Financial Technology
Fintech
Lebanon Can’t Trust Cash Anymore, So People Are Uploading Their Savings
In wartime Lebanon, even cash no longer feels safe. With banks distrusted and fintech access restricted, some families are turning to stablecoins.
Fintech
With One Million Displaced, Lebanon Turns to Digital Wallets for Aid
Amid mass displacement and collapsing trust in institutions, digital wallets are becoming critical conduits for aid, connecting diaspora donors directly with communities on the ground.
Web 3
From Envelopes to Wallets: Bitcoin as a Form of Eidiya
From cash envelopes to crypto wallets, some families are experimenting with gifting bitcoin during Eid, turning a centuries-old tradition into a small lesson in digital finance.
Web 3
Crypto in Crisis: What Happens When War Disrupts Financial Systems
As geopolitical conflicts shake markets and banking systems, cryptocurrencies are often seen as a financial fallback. But the way crypto behaves during crises is more complicated than many expect.
Web 3
Iran’s Crypto Sector Was a Lifeline Through Sanctions. War Could Shut It Down
Cheap electricity turned Iran into an unlikely crypto mining hub. Now military strikes could threaten the power grid that powers it.
Computers and Software
Iranian Drones Damage AWS Data Centres in the UAE and Bahrain
Iranian drone strikes damaged Amazon Web Services facilities in the Gulf, disrupting core cloud infrastructure and affecting banking and digital platforms across the region.
The Big Story
Crypto in the Grey Zones of North Africa
Under strict financial controls and unclear regulation, Tunisians are using stablecoins to build a shadow financial system that works, even when the official one doesn’t.
Web 3
Stablecoins, Explained: Crypto Without the Chaos
Built to avoid crypto’s biggest flaw — volatility — stablecoins are becoming one of the Middle East’s fastest, most practical ways to move and store money.
Business
Can Islamic Finance Shape Fintech — or Is It Just Adapting It?
Shariah principles promise accountability but automation, upgradeable systems and imported fintech rails are testing whether values can still shape how finance is built.
The Big Story
Egypt Didn’t Choose Digital Payments. The Crisis Made It Inevitable
As cash vanished and banks tightened limits, QR codes and instant transfers became survival tools. Egypt’s fintech shift is now a blueprint for what happens when a country is forced to rebuild money in real time.