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Meet Yango Play’s My Vibe: A Real-Time Personalized Music Stream
The entertainment super app now boasts a unique feature that adapts to user music preferences during listening.
Yango Play, the AI-driven super app combining video streaming, music, and games, has introduced a feature in its music section known as My Vibe. The new playlist tool dynamically adapts to a listener’s song choices in real time, identifying changing preferences and mood shifts immediately.
My Vibe works by harnessing an advanced AI algorithm that analyzes over a thousand variables about a user’s behavior and the content. The result is a potentially endless stream of curated tracks, artists, and genres that align perfectly with a user’s preferences, mood, and historical song choices. The new feature can identify when a track is skipped or not completed and continually refines the listening experience in real time.
Roman Shimansky, Yango’s MENA Region Business Director, explained the benefits of the new feature: “My Vibe excels at sparking a range of emotions, providing that delightful surprise when you encounter a track for the first time and instantly know you’ll love it. With My Vibe, there’s no need to toggle between your favorite tunes and new tracks or waste time choosing playlists. Everything you need is accessible with just one touch”.
Also Read: Best Music Streaming Services In The Middle East
My Vibe uses neural models to understand the evolving musical interests of its users. The sophisticated tool studies track, analyzing their spectrograms, frequency ranges, rhythm, vocal tone, and much more. With all that information in place, the algorithm then searches for tracks with similar parameters, suggesting them to listeners based on likes, dislikes, and even other users with similar tastes.
Since being released in the MENA region in February, the Yango Play app has proved popular across the region. The service boasts music for every mood and genre imaginable and streams the latest Arabic and Khaleeji hits in expertly curated playlists, helping users discover rising local talent across genres.
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Checkout.com Set To Launch Card Issuing In The UAE
The payment service provider’s expansion is a first-of-its-kind investment and could reshape digital transactions across the region.
Checkout.com is laying the groundwork to become the first global payments platform to introduce card issuing in the United Arab Emirates — a move that could reshape how businesses in the region manage financial transactions.
The company plans to roll out its domestic card issuance offering in the UAE by 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The launch would give businesses the tools to issue both physical and virtual branded cards. This, in turn, opens up new ways to reward customers, streamline expense processes, and handle B2B payouts efficiently.
Checkout.com’s CEO and Founder, Guillaume Pousaz, revealed the plans during Thrive Abu Dhabi, the firm’s debut conference in the Emirates. Joined on stage by Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA, Pousaz presented to an audience of over 150 partners and merchants at Saadiyat Island. Also in attendance was H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications.
Abbondandolo highlighted the strategic importance of the announcement: “As a global business, we focus on bringing products to markets that our customers want and need. Today’s announcement is proof of our commitment to the MENA region and its rising influence in the digital economy. The appetite for innovation here is real, and we’re proud to be building the infrastructure that powers it”.
One early adopter of Checkout.com’s UAE acquiring services is Headout, a travel experiences marketplace, which recently named the payment provider as its main partner in Europe. The company has already begun card issuing there and is keen to expand that offering into MENA once approval is granted.
The expansion of services in the UAE and beyond builds on Checkout.com’s track record in the region. It was the first global payments firm to secure a Retail Payment Services license from the UAE’s Central Bank and was instrumental in rolling out Mada and Apple Pay in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Also Read: Protecting Your WhatsApp Account From Hackers: Kaspersky Expert Tips
The firm has also been rolling out new products: One of the latest is Flow Remember Me, currently in beta testing. It allows shoppers to store their card information once and access it across Checkout.com’s entire network, potentially cutting checkout times by up to 70%.
Earlier this year, Checkout.com also introduced Visa Direct’s Push-to-Card solution in the UAE, enabling both domestic and international payouts. Its collaboration with Mastercard has grown as well, making it easier for businesses to send funds directly to third-party cards securely and quickly.
With regional tech ambitions on the rise — spurred by initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s 2031 Agenda — Checkout.com sees its role as one of a key enabler. “Our mission is to help ambitious businesses navigate the complexity of payments, so they can move faster, go further, and make the most of every opportunity,” said Abbondandolo. “In MENA, performance is personal. It’s local. It’s built on trust. And when payments perform, businesses thrive”.
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