News

Applications Are Open For The 2025 WiSER Pioneers Program

The initiative offers women professionals from around the globe the chance to join a 1-year program focused on sustainability and leadership.

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2024

Nour Nasir

applications are open for the 2025 wiser pioneers program

The Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) initiative, created by Masdar and the Zayed Sustainability Prize, has officially opened applications for its 2025 WiSER Pioneers Program.

Focused on empowering women to lead the global shift toward a net-zero future, the WiSER Pioneers Program provides participants with the skills and knowledge required to drive impactful change.

Originally launched in 2018, the year-long program offers women from around the world access to specialized educational workshops and global networking opportunities with industry experts, aiming to help them achieve their untapped potential. Since its inception, over 130 women from more than 30 countries have successfully completed WiSER Pioneers.

wiser pioneers on the wiser cares trip

Dr. Lamya Fawwaz, Program Director of WiSER, said: “The Pioneers Program is a cornerstone of WiSER’s enduring commitment to empowering young women with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead the charge toward a sustainable future. Since its inception in October 2018, the Pioneers Program has been equipping participants to become bold leaders in the global energy transition and creating a supportive community of talented sustainability professionals”.

The program is open to women between the ages of 25 and 35 who have at least two years of work experience and hold a degree in a field related to the environment, energy, sustainability, or STEM disciplines. Applicants must be currently employed or self-employed.

The WiSER Pioneers Program is designed to offer a broad range of activities aimed at building skills, advancing careers, and fostering connections. Key components of the course include tailored workshops and training sessions that focus on sustainability, clean energy, and leadership development.

Also Read: Workplace Study Reveals Middle Eastern AI Use Is Skyrocketing

Participants in the program also get to engage in the annual WiSER Cares initiative, which focuses on community development through cultural exchange. For example, in 2024, 18 participants took part in a five-day program on adaptive agriculture in Marrakesh, Morocco.

In addition, WiSER is an active participant in major global sustainability events such as Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) and the COP conferences. These events offer participants valuable opportunities to learn, contribute to critical discussions, and network with global industry leaders, policymakers, and sustainability professionals.

To apply for a place on the WiSER Pioneers Program, head to the website.

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

6 days 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.