News

NEOM Announces Luxury Tourism Destination Epicon

The glistening coastal tower will be situated on the Gulf of Aqaba and is billed as “a gateway to the future”.

Published

3 years ago

November 16, 2023

Nour Nasir

NEOM

Planners of NEOM, the sustainable urban development being built in northwest Saudi Arabia, have announced a new addition to the project named Epicon, a luxury coastal tourism destination on the Gulf of Aqaba.

Epicon will “set new standards of hospitality and architecture”, according to a recent NEOM press release. Rising from the desert like a glistening mirage, the facility will feature two huge towers, one 225 meters tall and the second a massive 275 meters. The towers will house 41 ultra-premium hotels and luxury residences comprising 14 suites and apartments. A short distance from the hotel, a separate resort complex will blend “tranquility with indulgence” with another 120 rooms and 45 residential beachside villas.

In the press release, NEOM officials describe Epicon as a place “designed as a gateway to the future [providing] an opportunity to escape the stresses of the every day”. Whether relaxing at the beachside club, taking a wellness treatment at the luxurious spa, or exploring the surrounding nature, the coastal tower resort will offer guests an unparalleled experience, along with a wide array of culinary options from its many restaurants and bistros.

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Epicon will also offer residential apartments, giving unrestricted access to world-class facilities and views of one of the most desirable shorelines in the region. Amenities will include a state-of-the-art gym, high-tech workspaces, a library, swimming pools, and club lounges.

News of the Epicon facility follows the recent announcement by NEOM of Leyja, a sustainable tourism destination situated in a beautiful natural valley. Overall, it appears that the development of Saudi Arabia’s northwest region will soon make it one of the world’s most desirable tourist locations.

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.

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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.