News

Lebanon’s Beirut Digital District (BDD) Partners With Zoho

The collaboration will help entrepreneurs and startups in the BDD community during uncertain economic times, offering full access to Zoho’s comprehensive suite of cloud applications.

Published

4 years ago

December 14, 2022

Nour Nasir

lebanon's beirut digital district bdd partners with zoho

Leading cloud software provider Zoho has announced that it will be teaming up with Beirut Digital District (BDD), a unique digital and creative community hub in Lebanon, to support local entrepreneurship during a time of increased economic disruption.

For those unaware of the current situation in Lebanon, an unprecedented series of events has led to a collapse of the local banking system and a rapid devaluation of the national currency, leaving the nation in a state of turmoil. Despite the bleak outlook, Beirut Digital District has remained a beacon of hope for startups and entrepreneurs, and continued to champion innovation and winning growth strategies.

As part of the collaboration, BDD network member businesses will gain access to Zoho’s complete suite of digital solutions, including accounting, marketing, communication, and other productivity software, using a complementary digital wallet loaded with up to $1,000 of credit.

“We are thrilled to kick off this partnership with BDD […] helping them improve efficiency, reduce costs and quickly adapt to changing market needs. Through this partnership, we aim to digitally empower Lebanon’s businesses with our latest, scalable, and cost-effective solutions, as well as serve the community by sharing our expertise,” says Ali Shabdar, Regional Director, MEA at Zoho.

Also Read: The UAE Has Launched A Program To Assist 100 Startups

So what are the benefits of the Zoho collaboration for Beirut Digital District members? First and foremost, Zoho’s cloud platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, allowing businesses to run their entire operation from a central interface, with seamless integration and without multiple vendor contracts and compatibility hassles. User experience is a high priority for Zoho, along with a privacy-centric approach and a welcome lack of advertising.

If you’re a Lebanese reader keen to learn more about eligibility for the Zoho deal, the company has built a registration page containing further information and a form for businesses to submit their applications.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.