Bahraini culture, crafts on show at Taif festival

The Bahraini pavilion houses popular markets, products and authentic restaurants reflecting Bahrain’s culture and heritage.
Updated 14 August 2019
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Bahraini culture, crafts on show at Taif festival

Bahrain is participating in the 13th Souk Okaz, part of Taif Season, with a pavilion that reflects the country’s culture and includes a variety of traditional performances. 

Covering an area of 6,000 square meters within the "Arab Neighborhood," the Bahraini pavilion houses popular markets, products and authentic restaurants reflecting Bahrain’s culture and heritage.

The pavilion also offers live demonstration of traditional shipbuilding crafts and showcases different aspects of the pearl-diving profession. Visitors can also enjoy traditional local cuisine, with the aromas making them feel as if they are wandering through alleys in Bahrain itself.

The Souk Okaz festival is hosting 11 Arab countries to share their cultural and social heritage within the “Arab Neighborhood” event.

It has 200 shops selling pottery, silverware, glassware, wall arts and historical manuscripts, as well as textiles, handicrafts and leather goods. The market also includes restaurants and cafes.

Souq Okaz was famous for hundreds of years — predating Islam — it may go back more than 1,500 years.


Matarat Holding taps Thales to modernize Saudi airports

Updated 27 May 2025
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Matarat Holding taps Thales to modernize Saudi airports

Matarat Holding has signed an MoU with Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies. This strategic partnership, signed at Passenger Terminal Expo in Madrid, Spain, seeks to drive innovation, operational efficiency, and improved passenger experience through digital solutions and collaborative technological advancements.

Matarat Holding manages the operations of 27 airports in Saudi Arabia through its subsidiaries (Riyadh Airports, Jeddah Airports, Dammam Airports, and Cluster 2), and the MoU establishes a comprehensive framework for cooperation across multiple strategic areas of aviation development. Through this partnership, Thales will implement its expertise in smart technologies to modernize airport operations and management, driving digital transformation across Matarat’s subsidiaries. The collaboration will focus on sharing innovation and best practices to enhance service quality, streamline operational processes, and adopt future-ready solutions that will set new industry standards.

A key priority of the agreement is enhancing the traveler experience by leveraging Thales’ advanced capabilities in AI, biometrics, automation, and data-driven systems to create seamless and secure passenger journeys. The partnership will also enable the implementation of advanced digital platforms and next-generation infrastructure in Matarat airports.

Bernard Roux, CEO of Thales in Saudi Arabia and Central Asia, said: “This collaboration with Matarat Holding represents a transformative step in reshaping the future of Saudi aviation. By combining Thales’ expertise in digital transformation with Matarat’s operational excellence, we are not just implementing technologies — we are co-creating a smart and safe aviation ecosystem. Our joint solutions in AI, cybersecurity and connected systems will set new benchmarks for operational efficiency, enhanced passenger experience, and national security, directly contributing to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 ambitions to become a global aviation leader.”


Tawuniya’s ‘InsurAI’ challenge showcases AI-powered breakthrough in insurance

Updated 27 May 2025
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Tawuniya’s ‘InsurAI’ challenge showcases AI-powered breakthrough in insurance

Marking the culmination of its highly anticipated 12-week virtual program “InsurAI,” Tawuniya, the largest insurance company in the Middle East and North Africa, successfully concluded its Demo Day on May 26. The event showcased 10 cutting-edge startups, selected from a competitive pool of over 1,000 applicants, which presented their innovative solutions designed to unlock new avenues for growth and transformation in the insurance sector.

Launched in December 2024 by Tawuniya in collaboration with Plug and Play, and supported by government partners including Monsha’at and CODE, the InsurAI program underscores Tawuniya’s steadfast commitment to driving digital transformation in the region’s insurance industry. It also aims to propel economic development and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s growing startup ecosystem in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 goals.

The program provided a unique platform for 10 rising innovators — Papaya Insurtech, WideBot AI, DESAISIV, Najeeb.ai, Intella, Yasmina, AlloBrain, Curacel, CozmoX AI, and Chefaa — who were selected through a rigorous evaluation process. During Demo Day, these startups pitched their next-generation generative AI solutions to a curated audience of investors, technology leaders, and Tawuniya executives.

Abdullah Alshargi, CTO at Tawuniya, said: “The InsurAI is more than just a platform — it’s a statement of intent. We are investing in a future where artificial intelligence is seamlessly integrated into the insurance ecosystem to bring about real, measurable impact. Demo Day spotlighted how visionary startups are already solving some of the industry’s most pressing challenges — from claims automation and fraud detection to hyper-personalized customer experiences.”

“Through strategic partnerships and hands-on mentorship, we have built a launchpad for innovation that aligns with Tawuniya’s mission to lead the digital transformation of the insurance sector. We envision InsurAI as a catalyst for long-term collaboration and a driver of what’s next in insurtech,” he added

Over the course of the program, each team received expert mentorship and support in areas such as product development, regulatory compliance, and go-to-market strategy. Strategic partners played an instrumental role in the program, enhancing the startups’ journey toward scalability and investment-readiness.

The event concluded with the announcement of the top three startups, who shared a prize pool of $225,000 alongside potential partnership opportunities with Tawuniya.

This event marks a significant milestone in Tawuniya’s mission to foster an innovation-driven ecosystem and cement Saudi Arabia’s role as a regional hub for AI and insurtech.


Saudi Signage & Labelling Expo attracts record visitors

Updated 26 May 2025
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Saudi Signage & Labelling Expo attracts record visitors

The second edition of the Saudi Signage and Labelling Expo, co-located with the Saudi Paper and Packaging Expo, drew thousands of professionals from across the signage, labelling, paper and packaging value chain, from May 20-22 at the Riyadh International Convention Center.

“In the second year, the event has been an encouraging reflection of the market’s pace and direction as seen in the activity and engagement on the busy exhibition floor. Cross-border conversations, live demonstrations and the ongoing deal-making we’ve seen in just the first two days demonstrate the growing strength and maturity of Saudi Arabia’s signage, labelling, paper and packaging landscape,” said Muhammed Kazi, senior vice president — construction, dmg events.

More than 150 regional and international exhibitors highlighted new product lines and machinery, including innovations in UV printing, 3D systems, LED displays and wayfinding technologies, providing buyers with an opportunity to choose the right products, services, systems and solutions based on their needs.

One of the exhibitors, ProNext, in collaboration with PRO TECHnology, unveiled next-generation UV, direct-to-object and food-grade 3D printing solutions, tailored to businesses looking to elevate both creative output and technical precision. “We are leveraging Saudi Signage and Labelling Expo as a platform to introduce three of our most advanced printing solutions to the Saudi market,” said Jamal Maraqa, managing director, PRO TECHnology. “This includes a 360-degree object printer from the US capable of producing up to 20,000 items a day, a newly launched flatbed printer making its Middle East debut and a specialized food printer designed for chocolates, cakes and bakery products, showcasing the diverse possibilities within the printing landscape.”

Showcasing complementary capabilities in the signage space, Riyadh-based PHC presented its live signage and wayfinding solutions at the event, drawing on a portfolio of more than 1,500 completed projects that continue to shape navigation across the Kingdom’s public spaces, retail centers and transport hubs.

Elsewhere on the floor, European player Domino Sign showcased advanced sign-making equipment and LED systems that combine French engineering with Korean precision, supporting efficient branding across sectors. 

Building on this focus on technical advancement, another Saudi exhibitor National Signage Industrial Company and its subsidiary SCREEN World unveiled the country’s first LED assembly line, highlighting their locally manufactured solutions, from architectural signage and traffic systems to billboard structures and transparent LED displays.

As businesses in Saudi Arabia place greater emphasis on environmental responsibility, visitors at the event explored sustainable materials, packaging solutions and eco-conscious production processes.

Chinese company Anhui Angran Green Technology presented green materials for signage and packaging, designed to reduce environmental impact across the supply chain by offering recyclable substrates and energy-efficient processes that appeal to sustainability-minded buyers. Another exhibitor, CMYK Print Solutions offered locally available, advanced printing technologies that align with sustainable practices. Digital Star Machinery and Equipments complemented this by showcasing automated printing and packaging systems engineered to reduce material waste and improve energy efficiency, reinforcing the event’s focus on practical, eco-conscious solutions.

Henan Jianwei Paper from China displayed a variety of food-grade, eco-friendly paper products that meet international sustainability benchmarks. Meanwhile, another Chinese company, Jiangxi Hemeng Technology, promoted environmentally responsible packaging solutions focused on customization and low-waste production. Suzhou Xiangyuan New Materials, which operates a green-certified factory in China, rounded out the sustainable showcase with chemical and signage materials produced through cleaner manufacturing methods.

With key discussions across the exhibition floor, the event has positioned itself as a hub for business growth, technical collaboration and dialogue across the signage, labelling, paper and packaging communities.


Eram Holdings gets B+/ BB+ rating from S&P

Updated 27 May 2025
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Eram Holdings gets B+/ BB+ rating from S&P

Eram Holdings, a private conglomerate headquartered in Saudi Arabia, announced its B+ and BB+ Saudi national credit rating, with a stable outlook, from Standard and Poor’s. This rating action reflects external validation of the company’s excellent track record and future growth potential in the Kingdom and beyond, while underscoring its strategic commitment to diversified financing in order to build up its business in a sustainable manner.

Established in the 1990s, Eram Holdings operates across five business verticals globally from its Saudi Arabian headquarters. Its subsidiaries have a 95 percent client retention rate and cater to major companies across oil and gas, petrochemicals, utilities, airports, maritime and for high-profile giga-projects in the region. The company has gained an enviable reputation for being a preferred vendor for specialized technical services, a leading travel management company in the region, a rapidly expanding healthcare business, and for launching initiatives in support of the national vision for the development of import substitute products and services in Saudi Arabia. The subsidiary company involved in R&D and manufacturing exports Saudi-made power electronics products such as industrial grade UPS, battery chargers, frequency converters, and customized solar solutions for mission-critical applications.

This financial transformation and shift in Eram’s funding will attract strategic partnerships with global companies and financial institutions, providing access to syndicated loan, sukuk and private placement markets, and enabling it to facilitate expansion across key regional markets.

“Our company has been in a steady growth mode and we are now entering a transformative phase to better support our clients and capitalize on expanding regional opportunities. We have set a combined target of achieving 28-35 percent CAGR growth by 2028. 

“As Saudi Arabia seeks greater global integration, through its Vision 2030 initiatives, hosting Expo 2030 and World Cup 2034, Eram is uniquely positioned to support these national milestones. 

“This rating is a testament to the diligent efforts of the Eram team and our dedication to our clients,” said Dr. Siddeek Ahamed, chairman and managing director. 

“We are excited about this next phase of our strategic expansion.”

“Lonmile and its affiliates have supported Eram in achieving this milestone credit rating over the last 12 months. We are thrilled to support Eram as it makes transformative steps from a private company to a firm with a public credit rating. Eram’s foothold in Saudi Arabia and across the GCC, in multiple industrial sectors, make this a very exciting time for the firm, as it continues to expand its reach and scale at pace,” said Naveen Ayyaril, partner at Lonmile.


SAB partners with IDEMIA to launch innovative card activation solution

Updated 26 May 2025
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SAB partners with IDEMIA to launch innovative card activation solution

Saudi Awwal Bank has become the first bank in the Kingdom to implement IDEMIA Secure Transactions’ “Tap to Activate” solution. This initiative is part of SAB’s commitment to enhancing customer transactions and providing a seamless and secure banking experience.

The “Tap to Activate” solution will integrate both physical and digital payment experiences, allowing their customers to efficiently activate new payment cards by simply tapping on their smartphone. 

The service’s robust authentication protocols allow for a secure, convenient, and hassle-free process that ensures that only the customer can activate their card, eliminating the need for ATMs or phone banking.

Bandar Al-Gheshayan, chief wealth and personal banking officer at SAB, said: “SAB is proud to launch the innovative ‘Tap to Activate’ solution in the Kingdom, reaffirming our commitment to secure and seamless banking experiences. 

By leveraging cutting-edge technology and our longstanding partnership with IDEMIA Secure Transactions, we continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers. 

This initiative enhances convenience, supports the Kingdom’s broader digital transformation goals, and sets new standards in customer experience.”

Serigne Dia, vice president of payment services, Middle East and Africa, IDEMIA Secure Transactions, said: “We are excited to strengthen our partnership with SAB through the launch of the innovative ‘Tap to Activate’ solution. In today’s era of convenience, simplifying the user experience has never been more crucial. SAB’s keen understanding of evolving consumer needs and market trends exemplifies their customer-centric and forward-thinking approach. By moving beyond the physical card and entrusting IDEMIA Secure Transactions with a digital solution, SAB affirms the high-quality standards that we are trusted to deliver.”

SAB and IST share a longstanding partnership, having previously collaborated on eco-friendly rPVC payment cards for the bank’s customers and exclusive premium metal cards for its high-net-worth clients. This latest venture underscores their shared commitment to innovation and customer-centric financial solutions.

SAB remains at the forefront of driving innovation and advancing digital infrastructure, fully aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals of building a robust and secure digital economy. By harnessing cutting-edge technologies and introducing pioneering secure banking solutions, SAB continues to play a vital role in transforming the financial sector.