United Arab Emirates (UAE) stories

YAP Global appoints Otto Jacobsson as CEO, signalling expansion and a broader service mix as the crypto and digital assets sector matures.

Channel partners in five markets plan to prioritise data-led products and consulting in 2026, edging out managed services and subscriptions.

Vertex Group names Puneeta Rajwant to steer India expansion, InfraTech launch and drive its Vertex 2.0 agenda towards INR ₹1,000 crore.

Global fintech funding jumped 21% to USD $53 billion in 2025, as the UK secured second place worldwide with USD $3.6 billion.

India has surged into the global top tier for everyday crypto use, ranking ninth as stablecoin-driven payments and remittances gain ground.

Ipsotek launches VISuite Core, a generative AI video analytics platform for rapid, standardised deployment across regulated multi-site estates.

Abu Dhabi’s TII unveils Falcon H1R 7B, a compact open AI model it says rivals much larger rivals in reasoning power while using less compute.

Astrikos AI wins strategic backing from Gorilla to scale its S!aP platform and target fast-growing smart city and data centre markets.

FedEx says its Asia Pacific operations delivered USD $5.7 billion in economic impact in 2025 as it ramps up routes, tech and green investments.

Abu Dhabi’s Falcon-H1 Arabic AI model debuts with a hybrid Mamba-Transformer design, topping the Open Arabic LLM Leaderboard.

OpenID will launch global conformance tests for key digital ID standards from February 2026, supporting eIDAS 2.0 and other schemes.

Blue Cloud and ConnectM sign $50m deal to co-develop EdgeAI auto chip aimed at boosting cybersecurity in next‑gen connected vehicles.

BCSSL and BSNL validate enterprise-grade 5G FWA in Visakhapatnam, clearing the way for commercial rollout across India’s BSNL network.

Half of UK tech staff now depend on unapproved ‘shadow AI’ to hit deadlines, despite most warning it poses serious data‑security risks.

SEALSQ makes first US quantum bet on EeroQ, backing helium-based chips in a ‘Quantum Made in USA’ push and USD $35 million plan.

Finance leaders hail AI as core to strategy, yet fewer than half have scaled it beyond pilots amid legacy, skills and leadership hurdles.

AppWorks Demo Day in Kuala Lumpur links eight Malaysian and Singapore startups chasing cross-border growth across ASEAN’s tech economy.

Underwater robotics startup Planys raises INR ₹100 crore and launches defence arm Planys Ark to power global growth and military contracts.

Xsolla and HP join forces to support over 100,000 aspiring game developers globally with free courses and mentorship to launch studios.

Tuned Global partners with Twist Music to expand its streaming service from Egypt into UAE and Saudi Arabia, enhancing regional access and tech features.