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Web 3.0 Expert Kevin O’Leary To Speak At Blockchain Awards

The chairman of O’Leary Ventures and star of ABC’s Shark Tank will deliver a keynote speech at the Middle East Blockchain Awards.

Published

4 years ago

November 16, 2022

Nour Nasir

web 3.0 expert kevin o'leary to speak at blockchain awards

Crypto and future technology enthusiasts worldwide are gearing up for Abu Dhabi’s Middle East Blockchain Awards, which will take place on November 18th. To mark the occasion, web 3.0, blockchain, and cryptocurrency expert Kevin O’Leary will deliver an important keynote speech.

O’Leary will travel to Abu Dhabi as an ambassador of the business expansion initiative known as Access Abu Dhabi. The program is supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and acts as a conduit for businesses entering the city’s thriving startup and innovation ecosystem. O’Leary has traveled to Abu Dhabi three times over the last two years and has considerable experience as a Web 3.0 investor.

“It’s a massive honor to have Kevin O’Leary deliver a keynote speech at the first edition of the Middle East Blockchain Awards. He’s a well-respected and renowned personality on an international level, especially for his work with blockchain and crypto. This is a phenomenal start to what we’re sure will become a long-lived series of Awards ceremonies recognizing some of the region’s finest Web 3.0 achievements,” says Bally Singh, Chairman, and Co-Founder of Hoko Group.

Also Read: Abu Dhabi Airports Exploring Options For Air Taxis

The Middle East Blockchain Awards will be supported by GEM Digital Limited, the headline sponsor, with support from the Abu Dhabi Residents Office, Inery Blockchain, and Everdome, the first hyper-realistic metaverse.

As to the ceremony itself, this year’s MEBA will be held in the beautiful Palm Garden of the five-star W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, on the same weekend as the Formula One races. The black-tie event promises to be a spectacular evening and will be attended by high-profile individuals and a large panel of expert judges.

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Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

6 days ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

Also Read: Shokz OpenFit Pro Review: Open-Ear Audio Finally Grows Up

For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.