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Google Adds Arabic AI Music Creation For Ramadan
Lyria 3 brings 30-second Arabic tracks and AI greeting cards to Gemini as Google targets seasonal digital engagement.
Google has released Lyria 3, its latest generative music model from DeepMind, in Arabic beta worldwide through Gemini, with mobile access rolling out over the next few days.
The update lets users create 30-second tracks by typing a simple prompt. A request such as “an upbeat, modern Arabic fusion track for Ramadan” produces a short composition within seconds, with optional lyrics or as an instrumental.
The Ramadan timing is deliberate, as Google is positioning Gemini as a tool for personalized audio greetings and quick-share content in Arabic. Alongside music, users can generate customized Ramadan greeting cards using NanoBanana, Gemini’s image generation and editing model, via a dedicated microsite available in English and Arabic.
Lyria 3 works in three ways. Users can generate tracks from text prompts describing a mood or theme. They can upload photos or videos and have Gemini compose lyrics and music to match the visuals. Each track comes with auto-generated cover art from NanoBanana and can be downloaded or shared by link.
Google is clear about the intent. “The goal of these tracks isn’t to create a musical masterpiece, but rather to give you a unique way to express yourself,” the company said.
All audio generated in the Gemini app is embedded with SynthID, Google’s watermarking technology for identifying AI-created content. Users can also upload a file and ask Gemini whether it was generated using Google AI, with the system checking for SynthID and applying its own detection methods.
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The model is designed for original output, not imitation. If a prompt names a specific artist, Gemini treats it as general stylistic inspiration and applies filters to avoid reproducing existing material.
For Google, the Arabic rollout signals a continued push to localize generative AI for regional audiences. As MENA markets accelerate digital adoption under programs such as Vision 2030, culturally tuned AI features are becoming a practical entry point for mass use.
News
Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
Egypt’s telecom regulator says $57.6 billion moved through more than 57 million wallets in six months. And one operator handled 77% of the value.
Egypt’s mobile wallets handled EGP 2.96 trillion ($57.6 billion) in transactions in the first half of 2026, according to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority – a 56% rise on the EGP 1.90 trillion ($36.9 billion) recorded a year earlier. Transactions grew faster still, up 62% to 2.22 billion, while registered wallets climbed 23% to 57.01 million.
On one reading, that is exactly what Egypt’s regulators have been pushing for: a payments system that runs through telecom-linked wallets rather than banknotes. But the same data shows how far cash still reaches into it. Cash withdrawals made up just 12% of the transactions taking money out of wallets, yet 75% of the value withdrawn or spent.
Money arrives mostly from bank accounts: transfers through InstaPay accounted for 78% of deposit transactions and 58% of the value deposited, while incoming remittances from abroad made up 3% of deposit transactions but 10% of their value. Once inside, it largely moves between wallets – wallet-to-wallet transfers accounted for 54% of all transactions and 67% of total value, with mobile and internet top-ups a distant second at 25% of volume. In effect, the wallet is serving as a transfer layer: the place money passes through between the bank account and the banknote.
That layer also runs predominantly through one operator. Vodafone Cash held 53% of registered wallets and 57% of active ones, but handled 69% of transactions and 77% of their value. Its nearest rival, e& money, held 23% of registered wallets but 14% of transaction value; Orange Cash 20% and 8%; WE Pay 4% of wallets. How many of the 57.01 million are active is not stated.
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Adoption is rather uneven in other respects. Men held 38 million wallets, or 67% of the total, against 19 million held by women. Users aged 26 to 45 accounted for half of all wallets, and Cairo alone had 10.6 million, or 19% of the national total, with Giza next at 6.5 million.
The NTRA says it is continuing to work with telecom operators on the regulatory framework for wallet services, part of a wider effort to expand electronic payments and financial inclusion. Its own figures show that effort succeeding on the way in. On the way out, three-quarters of the value still leaves as cash.
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