News

UMG And DGMC Collaborate To Establish “Music City” In The UAE

The partnership hopes to bolster the Middle East’s music community and promote industry growth with cutting-edge facilities and education academies.

Published

3 years ago

February 20, 2024

Nour Nasir

umg and dgmc collaborate to establish music city in the uae

Universal Music Group

In a significant move for the local music industry, Universal Music Group (UMG), a global leader in music-based entertainment, and DGMC, an emerging creative facility and global destination, have unveiled a strategic collaboration aimed at bolstering the music community in the Middle East.

The partnership aims to cultivate a vibrant and sustainable music ecosystem, with its flagship project, “Music City”, set to be established in the UAE. The initiative will serve as a regional center catering to both local talents and international artists and songwriters.

The collaboration includes the establishment of cutting-edge recording studios, the launch of educational academies, and the introduction of a comprehensive label dedicated to supporting local and regional artists across various facets of their careers, including recording, touring, branding, and merchandising.

At its core, the UMG-DGMC partnership is committed to fostering growth and nurturing the talents of artists and songwriters in the region, with a focus on unlocking their creative and commercial potential.

Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairwoman of DGMC, expressed excitement about the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to partner with UMG, the world’s leading music group, on this unique and exciting endeavor. Building a state-of-the-art music infrastructure and providing industry services to support aspiring musical artists is critical to our leadership’s vision to promote culture and the arts”.

Also Read: Best Music Streaming Services In The Middle East

Adam Granite, Executive Vice President of Market Development at Universal Music Group, added: “We have long recognized the potential in the Middle East and are incredibly proud to be working with world-class partners like DGMC. We share their excitement and vision to harness this potential and nurture the next generation of recording artists and songwriters. Our partnership will create a powerful platform for the incredible talent in the region and accelerate their careers at home and abroad”.

To make “Music City” a massive success, ambitious development plans include the construction of three new Capitol Studios recording studios, marking the first-ever expansion of Capitol Studios outside of Hollywood. These studios will feature cutting-edge facilities such as Dolby Atmos mixing rooms, recording studios, green rooms, writer’s rooms, and rehearsal studios. Additionally, a range of immersive music experiences for fans is in the pipeline.

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News

NEOPAY Wants To Follow Merchants Across Channels And Borders

A controlling 65% stake in noon payments would give NEOPAY access to marketplace sellers, online merchants and the payment flows they generate.

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

Nour Nasir

neopay wants to follow merchants across channels and borders

It’s been a long time since checkouts were single defined places. A merchant might take payments at a physical register, on its own website and through an online marketplace, sometimes in more than one country. NEOPAY wants to follow those transactions wherever they happen.

The UAE payments company has entered into an agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. NEOPAY already runs the acquiring infrastructure that lets merchants accept card payments, along with omnichannel acceptance and a merchant services platform. This new deal would add noon payments’ embedded payments platform, e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That would considerably expand both NEOPAY’s digital commerce capabilities and its regional reach.

For merchants, the attraction is a single provider for online and in-store payments, plus faster settlements, data and analytics, and value-added financial services.

“Payments should be simple, reliable, and built for the markets they serve,” said Faraz Khalid, CEO of noon. His counterpart at NEOPAY, Vibhor Mundhada, added: “We have built a strong payments business in the UAE, and our ambition is now to take that capability across the region”. The acquisition, Mundhada added, would “expand our footprint into Saudi Arabia and Egypt” while reinforcing NEOPAY’s position at home.

Also Read: In Kuwait, Your Surgeon Might Be Operating From Another Country

NEOPAY is also keen to point out potential payment volume increases. The company says noon payments’ integrations with marketplace sellers and online merchants create high transaction density in some of the region’s fastest-growing digital commerce segments. It also believes control of the business would give it access to those merchant relationships and payment flows, and speed up the rollout of alternative payment methods and installment options.

The combined roadmap targets faster merchant onboarding, better payment performance, tighter fraud controls and embedded financial services. The deal could also strengthen cross-border payments and settlement along key regional commerce corridors.