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Saudi National Day 2022 To Be Held In The Metaverse
Developed by creative agency The Bold Group, Saudi Arabia will host its first ever National Day as a virtual event, complete with collectable NFT wearables.
The concept behind the metaverse is that of a persistent, 3D online world combining multiple virtual spaces. The metaverse will be a place where users can work, game, and socialize together in a digital environment. On the 22-24th of September 2022, the online universe will edge closer to the mainstream, hosting the first ever Saudi National Day as a virtual event.
The pioneering online festival has been organized and developed by The Bold Group in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah). The event will showcase immersive 3D spaces, enabling visitors to tour the Kingdom and soak up the local heritage, landmarks, food, culture, music, and more.
As well as the experience of a virtual visit to Saudi Arabia, the Bold Group’s decentralized platform will feature iconic wearable national attire in the form of NFTs. The organizers will also provide POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol) as a limited edition collectible NFT so virtual tourists can show off their participation in the world’s first virtual Saudi National Day.
“We’re witnessing a major transformation in the Saudi digital industry where Saudi Arabia is being increasingly recognized as a key player in the global technology scene […] Disruptive technologies like the metaverse is the future, and we at The Bold Group aim to be a key player in that evolution. The idea to usher in the Saudi National Day […] was inspired by the challenge of convening people across the Kingdom’s 13 different regions to celebrate Saudi Arabia in one virtual space,” says Ziad AbuRjaily, Creative Technology Director in the Bold Experience Unit.
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Saudi Arabia is currently at the cutting edge of the world’s digital transformation and aims to become a global technology hub. Groundbreaking events like the Saudi National Day will further highlight the region as a place where innovation and creativity flourish, putting the Kingdom at the center of the rapidly expanding metaverse.
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Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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