News

IDC Prepares To Host 16th Annual Middle East CIO Summit

This year’s event will feature in-depth discussions and presentations, as well as expert-led panel sessions on the hottest information and communications tech issues.

Published

4 years ago

January 10, 2023

Nour Nasir

idc prepares to host 16th annual middle east cio summit

On the 22-23rd of February 2023, IDC will host the 16th edition of its annual Middle East CIO Summit at Dubai’s iconic Atlantis, The Palm hotel.

The digital economy has become a hot topic over the past few years. Web 3.0 and startup culture are gaining rapid traction across the MENA region, and organizations are hungry for information on how best to adapt their business models to suit the demands of modern, tech-savvy customers.

IDC‘s Middle East CIO Summit 2023 takes place under the theme “Enabling the Digital Economy’s Leaders”. It will examine the current state of the digital sector and its impact on citizens, customers, employees, and operations. Presentations and panel sessions will address critical challenges that must be resolved, and experts will outline best practices and strategies to help businesses achieve future success.

As for the event’s format, the venue will incorporate five different “Transformation Zones” showcasing pioneering technological advances in DevOps, customer experience, sustainability, Industry 4.0, and, of course, the Metaverse.

Also Read: Kuwait Aims For Digital Transformation With Google Partnership

“Today, almost every country in the region has a cohesive national vision for a digital economy that focuses on driving local economic value, employment creation, and social development by reaching the underserved. Whether it is accessing essential government services, purchasing products on digital platforms, or the shift to online learning and working, the impact of this mass transition to digital is evident everywhere,” says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC vice president and regional MD for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.

IDC’s research shows that internet penetration has reached 100% across Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with over 50% of consumers regularly shopping online. Furthermore, in the UAE, digital payments (and contactless transactions) now account for 80% of all regional purchases, and the market is becoming increasingly reliant on 5g and cloud infrastructure. It seems then that 2023’s Middle East CIO Summit will be a pivotal event, helping businesses to create new customer experiences and drive innovation with their partners.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.