; Dr Sana AlFarid – Co-founder & CEO of Munfarid, VRXOne, Mulhimat & TelecommuteX.
Emirati Ladies’s Day and Creating a Sturdy and Vibrant VC Ecosystem within the Center East – Abu Dhabi World Market (AGDM)
Abu Dhabi World Market (AGDM) is the flagship monetary companies hub of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They hosted two notable occasions. The primary was round Emirati Ladies’s Day which was on the 28th August within the UAE. ADGM hosted an occasion that celebrated Emirati girls and their achievements aiming to encourage and encourage feminine professionals locally. Emirati Ladies’s Day was launched in 2015 by HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the Common Ladies’s Union, President of the Household Growth Basis, and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
The second occasion was round VCs on the threerd of August. ADGM hosted the dwell webcast session with outstanding consultants from VC Circle, World Ventures, Shorooq Companions and VentureSouq, offering insights on the Center East’s evolving startup investments and enterprise capital (VC) ecosystem. Key subjects mentioned included: The area’s necessities by way of VC investments within the startup house; Understanding the present VC ecosystem – alternatives and challenges; Investments methods based mostly on varied sectors comparable to fintech and medtech; Assets obtainable by Mubadala, Abu Dhabi Funding Workplace (ADIO), Hub71, Ministry of Local weather Change and Setting (MOCCAE), ADNOC and different companions.
Smartpreneur 5.zero Competitors Ceremony – Dubai
Again for its fifth annual cycle, the competitors offers entrepreneurs the chance to turn into a part of Dubai Authorities’s Technique to elevate town into a world platform for innovation-focused companies. According to the most important occasion throughout this yr Dubai Expo 2020, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Trade open the competitors to know-how startups who’ve options within the fields of Sustainability, Mobility, and Alternative. Open to all entrepreneurs based mostly or planning to maneuver to the UAE, members are required to submit their enterprise concepts in keeping with these classes. The newest ceremony asserting the winners was held on the finish of August. The UAE’s new Minister of State for Entrepreneurship Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi delivered the keynote speech through the ceremony. Enterprise ideas aligned with the Expo 2020 sub-themes of Mobility, Alternative and Sustainability. The highest 10 shortlisted startups have a possibility to exhibit at Expo 2020 Dubai and the highest three winners obtain money prizes, coaching, mentorship and extra advantages.
STEP Anyplace

STEP began out as a collection of workshops and small gatherings, and over 9 years has grown to turn into the biggest tech pageant in Dubai. STEP Anyplace introduced collectively a world viewers of startups, traders, digital fans, manufacturers, and extra over three days on-line. STEP Anyplace’s first version in 2020 featured 6 tracks of dwell talks and panels, workshops, varied startup programming, exhibition and showcasing alternatives, and dwell leisure.
The Fintech Times editorial director Mark Walker was a part of a panel on fintech, following on from the Head of Center East and Africa Richie Santosdiaz moderating a panel at STEP Convention in Dubai again in March round knowledge as a service.
Fintech & Healthtech investments in Dubai and India explored
The influence of present financial adjustments on the funding ecosystem in fintech and healthtech in India and in Dubai was extensively mentioned at a webinar organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Trade finish of August, in keeping with a launch from the Emirates Information Company. The discharge additionally talked about that Sameer Nawani, Chief Consultant of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce’s Worldwide Workplace in Mumbai, defined that digitisation and development in know-how are bringing about massive adjustments in monetary companies and healthcare programs. The UAE accounted for 60 per cent of funding for startups within the Center East and within the North Africa area within the first half of 2020 whereas India was among the many high three startup centres regardless of a decline in funding for startups in India in the identical interval. Others who spoke on the webinar have been Salman Jaffrey, Chief Enterprise Growth Officer of the Dubai Worldwide Monetary Centre (DIFC), Hamzeh Kolaghassi, Founding father of Maia Alternate, a world personal change based mostly at DIFC, Anuj Golecha, co-founder of Enterprise Catalysts, one in every of India’s high ten angel traders and Ashwin Raguraman, co-founder of Bharat Innovation Fund, an early-stage enterprise capital agency investing in globally aggressive, early-stage deep-tech startups.
Dubai FDI reaches out to traders in America in know-how, healthcare and logistics by way of webinars
The Dubai Funding Growth Company (Dubai FDI), an company of Dubai Economic system, related nearly with potential traders and companions from America to current alternatives in Dubai’s know-how, healthcare and logistics sectors, in keeping with the Dubai Media Workplace. The know-how webinar was hosted by the US Consulate Common, Dubai; US Industrial Service, Florida; and Enterprise Florida. Members have been welcomed by the US Consul Common in Dubai, Philip Frayne, and the webinar was moderated by Christian Koschil of US Industrial Service of the US Division of Commerce. The initiative was supported by the US-UAE Enterprise Council. The healthcare and logistics webinars have been organised by regulation agency Seyfarth Shaw LLP and the US-UAE Enterprise Council and introduced collectively a number of authorities and company stakeholders in these sectors.
A digital roundtable hosted by The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Secretariat Common (GCC) on the alternatives, challenges and position of Fintechs within the Arabian Gulf area through the COVID-19 disaster
There was a digital roundtable that was hosted by the GCC. The dialogue was moderated by Firas Al-Lawati, Head of Fintech on the Central Financial institution of Oman. Panelists included Head of Fintech and Innovation on the Central Financial institution of Bahrain, Ms. Yasmeen Al-Sharaf; Abu Dhabi World Market Fintech Committee Member, Mohammad Shalloh; CEO of Thawani, Majid Al-Ameri; and CEO of Faucet Funds, Ali Abulhasan. The panelists mentioned how the pandemic accelerated the evolution of doing enterprise on-line within the region.
Gulf Capital SME Insights Reside – Surviving the digital pivot – How will SMEs understand know-how put up the pandemic?
This occasion occurred on the 25th of August and outlined the method for small and medium-size companies after they search for acceptable applied sciences to assist them be extra environment friendly and to have the ability to combine with the market and their shoppers. Key dialogue factors included: Why technological transformation is extra essential for SMEs than enterprises; Redesigning companies for the brand new regular; What’s the worth that tech hubs present startups, serving to them pivot and study from the expertise?; Going digital: Instruments and methods that may be utilized to allow SMEs to achieve their audience. Panellists included: Alvaro Abella, Managing Director, Gulf Capital; Jeremy Shorter, Startup Programme Lead, StartAD; Pedro Pereira, Director, Innovation Adoption and Impression, SAP EMEA South and Richard Thompson, Editorial Director, MEED.
Decoding the Way forward for Cash – Banking With out Banks Webinar
EROE, a boutique enterprise transformation consultancy based mostly in Dubai and San Francisco, just lately hosted a webinar on eighth September known as “Decoding the Way forward for Cash – Banking With out Banks” along with main specialists from McKinsey, Securrency, Tarabut Gateway and Bosa Advisors. EROE’s collection of webinars Enterprise Transformation Defined continues to make clear the necessary topics throughout important industries within the area. A part of a three episodes webinar set to decode the way forward for cash, the version Banking With out Banks is drawing collectively world and regional consultants within the monetary business.