News

Anghami & OSN+ Announce Landmark Investment Deal

The collaboration will result in the first MENA platform to provide video and music, backed by a $50 million cash injection.

Published

2 years ago

November 21, 2023

Nour Nasir

anghami and osn+ announce landmark investment merge deal

Leading MENA streaming platform Anghami has announced a milestone deal that will see the music and entertainment company join forces with video provider OSN+.

According to a recent press release, combining the two home-grown brands will “offer consumers unprecedented digital aggregation of the best and latest in premium movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, and more while providing a rich and seamless user experience”.

When the collaboration is completed, Anghami will become one of the region’s largest streaming platforms, augmenting its already massive catalog of 100 million songs with 18,000 hours of video from OSN+, including content from HBO, NBC Universal, Paramount, and leading MENA studios.

anghami and osn+ announce landmark investment deal

Elie Habib, co-founder of Anghami and soon-to-be CEO of the combined venture, commented: “Joining forces with OSN+ is a leap in Anghami’s journey to reinvent entertainment in the Arab world. We’re combining technology, music, and video to build a comprehensive media ecosystem. It’s a chance to deepen our connection with our users and create something they will love”.

Joe Kawkabani, CEO of the OSN Group, added: “This is a major milestone in OSN’s journey as we continue to scale up our streaming business. Combining OSN+ content with Anghami’s technology enables us to deliver the best of entertainment all in one place for our customers, ensuring we are continuously evolving our offering to meet their needs. As two home-grown entities with an unmatched understanding of the local market, we are confident that this new offering will change the face of the regional streaming landscape”.

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The OSN Group has pledged to invest in Anghami at $3.65 per share — nearly four times the average price for the past month. The full transaction is expected to close in Q1 2024, at which point OSN will own a majority stake in Anghami.

News

Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks

Visa data shows cards and mobile wallets dominate spending, with smartphones now driving a growing share of daily transactions.

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2026

Nour Nasir

saudi digital payments reach 80% as cash use shrinks

Digital payments now account for 80% of all transactions in Saudi Arabia, according to Visa’s latest Where Cash Hides report, another marker of how quickly the Kingdom is moving away from cash.

The share is up four percentage points from a year ago. Around 67% of consumers are now largely non-cash users, paying mainly with cards or mobile wallets. Smartphones are taking a bigger role, with mobile payments making up 16% of transactions.

visa where cash hides saudi arabia 2026

Cash is retreating in routine spending. Eating out dropped 9%. Bill payments fell 8%, as shoppers opt for faster checkouts and app-based payments.

“The data shows a steady move toward digital payments in Saudi Arabia. Such progress is possible only because banks, fintechs, merchants, and technology partners are moving together in the same direction, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.

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Despite the recent findings, it’s important to note that cash hasn’t yet disappeared. It still shows up for tips (39%), peer-to-peer transfers (28%) and rent (14%).

Visa points to security features such as tokenization, along with rewards and cashback, as factors nudging more spending onto cards and phones — a shift that tracks with Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 push to digitize commerce.