News

Careem Pay Launches UAE–Jordan International Remittance

UAE residents can now transfer money to Jordanian bank accounts via the Careem Pay app, enjoying fast transactions, competitive rates, and low fees.

Published

1 year ago

May 27, 2025

Nour Nasir

careem pay launches uae-jordan international remittance

Careem Pay, the digital payments service integrated within the Careem app, has expanded its international money transfer offerings by launching direct bank transfers from the UAE to Jordan. The new service responds to demand from the UAE’s substantial Jordanian expatriate community, who send over USD 1 billion annually to support family, education, and personal investments back home.

Jordan joins an established network of popular remittance destinations already supported by Careem Pay, including India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, the UK, Europe, and the Philippines. The introduction of this service coincides with increased activity around Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha, when remittances typically spike as expats send money home for charity and festive preparations.

Mohammad El Saadi, Vice President of Careem Pay, highlighted the importance of this service: “Sending money home is one of the most meaningful things our customers do with Careem Pay. For many Jordanian expats, it’s about supporting loved ones, covering school fees, or helping parents with everyday expenses. We wanted to make that process simpler, faster, and more affordable”.

To mark the launch, Careem Pay is offering first-time users zero-fee transfers for their first two transactions to Jordan. Regular users can transfer up to AED 25,000 per transaction for a fixed fee of AED 10, while Careem Plus members enjoy zero fees on transfers above AED 1,500, along with reduced charges for smaller amounts. Additionally, Careem Plus subscribers gain benefits across other Careem services, including discounted rides and free food and grocery deliveries.

Also Read: MENA Among World’s Fastest-Growing Digital Economies

Funds sent via Careem Pay arrive within 24 hours on average — providing a speed comparable to traditional exchange houses — and are directly credited in Jordanian Dinars to any valid Jordanian International Bank Account Number (IBAN). This streamlined process underscores Careem Pay’s commitment to simplifying financial transactions for its users.

To start sending money to Jordan or explore other remittance corridors, users simply need to download the latest Careem app update and select the “Send Money” feature directly from the home screen.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.