News

Google Launches Flow And Gemini Photo-To-Video In MENA

Creators in the Middle East and North Africa can now use Gemini to turn photos into short videos, and access Google’s new AI filmmaking tool, Flow.

Published

1 year ago

July 11, 2025

Nour Nasir

Google

Google has rolled out new AI-powered creative tools across the Middle East and North Africa, including a photo-to-video feature in Gemini and the regional launch of its AI filmmaking platform, Flow.

The photo-to-video tool is available to Gemini Advanced users on Pro and Ultra plans. It allows users to transform still images into animated, sound-enhanced video clips up to eight seconds long. To use the feature, users select “Videos” from the Gemini prompt menu, upload an image, and describe the desired animation and audio. The tool then generates a short video that can be shared or downloaded directly from the interface.

Designed to animate static moments, the feature supports a range of creative use cases — from bringing illustrations and paintings to life to adding movement to everyday scenes or natural landscapes.

Alongside this, Google is launching Flow: a more advanced platform for AI-assisted video creation. Built on Google’s Veo, Imagen, and Gemini models, Flow is designed for both professional filmmakers and beginners looking to build scenes, experiment with visuals, or explore new storytelling formats.

Flow includes tools such as:

Camera Controls for setting motion paths, angles, and perspectives.
Scenebuilder for extending or linking shots with smooth transitions and consistent subjects.
Asset Management for organizing prompts and generated material.

Also Read: Getting Started With Google Gemini: A Beginner’s Guide

Flow is now accessible in Arabic and across MENA markets. Google reports over 40 million Veo 3 video generations have been made across Gemini and Flow in the past seven weeks alone. All content includes a visible AI watermark and an invisible SynthID marker to ensure traceability.

Both Flow and Gemini’s photo-to-video tools are available through Google’s subscription-based AI tiers.

Related Topics:Artificial Intelligence Gemini Google

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News

NEOPAY Wants To Follow Merchants Across Channels And Borders

A controlling 65% stake in noon payments would give NEOPAY access to marketplace sellers, online merchants and the payment flows they generate.

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

Nour Nasir

neopay wants to follow merchants across channels and borders

It’s been a long time since checkouts were single defined places. A merchant might take payments at a physical register, on its own website and through an online marketplace, sometimes in more than one country. NEOPAY wants to follow those transactions wherever they happen.

The UAE payments company has entered into an agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. NEOPAY already runs the acquiring infrastructure that lets merchants accept card payments, along with omnichannel acceptance and a merchant services platform. This new deal would add noon payments’ embedded payments platform, e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That would considerably expand both NEOPAY’s digital commerce capabilities and its regional reach.

For merchants, the attraction is a single provider for online and in-store payments, plus faster settlements, data and analytics, and value-added financial services.

“Payments should be simple, reliable, and built for the markets they serve,” said Faraz Khalid, CEO of noon. His counterpart at NEOPAY, Vibhor Mundhada, added: “We have built a strong payments business in the UAE, and our ambition is now to take that capability across the region”. The acquisition, Mundhada added, would “expand our footprint into Saudi Arabia and Egypt” while reinforcing NEOPAY’s position at home.

Also Read: In Kuwait, Your Surgeon Might Be Operating From Another Country

NEOPAY is also keen to point out potential payment volume increases. The company says noon payments’ integrations with marketplace sellers and online merchants create high transaction density in some of the region’s fastest-growing digital commerce segments. It also believes control of the business would give it access to those merchant relationships and payment flows, and speed up the rollout of alternative payment methods and installment options.

The combined roadmap targets faster merchant onboarding, better payment performance, tighter fraud controls and embedded financial services. The deal could also strengthen cross-border payments and settlement along key regional commerce corridors.