Amira Khalil

Writer,

icn.live

Amira Khalil writes for ICN.live since early 2024 and covers Health, AI trends, and global markets, with contributions to Finance Magnates, The National Business, and DailyMoney. Her writing reflects a strong interest in cultural change within digital economies. She studied Broadcast Journalism at Cairo University.

Q Mobility

Cross-emirate parking payments move closer as Q Mobility and Parkin link up

Cross-emirate parking payments could soon live inside one digital account for drivers who move between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Q Mobility and Parkin have signed an agreement to connect their systems, and the aim is plain. You pay for a spot in either city without switching apps or opening a second wallet.

Picture the commuter who parks near a Dubai office all week, then drives to the capital for the weekend. That person now juggles two separate systems. The plan would fold both into a single flow.

Cross-emirate parking payments in one account

The Q Mobility Parkin agreement covers linked digital platforms, shared pilot projects and a single route to paying for parking. Both firms run the biggest public parking networks in their emirates. Parkin operates Dubai’s official platform across more than 200,000 spaces. Q Mobility manages Mawaqif Abu Dhabi and the Darb road toll system.

Neither company gave a start date. Work will begin through a joint roadmap and pilot projects. So nothing shifts for you today. Keep using your current app. Residents and visitors would eventually pay through one connected set of digital channels once the platforms talk to each other. The operators say they will test how their existing systems can support shared access while keeping payments secure.

What the AI pilots will do

Smart parking UAE plans here lean hard on data. The two firms will build pilots around data analytics, artificial intelligence and better parking management tools. These pilots will look at how full car parks get, how demand shifts across the day, and how well the service runs.

Here is the practical payoff. Sharper demand planning means a system that can steer you to an open bay faster, using patterns pulled from real use. Both operators also want to squeeze more capacity from car parks they already have, rather than pour concrete for new ones. Parkin already runs a wide digital payment base across Dubai. Through the Darb app, Q Mobility handles tolling and Mawaqif parking together in Abu Dhabi. The pilots will check how each operator’s technology performs across connected systems before any broad rollout.

Data sharing under UAE rules

Cross-emirate parking payments depend on the two operators trading technical know-how and operational data. UAE regulations and data protection requirements will govern every exchange. The companies will also set governance rules for connected services and hunt for ways to use current assets more effectively.

Data integration will support demand forecasting and occupancy measurement across both service areas. Each side will decide which datasets and technical links belong to individual pilots. So far, the operators have not published the design that would join their platforms.

What the CEOs said

Mohamed Husain Karmastaji, CEO of Q Mobility, called the collaboration a route toward more connected mobility across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He named customer convenience and closer ties between the two operators as central goals. Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali, CEO of Parkin, described the agreement as a significant development for the UAE parking sector. He pointed to the scale created by bringing the two largest public parking operators into one technology programme.

For now, cross-emirate parking payments remain a plan on paper. Parkin Dubai and Q Mobility will move through technology assessments, joint pilots and platform integration before anything reaches your phone. Motorists keep using existing arrangements while the work runs. No date has been announced for unified digital access, so watch for pilot news rather than a switch flipping overnight.

By Amira Khalil
3 min read

ADNOC

ADNOC Distribution launches ‘Engage’ advertising platform

ADNOC Distribution on Wednesday launched Engage by ADNOC, a retail media network designed to connect brands with customers across its integrated mobility, convenience and digital ecosystem, WAM reported.

Engage by ADNOC is the first full-funnel retail media network operated in the UAE by a mobility and convenience retailer, enabling brands to connect with customers at key moments throughout their daily journeys using data-driven, relevant advertising.

Unlike traditional out-of-home advertising, the platform combines physical and digital media inventory with insights and first-party data from ADNOC Rewards members, enabling brands to run full-funnel marketing campaigns within a single ecosystem.

ADNOC Distribution’s network in the UAE serves nearly 700,000 customers every day across its service stations and attracts more than 250 million annual transactions.

Powered by insights from more than 2.7 million ADNOC Rewards members, Engage by ADNOC helps brands deliver more relevant customer experiences while measuring campaign impact, with all audience insights used in accordance with applicable data privacy requirements and customer consent frameworks.

Jacqueline Elboghdadi, Chief Marketing Officer at ADNOC Distribution, said, “Engage by ADNOC reflects our continued evolution as a mobility and convenience retailer. As we pursue our strategy to accelerate growth in Non-Fuel Retail, we are creating a differentiated network that is designed to unlock new value for brands, consumers and our business.

Every marketer needs the ability to turn audience insights into measurable business outcomes. Through our network and customer data platform, we are enabling more meaningful and measurable advertising across the customer journey, helping brands reach consumers when they are most receptive and clearly measure campaign impact.”

From sofa to station, Engage by ADNOC enables brands to connect with customers across ADNOC Distribution’s digital and physical channels, from the ADNOC Rewards app and online platforms to screens across service stations and Oasis by ADNOC stores.

Enabled by ADNOC Distribution’s AI and Digital Transformation (AIDT) programme, the platform leverages first-party data, analytics and AI to help brands drive consideration and conversion and measure campaign effectiveness. With approximately two-thirds of fuel transactions in the UAE taking place across ADNOC Distribution’s network, it also provides access to one of the country’s highest-frequency consumer audiences.

The launch supports ADNOC Distribution’s Non-Fuel Retail growth strategy, which delivered more than 14 percent year-on-year gross profit growth in 2025 and is underpinned by the company’s strategy to accelerate growth in Non-Fuel Retail.

Engage by ADNOC is expected to generate more than $25 million in cumulative gross profit over its first five years, creating a new scalable revenue stream supported by data, analytics and AI.

Engage by ADNOC brings together a growing ecosystem of strategic partners, including Publicis, Pyxis, a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), LiveRamp and Network International, combining expertise across media, AI, data and measurement. ADNOC Distribution will continue to evaluate opportunities to expand Engage by ADNOC’s capabilities and offerings in line with customer needs and future growth opportunities across its markets.

Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Türkiye, said, “ADNOC Distribution has built one of the UAE’s most compelling consumer ecosystems, creating a unique retail media opportunity for brands. We are proud to partner on Engage by ADNOC and help unlock its scale, audience connectivity and measurable impact for advertisers.”

Mukhles Odeh, CEO of Pyxis, said, “Engage by ADNOC marks a significant leap forward in digital advertising for brands. Through this strategic partnership, we are creating a unique advertising platform that enables brands to connect with customers in real-time, creating impactful and measurable experiences. Together, we are setting new benchmarks for digital advertising and retail media.”

Oliver Klander, Regional Vice President, MENA Brands, LiveRamp, said, “ADNOC Distribution’s coverage and first-party data ecosystem create attractive opportunities for brands. Through privacy-conscious data collaboration and measurement capabilities, we are helping advertisers connect with audiences more efficiently while maintaining responsible data practices.”

Görkem Köseoğlu, Group Chief Customer and AI Officer at Network International, said, “By combining Network’s spend insights with advertising performance, ‘Engage by ADNOC’ gives brands a clearer understanding of campaign effectiveness and business outcomes. Together, we will deliver actionable intelligence that brands can use to make informed decisions.”

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By Amira Khalil
5 min read

Digital Payments

Yalla payment services approval brings the UAE closer to cashless finance

The Yalla payment services approval moves a growing fintech one step closer to serving customers across the UAE. On Monday, Yalla Financial Solutions said the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) had granted it an In-Principle Approval for a Retail Payment Services Category II License. The nod falls under the CBUAE Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation. This is not the final license yet. It signals the company has cleared an early, serious gate.

What the Yalla payment services approval means for you

For anyone who taps a phone to pay for coffee or sends money home at the end of the month, licensing like this matters more than it sounds. A Category II License lets a firm handle regulated payment activity under close supervision. Behind the paperwork sits a simple promise. Your money should move safely, and someone should answer for it if something goes wrong.

The Yalla payment services approval signals that the company met the CBUAE’s early conditions. Full authorisation still depends on finishing the remaining requirements. Once that happens, Yalla can build out its payment capabilities inside one of the most active digital finance markets anywhere.

A milestone in Yalla’s journey

Waleed Sadek, CEO and Founder of Yalla Financial Solutions, framed the moment plainly. He said receiving the In-Principle Approval reflects the company’s commitment to building trusted, secure, and innovative payment infrastructure in one of the world’s most advanced digital economies. Sadek added that the UAE has become a global hub for financial innovation through a forward-looking regulatory environment and a clear vision for digital transformation.

“We are proud to be part of this journey and look forward to working closely with the Central Bank of the UAE to complete the remaining regulatory requirements and obtain the final Retail Payment Services Category II License,” Sadek said.

Why the timing fits

The Yalla payment services approval lands as the country pushes hard toward cashless living. Dubai’s Cashless Strategy targets 90 percent of transactions going digital, according to Digital Dubai, and analysts at Mordor Intelligence value the UAE fintech market at about 52 billion dollars in 2026. Numbers like these describe a shift you can feel at the checkout counter, in the taxi, at the corner shop.

More UAE digital payments flow through licensed players each year. That growth pulls in global names and homegrown firms alike. Earlier this year, Revolut secured its own In-Principle Approval for the same Category II license, a sign of how crowded and serious this space has become.

What comes next for Yalla

The road from In-Principle Approval to a live service runs through compliance, testing, and final sign-off. As a payment service provider, Yalla must satisfy the CBUAE on safeguards for customer funds, risk controls, and reporting. None of that is quick. All of it protects the person on the other side of the transaction.

The Yalla payment services approval is a beginning, not a finish line. If the company clears the final steps, everyday users could gain another trusted way to pay, send, and receive. For a market racing toward a cashless future, one more supervised option is welcome news.

By Amira Khalil
3 min read

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