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Ooredoo And Qatar Airways Partner To Build National AI Hub
The two Qatari giants have signed an MoU to establish a national hub for AI, cloud, and cybersecurity, driving digital transformation and talent development.
Ooredoo and Qatar Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a national hub for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. The agreement aims to accelerate Qatar’s digital transformation, positioning the country as a regional leader in advanced technology and innovation.
The announcement builds on a 15-year collaboration between the two organizations and represents a major step in Qatar’s long-term strategy for technological leadership and economic diversification. The initiative will deliver advanced infrastructure, digital tools, and data security frameworks that align with national goals for sustainable development.
A core element of the partnership is investment in people. Ooredoo and Qatar Airways will introduce specialized training and upskilling programs in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity, equipping the next generation of professionals with the skills needed to drive innovation across industries.
To support the effort, Ooredoo activated its investment in the NVIDIA GPU platform in July 2025, bringing high-performance computing power to Qatar. This infrastructure will enable businesses, government agencies, and developers to harness large-scale AI processing for advanced solutions.
Sheikh Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo, stated: “We are committed to unleashing AI’s transformative power to enhance human potential and redefine what’s achievable. This strategic alliance with Qatar Airways merges our respective expertise to position Qatar as a global leader in AI advancement and digital innovation”.
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Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer echoed this commitment: “Leveraging technology to drive innovation has always been central to Qatar Airways’ digital strategy. This partnership allows us to expand our role as a national AI champion and supports Qatar’s ambition to integrate AI across sectors. Together, we are setting new benchmarks for excellence across industries”.
By combining Ooredoo’s AI infrastructure with Qatar Airways’ operational experience in deploying advanced technologies, the partnership will lead to smarter, connected solutions in both telecommunications and aviation. More broadly, it reinforces Qatar’s ambition to create a knowledge-based economy and strengthen its influence as a regional hub for technology and digital innovation.
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Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform
Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.
Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.
The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.
The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.
Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.
Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.
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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.
“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.
Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.
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