News

4Partners Secures $3.6M To Expand Dropshipping Into UAE

The company offers businesses an automated, fully integrated dropshipping platform with mobile-focused eCommerce tools.

Published

2 years ago

October 10, 2024

Nour Nasir

4Partners

4Partners, a Dubai-based global dropshipping platform, has successfully raised $3.6 million in funding to facilitate entry into its home market of the UAE and accelerate growth across the region. The company plans to use the investment to provide local businesses with a fully integrated platform and logistics support, allowing them to quickly launch online stores with minimal hassle.

The 4Partners platform is designed to tackle common obstacles faced by eCommerce entrepreneurs, offering access to millions of popular products without the need for bulk purchases. Additionally, 4Partners automates the logistics process, requiring no direct involvement from the seller, and provides a cloud-based IT system that eliminates the need for technical skills or ongoing maintenance.

4Partners operates warehouses in multiple locations, including the UAE, USA, Germany, Turkey, and China, offering over 7 million authentic branded products sourced from 753 suppliers around the globe. By allowing sellers to offer a wide array of products without the burden of managing stock, the company enables seamless cross-border shipping, making it possible for businesses to reach customers worldwide.

Also Read: Top E-Commerce Websites In The Middle East In 2024

Aleksandr Betra, the Chief Marketing Officer of 4Partners, shared, “We are thrilled to introduce our platform in the UAE and offer businesses an all-in-one e-commerce solution that helps them succeed in today’s competitive market. By simplifying logistics and inventory management, we enable our partners to concentrate on sales and brand growth”.

The eCommerce market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to grow to $50 billion by 2025, with dropshipping expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.9% from 2024 to 2030. This growth is being driven by rising consumer demand for a variety of readily available products. With its user-friendly tools, 4Partners aims to empower small and mid-sized businesses by offering a content management system (CMS) for online stores, automated logistics, and millions of product options.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.