Until now, investing in Dubai’s booming property market meant large upfront capital, complex paperwork and often being physically present. Deed removes all of that and with just a few clicks, users can register, verify their identity and start investing in handpicked, professionally managed properties, all within minutes.

Once you have invested, you can now receive monthly rental income from your share and benefit from the appreciation once the property is sold where any capital gains will be distributed amongst the investors. From browsing properties to making your investment, the process is 100% digital and can be done from anywhere in the world.

Whether you’re investing AED 500 or AED 50,000, Deed offers access to one of the world’s most dynamic real estate markets without borders, stress, or large capital requirements. Thousands of users joined Deed’s waitlist during its soft launch, reflecting the growing demand for modern, accessible wealth-building tools. Now, with the public launch, anyone can get started.

Real estate has long been a cornerstone of wealth-building, especially in a prime and surging market such as Dubai, but for many it has felt out of reach. Deed changes that by combining smart technology, professional property management, and robust financial regulation to offer a truly accessible alternative allowing anyone to invest in one of the world’s most appealing and continuously thriving markets.

Mobility on Your Terms

What sets Zed apart is its philosophy that every journey should feel tailored. The app allows users to personalise nearly every aspect of their ride, from preferred cabin temperature and curated playlists to the level of interaction with their chauffeur. These seemingly small choices redefine the everyday commute.

One of Zed’s standout features is Rhythm, a first-to-market innovation that allows users to schedule recurring rides with ease, perfect for school runs, daily commutes, or weekly routines. Another distinctive layer is Zed Music, a curated playlist series that reflects both the mood of the city and the identity of the brand, creating a consistent soundscape across every ride.

Powered by People. Aligned with the Future.

Central to Zed’s success are its chauffeurs, known as Zeddies, professional, personable, and deeply embedded in the community they serve. “Zed is also built in alignment with Dubai’s Smart City 2025 vision, contributing to the target of moving 80% of taxi bookings to e-hailing platforms. Its strategic partnerships with taxi operators in the UAE and commitment to sustainable innovation are part of a wider ambition to create impact – economically, technologically, and socially.

With upcoming features including loyalty rewards, digital wallets, and exclusive lifestyle partnerships, Zed is set to evolve in step with the UAE’s ambitions, offering more than transport, but a humanised, premium way of moving through the city.

The MENA region is underserved when it comes to smart, AI-driven news solutions. The rise of fake news, AI-generated misinformation, and social media echo chambers makes it more critical than ever for users to have a trusted, AI-powered news companion.

Therefore, the answer is; yes, the world—and particularly the MENA region—needs a new kind of news app. One that is AI-powered, multi-sourced, and personalized, offering a bias-free, fast, and engaging news experience. Daily 8 is not just another news app; it is a news intelligence platform that redefines how users access and consume information in an era of misinformation, content overload, and fragmented news consumption.

After all, we are redefining news consumption for the modern world—where credibility, speed, and intelligence matter more than ever. The MENA region deserves a smarter way to stay informed, and that’s exactly what we deliver.

In the MENA at large there is limited access to information, propaganda and misinformation, as well as technological challenges, what is Daily 8 doing to counter all this?

Daily 8 is tackling these challenges by leveraging AI to ensure credibility, multi-source access, and intelligent content delivery. Our platform provides unbiased, verified news from 500+ trusted global and regional sources, counters misinformation through AI-powered analysis, and ensures seamless access even in regions with technological limitations. In more detail:

Daily 8 curates news from 500+ trusted sources, providing users with a full-picture view rather than relying on a single narrative.

Our platform ensures balanced, global, and local coverage by integrating independent, regional, and international media outlets.

Users can compare headlines and perspectives to develop a more informed opinion.

Fact-Checking AI: Daily 8’s algorithms analyze news credibility by assessing source reputation, content history, and reporting patterns.

Headline Bias Detection: Our AI identifies polarized or misleading language, allowing users to see how different outlets frame the same story.

Community Engagement & Reporting: Users can flag questionable content, helping refine our AI-driven credibility ratings.

Low-Data Mode: Daily 8 is optimized for regions with slow internet by enabling a data-light reading experience.

Language Support: Many global news aggregators neglect Arabic-language users—Daily 8 ensures full accessibility in both languages.

Daily 8 is not just an app—it’s a movement toward greater transparency, credibility, and unrestricted access to information in the MENA region.

AI is now invading all sectors, how is Daily 8 harnessing that nascent technology to be able to deliver the most curtailed news to its subscribers?

We strongly believe that; AI + News = The Future of Intelligent Journalism. It is part of our mission to fundamentally change how news is discovered, analyzed, and delivered. By harnessing AI, we are proudly empowering users to access credible, relevant, and well-structured news without effort.

Our vision is to create a news intelligence ecosystem that blends AI efficiency with journalistic integrity, making it the most trusted news companion for the modern digital consumer.

We, at Daily 8, are redefining the news experience with AI—moving beyond aggregation to true news intelligence, where every story is curated, analyzed, and tailored for each subscriber in real-time.

What content is Daily 8 showing and how is it showing it in different languages to its audience especially that the region has some very different languages that differ from one geographical place to another?

Unlike traditional news apps, Daily 8 delivers real-time, multi-language news from 500+ trusted global and regional sources, ensuring that users across the MENA region and beyond receive news in their preferred language. Our AI-powered language adaptation and click-to-translate feature make news accessible, localized, and culturally relevant, regardless of a user’s geographical location or native language.

So far, we support two languages; English and Arabic. Very soon, we will be introducing additional languages in order to improve user experience/journey. At the same time, the app provides access to article-based news, video channels, TV live streams, podcasts, and the most recent addition is the sports section.

Daily 8 is more than a news aggregator—it’s a multilingual, AI-powered news intelligence platform that ensures users across the MENA region can access credible, personalized news in the language they trust.

93% of news apps come from advertising, is this going to be your financial model as well for Daily 8?

Yes, advertising will play a key role in Daily 8’s financial model, but we are also exploring diversified revenue streams to ensure long-term sustainability and premium user experiences. Unlike traditional news apps that rely purely on ads, Daily 8 is focused on a balanced approach, integrating high-quality, non-intrusive advertising alongside strategic monetization models, such as sponsorships, premium subscriptions, and AI-powered content partnerships.

We are keen to maintain an approach that ensures we can scale while maintaining a free, high-quality news experience for the majority of users, with value-added options for those who seek premium features.

Of the 15 million downloads that occurred in the Emirates last year, the majority took place in the second half of the year. In fact, each month in the last quarter of the year saw installs exceed 1 million, with the largest spike of 2.8 million taking place in December.

Offering insight into these findings, Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Market Insights at AppsFlyer stated that fuelling this growth will require strategic campaigning, highlighting that 60% of crypto app traffic in 2024 was driven by aggressive marketing efforts. Moreover, analysing engagement trends around crypto apps on Android devices, AppsFlyer’s researchers found that one in five apps is uninstalled within just 30 days — which means marketers must create a seamless journey and deliver a top notch onboarding experience, otherwise they risk churn.

Challenging as this may be, AppsFlyer’s research suggests there is good reason for crypto app marketers to remain committed to aggressive campaigning. In January of this year, monthly crypto app installs in the UAE totaled nearly 3.5 million.

Spotify has transformed how people listen to music, making every discovery as intuitive and personal as possible. With personalization at the heart of what we do, we see ourselves as your audio companion, helping you find new favorite songs or artists as easily as you enjoy your current favorites. In fact, every 24 hours on our platform, we witness 2 billion music discoveries happen.

With 675 million global users, we are the world's most popular audio streaming service. Our commitment to personalization is often cited as the top reason people stay with us. In our fast-growing regions like MENA, we remain committed to personalization at both a personal and cultural level. Every playlist and every campaign reflects an insight or a cultural moment that truly matters to the local market. Whether it’s for Saudi National Day or Ramadan, we strive to deliver a user experience that amplifies and celebrates local culture and identity.

Discovery is also central to our playlists and music programs. We are focused on nurturing up-and-coming talent and giving them the tools to be discovered by audiences from the region and beyond. With playlists like Fresh Finds Arabia and RADAR Arabia, we’ve seen local artists' streams skyrocket, sometimes by up to 1000%. It's very rewarding to see how our playlist ecosystem is playing a role in shaping artists' careers.

Looking forward, this year's focus is on investing in more music experiences on the platform. Think video, think new ways to bring fans and artists closer together, with features and offers that will continue to push the historic expansion we’re seeing in the music industry. We're excited about the new features we have lined up that will bring music and communities together, further driving discovery.

Can you walk us through the concept and execution of your new campaign in terms of concept and execution?

Absolutely! Our latest campaign is all about showcasing Spotify as your ultimate audio companion, accessible at any moment of the day. Whether you're driving, relaxing, or hosting friends, we want Spotify to be your go-to soundtrack for every occasion.

We brought this concept to life through a mix of dynamic media. Our two hero videos (here and here), supported by short-form content and a targeted media strategy, really push the narrative of Spotify’s seamless integration into daily life. The first video features a group of friends in a car, stuck on repeat with one song, until someone switches to Spotify. This switch leads to an instant discovery of fresh, vibrant tracks from our extensive Arabic catalog, perfectly highlighting how Spotify enhances shared experiences with music.

The second video tackles a common frustration head-on—music stopping when you switch apps. By demonstrating Spotify’s background listening feature, we emphasize our commitment to providing a seamless, uninterrupted listening experience.

Our campaign was rolled out across multiple digital platforms, including social media channels like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as video platforms such as YouTube, Programmatic, and Twitch. The strategy behind this extensive digital rollout was to engage our core audience—young, digital-native listeners aged 18-35—who thrive on short-form video and mobile-first experiences. Each platform was carefully chosen to align with their media consumption habits, maximizing engagement and interaction.

Ultimately, this campaign is about how Spotify is the new way of listening. Our aim was to embed Spotify so deeply into our audience's daily rhythm that it becomes a natural, indispensable part of their lifestyle.

Saudi audiences are known for their love of gaming, how is Spotify integrating this into their own cosmos to appeal to the Saudi youth?

Gaming in Saudi Arabia isn’t just a form of entertainment; it’s a cultural phenomenon and a booming billion-dollar industry, projected to contribute $13.3 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030. Recognizing the profound connection between gaming and music, Spotify has tailored its services to enhance this dynamic. Saudi gamers, among the most engaged globally, find Spotify an ideal platform for streaming music on gaming consoles, where great gameplay thrives on great soundtracks.

We have actively engaged with the gaming community through curated playlists and strategic industry collaborations. Previously, our partnership with Gamers8, now known as the Esports World Cup, allowed us to integrate Spotify’s music directly into Saudi’s esports scene, providing official tournament anthems for two consecutive years.

Building on this, our latest initiative involves a significant collaboration with Koora, Saudi Arabia’s leading football digital platform. This partnership is designed to blend Spotify's music experience with the world of e-gaming football, offering a fully branded experience throughout all tournament stages—including teasers, registration, gameplay, and prizes. To participate in the tournament, users are required to sign up for Spotify, linking their gaming activities directly with their audio streaming experience.

Looking forward, we remain committed to deepening our engagement in the gaming sector. By expanding our gaming playlists and crafting tailored experiences, our aim is to meet Saudi gamers where they are—immersed in their games—and elevate their experiences with the perfect soundtrack. This strategy not only connects music, gaming, and culture but also creates a unique listening landscape that resonates powerfully with the youth of Saudi Arabia.

Marketing is not what it used to be, how is Spotify using content creators at large in its bid to attract audiences at large in the Saudi scene?

Content creators have become a powerful bridge between brands and audiences, especially in Saudi Arabia, one of the most dynamic digital markets in MENA. The country was among the earliest in the region to embrace content-driven marketing, and today, creators play a central role in shaping trends and sparking conversations. At Spotify, we see content creators not just as brand amplifiers but as tastemakers and cultural curators who help bring Spotify closer to audiences in an authentic and relevant way.

For our latest campaign, we partnered with nearly 30 content creators spanning food, fashion, tech, gaming, and football—verticals that deeply resonate with Saudi audiences. The approach was strategic and educational, ensuring that content creators effectively communicated Spotify’s value—from curated playlists to our Arabic music catalog and unique features—within their daily routines.

Saudi Arabia’s content creators marketing industry is projected to reach $95.69 million by 2025, growing at a 9.82% CAGR through 2029, with a projected market volume of $139.2 million. This rapid expansion underscores the effectiveness of content creators partnerships in fostering engagement and driving meaningful brand connections.

Spotify remains committed to evolving its content creators’ strategy in Saudi, ensuring that we continue to collaborate with creators who bring value, credibility, and a local voice to the conversation.

Sometimes Spotify is accused of not being generous to artists and of employing ghost artists, what is the official stance on this? [DA1]

On artist payment:

Spotify doesn’t pay artists or songwriters directly. Spotify primarily makes money for music from two sources — Spotify Premium subscribers and advertisers on Spotify’s Free tier. Approximately two-thirds of this money is paid out to music rights holders to what we call the “royalty pool.”Spotify allocates that royalty pool based on each rights holder’s streamshare on Spotify. This money is not divvied up based on a fixed amount per stream because Premium subscribers do not pay per stream; they pay a subscription fee for access. A few weeks ago, we announced that we paid out a record $10 billion to the music industry—totaling nearly $60 billion since our founding. For another year, Spotify set the record for the highest annual payment to the music industry from any single retailer. The figure has increased 10-fold over the past 10 years, representing a big part of the nearly $60BN Spotify has paid since its founding. We can proudly say our personalization and innovation in this space have played a role here because personalization drives retention and keeps users on our platform.

On ghost artists

Spotify prioritizes listener satisfaction, and our playlist editors’ programming decisions focus on what music positively resonates with our users. There is a demand for music to suit certain occasions or activities, including mood or background music. Like all other music on Spotify, this music is licensed by rightsholders, and while the terms of each agreement vary, none of those agreements promise placement on any playlists. Spotify doesn’t dictate how artists present their work, including whether they publish their songs with real names, under a band name, or a pseudonym.

The Saudi market is very tricky, with many dialects and heritages, how do you deal with it – from something that appeals to everyone to hyperlocalized experiences?

Winning in any market starts with the right product fit—and that means building something that truly meets local needs. In Saudi Arabia, hyperlocalization isn’t just a strategy—it’s essential to making a real impact. At Spotify, we don’t just reflect culture; we celebrate and amplify it. Saudi is a rich tapestry of dialects, traditions, and evolving sounds, and we focus on both national and regional nuances to ensure our experience feels deeply personal to listeners.

Over the years, we’ve continuously enhanced our product for the Saudi market—whether it’s launching cultural hubs like Ramadan, rolling out language support in local dialects, curating Saudi National Day playlists, or even creating dedicated Spotify KSA social handles to engage directly with our audience. Our marketing is just as hyperlocalized—and in our latest campaign, we even featured local talent such as the incredible Saudi actor Saad Abdulaziz.

On music level, we have Saudi playlists dedicated to different moods and moments. We’ve also localized our Artist Programs to support and nurture Saudi talent in a way that meets their specific needs. Our local teams on the ground ensure we’re always listening, learning, and evolving.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to localization, but our commitment is clear—we will continue investing, adapting, and innovating, making sure every interaction teaches us something new about the Saudi market so we can deliver the best possible experience for our users.

[DA1]These are the official statements

“As the world continues to bounce back following bouts of economic uncertainty, marketers and media owners cannot afford to make the wrong decisions — especially when it comes to media source budget allocation,” said Paul Wright, General Manager Western Europe and MENAT at AppsFlyer.

“Only four of the top 20 media source players saw budget increases this year, costs of media continue to fluctuate and channels like CTV are leading ecosystem players to quickly adapt and think outside of the box to reach consumers. For marketers, selecting the best media partners is particularly important on iOS because of its high-quality audience. However, privacy-driven fragmentation in measurement has only created more uncertainty, increasing the need for accurate performance rankings for the platform.”

Apple Search Ads and Meta Lead the Way Across iOS Gaming and Non-gaming

The best way to properly depict the state of the iOS media market is by looking at a single source of truth (SSOT). AppsFlyer’s first-ever SSOT iOS index combines SKAdNetwork and traditional attribution and accurately deduplicates between the two data sources.

Apple Search Ads (ASA) is the #1 media source for iOS gaming apps and non-gaming categories, coming in at #1 in almost all the rankings across every region and every category with high quality and unmatched scale, particularly in non-gaming. The dominance of ASA in non-gaming is even more pronounced than it is in gaming, coming in at #1 in all the rankings across every category and every region except for Latin America with unmatched scale and high quality.

Although still far from its dominant iOS position before iOS 14.5, Meta ads continue to adapt in the post iOS 14.5 era, coming in at #2 in the power and volume rankings (power rankings combine quality and quantity metrics while volume only covers quantity). The social network’s performance is mostly fueled by non-gaming apps on SKAdNetwork, Apple’s privacy-centric attribution interface, where it drives the highest number of installs, well above the competition.

Google Ads came in at #3 in the rankings thanks to its scale among non-gaming apps. It should be noted that for Google, iOS is secondary compared to Android, especially when compared to its web business.

For non-gaming, Meta ads ranked 2nd in the global power ranking, driven by its performance in Life & Culture where it ranked 2nd, while Google reached 5th place (3rd in the volume ranking) thanks to a #2 power ranking in finance. Snapchat and Moloco ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively thanks to top-notch quality.

Meta Surpasses Google Atop Shopping Ranking for Remarketing Rankings

The Android remarketing ranking finds Google, Meta, and TikTok For Business to some extent, dominating market share. Google Ads, which is the #1 player across most remarketing rankings, came in 2nd to Meta Ads in the most important category — shopping. Meta ads was able to close the gap with Google in the global power ranking because of its success in shopping, where it surpassed Google to come out on top.

TikTok For Business came in 3rd in the global power ranking, driven by its significant scale, particularly for shopping apps. Liftoff ranked 4th thanks to great quality, while remarketing specialists Adikteev and Remerge followed with a #5 and #6 ranking, respectively. The former’s success was largely driven by Life & Culture apps, where it ranked 3rd thanks to great quality, while the latter came in as the top player in casino games where it clinched the #1 power ranking.

“The application brings users back to the classical period of simple communications tools; by using the best privacy-enhancing features, [it is] the first chat application with this high privacy developed in the ME region by Arab expertise,” entrepreneurs Mohammed Othman and Haian Nayouf said.

With this free app, the sent message will disappear from the sender’s account after ten seconds, whether it is read by the recipient or not, and it will also disappear from the recipient’s account ten seconds after it's opened or played. The message will be destroyed completely within the application and will not be stored on the app servers.

Written messages are limited to 100 characters while audio messages are ten seconds.

"Oh!Message is end-to-end encrypted but it also has other features that make it the most private app among messaging apps," said engineer Mohammed Othman, Co-Founder and Chief of Technology at Oh!Message. “In this app, which is available on Apple and Android stores, the user doesn’t appear online while using it and his/her location is not tracked,” he explained.

"The first period of the app launch is in the UAE, the Gulf region, and Arab countries," said Haian Nayouf, Co-Founder and Chief of Communications at Oh!Message. “The UAE is the capital for talent, companies, and investments in the areas of digital and technical excellence globally. This has greatly motivated us to work on this project in UAE, and the app is the first of its kind in the Arab world with these strong privacy features,” he added.

According to former product leader at Facebook, SC Moatti, “to build products that people love, you have to build products that are extensions of ourselves. Consumers expect that the apps they use will grow and learn alongside them.” It seems simple, right? However, with over 2.5 million apps in the Google Play Store alone, achieving app engagement and retention rates proves to be challenging.

A staggering 37% of users are retained within 30 days of apps in the e-commerce/retail category on average, while 25% of users abandon an app after a single use. These numbers indicate that app creation is relatively easy but developing content to keep users coming back is what leaves brands struggling for effective strategies.

Repeat users directly impact the success of any app – just observe how TikTok has mastered retaining users with addicting content. Keeping users engaged and retaining them are two metrics that reveal qualitative insight into your app’s success. The average person spends 90% of their mobile time on apps, and the reasons for that can vary from the ease of functionality to additional capabilities, in comparison to the web browser. This is showcased across different demographics and markets.

With that in mind, it is no wonder more businesses are turning to apps as a stream to pull their customers to actively engage with their brands. As the app landscape continues to develop, customers’ appetites are maturing along with their expectations. A user’s impression is critical, so learn how to keep them coming back with these four strategies that can be adopted and implemented to capture and retain your audience.

1. Focus on the purpose of the app 

Yes, all stakeholders are important, but we must remember who the app is serving. The answer will always be the user; without them, you do not have stakeholders. Therefore, the customers are your mobile app royalty and should be the focus. As this is the foundation, identify the value added to the user and ensure the app provides relevant content that upgrades the customer’s experience in real time.

2. What does the user want to get out of the app? 

Plan out the digital journey and capture highlights from start to finish. A well-designed mobile app should be easy to use for consumers and can quickly provide answers to what they seek with convenience. The idea is to remove barriers and pain points to expand your consumer base. It is important to provide an outstanding mobile app experience that drives customer adoption.

3. Set up an agile methodology to measure improvements

Ensure a strong process is established when it comes to reporting and data mining, as this will empower the evaluation and decision-making process. Solid reporting capabilities are critical to capture all the relevant metrics, such as following an agile methodology to ensure an ongoing cycle of improvement for strong adoption and use. Even as mobile app revenues grow, never let your attention deviate from serving the needs of your consumers. Their satisfaction and engagement drive everything – always.

4. Relevancy: from push notifications to creative communication

The digital ecosystem as it stands is noisy, and users are opting for ad-less environments such as YouTube Premium. People respond positively to relevant and useful ads while bombarding them with irrelevant content will impact the brand negatively. Empower your digital campaigns with relevant creatives that will pull users, while utilizing push notifications to draw them into the app. Focus on sharing value-added, relevant information/offers to customer segments to keep them updated and coming back. Take it one step further and personalize the app experience with the ability to get users to customize and favorite their products, ultimately creating a seamless user experience.

Push notifications are powerful, but only when the content is helpful and valuable to the recipient. Be careful not to flood it with low-value messages as too many interruptions will encourage consumers to opt-out and you will end up losing a receptive audience that you worked so hard to attract.

These 50 photographs with the hashtag #Eyes2019 show a whole new world.

Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a weekly basis the app’s users – amateurs and professional photographers – can participate in a photography competition through it.

Agora images are a free-to-use app social app. The app is for the global photography community, with more than 3.5 million users from across 193 countries. On a weekly basis the app’s users – amateurs and professional photographers – can participate in a photography competition through it.