UAE

Just two months after UnionPay bolstered its support of QR code payments in China through an arrangement with Tencent Holdings Ltd., the company is working with Network International to initiate its first pilot for QR code payments at a merchant location in the UAE.

For many international enterprises, cross-border e-commerce processing is table stakes. And the more complex the payment, the more important it is to handle it quickly.

The DirectRemit service will enable the large British population in the UAE to send funds to family members' Lloyds Bank accounts in less than 60 seconds and to other U.K.-based banks within an hour.

Toronto-based Mint Corp. is taking advantage of the UAE government’s ambitious plans to develop a digital, cashless society.

Mobeewave is rolling out its mobile point of sale technology in the United Arab Emirates, a country that still has very high cash usage despite government initiatives to encourage digital payments.

Dubai-based ride-hailing app Careem Networks FZ has revealed a cyber incident in January where hackers gained access to systems that hold customer and driver account data.

Vienna-based paysafecard, which enables unbanked consumers to make online payments using a service backed by a prepaid card, is expanding to the United Arab Emirates.

SkyShopper enables Emirates NBD’s credit and debit card customers to make purchases from retailers through a single portal.

International payments technology provider Cardtek has created the emPAY mobile wallet with partner Emcredit to develop a nationwide payment platform in the United Arab Emirates.

Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to buy Dubai-based online retailer Souq.com, betting that e-commerce in the Middle East is poised to take off.