News

Anghami Acquires Spotlight Events To Expand Its Footprint

If everything goes according to plan, the acquisition should help Anghami further increase its growing revenue, which reached $35.5 million in 2021.

Published

4 years ago

July 7, 2022

David Morelo

anghami acquires spotlight events to expand its footprint

UAE-based Anghami, the first music-streaming platform in the MENA region, has recently announced the acquisition of Dubai-based Spotlight Events, a live events and concert company.

The acquisition is supposed to help Anghami expand its footprint in the music and entertainment ecosystem by bridging the gap between online and offline entertainment.

Eddy Maroun

“Our vision is to expand from music streaming to a fully integrated entertainment platform that meets our goal of building our unique category that no other provider can compete with,” explained Eddy Maroun, Co-founder and CEO of Anghami.

Maher Khawkhaji, Founder and CEO of Spotlight, believes that Anghami’s reach, data, and technical capabilities will allow Spotlight Events to bring the best to music fans, artists, and brands.

In addition to promoting upcoming concerts and making it easy for users to purchase tickets through Spotlight Events, Anghami will also take advantage of its live video streaming capabilities to deliver concerts as immersive virtual reality experiences.

If everything goes according to plan, the acquisition should help Anghami further increase its growing revenue, which reached $35.5 million in 2021, with the overall gross margin reaching 25.5 percent.

Also Read: NordPass Shines Light On Poor Password Hygiene

“Maher has built a great business on solid economics and has proven that live concerts and events are a scalable and profitable business,” said Maroun.

Earlier this year, Anghami became the first Arab tech company to be listed on NASDAQ New York via a merger with Vistas Media Acquisition Company Inc., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company. The music-streaming platform is traded under the symbol “ANGH.”

Just like most other tech companies, Anghami is currently not doing well on the stock market. Right now, shares of Anghami are being traded for around $4.30 a piece, a significant decline from the all-time high of $28.88 back in February.

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.