• May 30, 2019

    Use of Drones in GCC: Will disrupt logistics, shipping and e-commerce

    The use of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for commercial purposes has significantly received attention in the recent years. Adoption of drones is powered mainly by factors such as the increasing need for automation in firms, digitization of internal processes, improving the quality and potential of operational efficiency, and cost optimization requirements. Apart from adding value to various sectors in the economy with their advanced mechanisms and capabilities, drones are used for short range and light weight applications. One...

  • May 28, 2019

    Automation in SMEs

    Rise in automation is changing the ways of doing business. Similar to the digital and technological revolution, big business houses have been the first to adopt automation across their activities in the form of driverless cars, robot assistants, and delivery drones etc. For example, the Dubai Metro is already driverless, and the UAE is pioneering the Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy aiming to make 25 per cent of all trips autonomous by 2030. With progress in automation, the costs of sensors...

  • April 22, 2019

    Is Digital Labor Contributing to Creation of Gig Economy in GCC?

    The labor market is undergoing a perceptible shift from one that is characterized by stable or permanent employment to what is called a “gig economy” (BMO Wealth Management). The gig economy is one that is defined by temporary (or contracted) employment, wherein an on-demand and freelance (or contingent) workforce is the prominent working model. In the recent years, digital technology advancements and rampant economic changes (including demographic shifts) has overhauled the ‘business as usual’ status. The emergence of the gig...

  • January 23, 2019

    Deep Learning: A more interesting aspect of AI

    This article originally published in AME Info. Deep Learning has become one of the most discussed and researched topics of the decade. Deep learning is evolving day by day, and therefore, it is important to understand how and why it works. Deep learning sits at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning.. AI basically implies a range of technologies that enable computer and robots to solve problems in ways that resemble human thinking process. Within this realm is...

  • November 1, 2018

    What Is the Future of Ecommerce in the Arabian Gulf?

    This article originally published in Khaleej Times. The Arabian Gulf or the GCC region’s retail sector has been going through sweeping changes that are not only disrupting the conventional retail but reshaping its future too. In recent times, the mode of retailing in the GCC has gone through substantial changes that was unimaginable a few years back. There are clear signs of transformation in the retail sector in the region. There is increasing scope for e-commerce in the Middle East,...

  • August 16, 2018

    The promise of 3D printing

    A residential house that is a shape of rotor with contemporary style with wooden flooring, furnished with appliances from Samsung, constructed within 24 hours. Imagine making an own range of jewelry, trinkets or tiny add-ons for daily lives. Can we craft sculptures or showpieces smaller than human hair? A custom prosthetic device such as a hearing aid or artificial human limbs and manufacture them at very affordable prices, which benefits the healthcare industry? A 400 square metre two- story villa...

  • July 19, 2018

    Knitting Digital Worlds Together through APIs

    Imagine that you are riding an Uber or Didi Ride back home. In the middle of the ride, you realised that there’s nothing cooked for dinner at home and time is short as you are already late. And you suddenly placed an online order for some fancy food with a newly discovered app and paid it by Paypal or VISA. When you reach your destination, you pay Uber by Paypal and a few minutes later, Mint app pops up a...

  • June 10, 2018

    Can Dubai’s 3D printed building vision be a template for addressing the housing crisis in the GCC?

    This article was originally published in AME Info. According to a recent study from the World Economic Forum, the Infrastructure and Urban development industry worldwide, have a stagnant productivity due to its failure to innovate as quickly as the other sectors. This has caused a negative effect on the economy, society and the environment. Despite robust economic growth and the affluent nature, the GCC region has been experiencing a housing shortage. GCC housing crisis is spurred by macroeconomic drivers like...

  • May 2, 2018

    The Fintech Race between UAE and Bahrain

    Bahrain, with the launch of dedicated FinTech Hub in Feb 2018 (Zawya), become the second country in the MENA region to have exclusive FinTech infrastructure followed by UAE. UAE is considered to be the leading hub for FinTech in the region (The National 2017), continuing boosting innovation and collaboration. UAE developed region’s first regulatory sandbox allowing new products to be tested for two years without full regulatory compliance.  FinTech in both the countries is in different stages where service domains...

  • April 10, 2018

    Electric and Hybrid Vehicles – How soon can they disrupt in GCC?

    Global demand for electric vehicles is expected to surge during the next few decades. The market was valued at almost USD 103bn in 2015 and expected to be close to USD 400bn by 2024. Sales are growing exponentially and have outpaced expectations, boosted by faster than anticipated battery improvements. World hybrid and electric vehicle (H/EV) sales is anticipated to more than double through 2018, reaching 25.6 million units and accounting for nearly 25% of all new motor vehicles sold. Considering...