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European And UK Startups To Dominate Expand North Star 2024

The October event in Dubai will feature the largest-ever European and UK startup presence, including 400+ companies and 30% of all investors.

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european and uk startups to dominate expand north star 2024

The world’s largest startup event, Expand North Star, is set to return from October 13-16, 2024, at Dubai Harbour. This year, more than 400 startups from Europe and the UK will attend the exhibition — the largest presence yet from the region. In total, over 2,000 startups will showcase their innovations at the ninth edition of this standout 4-day event.

Organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by Dubai Chambers, Expand North Star forms part of GITEX GLOBAL — the largest tech event worldwide. The exhibiting startups will present solutions in diverse fields such as Agritech, AI, Climate Tech, Fintech, Health Tech, and more. Germany will lead the new country pavilions with 40 startups making their debut, followed by countries including Ireland, Poland, Latvia, Austria, and Portugal.

expand north star 2024 dubai

Among the returning countries is the United Kingdom, whose participation has doubled to 50 startups compared to 2023. Other key countries represented include France, Italy, and Turkey. Omar Hassan, Managing Director of Global Growth Hub in the UK, said: “We are thrilled to have the fastest-growing technology companies joining this year’s delegation, spanning across FinTech, AI, Sustainability and EdTech”.

Hassan also highlighted that “Expand North Star provides UK tech with a great path and connectivity both into local markets in the region and beyond, particularly in Asia and Africa. The delegation is ready to explore expansion into the UAE, and that will be the biggest takeaway for many participants”.

Investors & Unicorns Explore New Opportunities At Expand North Star

European startups saw a surge in funding in Q2 2024, with a 31% rise to nearly $16 billion, marking a 17% year-on-year growth, according to Crunchbase. At Expand North Star, around 30% of the 1,200 investors attending will be from Europe, offering tremendous startup opportunities.

Among the notable investors are SpeedInvest, one of Europe’s most active early-stage investors, and H Tree Capital, a UK biotech fund. Investors will participate in a series of panels, meetings, and the Supernova Challenge, the largest pitch competition in the world, offering a $200,000 cash prize.

Additionally, the event will connect attendees with over 65 global unicorns, including Volocopter, BitPanda, and Climeworks, who will showcase innovative solutions and discuss industry trends on the main stage.

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Checkout.com Brings Visa Direct Push-To-Card To The UAE

The payment company is the first acquirer in the UAE to launch Visa Direct’s solution, enabling safe, instant money transfers.

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checkout.com brings visa direct push-to-card to the uae

Checkout.com has taken the UAE a step closer to its goal of a fully digital economy by becoming the first acquirer in the country to offer Visa Direct’s Push-to-Card solution. The new service will streamline money transfers for both businesses and consumers, enabling near-instant transactions across local and international markets.

Visa Direct connects over 190 markets and supports over 8.5 billion endpoints, including cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets. Push-to-Card transactions enhance efficiency for business users and consumers by allowing money to be sent quickly and easily to eligible Visa cards while leveraging the company’s secure network for reliability.

checkout and visa uae partnership

“Visa Direct is transforming the way money moves globally, and we are excited to see Checkout.com leverage this technology to meet the evolving demands of businesses and individuals alike by offering them a faster, more convenient, and secure way to send and receive funds,” said Shahebaz Khan, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, CEMEA.

The UAE has been at the forefront of digital payment adoption, driven by a national push toward a cashless economy. Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA at Checkout.com, emphasized this shift: “By providing seamless, secure, and real-time payout capabilities, we’re empowering merchants with the agility to thrive in this fast-evolving landscape, while effectively meeting the growing consumer demand for speed and convenience. The Push-to-Card solution not only reinforces our commitment to powering payment performance but also showcases our agility in bringing yet another innovation to the UAE market.”

Also Read: Qareeb Partners With Pantheon For GCC Bitcoin Mining Expansion

Checkout.com’s latest MENA eCommerce data highlights the region’s increasing engagement with financial technologies, with around 80% of consumers participating in activities beyond basic online payments, such as money transfers and personal wealth management. The growing demand for real-time financial transactions has made fast, seamless payment solutions a priority.

To meet this demand, Account Funding Transactions (AFTs) have gained traction in the UAE. By integrating AFTs with Visa’s Push-to-Card services, Checkout.com is helping merchants offer secure, real-time account top-ups. Currently processing over one million AFTs per month with Visa, Checkout.com is now playing a leading role in modernizing financial transactions in the region.

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