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Tourists Can Now Use Their Home E-Wallets In The UAE
A new partnership between Ant Group, Astra Tech and G42 enables seamless transactions for visitors without the hassle of currency conversions.
Dubai-based technology investment company Astra Tech, backed by Abu Dhabi AI company G42, has partnered with Alibaba’s payment platform Ant Group to enable tourists in the United Arab Emirates to pay for goods and services using their home e-wallets.
The new service will help to avoid the hassle of currency conversion, integrating the Alipay cross-border payment platform with Astra Tech’s PayBy merchant network.
When the system goes live later this month, over 1.4 billion wallet users will be able to make seamless transactions in their home currencies in 3,000 retail establishments and make speedy payments for trips in Abu Dhabi’s fleet of 7,000 taxis.
“Our milestone collaboration with Alipay aligns perfectly with the UAE’s commitment to enhancing the payment ecosystem and fostering a commerce-friendly environment,” explained Abdallah Abu Sheikh, co-founder of Astra Tech and chief executive of Botim.
The new service will primarily cater to tourists from China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Italy. However, anyone who signs up for an Alipay, MPay, Kakao Pay, GCash, TrueMoney, and Tinaba e-wallet can enjoy the service.
The Astra Tech and Ant Group partnership will facilitate speedy settlement processes and smooth mobile-based transactions through Alipay in physical and online settings. Meanwhile, both Alipay and PayBy plan to expand the service to further boost spending from Asian and European visitors.
Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East
“Our alliance with Astra Tech not only opens the doors to a seamless and integrated digital payment experience at physical stores in the Middle East, but also propels us towards a new era of strategic collaboration,” said Guoming Cheng, Ant Group’s general manager of Europe and the Middle East.
The UAE is the Middle East’s second-largest economy and has begun investing heavily to expand its tourism sector. In May, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced that tourism sector spending had risen 70% to Dh121 billion ($33 billion) in 2022 — the highest in the region.
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HUMAIN & NVIDIA Partner To Build Saudi AI Factories Of The Future
In a push to position the Kingdom as a global AI hub, the partnership will co-develop next-gen AI infrastructure, digital twins, and workforce training.
HUMAIN, the AI-focused subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to build the infrastructure powering Saudi Arabia’s next industrial revolution: AI factories capable of driving massive-scale innovation and digital transformation.
The partnership reflects HUMAIN’s plans to turn the Kingdom into a global AI powerhouse by building new infrastructure, real-world applications, and investing in talent. Through the alliance, HUMAIN and NVIDIA will construct hyperscale AI data centers, digital twins, and launch national upskilling programs.
At the heart of the partnership is HUMAIN’s plan to deploy AI factories with a capacity of up to 500 megawatts, fueled by hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs over the next five years. Phase one includes the installation of 18,000 NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell superchips and InfiniBand networking, creating one of the world’s most powerful AI supercomputing environments.
These centers will provide the scale and security needed to support innovation across Saudi Arabia’s industries — from energy and logistics to healthcare and finance.
“AI, like electricity and the internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Together with HUMAIN, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom”.
HUMAIN will also leverage NVIDIA Omniverse to drive the next phase of industrial transformation — physical AI. By simulating and optimizing complex environments in digital twin form, sectors like manufacturing, utilities, and logistics can operate more efficiently, safely, and sustainably.
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“Our partnership with NVIDIA is a bold step forward in realizing the Kingdom’s ambitions to lead in AI and advanced digital infrastructure,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN. “Together, we are building the capacity, capability, and a new globally enabled community to shape a future powered by intelligent technology and empowered people”.
In tandem with infrastructure development, HUMAIN and NVIDIA will also launch large-scale AI education and training initiatives, designed to upskill thousands of Saudi professionals in advanced AI, robotics, and digital twin technologies.
These efforts will contribute to building a self-sustaining AI ecosystem and support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions for economic diversification and digital leadership.
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