News

Are You Ready For Hong Kong’s InnoEX & Electronics Fair?

The events will showcase the latest in tech, from AI to wearables, offering a prime opportunity for global networking and business growth.

Published

1 year ago

March 20, 2025

Nour Nasir

are you ready for the hong kong innoex and electronics fair

Hong Kong is about to host two major tech events this April — the 3rd InnoEX and the 21st HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition). Running from April 13 to 16, 2025, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the events will form the core of the Business of Innovation & Technology Week (BIT Week). Together, they offer a global stage for tech innovators to present their latest products and solutions to buyers, IT professionals, and business leaders.

As one of Asia’s biggest gatherings for innovation and technology, InnoEX is a highlight in the event calendar for networking, discovering future trends, and forging new business partnerships. Last year, the event hosted around 460 exhibitors, and this time, it will shine a spotlight on advancements in AI, robotics, low altitude economy, smart mobility, cybersecurity, and much more. The four themed days will also feature expert talks and focus on solutions for both large companies and SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises).

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) is dubbed the world’s leading electronics marketplace. In 2024, the expo attracted more than 2,500 exhibitors and showcased an array of electronics, from consumer products to future tech solutions. This year’s event will be centered around three themes: Smart Home & Solutions, Health Tech, and Wearables, with products from global innovators in each category.

A major highlight of the fair will be the Tech Hall, displaying cutting-edge offerings that shape modern living—think electric mobility, health tech, and IoT products. In addition, a Hall of Fame will feature high-end home tech, gifts, and digital entertainment. For those interested in the next big thing, the Startup Zone is where emerging companies will showcase their groundbreaking tech, with opportunities for networking, investor meetings, and product demos. In 2024, this zone featured 60 startups from Hong Kong, Canada, Korea, and China, with a focus on health tech, IoT, and digital business.

Also Read: Pure Electric Expands To UAE, Boosting Micro-Mobility Sector

In addition to the exhibits, there will be six themed conferences and keynotes, where leading experts will explore the most pressing issues and trends in innovation and technology. Networking receptions will also take place throughout the event, offering plenty of opportunities for industry professionals to connect and exchange ideas.

The two events are expected to highlight Hong Kong’s role as a global hub for technology and innovation. If you’re interested in attending and taking advantage of the incredible networking and business opportunities, make sure to register for free entry here.

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.