News

CheckRewards Secures $1.2 Million Mitgo Investment

The cashback service uses machine-learning technology to help consumers access promotions and track their expenses.

Published

3 years ago

November 23, 2023

Nour Nasir

Mitgo

CheckRewards, a cashback service that uses cutting-edge machine learning technology, is entering the MENA region after successfully launching Android and iOS apps in the UAE. Backed by a $1.2 million cash injection from the Mitgo Group, CheckRewards is set to redefine the cashback experience for shoppers and businesses in the Middle East and North Africa.

CheckRewards works as a smart shopping companion that assists with budget management. The app provides access to promotions, cashback rewards, and features receipt scanning and expenditure tracking to help users keep up with their finances. The startup plans to onboard 50 major retail and food brands, including Noon, Amazon, Sharaf DG, Samsung, Dyson, Starbucks, and H&M.

For businesses, CheckRewards allows better engagement with customers and the quick launch of promotions without complex technical integrations. Brands can precisely target specific audiences based on their preferences, boosting sales volumes and customer loyalty.

Alexander Bachmann, CEO of Mitgo Group, commented: “We recognize the immense potential within CheckRewards and firmly believe in their vision for the MENA market. This strategic collaboration is well-positioned to reshape the cashback landscape in the region, offering unparalleled opportunities for both consumers and businesses”.

Also Read: Top E-Commerce Websites In The Middle East In 2023

Artem Ostapenko, CEO of CheckRewards, added: “We are thrilled to introduce CheckRewards to the MENA region, where the demand for cashback services is on the rise. CheckRewards stands as a unique solution, presenting remarkable advertising opportunities, including geo-targeting and customer preference-based targeting. We are eager to transform the cashback experience for users and foster business growth in this dynamic region”.

The MENA region presents a tremendous opportunity for the new solution as the popularity of cashback services continues to grow. According to a Statista report, retail sales in the UAE alone were estimated at around US $74 billion and are forecasted to pass US $114 billion by 2026.

News

At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value

Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

at io 2026 sundar pichai concedes ai must deliver real value

Google

Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.

The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.

Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.

The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.

Also Read: DJI Teases Dual-Camera Osmo Pocket 4P For 2026 Launch

Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.

What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.