Egypt’s Glamera obtains fintech license to expand in Saudi Arabia. 2 other stories and a trivia

This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today

 

1. Egypt’s Glamera obtains fintech license to expand in Saudi Arabia

Egyptian beauty services booking platform, Glamera, has obtained the fintech license “SoftPOS” from Saudi Payments, the major payment system in Saudi Arabia, established by Ministry of Finance under the supervision of Saudi Central Bank.

Launched in September 2019, Glamera allows users to book appointments with hundreds of contracted providers covering all beauty sections, including salons, clinics, spa, gym, and dental.

The startup has a growing number of users and hundreds of providers in Egypt, and is also active in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It raised a US$1.3 million seed funding round late last year to help it expand operations across the MENA region.

Glamera Pay, powered by the fintech license, will propel the company’s expansion efforts in the Saudi market.

It is also expected to provide secure and seamless payment transactions, boosting customer confidence and convenience, and delivering even more value to the customers.

“Glamera Pay will empower us to unlock new opportunities and expand our reach, cater to a wider customer base in Saudi Arabia, and also open up for strategic partnerships as expanding our presence in the Saudi market has always been a strategic priority for Glamera,” said Mohamed Hassan, CEO of Glamera.

 

Tech Trivia: Which of the following storage devices is read-only?

A. SD card

B. DVD-ROM disc

C. Flash drive

D. Floppy disk

Answer: see end of post

 

2. Hub network AfriLabs welcomes 16 new members, expands to Eswatini

 

AfriLabs, the largest network of technology and innovation hubs in Africa, has announced the admission of 16 new members to its community, including a member in a new country – Eswatini.

AfriLabs is a network organisation that is committed to driving innovation and entrepreneurship on the continent by bringing together technology hubs, startups, investors, and other key stakeholders in the ecosystem.

Novation City in North Africa, Privilege Access and Eureka Geo in Central Africa, Cube Zanzibar, Thousand Hills Hub, Somaliland Innovation Zone (SIZ), Southwest Innovation Hub, and Kabarak University Innovation and Business Incubation Center in East Africa, and Moolu Venture Lab, The Stalwart Hub, Platinum Hub, Ubulu Africa, Hebron Startup Lab, WAN-Hive Ghana, Green Tech Innovation, and Royal Science and Technology Park-Business Incubator (RSTP) in West and South Africa have all joined the AfriLabs association of hubs.

“AfriLabs will continue nurturing, supporting, and celebrating innovative ecosystems across the continent,” said AfriLabs’ director of community Mayssa Mrabet.

 

3. Maly secures $1.6M pre-Seed to speed up GCC expansion plans

 

MALY, a Dubai-based financial wellness platform, has announced the conclusion of its pre-seed funding round, securing an investment exceeding $1.6 million to grow its automated savings app and its bank-linked card.

The fintech startup secured the funding via a group of leading GCC-based angel investors after sharing its plans to transform the UAE’s financial wellness and expand into other regional markets.

The demand for financial tools that foster healthier saving and investment habits is high in MENA, where people face increasing economic pressures.

“The remarkable pre-seed funding we’ve received will enable MALY to kickstart its growth journey.

“It will enable us to scale efficiently by creating partnerships to reach new customers and drive platform development with enriched product features.”

The startup has forged strategic partnerships with other major brands, including VISA, NymCard, and DAPI, as it aims to become a leading player in the MENA financial wellness sector.

 

Trivia answer: Read-only

A read-only file or storage device contains data that cannot be modified or deleted. While data can be accessed or “read” from a read-only file or device, new data cannot be added or “written” to the device.

Most operating systems, such as Windows and OS X allow you to mark individual files as read-only. In Windows, you can right-click a file and select Properties to view more information about the file.

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