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Dubai Launches The World’s Largest Ocean Restoration Project
The Dubai Reefs program will serve as a blueprint for sustainable ocean living while helping to blunt the impact of climate change.
Dubai has announced a bold new initiative known as “Dubai Reefs” that will help to tackle environmental degradation with the construction of a massive 200 square kilometers of artificial reefs.
The program will generate up to 30,000 new jobs during its development and will eventually become home to 1 billion corals and around 100 million mangrove trees.
The artificial reefs will also host a sustainable floating marine research unit. The institute will closely monitor Dubai’s marine and coastal ecosystems, boosting the country’s green credentials and helping to drive eco-tourism.
Speaking of the tourist economy, once established, the artificial reefs will house floating eco-lodges, as well as residential, retail, and hospitality units running on solar and hydro (wave-powered) energy. Meanwhile, Regenerative Ocean Farming — an environmentally-friendly food production technique — will also form a cornerstone of the project.
The CEO of the architectural studio URB, who is responsible for the design of the project, said, “The health of our cities is intrinsically tied to the health of our oceans [which will be] entirely different by the end of the century if we don’t take action today. […] As an innovative coastal city, Dubai is best positioned to lead such a transformation. Beyond creating a unique resilient destination for eco-tourism and marine research, Dubai Reefs aims to become a blueprint for ocean living while mitigating the impacts of climate change”.
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The ultimate goal of the Dubai Reefs project goes beyond transforming the city into an eco-destination. Urban planners need to explore the possibilities of a floating metropolis where the ocean and city thrive in balance, given that sea levels are predicted to rise dramatically over the next century.
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Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth
The financial services provider has secured an extra $22 million after strong performance in its core market of Egypt.
Leading financial services provider Paymob has secured an additional $22 million in a funding extension, bringing its Series B total to $72 million.
The funding was spearheaded by EBRD Venture Capital, with support from Endeavor Catalyst. Existing backers such as PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures also participated, reaffirming their confidence in Paymob’s business model and potential in the regional fintech industry.
This extension comes on the back of Paymob’s strong performance in its core market of Egypt, where it has experienced 6x revenue growth since the initial Series B in Q2 2022. With the Series B extension and continued profitability in Egypt, Paymob is well-positioned to further its expansion strategy across the MENA region.
Islam Shawky, Co-founder and CEO of Paymob, commented: “We are very excited by our strong prospects in Egypt – where we hold a market-leading position – and the significant traction experienced in the UAE since launching operations there. This funding will help Paymob fully capitalize on the momentum in our established markets, as we accelerate our GCC roll-out. We remain committed to creating cutting-edge infrastructure enabling SMEs across the region to thrive in the digital economy and are proud of our continued impact”.
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The expansion into GCC markets has been driven by Paymob’s initial Series B funding of $50 million, raised in 2022 and led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point. The investment fueled Paymob’s growth, allowing it to launch its mobile app in 2023 and grow its merchant base by 3.5 times, now serving nearly 350,000 merchants across MENA.
Paymob has also expanded its payment acceptance suite to offer 50 payment methods through its gateway, POS terminals, and the Paymob app, providing the region’s most comprehensive fintech solution. The company recently introduced embedded checkout services for Shopify and WooCommerce, further demonstrating its commitment to empowering small and medium businesses across the region.