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Twitch Launches Arabic Right-To-Left Interface For Web & Mobile
The livestreaming service has expanded access and inclusion for Arabic-speaking users, unlocking new opportunities for creativity, and growth.
Livestreaming service Twitch has launched a global Arabic Right-to-Left (RTL) interface across its desktop and mobile platforms, marking a major step in its commitment to supporting Arabic-speaking communities. The update allows users to navigate the site in Arabic, with RTL alignment enabled throughout the interface.
Arabic language settings are now available worldwide and can be activated through Twitch account preferences or by adjusting a device’s language settings. Further localization — such as RTL support for notifications and emails — is expected to roll out later this year.
The launch reflects Twitch’s broader strategy of purposeful localization and community investment. “By delivering Arabic RTL, we’re enabling access and supporting streamers to build vibrant communities in their own language,” said Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch. “Our long-term vision is to localize with purpose and invest in the people behind the content”.
Usage trends point to Twitch’s growing presence in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2024, MENA viewers spent more than 209 million hours watching Twitch content. Top categories in the region include Just Chatting, Valorant, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch 2 — indicating a broad mix of esports, gaming, and conversational content.
The Arabic RTL experience arrives amid rising investment in the regional gaming economy, which is projected to exceed $6 billion by 2027. National digital strategies and youth-led innovation continue to drive growth, and platforms like Twitch are expanding local support to meet the demand.
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Streamers in the region have welcomed the update as a meaningful move toward inclusion. Saudi Arabia – based Twitch Partner Meshael MR commented, “This update makes Twitch feel more like home. It removes barriers for new streamers and shows that Twitch sees our community and is building with us”.
Globally, Twitch remains the leading platform for interactive live streaming, capturing over 60% of the market and logging more than 655 million hours watched in 2024. The Arabic RTL launch adds to its ongoing efforts to build safer, more inclusive spaces for creators and audiences across all regions.
News
Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
Egypt’s telecom regulator says $57.6 billion moved through more than 57 million wallets in six months. And one operator handled 77% of the value.
Egypt’s mobile wallets handled EGP 2.96 trillion ($57.6 billion) in transactions in the first half of 2026, according to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority – a 56% rise on the EGP 1.90 trillion ($36.9 billion) recorded a year earlier. Transactions grew faster still, up 62% to 2.22 billion, while registered wallets climbed 23% to 57.01 million.
On one reading, that is exactly what Egypt’s regulators have been pushing for: a payments system that runs through telecom-linked wallets rather than banknotes. But the same data shows how far cash still reaches into it. Cash withdrawals made up just 12% of the transactions taking money out of wallets, yet 75% of the value withdrawn or spent.
Money arrives mostly from bank accounts: transfers through InstaPay accounted for 78% of deposit transactions and 58% of the value deposited, while incoming remittances from abroad made up 3% of deposit transactions but 10% of their value. Once inside, it largely moves between wallets – wallet-to-wallet transfers accounted for 54% of all transactions and 67% of total value, with mobile and internet top-ups a distant second at 25% of volume. In effect, the wallet is serving as a transfer layer: the place money passes through between the bank account and the banknote.
That layer also runs predominantly through one operator. Vodafone Cash held 53% of registered wallets and 57% of active ones, but handled 69% of transactions and 77% of their value. Its nearest rival, e& money, held 23% of registered wallets but 14% of transaction value; Orange Cash 20% and 8%; WE Pay 4% of wallets. How many of the 57.01 million are active is not stated.
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Adoption is rather uneven in other respects. Men held 38 million wallets, or 67% of the total, against 19 million held by women. Users aged 26 to 45 accounted for half of all wallets, and Cairo alone had 10.6 million, or 19% of the national total, with Giza next at 6.5 million.
The NTRA says it is continuing to work with telecom operators on the regulatory framework for wallet services, part of a wider effort to expand electronic payments and financial inclusion. Its own figures show that effort succeeding on the way in. On the way out, three-quarters of the value still leaves as cash.
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