News

Hydrogen Vehicle Refueling Is Coming To The Middle East

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is constructing a high-speed refueling station in Masdar City.

Published

2 years ago

July 20, 2023

Nour Nasir

hydrogen vehicle refueling is coming to the middle east

ADNOC

As the Middle East undergoes a significant transition away from oil-based energy production, new technologies are required to meet growing demands. At the forefront of this enormous task is clean hydrogen production and delivery.

In a bid to ramp up sustainable fuel distribution and aid decarbonization, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has announced plans to construct the Middle East’s first hydrogen refueling station in Masdar City. The high-speed refueling station will produce clean hydrogen from water using an electrolyzer powered by renewable electricity.

ADNOC has also entered a strategic partnership with Toyota and Al-Futtaim Motors to test the refueling station using a fleet of hydrogen-powered cars. The collaborative effort aims to assess the performance of this eco-friendly fuel and gather data to support the development of a UAE-wide hydrogen infrastructure.

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His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said: “The need to reduce carbon emissions to address climate change is clear and urgent. ADNOC is placing sustainability and decarbonization at the heart of its strategy, and while we decarbonize our operations today, we are making robust investments to be a supplier of choice for the clean energies of tomorrow”.

The pilot program will help the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company gain insights into the potential of high-speed hydrogen refueling for mobility projects, aligning well with the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy, which will position the Emirates as a leading global producer of clean hydrogen by 2031.

News

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.

Published

11 hours ago

February 17, 2025

Nour Nasir

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.”

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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.