News

Payment Experts Payrails Team With Ride Hailing App inDrive

The partnership solves the complexities of integrating various regional payment service providers into the global mobility service.

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Nour Nasir

Payrails

Payment platform Payrails has announced a strategic collaboration with inDrive, the world’s second-most-downloaded ride-hailing app. The partnership is already helping the California-based inDrive overcome the complexities of integrating various payment service providers and alternative payment methods across different regions, including MENA.

Payrails’ solution is provider agnostic, and features dynamic payment routing, and extended coverage of alternative (regional) payment methods. The technology is complex, but the main takeaway is that inDrive has already seen an 11% increase in card approval rates and significantly boosted conversions, enhancing profits for inDrive and improving income security for its workers.

Payrails also delivers a streamlined experience for inDrive’s developers by offering a single API (application programming interface) eliminating the need for multiple individual integrations with different regional payment providers and payment methods.

Vasiliy Everstov, Head of Fintech at inDrive, expressed enthusiasm about the results, stating: “Partnering with Payrails empowers us to activate all of our key payment objectives for the business across our top priority markets. Together, we are driving tech innovation in the mobility industry and unlocking new opportunities for drivers and consumers alike”.

Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East

Orkhan Abdullayev, Co-Founder and CEO of Payrails echoed this sentiment, remarking, “Collaborating with inDrive to revolutionize global payment processing underscores our commitment to providing innovative solutions in the MENA region and beyond that address the evolving needs of large enterprises. Our aim is to set new benchmarks of excellence for payment solutions across key industries worldwide”.

Through the collaboration, inDrive can now access and automate the optimal payment routes in each market at the lowest cost, driving efficiency and profitability in a highly competitive sector.

News

Saudi EV Adoption Accelerates With BYD Expansion & Tesla Launch

Saudi Arabia’s EV market is gaining momentum as BYD plans major showroom growth and Tesla establishes a foothold in Riyadh.

Published

2 days ago

July 16, 2025

Nour Nasir

saudi ev adoption accelerates with byd expansion and tesla launch

Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a regional hub for electric mobility are drawing greater investment from global automakers. As part of Vision 2030, the Kingdom is targeting 30% electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the capital, Riyadh, by the end of the decade — an objective that’s now shaping the strategic interests of international EV brands.

Chinese manufacturer BYD is planning a substantial thrust into the Saudi market, building on its current footprint of three showrooms. According to Jerome Saigot, BYD’s managing director in the Kingdom, the company aims to open 10 showrooms by the end of 2026.

“Saudi Arabia is a complex market. You need to go fast. You need to think big,” Saigot recently told reporters. “We are not here to stay at 5,000 or 10,000 cars a year”.

The announcement follows Tesla’s entry into the Saudi EV space, with the US automaker opening its first showroom in Riyadh in April. Tesla joins early players like BYD and Geely in what remains a nascent but strategically important segment for the Kingdom.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has also ramped up its electric mobility agenda. Its efforts include major investments in Lucid Motors, the creation of local EV brand Ceer, and support for the rollout of national charging infrastructure.

Also Read: Twitch Launches Arabic Right-To-Left Interface For Web & Mobile

However, electric vehicles still only account for just over 1% of total car sales in Saudi Arabia, according to data from PwC cited by Bloomberg. Key challenges include high upfront costs, limited public charging access, and the added complexity of operating in extreme heat conditions.

In spite of those hurdles, Saigot views Tesla’s entry as a net positive. “The more Tesla communicates on marketing, the better it is for us,” he said. Saigot joined BYD in April, having previously held executive roles at Nissan and Great Wall Motor.

With multiple brands scaling up activity in parallel — and government-backed infrastructure investment underway — Saudi Arabia’s EV sector appears set for rapid acceleration over the next few years.