The maritime sector’s leading awards event, The Maritime Standard (TMS) Awards 2025, has announced this year’s winners, honoring outstanding companies and industry leaders from across the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. The Awards showcased achievement and innovation in 25 categories covering shipping, logistics, ship repair, offshore services, marine technology and related sectors, as well as a series of special awards for individual achievement. The prestigious event took place at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai on October 29th, attracting over 1000 senior executives, decision-makers and industry leaders, from the region, and across the globe.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the event recognised organisations and individuals for setting new standards in operational excellence and leadership in the sector amid significant shifts in the industry, including decarbonisation, digitalization, and a renewed emphasis on supply chain resilience. From clean-fuel projects and AI-powered port operations to international collaborations that boost trade efficiency, the 2025 Awards showcased the industry’s progress in turning goals into tangible outcomes.

The evening was hosted by Yalda Hakim, a renowned international correspondent and documentary filmmaker, whose engaging presence added distinction to the occasion. The keynote address was delivered by Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC Logistics and Services, who shared valuable insights on the evolving maritime landscape and the UAE’s leadership in advancing sustainable and innovative practices across the sector.

Clive Woodbridge, Editor of The Maritime Standard and Chairman of the Judging Panel, stated, “This year’s competition was exceptionally tough, and we received an unprecedented number of entries across all categories. Each finalist demonstrated remarkable achievements and operational standards over the past year, which underlines the significant advances that continue to be made in the regional maritime sector.”

A rigorous assessment process was conducted as part of the award selections, and this was supervised by an independent panel of distinguished judges that included some of the most prominent names in the maritime industry.

Trevor Pereira, Managing Director of The Maritime Standard, commented, “These Awards are not just about celebrating success, but also about encouraging excellence. This year’s event recognised innovative concepts, exciting new initiatives, and outstanding performance standards. As the region continues to expand its maritime infrastructure and digital port systems, with significant developments across the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, events like The Maritime Standard Awards play a key role in reinforcing its position as a global leader in shipping and maritime.”

 Reaction from the individual winners on the night of October 29th was highly appreciative. Captain Mohamed Al Ali, Senior Vice President, Operations (Offshore Logistics), at ADNOC L&S, who received the Outstanding Achievement Award, added: “It was one of the greatest honours of my professional career to receive this Award. It really means a lot to me to have TMS recognise the years of dedication and hard work.”

Tony Dagher, the Founder and Managing Director of TMC Shipping Group was the recipient of the Young Person in Shipping and was similarly honoured. He said: “I have been fortunate to have had great support from many people during my journey in shipping, and to have a fantastic team around me now. This Award is as much for them as it is for me.

Over the past 12 years The Maritime Standard Awards has consolidated its standing as one of the most prominent annual gatherings within the global maritime calendar, gaining worldwide recognition for recognising excellence and promoting a more resilient and sustainable maritime future.

By Claudio Di Zanni, Managing Director, Edenred Middle East

One of the most critical issues faced by low-income employees across the UAE and the broader Gulf region is achieving true financial empowerment. In the UAE, over 60% of the workforce comprises low-income migrant workers earning less than AED 5,000 per month. These employees are the backbone of the nation’s key industries, yet many still struggle to access the benefits of a fully digital financial ecosystem.

While the UAE’s Wage Protection System (WPS) was introduced to safeguard workers’ rights—ensuring salaries are paid accurately, on time, and through traceable digital channels—the banking system’s minimum salary requirement prevents a large portion of the workforce from opening traditional accounts. This creates a structural gap that payroll solutions are designed to fill, enabling compliant salary payments and basic access to digital finance.

As the Middle East accelerates its digital transformation and workforce reforms, how workers are paid and supported financially has become as important as how they contribute to growth. This shift has put a renewed spotlight on the systems managing their wages and day-to-day financial needs. For low-income employees, these systems determine not just how they are paid, but how securely they live—affecting access to savings, remittances, and their ability to handle emergencies.

When Digital Pay Isn’t Enough

The introduction of the Wage Protection System marked a turning point in the UAE’s journey toward fair and transparent wage practices. Today, nearly all employees are paid through digital channels, ensuring salaries are disbursed accurately and on time. Yet despite these advances, a significant percentage of wages are still withdrawn in cash each month, showing that digital pay does not automatically translate into digital financial inclusion.

For many employees, limited digital literacy, mistrust of financial systems, and unfamiliarity with digital tools prevent them from engaging fully with the digital economy. As a result, the very system designed to protect and empower workers can feel more like a compliance obligation than an opportunity for empowerment.

This is where payroll providers play a critical role. Too often, the industry stops at compliance—ensuring wages are delivered digitally—without addressing the human factors that determine whether employees can truly benefit from financial technology. Empowerment comes not from the transfer itself, but from helping workers understand, trust, and use digital money confidently. Only then can payroll innovation translate into lasting financial well-being and equal access to economic opportunity across the UAE.

Digital salary management platforms have already transformed how employees receive and manage their earnings. Mobile apps and prepaid cards now give workers immediate access to their wages, allowing them to make purchases, send remittances, and track expenses in real time. Many solutions integrate seamlessly with the WPS, enabling even unbanked employees to participate in the digital economy for the first time. A recent study found that organizations implementing mobile-accessible payroll solutions report up to 25 percent higher employee satisfaction, underscoring the clear business value of digital inclusion.

Empowering Through Education

Financial literacy programs are equally critical in helping employees make informed decisions about saving, budgeting, credit, and long-term planning. In the UAE, less than 31 percent of the population demonstrates basic financial literacy, highlighting a major opportunity to empower workers through education.

From workshops to mobile-based learning tools, such programs can equip employees with the practical skills to use digital salary systems effectively, avoid debt traps, and build savings or plan remittances. Employers that distribute salary cards directly at worker accommodations and provide multilingual support during onboarding see much higher adoption rates, as these field-level activations build trust and make digital tools easier to use.

Employers who take financial education seriously often see a clear business impact. Companies that invest in onboarding sessions and field engagement consistently report higher digital adoption rates. These activations not only build trust but also transform digital payroll from a compliance task into a tangible employee benefit.

When workers understand and trust digital tools, they gain control over their finances—and that stability shows at work. Financial stress is one of the most common challenges among low-income employees, limiting their ability to manage urgent expenses and affecting productivity, retention, and overall well-being. In sectors such as construction, this stress can even impact concentration and safety, as employees distracted by financial worries are less able to perform at their best.

Partnerships between employers and fintechs like Edenred are expanding this approach, combining digital wage tools with financial education programs that improve confidence, satisfaction, and long-term well-being.

The Next Phase of Financial Empowerment

Employers remain central to driving inclusion. By choosing payroll partners that provide multilingual support, education, and easy mobile access, companies can reduce disputes, strengthen retention, and improve overall workforce stability.

A growing number of organizations are now exploring earned wage access programs, which allow employees to access a portion of their earned income before payday. Surveys show that most low-income workers value this flexibility to cover urgent expenses, medical bills, or family emergencies—without resorting to high-interest loans or informal borrowing. When paired with education and budgeting tools, earned wage access can provide not just relief in emergencies but also encourage more responsible money management.

This flexibility can increase employees’ sense of financial security, yet it should complement—not replace—broader financial literacy and planning initiatives. The most successful models combine accessible financial products, user education, and ongoing engagement, ensuring workers have both the tools and the confidence to manage their finances effectively.

As technology evolves, artificial intelligence and data analytics will make financial support more personalized and accessible. Predictive models can help employers identify employees under financial strain, while new digital products can guide users toward healthier financial behaviors. But technology alone will not close the gap.

Real progress will depend on collaboration between fintechs, employers, and regulators to build an ecosystem that blends technology, education, and empathy. Businesses increasingly recognize that supporting workers in their financial journeys fosters a more engaged and loyal workforce, directly impacting productivity and retention. Selecting payroll partners that combine compliance with education, multilingual support, and mobile accessibility helps companies reduce payroll disputes and improve satisfaction.

The trajectory of financial empowerment for low-income employees in the UAE is promising. The next stage will depend on how effectively stakeholders align innovation with understanding—ensuring every salary payment becomes an opportunity for inclusion and growth. When that happens, financial empowerment will move from aspiration to reality.

Nothing unveiled Phone (3a) Lite, an exciting new smartphone designed to make the distinctive Nothing experience available to more people. Phone (3a) Lite combines unmistakable style, heavy-hitting features, and a seamless software experience at an accessible price, proving that innovation and personality don’t have to come with a premium tag.

Designed to Stand Out

Phone (3a) Lite reimagines Nothing’s signature transparent design with an understated yet confident styling. Encased in glass, it balances classic playfulness with everyday practicality, feeling crafted rather than manufactured. Available in timeless White and Black, its rich finish, balanced feel, and intricate visual textures elevate its design beyond its entry-level competition.

Built for durability, Phone (3a) Lite boasts IP54 dust and water resistance, ensuring it’s ready for everyday life. An internal aluminum frame further strengthens its core, offering exceptional longevity.

Capture Moments with Clarity

The refined triple-camera system on Phone (3a) Lite is built around a class-leading 50 MP main sensor, capturing balanced and bright true-to-life photography. Powered by the same TrueLens Engine 4.0 pipeline found in the flagship Nothing Phone (3), it combines an exceptional camera setup with advanced AI editing tools. The large 1/1.57-inch Samsung sensor captures 64% more light than typical sensors in its class, ensuring excellent performance even in challenging scenes. With Ultra XDR photos, Portrait Mode, Auto Tone, Night Mode, Macro Mode and Motion Capture, every shot is optimised. The 16 MP front camera delivers crisp selfies and video calls, while the rear camera supports 4K video recording at 30 FPS and 1080p slow-motion at 120 FPS.

Glyph Light: See It in a New Light

Phone (3a) Lite introduces Glyph Light, an evolution of Nothing‘s unique Glyph Interface. Inspired by classic notification lights, Glyph Light enables beloved features like Flip to Glyph for silent notifications, Essential Notifications for key contacts, and Camera Countdown for group shots. Customisable light sequences for calls and contacts, paired with Nothing’s iconic ringtones, make the Glyph Light both minimal and instantly recognisable.

Nothing OS 3.5: Intelligence, Simplified

Phone (3a) Lite delivers the full Nothing experience with Nothing OS 3.5, powered by Android 15. This clean, expressive, and smart UI is built around functional customisation, offering a seamless and fluid interface. Features like Smart Drawer for automatic app organisation, Private Space for personal files, and App Locker for individual app security ensure peace of mind. Nothing is committed to 3 years of major Android updates and 6 years of security patches, providing exceptional longevity. Nothing OS 4.0 will be rolled out to Phone (3a) Lite in early 2026.

Essential Key and Essential Space offer AI-powered tools for capturing and organising notes, ideas, and media, while Essential Search provides instant access to saved content without an internet connection.

A Display That Dazzles

Experience a big, bright, and beautiful screen with Phone (3a) Lite’s 6.77-inch flexible AMOLED display. With a brilliant 3000 nits peak HDR brightness and 1300 nits outdoor brightness, content pops with vibrant colors and deep blacks. The FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2392) delivers crisp visuals at 387 pixels per inch, while an ultra-smooth 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate ensures fluid scrolling and responsive gaming. The 10-bit color depth showcases 1.07 billion colors, and 2160 Hz PWM dimming provides flicker-free viewing, reducing eye strain.

Power and Performance for the Everyday

Phone (3a) Lite feels fast and fluid, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro, built on TSMC’s 4 nm process. Its 8-core CPU with speeds up to 2.5 GHz is optimised for intense loads and gaming stability, complemented by an advanced liquid cooling system.

With 8 GB physical RAM and up to 8 GB virtual RAM, Phone (3a) Lite offers up to 16 GB combined RAM for seamless multitasking. Expandable storage up to 2 TB via microSD card provides maximum flexibility. Dual 5G, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3 ensure stable connections and lag-free wireless audio.

Long-Lasting Battery, Responsible Design

A high-capacity 5000 mAh battery, combined with the ultra-efficient MediaTek chipset and Nothing OS 3.5 optimisations, ensures Phone (3a) Lite comfortably lasts almost 2 days with mixed use. With 33 W fast charging, it reaches 50% in approximately 20 minutes, and 5 W reverse wired charging offers convenient power for accessories.

Pricing & Availability

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite will be available in black and white in 2 storage variants to suit different user needs:

• 8GB + 128GB – AED 839 / SAR 749
• 8GB + 256GB – AED 949 / SAR 899

Sales start in select markets on Tuesday 4 November at Amazon and noon in UAE and Saudi Arabia.