28 minute read
I 10 Sustainable Startups In MENA
Opportunity 10 Sustainable Startups In MENA
Algebra Intelligence
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Founders: Ahmad Altawafsheh, Ala’a Alghwiri Country: Jordan Established in: 2020 Algebra Intelligence creates energy monitoring solutions. Its first product, TaQTaK, enables users to monitor the energy that is generated from their solar PV systems as well as their own electricity consumption. In May 2021, the startup closed a $310,000 pre-seed funding round led by Oasis500. It plans to use the funding to develop a mobile app, and a new data-based platform that uses AI and machine learning to create energy resources.
Badia Farms
Founders: Omar Al Jundi Country: U.A.E. Established in: 2016 Badia Farms is one of the Middle East’s first commercial indoor vertical farms, using hydroponic technology to grow fruits and vegetables all year round. The farm uses 90% less water compared to open field farming. In 2020, the company announced plans to build a large-scale hightech vertical farm that will produce 3,500kg of high-quality fruits and vegetables per year. Since its inception in 2016, the company has raised $5 million in funding.
Baramoda
Founders: Mostafa Elnaby Country: Egypt Established in: 2015 Baramoda specializes in sustainable agricultural innovations. It develops biofertilizers from plantbased agricultural waste customized for different soil and crop types. The company produces compost that can reduce the water needed for soil by 30%. In four years, Baramoda has reduced costs for small farmers by 10%, recycled 129,000 tons of waste, reduced CO2 emissions by 42,000kg, saved 1.6 million liters of water, and contributed to the organic cultivation of 3,200 hectares of land. It has raised over $520,000 in funding. Founder and CEO, Mostafa Elnaby, is also the founder and CEO of Environeur, a waste management ecosystem.
Bekia
Founders: Alaa Afifi Kamal Country: Egypt Established in: 2017 Egypt-based Bekia is an online platform to exchange separated inorganic waste— such as cans, plastics, food, oil, and metal—for cash through a smart wallet or with goods and services. Since its inception in 2017, the startup has raised $200,000 in funding. It currently employs 14 people. The company is a graduate of Cairo accelerator Flat6Labs. In 2020, the company partnered with Cairo-based e-commerce platform Homzmart to exchange waste with new furniture from the platform.
Edama Soultions
Founders: Sabrina Vettori, Mitchell Morton, Rowan Jandu, Saud Alhagbani Country: Saudi Arabia Established in: 2017
Edama Solutions specializes in transforming organic waste into products for desert agriculture. By eliminating organic waste from landfills, the company has helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It also helps landscapers in the development of green areas by reducing water consumption by 50%. In farming, Edama’s soil improver products help increase yields by 40%. Since being established in 2017, the company has raised $116 million in funding.
Mawaad Environmental Services
Founder: Ismail Fahmy Country: U.A.E. Established in: 2018
Mawaad Environmental Services processes materials and recovers resources using metal recovery technology to cut costs in heavy industries. In the first half of 2021, the startup processed and sold 300,000 tons of steel slag, enabling a more circular economy in the region. It operates in both the GCC and Egypt, and counts Emirates Steel and Ezz Steel as clients. The company has raised $7 million since its inception. Founder Ismail Fahmy has 15 years of experience in renewables.
Pawame
Founders: Alexandre Allegue, Majd Chaaya, Nick Sparks Country: U.A.E. Established in: 2016 Solar startup Pawame provides energy access as a gateway to financial empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has electrified almost 25,000 households in Western Kenya, reaching almost 150,000 people. With a team of 80 employees and over 200 contract agents and technicians, the company plans to provide electricity to over a million people by 2025. The company has raised more than $12.6 million. It has secured $5 million in equity and, earlier this year, it announced the launch of a $5 million Series A funding round. It has also raised $5 million in debt so far, in addition to five grants totaling $1.7 million.
Pure Harvest Smart Farms
Founders: Sky Kurtz, Mahmoud Adi, Robert Kupstas Country: U.A.E. Established in: 2016
Pure Harvest produces fresh fruits and vegetables in hightech greenhouse facilities. Since it was established in 2016, the company has raised $116.4 million in capital. The company’s technology is seven times more efficient than typical desert greenhouse farms and over 30 times more efficient than traditional field farming. The company produces over 20 varieties of tomatoes and six varieties of strawberries.
Red Sea Farms
Founders: Ryan Lefers, Mark Tester, Derya Baran Country: Saudi Arabia Established in: 2018
Agri-tech startup Red Sea Farms helps commercial farming to produce food using primarily salt water and sunlight. The company’s system helps reduce freshwater consumption by up to 90%. In August 2021, the startup secured $6 million in funding, bringing its pre-Series A round to $16 million so far, and total funding to $18 million. It now plans to accelerate its expansion plans in Saudi Arabia, as well as exploring growth opportunities in North America.
The Concept
Founders: Muhammad Rijal Hikmathullah, Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh Country: U.A.E. Established in: 2017
The Concept is a sustainable product development and design company. The company has raised over $450,000 in total from companies like Mubadala and ADQ. It launched its first product, a sustainable food tray, at the end of 2020 and is currently in tender with four airlines for a joint contract value of $10 million. It has also designed art and furniture for a large U.A.E. real estate developer.
Powering Tomorrow, Today
CORPORATE REPORT
A Historic Opportunity To Foster A Lasting Legacy
Khalid Elgibali, Mastercard’s Division President for MENA, explains how the company is leveraging Expo 2020 Dubai as a platform to build an inclusive and connected future.
At Mastercard, innovation is part of our DNA. For more than 50 years, we have been harnessing the power of technology to expand financial inclusion and the digital economy in a way that helps society thrive. Partnering with Expo 2020 Dubai as its Official Payment Technology Partner provides us with exhilarating new possibilities as the world comes together to explore, collaborate, and innovate. It is an opportunity to share our vision, build a bridge to the future, and transport millions of visitors to a reality that is far closer than we imagine.
The setting is important. Expo 2020 Dubai is where the game-changing technologies of tomorrow are explored and unveiled, and for us, it is a chance to showcase and explore the innovations defining tomorrow’s digital economy as well as the sustainable growth it can unlock.
Through our partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai, we are demonstrating our vision for a connected tomorrow to millions of visitors. Inside the immersive Mastercard Cube, visitors get a first-hand glimpse of a future beyond payment cards, and a multi-sensory experience that demonstrates the power of technology to enable and connect them to the things that matter most.
A meaningful legacy Expo 2020 Dubai is a unique opportunity for the public and private sectors to come together and make a lasting difference. The event will explore what the future of the human race and our planet looks like. It hosts a Sustainability District that shows how humans can enjoy harmony with nature in a high-tech future, a Mobility District that explores new possibilities for smarter movement, and an Opportunity District that seeks to unlock our potential.
So much of Mastercard’s work revolves around these themes, and at the heart of our business is the ethos of “Doing Well by Doing Good”. We believe that by supporting our communities, our partners, and our planet, we are enabling a virtuous cycle that allows us to do well as a company.
Environmental responsibility will take center stage at the mega event. Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition is spearheading change on this front, and we’re honored that Expo 2020 Dubai has joined the coalition as a strategic partner. This global partnership activates joint efforts to address climate change with the pledge to restore 100 million trees by 2025. At the Expo 2020 Dubai site, we have built a Priceless Planet installation to bring sustainability to life and offer visitors a chance to play their part.
The economic legacy There is of course an economic legacy to consider too. Economic sustainability is critically important to achieving so many of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, and the importance of small businesses is rightly highlighted at Expo 2020 Dubai. After all, empowered SMEs are tomorrow’s job creators and wealth generators —not to mention inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Mastercard is making it easier, faster, and more affordable to set up a business by creating innovative products and solutions designed to help SMEs scale and grow. At Expo 2020 Dubai, we will be amplifying this support for businesses through a program of knowledge sharing, access to digital tools, mentorships, partnership programs, and a deeper understanding of the value of digital payments. During the pandemic, Mastercard committed $250 million in support of SMEs around the world through digital tools and training—because when small and potentially vulnerable businesses survive and succeed during difficult times, we all benefit.
21st century skills for all Unlocking economic opportunity through business success is only part of the story. A great deal of Mastercard’s strategy for inclusive growth revolves around youth, and widening access to STEM subjects at school and as careers. Our Girls4Tech initiative inspires and prepares young girls for careers in science and technology and equips them with 21st-century workplace skills. Through the partnership between Mastercard and the Expo School Program team, we have committed to reaching 2,020 girls across the U.A.E. before the conclusion of Expo 2020 Dubai.
Underscoring our commitment to creating a more equitable future, we have also teamed up with the region’s largest network for women-owned businesses, Female Fusion, to unlock opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Our shared legacy Over many decades, Mastercard has pioneered technologies and driven change through innovation and the exponential power of strategic partnerships. We invite everyone to join us in helping build a more open, inclusive, and connected world. Being a force for good and delivering positive, lasting change is an exciting prospect—and an opportunity we can all embrace.
www.mastercard.ae
The EXPO-nential Impact Of Partnership
For Amnah Ajmal, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President for Market Development in the MEA region, partnerships pave the way to a bright future for all.
In 2013, when Dubai won the bid to host Expo 2020, the celebration and excitement in the air were palpable. Over the years, World Expos have provided a platform to showcase the greatest innovations that have shaped the world we live in today.
Now, with Expo 2020 Dubai upon us, the element that really stands out for me, is partnership. The can-do collaborations. The co-creations. The inclusive solutions that are born from diverse perspectives. Ultimately, it is partnerships that are necessary to bring the wonder to life, the innovation to reality, and the ideas to fruition. And it is partnerships that will elevate the feeling that there really is a chance for an exponentially better tomorrow.
Partnerships can bring real change and have far-reaching impact for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole.
For many years, long before we became the Official Payment Technology Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, Mastercard had been partnering across the public-private sector sphere. In partnerships that
Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President for Market Development in the MEA region
range in scale and size, we create connections, share insights, and develop solutions. Our goal is to include everyone in a sustainable economy, educate entrepreneurs, grow small businesses, identify consumer pain points, and activate the contributions of our entire network to secure a thriving world beyond cash.
Powering partnerships with technology As a premier partner, we are doing all this and more as we invite millions of visitors on an expedition to explore the technology of the future. From virtual reality and face recognition to voice shopping, wearables, and artificial intelligence, this is where the most fascinating developments for the digital economy are happening.
By showcasing the impact and potential scale of this exciting range of new payment technologies at Expo 2020 Dubai, Mastercard will enable millions of people to experience the future of payments. It
represents the beginning of the next era of innovation, where new opportunities in technology are unlocking doors to a Priceless tomorrow.
None of this can be done in isolation. It is through partnerships that the value of technology is often demonstrated best.
Revolutionizing the snack shopping experience with PepsiCo Among many other things, Expo 2020 Dubai will be the place for a glimpse into the future of retail. Using the power of this global platform to forge strong partnerships, PepsiCo has partnered with Mastercard to develop realworld technology solutions that meet the growing consumer demand for more autonomy and for digital shopping experiences. The result of this collaboration is Pepsi Go: an AIpowered, unmanned store offering a seamless, contactless, invisible checkout. It will first open its doors at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Powered by Mastercard’s industry-leading payment technology, customers start their journey by tapping, inserting, or swiping a valid payment card to open the kiosk’s doors. Once inside, the store uses artificial intelligence and computer recognition technology to track the PepsiCo snacks and beverages shoppers select. To check out, customers simply exit the gates, and the Mastercard Payment Gateway Services technology automatically initiates the payment, making checkout queues a thing of the past.
Fueling growth for women entrepreneurs with Female Fusion Female Fusion is the region’s largest network for women-owned businesses and counts as another impactful collaboration at the world’s largest cultural gathering. Mastercard is partnering with Female Fusion to host a series of activities at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Women’s Pavilion. The series is designed to unlock opportunities for women entrepreneurs and to accelerate women’s impact in creating a better world.
The focus will be on knowledgesharing workshops, networking sessions, and mentoring events. Each activity will be accessible exclusively to women-owned businesses and will empower and educate them to build, grow digitally, and scale
their businesses in an evolving digital economy. Inspiring guests will include Sarah Beydoun, owner of a social impact fashion business in Lebanon. Beydoun was also featured in FIVE, a Mastercard award-winning documentary tracking the stories of five women entrepreneurs.
Last year, Mastercard committed to a direct focus in connecting 25 million women entrepreneurs globally with support and digital tools. Partnerships are crucial to reaching these women, activating their important contributions, and driving inclusive growth.
Value-driven solutions for nontraditional partners Expanding connections, enhancing the value chain, solving pain points, optimizing efficiencies, growing as a business, advancing a frictionless user experience— these are all reasons why a diverse range of companies comes to Mastercard for its insights, global network, and technology.
Among these partners are banks, Fintech companies, and mobile network operators, as well as digital marketplaces, food delivery services, and ridehailing apps. They include premier partners and official suppliers of Expo 2020 Dubai. To support our partners, we roll out dedicated, tailor-made solutions that are tapping into the possibilities of the many innovative new payment experiences that are actively changing the way people pay in a digital age.
In the process, as we are cocreating, we’re also looking with fresh eyes and from different perspectives at how we can solve some of the world’s most pressing problems related to financial inclusion and sustainability. These are challenges that cannot be fixed alone.
Connecting minds By the time Expo 2020 Dubai concludes, I’m convinced our horizons will be broader, our skies taller, and our connections deeper.
Partnerships are the key to a future that works for everyone. When we put our heads together, there are more minds that can develop ways to exponentially change the world for the better. It’s a wonderful thought, for a wonderful world.
www.mastercard.ae
Unlocking A Priceless, Sustainable Future
Beatrice Cornacchia, SVP of Marketing and Communications at Mastercard MEA, explains how the company is walking the talk on global sustainability.
Ever since climate change appeared on our radar, environmentalists and policymakers have been urgently seeking ways to address the impact of this seemingly insurmountable challenge. Governments have enacted national strategies, the private sector has incorporated sustainability into their operations, consumers have started to adjust their behaviors – and still, there is so much more to do.
When it comes to fighting climate change, there is only one way to make a tangible impact: by joining forces.
Putting sustainability on the world stage When Expo 2020 Dubai announced sustainability as one of its core themes, it shone a global spotlight on this vital topic and gave us all a chance to look anew at how we can enact change to be a force for good.
When Mastercard joined the mega event as Official Payment Technology Partner, it was because so much of Expo 2020 Dubai’s ethos aligned with our vision for the future. We are committed to embedding sustainability in everything we do, and we believe in the power of partnerships to drive collective environmental action.
Beatrice Cornacchia, SVP of Marketing and Communications Fighting climate change together Extreme weather events are a reminder that we must invest in innovative ways to to address the climate crisis. Climate change affects us all, but the people most acutely affected are those living in the most marginalized communities.
The fight against climate change is an essential part of inclusive growth and, therefore, a key component of Mastercard’s efforts to do well by doing good. We know the quest for sustainability is a vision we share with many others, and Expo 2020 Dubai is a fantastic example where priority action is planned, executed, and scaled for reach and impact.
Many businesses want to take positive action for the environment, but are paralyzed by the enormity of the challenge, or the fear of getting it wrong. Yet, the biggest risk comes from doing nothing at all. In order to make a difference, the public and private sectors need to invest in partnerships to meet these goals, and inspire stakeholders to be part of the solution.
Joining a global partnership Mastercard has a longstanding track record of applying technology and insights to create commercially sustainable social impact with our partners. Every day, we focus on building an inclusive, sustainable digital economy where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Building on this experience, we established the Priceless Planet Coalition last year—a platform that enables us to fight climate change with the help of our partners and consumers. The coalition unites cities, banks, merchants, and consumers as part of a global movement to restore 100 million trees by 2025.
In this campaign, we are honored to count Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as Emirates NBD, HSBC, and Network International, among our 70 global partners—all of which have committed to running initiatives to encourage climate action.
Showcasing a Priceless future at Expo 2020 Dubai As the biggest event ever to be staged in the region, Expo 2020 Dubai is a fantastic platform to galvanize action for the environment. As Official Payments Technology Partner, we are giving visitors who buy tickets online the opportunity to donate to the coalition while planning their trip to the event.
Mastercard also has a separate, interactive installation where Expo
visitors can learn more about Mastercard’s efforts to combat climate change. More importantly, the installation will offer visitors an opportunity to join the movement and contribute towards a greener future.
Walking the talk Mastercard is actively implementing best practices to reduce our own carbon footprint, and we are working closely with our suppliers on their decarbonization efforts as an important step to reaching our goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050.
We have launched a sustainable card program with certified suppliers that can produce more eco-friendly cards, and we recently launched the Mastercard Carbon Calculator, which helps consumers to understand the environmental impact of their spending choices. In September 2021, we also launched our Global Sustainability Innovation Lab in Sweden, which aims to spearhead the further development of our portfolio of environmentally conscious digital products and solutions.
We are not doing this in isolation. Consumers are demonstrating passion for the environment at a heightened level, and it is up to us as brands to support them in making greener decisions.
A greener tomorrow As Expo 2020 Dubai welcomes and encourages people from all over the world to be part of the solution for a greener tomorrow, I expect we’ll see even more thoughtful consideration in consumer spending and local business support. More companies tapping into the potential of a green economy. More governments investing in the technology that can shape a sustainable future.
More people ready to Start Something Priceless—making their contribution to a future where everyone can reach their potential, on a planet that thrives.
www.mastercard.ae
Secure Payments And Climate Action: Priceless
Mastercard is offering visitors to Expo 2020 a seamless payment experience and an opportunity to help protect the planet.
After much anticipation, Expo 2020 Dubai is finally upon us and Mastercard has a central role to play as the global event kicks off. As the Official Payment Technology Partner, Mastercard will be powering the mega-event’s payments and ticketing platform, while offering visitors a unique opportunity to join the fight against climate change.
When purchasing tickets, visitors to the Expo 2020 website will have the option to donate to Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition as they check out. Supported by partners including Expo 2020 itself, along with Emirates NBD and Network International, the coalition aims to restore 100 million trees globally by 2025, and bring businesses, governments, and consumers together in meaningful climate action. Within the U.A.E., donations made to the Priceless Planet Coalition will be allocated to restoring mangrove trees across the country’s natural ecosystems. Effective mangrove restoration can support the long-term resilience of coastal ecosystems that, in turn, provide numerous benefits to people. Such benefits include the recovery of declining fish stocks, improving water quality, conserving cultural identity, and offering opportunities for eco-tourism.
In addition to shining a spotlight on the environment and sustainability, Mastercard will continue to bring forth some of the best and brightest innovations around the globe as the world’s biggest cultural gathering opens its doors. In the runup to Expo 2020, the company will also be unveiling its consumer-facing experiential exhibit, with endless opportunities and cutting-edge solutions.
Throughout the event, as a global technology company in the payments industry, Mastercard will be offering visitors security and peace of mind when it comes to transacting online. Powered by Mastercard Payment Gateway Services, Expo 2020’s ticketing platform enables users to accept a wide range of digital payments easily and securely from all over the world, while offering innovative solutions for processing and fraud prevention. Using the latest proprietary artificial intelligence technology, Brighterion, Mastercard is ensuring fraud prevention for Expo 2020 Dubai’s website by offering seamless, secure, and personalized experiences that mark a new era of innovation.
Further easing the payment journey for Expo guests, Mastercard is embedding Click to Pay, the next generation of e-commerce technology, to make it easy and safe for U.A.E. consumers to check out instantly, without the need to store sensitive information with different merchants, or enter their card details across various Click to Pay-enabled sites.
With Expo 2020 Dubai well underway, Mastercard invites all visitors to discover a world without borders using the power of technology that creates a positive legacy for humanity and the planet we all share.
www.mastercard.ae
A Formidable Coalition
Mastercard, Emirates NBD Group, and Expo 2020 Dubai are introducing exclusive card programs to power the Expo experience.
As Expo 2020 Dubai gets underway, empowering visitors with fast, safe, and seamless payment options will be essential to delivering a customer experience like no other. Rising to the challenge, Premier Partner and the Official Banking Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, Emirates NBD Group, has joined hands with Mastercard, the event’s Official Payment Technology Partner, to create two exclusive new card programs: Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card and the Emirates Islamic Expo Mastercard Credit Card.
For Khalid Elgibali, Mastercard’s Division President for MENA, the new card programs open up a new world of possibilities for visitors to the long-awaited event. “The world’s biggest cultural gathering calls for world-class payment solutions,” says Elgibali, “We are delighted to bring innovative offerings to consumers from across the globe, and to connect cardholders to priceless experiences.”
Indeed, with Emirates NBD Group a leading banking group in the MENAT region, and Mastercard a global technology company in the payment industry, the new card programs promise to deliver quality and innovation on every level. The limited-edition cards are designed to enhance the Expo 2020 Dubai experience for residents and visitors from across the globe, elevating their time spent in the U.A.E. with memorable and priceless possibilities to discover year-round. Both cards are underpinned by Mastercard’s secure technology and will be equipped with contactless capabilities for touch-free and seamless transactions.
Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card The Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card is a digital-first offering, issued via dedicated mobile app, Joyn, from Emirates NBD. The product is available to both U.A.E. residents and international visitors for use while in the U.A.E. and provides a fully digital payment experience. The benefits will comprise of a curated selection of offers from Emirates NBD’s Bon
Appétit, LiveWell, and Good Times programs, as well as offers from Mastercard’s Priceless platform, creating a rewarding experience that opens unrivalled opportunities across the U.A.E.
With 25 million visits expected at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card will power Expo and the wider U.A.E. experience for tourists and residents alike. Through the new prepaid card, consumers will gain exclusive access to privileges, deals, and discounts of up to 50% at more than 2,000 shopping, dining, wellness, and entertainment touchpoints, as well as access to exclusive Expo-related offers. The reloadable card will provide an enhanced and personalized customer experience, while also enabling international visitors to spend in the local U.A.E. currency.
Alongside an array of attractive benefits, the Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card delivers a smooth and seamless experience. Cardholders will be able to use the card to make online purchases as well as contactless in-store payments by adding their card to their preferred digital wallet—Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. They will also have the option to receive a linked physical card if needed.
Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, is excited about the card’s potential. “In addition to delivering a fast, intuitive, reliable and seamless payment process, the Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card empowers cardholders to try new and exciting offerings,” he says, “That makes it a quintessential card to enjoy all that this first-of-its-kind event in our region has to offer.” Emirates Islamic Expo Mastercard Credit Card As part of the Emirates NBD Group, Emirates Islamic also has an exciting role to play. As the Official Islamic Banking Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, the bank has partnered with Mastercard to unveil a co-branded Mastercard World Credit Card that rewards U.A.E. residents with exclusive privileges during the global event. The card is not just exclusive and limited-edition, it is free for life.
The Emirates Islamic Expo Mastercard Credit Card offers exceptional value with a wide range of benefits across key Expo partners. Cardholders can earn Emirates Islamic SmartMiles as they spend, gain U By Emaar Gold Tier status, enjoy 50% cashback on their first Expo 2020 Dubai ticket transaction, and access many of the exclusive travel, hotel, and lifestyle privileges offered by Mastercard. Other benefits include 10% cashback on fuel, complimentary valet parking service at the Expo 2020 Dubai site, complimentary golf sessions, exclusive dining offers, and access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. What’s more, customers can enjoy the flexibility to instantly redeem their Emirates Islamic SmartMiles for flights, hotels, and retail transactions anywhere in the world —or exchange them with multiple partner loyalty programs.
Additionally, to celebrate the launch, customers can earn statement credit and Upoints as a welcome bonus when they apply for the card, and members will be able to add their credit cards to mobile wallets, enabling secure payments on the go.
“We are proud to offer U.A.E. residents a limited-edition Expo 2020 Credit Card that not only brings them exceptional value but also pays tribute to this exciting and memorable event in our nation’s history,” says Wasim Saifi, Deputy CEO—Consumer Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates Islamic.
Mukhtar Safi, Deputy CEO and CFO at Expo 2020 Dubai, is equally enthused about the potential of the new card programs. “Our global celebration is all about innovation, collaboration, and inspiration, so we are delighted that through our partnerships with Emirates NBD Group and Mastercard, more Expo 2020 visitors will be encouraged to try new and exciting curated offerings—seamlessly,” says Safi.
Combined, the formidable strengths of Mastercard, Emirates NBD, and Expo 2020 Dubai, promise to take payment solutions and customer experience to a whole new level as the muchanticipated event opens its doors to the world.
www.mastercard.ae
Revolutionizing The Shopping Experience
Through a formidable partnership, Mastercard and PepsiCo are disrupting the retail space and the way people pay with the Middle East’s first unmanned store powered by AI technology.
Gaurang Shah, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Digital Payments, and Labs for the Middle East and Africa
The drive to change the way we snack and drink goes beyond the PepsiCo product portfolio and is channeled into the very future of retail. Using the power of the Expo 2020 Dubai platform to forge strong partnerships with technology and payment entities, PepsiCo has partnered with Mastercard to develop real-world solutions to meet the growing consumer demand for more autonomy and digital shopping experiences. The result of this collaboration is the Pepsi Go unattended store, an AI-powered, unmanned store that will first open its doors at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Pepsi Go will allow visitors to experience the future of unmanned stores and seamless, invisible, checkouts. In partnership with Mastercard, the Pepsi Go experience was designed around shoppers’ needs and brought to life using industryleading technologies. Customers start their journey by tapping, inserting, or swiping a valid payment card to open the kiosk’s doors. Once inside, the store uses AI and computer recognition technology to track the PepsiCo snacks and beverages shoppers select. To check out, customers simply exit the gates and the Mastercard Payment Gateway Services technology automatically initiates the payment, making checkout queues a thing of the past. The experience is designed to be secure, contactless, and seamless.
Over the last 18 months, the world has seen the acceleration of digital payments, driven by realities of the pandemic, coupled with a consumer demand for more autonomy and more digital shopping experiences. Pepsi Go not only responds to this demand but it also offers a more efficient and seamless journey.
For Gaurang Shah, Mastercard’s Senior Vice President of Product Management, Digital Payments, and Labs for the Middle East and Africa, Pepsi Go is an exciting development, and forms a part of Mastercard’s wider campaign to innovate the retail payment space. “As the Official Payment Technology Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, we are excited to showcase the future of retail payments at the Pepsi Go store,” says Shah.
Like all the best innovations, Pepsi Go is the result of intensive research and development efforts, that were years in the making. “For over two years, we have been developing this first-of-its-kind checkout experience for the region alongside our strategic partner PepsiCo, and we are thrilled to see it come to life for Expo 2020 Dubai,” explains Mastercard’s senior VP. “The gold standard of retail shopping is here, and we welcome visitors to experience this innovation and Start Something Priceless at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
www.mastercard.ae
