News

Saudi Aviation Sector Embraces Tech To Meet Vision 2030 Goals

The kingdom aims to become a global logistics hub and attract 100 million tourists by 2030.

Published

3 years ago

May 30, 2023

saudi aviation sector embraces tech to meet vision 2030 goals

Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming a highly sought-after tourist destination, and in response to growing demand, the aviation industry requires year-on-year development on an increasingly large scale. As aviation is one of the most environmentally damaging sectors, mitigating harmful emissions is crucial to helping the Kingdom meet its ambitious Vision 2030 goals.

According to a recent report by the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, developing modern, high-tech aviation technologies could enhance Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector and simultaneously meet the requirements of growing volumes of tourists.

Co-author of the report, Abdulrahman Alwosheel, noted that Saudi Arabia enjoys a “strategic geopolitical position” and is a key location that connects the Asia-Pacific region to Europe and America. Developing this logistics hub is a critical component of the Vision 2030 roadmap.

Also Read: Tech Firms Form Partnership To Boost UAE’s Space Program

The National Tourism Strategy of Saudi Arabia plans to attract 100 million visitors by 2030, which could account for up to 10% of the Kingdom’s GDP. Meeting these lofty goals will require significant infrastructure improvements, as well as large-scale investment in innovative new technology and a highly-skilled workforce.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

7 days ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.