Tech News
Hamdan bin Mohammed inaugurates Dubai AI Campus cluster at the DIFC Innovation Hub
His Highness: We prioritise Dubai’s competitiveness and leading position as a hub for the digital economy in all projects and programmes we launch, in line with goals of the D33
– We are confident this campus will be a key addition to Dubai’s economy by hosting hundreds of businesses and offering thousands of jobs over the next few years
– Move is part of phase one of the DUB.AI programme launched with the aim of accelerating AI adoption across all relevant sectors
– Phase one of the campus has already drawn more than 75 businesses while phase two is set to attract over 500 companies
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy, today inaugurated the Dubai AI Campus cluster at the Innovation Hub, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The move is part of phase one of the annual Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (DUB.AI), which was recently launched with the aim of accelerating AI adoption across all relevant sectors, thus creating the optimal nurturing ecosystem for AI businesses and talents to drive innovation in AI.
Sheikh Hamdan said that Dubai continues to launch strategic plans with the aim of accelerating the adoption of AI and its applications in all sectors in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish Dubai as a global hub of the digital economy and the preferred destination for major AI businesses and top talent from around the world.
“Our efforts continue to harness the huge potential of advanced technology. The Dubai AI Campus at DIFC is a key step towards achieving our goals of doubling economic growth and increasing AI’s contribution to Dubai and the UAE’s GDP. We are confident this campus will be a key addition to Dubai’s economy by hosting hundreds of businesses and offering thousands of jobs over the next few years, further cementing Dubai’s standing as a favourite destination for tech companies,” His Highness said.
“We prioritise Dubai’s competitiveness and leading position as a hub for the digital economy in all projects and programmes we launch, in line with goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33). Today we move steadily towards a new era of leadership and sustainable growth of Dubai’s economy, which is based on knowledge, innovation, and future tech applications. Dubai will always remain a beacon of economic prosperity, regionally and globally, and the preferred choice of innovative minds,” he added.
Region’s top AI destination
Announced in 2023, the Dubai AI Campus is the largest dedicated cluster of AI and advanced tech in the MENA region.
The launch contributes to boosting the objectives of Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), including generating an average AED 100 billion annually for Dubai’s economy through digital transformation. Furthermore, it marks another landmark initiative in realising the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to establish Dubai as a global hub of the digital economy and a key player on the global digital landscape.
The new campus also aligns with Dubai’s vision to emerge as the chosen destination among tech businesses and will drive its contribution to innovation and tech integration across all sectors. It is estimated that AI will contribute $230 billion to the Middle East’s economy by 2030, while making up 14% of the UAE’s GDP by 2030.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; His Excellency Issa Kazim, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre; and Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority.
The Dubai AI Campus cluster will be part of the DIFC Innovation Hub, which offers dedicated co-working spaces to tech startups, including AI businesses. Phase one of the campus is already complete with more than 75 businesses registered on a 10,000-square-foot campus. Phase two of the campus will extend over 100,000 square feet and is set to attract over 500 companies creating more than 3,000 jobs by 2028.
A global hub
His Excellency Essa Kazim welcomed His Highness Sheikh Hamdan to the opening of the Dubai AI Campus, saying the cluster will accelerate the realisation of goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda while supporting future technology and digital economy strategies of the emirate.
“The opening of Dubai AI Campus is part of the first phase of the annual Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (DUB.AI), acting as a key enabler that will bolster Dubai’s position as a global hub accelerating the adoption of advanced technology,” he said.
Easy investor access
“Through Dubai and DIFC’s innovative structure, startups have direct access to investors, investment funds, major corporations and traditional financial institutions. This ensures that high-potential businesses receive the necessary funding needed to achieve their goals,” HE Essa Kazim added.
Catalyst for fintech ecosystem
Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority, said: “Dubai AI Campus helps accelerate the objectives of DIFC’s 2030 Strategy, which aims to further empower our growing fintech and innovation ecosystem.
“The cluster will also cement DIFC’s position as the largest incubator of the financial sector across the MEASA region as we look forward to collaborating with regional players to help them simplify and expand their business through AI,” he added.
Tech partnerships
The Dubai AI Campus facilitates multinational tech partnerships with leading tech companies such as Amazon Web Services, HP, Microsoft, Oracle and Nvidia, who will join the cluster as key partners, further highlighting its empowering nature and making it home to the first innovation lab offering AI solutions to the UAE’s small businesses, in collaboration with du.
Additionally, the cluster will provide high computing capabilities, including DGX platforms, and state-of-the-art business accelerator programmes that advance implementation of AI applications in the private sector.
Unique licences
The Dubai AI Campus will be offering a unique AI licence specially designed to meet the requirements of the next generation of AI-dependent businesses. This licence utilises DIFC’s independent legal framework.
Businesses within the cluster will also benefit from DIFC’s Digital Assets Law, the first of its kind globally, offering legal certainty to investors and users of digital assets.
Future tech showcase
Further testifying to its leadership and focus on leveraging technological advancements for the greater good, Dubai is set to host the premier Dubai AI and Web3 Festival, organised by Dubai AI Campus in collaboration with the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications Office, and DIFC, on 11 and 12 September 2024 at Madinat Jumeirah.
The event, highlighting Dubai’s unwavering commitment to promote future technology, is expected to attract over 5,000 visitors and participants, besides more than 500 investors and 100 exhibitors.
Since its launch in 2021, DIFC’s Innovation Hub continues to grow and forge milestone partnerships while driving innovation and helping shape forward-looking plans. It is now home to over 1,000 startups. As part of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, the Innovation Hub launched the Metaverse Accelerator Program, which enrolled more than 150 students in its first cohort.
Tech News
IT services spend in MENA set to reach up to 28% of total IT budgets as services-led transformation accelerates
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is entering a decisive, services-led growth phase in its IT sector, as enterprises and governments accelerate large-scale digital transformation initiatives. Investments in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, and cybersecurity are reshaping technology priorities, with implementation, integration, and managed services gaining prominence over traditional software-led models.
Industry analysis by Grand View Research (GVR) reveals that IT services currently account for around 21–22% of total IT spending across MENA, a share expected to rise to between 26 and 28% by the end of the decade. The region’s professional IT services market, valued at USD 33.9 billion (Dh124.5 billion) in 2024, is forecast to grow to nearly USD 58.3 billion (Dh214 billion) by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.5%.
Sourav Bhanja, Middle East Head of GVR, said: “Many B2B IT services firms in the region continue to underinvest in digital engagement. Professional platforms such as LinkedIn remain underutilised, while company websites often lack strong case studies, sector-specific storytelling, and clear positioning.”
Government-led digitalisation programmes, sovereign cloud deployments, smart city initiatives, and national data strategies, coupled with rising enterprise adoption across sectors such as banking and financial services, healthcare, energy, logistics, and public infrastructure, are driving this shift. As hyperscalers and global technology firms expand their regional footprint, demand for localised integration, migration, and managed services continues to accelerate.
Bhanja also emphasised the importance of leadership visibility in the region’s competitive IT market: “Technical capability alone is no longer enough. Firms that combine deep technical expertise with consistent marketing, strong leadership visibility, and clear communication of value are the ones most likely to succeed in the MENA market.”
The analysis highlights that with growing competition among IT services providers, market visibility and differentiation have emerged as critical growth drivers. Integrated, always-on digital marketing strategies are increasingly vital, as many B2B IT services firms underutilise channels such as LinkedIn, websites, thought leadership content, newsletters, blogs, infographics, and short-form video to engage decision-makers.
Market data also indicates a broader shift towards digital-first engagement. Digital advertising spend in the Middle East, estimated at USD 32 billion (Dh117 billion) in 2024, is projected to rise sharply to USD 81.4 billion (Dh298.9 billion) by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 16.7%. In contrast, the regional events and conferences market is expected to expand at a more modest 7.1% CAGR, reflecting changing enterprise marketing priorities.
Grand View Research concluded that IT services firms combining technical depth with strong market communication, data-driven marketing, and visible leadership will be best positioned to capture the next phase of growth across MENA.
Tech News
Loylogic Shares 2026 Vision to Advance the Global Rewards Marketplace
Advanced AI innovation, intelligent marketplace design, and trusted global infrastructure position Loylogic for continued leadership in rewards and loyalty commerce.

As the Middle East loyalty market is projected to reach $3.27 billion in 2025, expanding 16.3% year-on-year, and digital-first, personalized, and coalition-based models reshape the industry, brands face rising expectations around relevance and engagement. Against this evolving landscape, Loylogic, a leader in global loyalty rewards management, today shared its 2026 strategic outlook, outlining how the company is evolving its global rewards marketplace to support brands navigating rapidly changing loyalty expectations.
The company enters the year with a renewed focus on continued investment in AI-powered rewards marketplace intelligence, enhanced catalogue curation, and deeper integration capabilities designed to improve reward relevance, partner value, and member experience across industries and geographies. Rather than simply expanding choice, Loylogic’s approach centres on intelligent rewards marketplace design, aligning consumer relevance, operational efficiency, and long-term value creation within a single global platform.
To support enterprise scale deployment, Loylogic continues to operate under a robust compliance and security, compliance and governance framework. The company adheres to internationally recognised standards ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS, and AES-256 encryption, ensuring secure and trusted data handling across every layer of its technology while maintaining alignment with the European Accessibility Act 2025 and WCAG 2.0. All platforms remain adaptable to regional data residency and regulatory requirements.
“As loyalty programs mature, brands are looking beyond scale alone,” said Gabi Kool, CEO of Loylogic. “They want reward ecosystems that are smarter, more relevant, and commercially sound. Our focus for 2026 is about advancing how global rewards marketplaces are designed, governed, and experienced, combining intelligence, trust, and flexibility.”
Advanced AI innovation is central to Loylogic’s next phase of growth. Loylogic continues to enhance its use of advanced analytics and machine learning to support smarter reward discovery, improved marketplace performance, and deeper insights for loyalty operators, while maintaining strict standards for privacy, security, and compliance.
“Our innovation efforts are focused on making rewards marketplaces more intelligent and adaptive,” said Amit Bendre, COO of Loylogic. “This means better insight, better decision support, and better experiences, without compromising on trust, transparency, or regulatory rigor.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Loylogic plans to deepen collaboration with global partners, engage more actively with industry stakeholders, and selectively strengthen capabilities across commercial, product, and technology functions, supporting a growing pipeline of enterprise clients across financial services, travel, and consumer sectors. With a proven global infrastructure, deep marketplace expertise, and a clear strategic direction, Loylogic continues to help leading brands transform everyday engagement into meaningful, long-term loyalty.
About Loylogic
Loylogic is a leader in global rewards marketplaces for loyalty and incentives management, enabling brands to deliver scalable, flexible engagement experiences through a modern commerce platform. Its global catalog and redemption marketplace support meaningful engagement across B2C, B2E, and B2B programs worldwide. With deep expertise in sourcing, fulfilment, and patented points-plus-cash innovation, Loylogic has enabled over 200 billion points and miles transactions, delivered more than $1 billion in commerce, and shipped experiences spanning 100+ categories across 190 countries to more than 10 million loyalty members worldwide.
Tech News
Webook.com Strengthens UAE Footprint, Bringing World-Class Entertainment Experiences
Webook.com, one of the fastest-growing platforms for booking lifestyle and entertainment experiences in the Middle East, is deepening its footprint in the United Arab Emirates following strong traction across the country.
Founded with a vision to transform how people discover and book experiences, webook.com continues to elevate convenience through a unified platform that brings together entertainment, dining, and leisure in a seamless digital journey.
Within the UAE, webook.com has rapidly expanded its user base while curating a lineup of world-class experiences. From comedy nights with Bassem Youssef to electrifying Teddy Swims concerts and the magic of Disney on Ice, webook.com continues to bring some of the region’s most unforgettable events to audiences across the UAE. Beyond these major hosted events, users can also book global entertainment experiences, including MDLBEAST, Riyadh Season, AFCON and other leading events happening across MENA.
Commenting on the expansion, Nadeem Bakhsh, CEO of webook.com, said: “Webook.com was built to curate the experiences that matter most, from front-row access to world-class entertainment to discovering hidden local gems. Expanding our footprint to the UAE allows us to bring a carefully selected lineup of events and experiences to the region. Our goal is to continue providing variety, quality, and seamless access to unforgettable moments.”
As the platform widens its presence across the UAE, it continues to strengthen partnerships with top entertainment brands, cultural institutions, and iconic venues, enabling users to access an unmatched selection of events and experiences.
Webook.com’s technology has proven itself across multiple markets, handling millions of transactions during major events, tournaments, and high-demand ticket releases. With real-time queueing, robust infrastructure, and flexible integration, webook.com delivers landmark events with unmatched reliability and scale.
With momentum accelerating in the UAE, webook.com aims to transform how people discover, plan, and enjoy experiences, turning every booking into the start of a memorable story. Beyond expanding its presence, webook.com is shaping a movement centered on connection, culture, and the joy of shared moments.
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