Network International (Network) has announced a strategic referral partnership with Policybazaar.ae, UAE’s leading financial services aggregator. The partnership aims to offer affordable insurance policies to Network International’s merchant base.

With this partnership, Network’s merchant customers can purchase insurance policies through the Network Expense Hub portal, Network’s real-time payment and expense tracking dashboard. Merchants who sign up for Network Expense Hub will therefore receive value beyond payments through data solutions and value-added services.

Free of charge for Network’s merchant partners, the Network Expense Hub is an intuitive dashboard that allows expense management, transaction visibility through real-time reports, flexible payment options and effortless payments to multiple beneficiaries.

Ronen Spivak, Group Head of Value-Added Services (VAS) – Acquiring, at Network, said: “Network has always been at the forefront of introducing diverse and innovative data solutions and value-added services for our merchants. The Network Expense Hub is a remarkable tool for making easier, transparent, and secure business expenses. We have added yet another critical service for merchants, to protect their business from risk by partnering with Policybazaar.ae. Given the recent floods and the damages to many businesses in the UAE, Network believes insurance adds value to the scope of services offered by the Network Expense Hub.”

Neeraj Gupta, CEO, UAE at Policy Bazaar, said, “At Policybazaar.ae, as one of the leading providers of financial services in the UAE, we are committed to driving innovation and delivering superior value to our customers. Our partnership with Network International marks a significant milestone in our mission to enhance the SME Insurance ecosystem. Through this collaboration, we will showcase our superior SME Insurance solution, enabling completely digital end-to-end online transactions. This partnership is designed to ensure that SMEs have the right prerequisites to thrive in a competitive market, providing them with seamless, efficient, and secure insurance solutions. Together, we are fostering an environment where SMEs can flourish, leveraging cutting-edge technology to streamline operations and drive growth. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership presents and remain dedicated to empowering SMEs with the tools they need for sustainable success.”

Network International has around 60,000 merchants in the UAE and over 120,000 merchants across the region, spanning several sectors including high-end retail, hospitality, electronics, jewellery, and hypermarkets, among others, that stand to benefit from this new instant payment solution.

Ajman Bank PJSC has announced a new contract with Positive Zero, that will enable huge cost and carbon footprint savings. By implementing Positive Zero’s fully financed energy efficiency solutions at their headquarters, Ajman Bank expects to save 28% on energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 752 tons annually, equivalent to planting 11,300 trees. Positive Zero is the leader in decarbonizing businesses and communities in the Middle East through a range of on-site clean power, energy efficiency, and electric mobility solutions.

The project involves a 10-year Shared Savings Energy Performance Contract (SSEPC) delivered by Positive Zero’s energy efficiency arm (Taka Solutions), which is the leading provider of energy efficiency services in the region. It includes the implementation of eight energy efficiency measures (or EEMs) tailored to Ajman Bank’s facilities, in line with its robust commitment to environmental sustainability.

Mr. Mustafa Al Khalfawi, CEO of Ajman Bank, said: “Our strategic partnership with Positive Zero marks a significant milestone in our journey towards sustainability and operational excellence. This collaboration underscores our commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship, reflecting our dedication to not only meet the financial needs of our clients but also to contribute positively to the community and environment we operate in. Leveraging on Taka Solutions’ expertise in energy management, we aim to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and operational costs, setting a new benchmark for sustainable practices in the banking industry. Our collaboration with Positive Zero and Taka Solutions is a testament to Ajman Bank’s ongoing efforts to embrace responsible banking practices that support economic growth while ensuring environmental sustainability.”

David Auriau, Co-Founder and CEO of Positive Zero, commented on the occasion: “We are excited to be working with Ajman Bank in prioritizing energy efficiency to reduce the impact of their own carbon footprint. It unlocks economic opportunities within the banking industry and supports the nationwide drive towards sustainability. Energy efficiency is an imperative to meet the country’s ambitions to become over 40% more efficient by 2050. Along with our trusted partners like Ajman Bank, we are investing and driving the widespread adoption of efficient technologies and solutions to develop more sustainable built environments and smarter cities, helping businesses substantially reduce their consumption, costs and carbon emissions.”

Positive Zero’s team provide financing, implementation, long-term operations, and proactive maintenance of the project’s implemented measures. The project is based on Positive Zero’s model of providing decarbonization-as-a-service, with no up-front investment by customers. This approach is more accessible for the many organizations who are looking to switch to more sustainable practices, such as the deployment of integrated clean energy and efficient technologies.

Positive Zero’s foundational companies have already made remarkable strides in key GCC markets. Taka Solutions, operating as the company’s energy efficiency arm, has achieved energy savings exceeding 100,000 MWh across eight sectors in the United Arab Emirates, which is equivalent to planting more than one million trees.

Huawei made a significant impact at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2024, highlighting its advancements in 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology and artificial intelligence (AI) integration. Under the theme “Advancing the Intelligent World,” the company presented a comprehensive vision for the future of mobile networks and services.

The year 2024 marks the commercial launch of 5G-A, with leading operators in the Middle East already deploying 5G-A networks. Huawei showcased its latest products and solutions supporting both 5G-A deployment and AI devices required for the mobile AI era.

Huawei’s Executive Director David Wang emphasized how 5G-A and AI devices will be key to making intelligent services ubiquitous, transforming human-machine interaction, content production, and mobile devices. Wang noted that the number of global 5G users has exceeded 1.8 billion, with many operators seeing the first wave of benefits. The company highlighted that nearly 20 mobile phone models currently support multi-carrier aggregation, with some activating the feature by default. Multiple operators in the Middle East and China have started deploying 5G-A three-carrier component (3CC) aggregation networks at scale, targeting 5 Gbit/s downlink rates.

In a significant industry initiative, Huawei launched the 5G-A Pioneers Program, reaching six consensuses with pioneering global operators, including UAE’s du, Oman Telecommunications, China’s “big three”, and HKT. These consensuses aim to maximize the value of advanced 5G-A capabilities, promote its development, and further advance the industry through various focus areas, including Pioneer Operators, Pioneer Cities, Business Model Upgrade, High-quality Networks, Service Innovation, and Thriving Ecosystems.

Huawei also unveiled plans to bring AI to networks, focusing on building an ecosystem of RAN Intelligent Agent in collaboration with operators. This initiative aims to increase network productivity by reshaping network operations and maintenance (O&M), experience, and services. Towards this end, Huawei introduced AI-powered copilots and agents to support role-based chatbots and scenario-based solution automation, significantly improving efficiency in areas such as field maintenance and network optimization.

Huawei introduced the Open Gateway initiative to help carriers monetize their 5G investments. Huawei’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dr. Philip Song, presented successful use cases of global operators that have improved customer services and lowered time to market.

Yang Chaobin, Huawei’s Board Member and President of ICT Products & Solutions, introduced the company’s upgraded Autonomous Driving Network (ADN) solution. Powered by Huawei’s Telecom Foundation Model, this solution provides five role-based copilots and five scenario-based agents, enhancing the value of networks in service enablement, network maintenance, and experience assurance.

As the industry moves into the 5G-A era, Huawei emphasized its commitment to collaborating with global operators and industry stakeholders. The company aims to accelerate 5G-A development from both the ‘Networks for AI’ and ‘AI for Networks’ perspectives, creating new business value and shaping the intelligent world.

Huawei also announced the launch of a joint initiative for high-quality mobile video development in the AI era, alongside global operators, industry customers, and other relevant organizations. The company plans to discuss development paths for F5G-A and Net5.5G with industry players over the coming days.

Huawei also joined the ICT Policy and Governance Forum convened by the GSMA on the sidelines of MWC Shanghai 2024. This forum, centered on the theme of “Driving Policy and Innovation to Shape Our Digital Future,” provided a platform for regulators, operators, and industry leaders from the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and China to exchange insights on key trends and successful practices in the telecommunications sector. Huawei’s presence at MWC Shanghai 2024 underscored its leadership in driving the convergence of 5G-Advanced and AI technologies, setting the stage for a new era of intelligent, high-performance mobile networks and services.