News

The GITEX GLOBAL Tech Fair Has Opened Its Doors In Dubai

Over 1,000 AI-related companies are participating, according to event organizers.

Published

3 years ago

October 16, 2023

the gitex global tech fair has opened its doors in dubai

Dubai is hosting the 43rd edition of GITEX Global, one of the world’s largest tech shows with 2.7 million square feet of exhibition space, and a place where the best and brightest minds come together to shape the future of technology.

Around 6,000 exhibitors will be showing off their products at the five-day conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre, with off-shoot events at Dubai Harbour and the Museum of the Future. Among those participating are over 1,000 AI-related companies and global players, including Microsoft, Huawei, and Salesforce.

Industry leaders are joined by local UAE AI innovators G42, along with the Advanced Technology Research Council and Juniper Networks, who will announce locally hosted cloud and AI-driven networking solutions.

The Dubai Harbour section of the event will host Expand North Star, a gathering of over 1,800 next-gen startups from around the world. The themes include Fintech Surge, a Future Blockchain Summit, and Marketing Mania.

UAE Vice-President and ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a regular of the event, was also seen checking out the latest innovations.

“Gitex is similar to Dubai in how it grows rapidly. It is similar to Dubai in embracing the best minds from 180 countries. It is similar to Dubai in its passion for everything new that contributes to changing our future for the better,” Sheikh Mohammed posted on X, formally known as Twitter.

Also Read: Social Media Addiction Is Greatly Impacting Arab Youth

So far, the highlight of GITEX Global has been the first live demonstration of ARTEMIS, the world’s fastest-walking humanoid robot. The machine was developed by UCLA researchers and stands at 142 cm tall, weighing 38 kilograms. ARTEMIS, which stands for Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability, can walk on rough and unstable surfaces and even play football!

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Expand North Star hosted a panel discussion about using AI and machine learning to “create products that dent the universe”. The panel featured spokespersons from global names such as Bolt, Reddit, and Booking.com, who shared best practices and tips.

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.