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MALY Is Helping To Fuel Saudi Arabia’s Fintech Revolution
The KSA is rapidly becoming a MENA fintech leader, and next-gen digital savings platform and money mentor app MALY is one of its key players.
Despite nearly 100% smartphone penetration and a growing awareness of digital platforms, Saudi Arabian officials are concerned by the lack of financial education and the accessibility of financial wellness advice.
Founded in 2022, fintech startup MALY aims to plug this gap, providing users with a financial wellness platform that helps cultivate better money habits, plugging crucial gaps in Saudi Arabia’s struggling consumer savings sector. Mo Ibrahim, MALY’s co-founder and CEO, described the current climate in the KSA:
“Various estimates cite up to 70% of the Saudi population as having no savings […] despite the reality of immense economic challenges. People need help in building healthier relationships with their finances, and fintechs can provide the necessary tools and platforms to enable individual financial wellness”.
Ibrahim says fintech growth in Saudi Arabia will also be aided by the country’s National Fintech Strategy (SNFS). The initiative aims to drive fintech innovation, increase the number of startups in the Kingdom to 230, and grow digital transactions by 70% by 2025.
Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East
MALY is uniquely positioned to help the KSA achieve its fintech vision. The company’s cutting-edge platform leverages data science and machine learning. According to CEO Mo Ibrahim, MALY is an essential toolbox that helps to automate and manage personal savings and investments while offering debt management tools and investment techniques.
As well as its current suite of financial tools, MALY is also planning an AI-powered Financial Stress Tracker, which will leverage Open Banking to identify patterns indicating financial stress while providing customers with personalized advice and education programs to help them manage their finances.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth
The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.