ATM research reveals more must be done to meet UN tourism-related sustainability goals

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 December 2025: Physiowell, a newly established premium physiotherapy and rehabilitation provider, has officially launched its clinic in Riyadh. Built on advanced medical technology, internationally recognized rehabilitation methodologies, and a patient-centered clinical philosophy, the new center aims to redefine the quality and accessibility of physiotherapy services in the Kingdom.

Designed to serve patients requiring musculoskeletal rehabilitation, sports injury recovery, chronic pain management, neurology physical therapy, women health physical therapy, chronic wound and post burn physiotherapy and post-operative care, the clinic features state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, led by a senior clinical team with experience across leading international healthcare systems.

The launch signals the first phase of Physiowell’s wider expansion strategy for 2026–2030, targeting major population centers across Saudi Arabia and the GCC. As part of this roadmap, Physiowell plans to introduce a telehealth platform, AI-powered assessment tools, and advanced rehabilitation equipment including anti-gravity treadmills and smart movement-tracking systems, technologies increasingly in demand as Saudi Arabia accelerates its healthcare modernization and digital transformation priorities.

Physiowell’s launch aligns with Saudi Arabia’s goals to increase private sector participation in healthcare, enhance patient outcomes, and expand rehabilitation access as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 Health Sector Transformation Program. The clinic’s evidence-based framework supports both preventative care and long-term recovery, addressing high-demand areas such as orthopedics, sports rehabilitation, post-surgical physiotherapy, and chronic disease management.

Dr. Kamal Senosy, CEO of Physiowell, said, “Today’s launch is the beginning of a long-term commitment to elevating rehabilitation outcomes in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is rapidly shaping the future of healthcare in the region, and we are proud to contribute by offering personalized, technology-driven, and scientifically validated rehabilitation care that prioritizes patient wellbeing and accessibility, and a high quality patient experience.”

The company is also opening pathways for collaboration with hospitals, insurance networks, elite athletic programs, and corporate wellness initiatives.

Demand for physiotherapy services in Saudi Arabia is growing at approximately 10-12% annually, driven by expanding insurance coverage, rising lifestyle-related health conditions, and increased investment in sports and physical activity under Vision 2030. 

The clinic is open for patients six days a week, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, offering consultations, treatment planning, and continuous follow-up through an integrated care approach.

METRO BRAZIL Announces SAR 30+ Million Investment in Saudi Arabia, with Launch of Riyadh Flagship

• A SAR 30 million+ investment set to expand METRO BRAZIL's presence in Saudi Arabia, with 70% of the funds allocated to local operations

• The first physical flagship store scheduled to open in Riyadh in 2026, aiming to translate METRO BRAZIL's strong e-commerce presence into a tangible retail experience

• This expansion will create numerous job opportunities for Saudi women, supported by an all-female store team and structured training and leadership pathways that align with Vision 2030

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 18th December 2025 - METRO BRAZIL, the first e-commerce platform dedicated to premium Brazilian shapewear in the region, has announced its expansion plans for the Kingdom, supported by a substantial investment that builds on its established online presence in Saudi Arabia. As part of its long-term commitment, the company is relocating its regional headquarters to Riyadh. This move includes an initial investment of over SAR 30 million, as well as the opening of the brand's first physical flagship store in Riyadh, which is scheduled to open in 2026.

The flagship store launch marks a strategic new chapter for METRO BRAZIL in Saudi Arabia, showcasing the brand’s long-term commitment to the market and its alignment with the national transformation agenda under Vision 2030. Designed to blend Brazilian creativity with Saudi elegance, this store aims to provide an immersive retail experience centered around inclusivity, comfort, and modern femininity.

METRO BRAZIL’s investment plan exceeds SAR 30 million, with 70% allocated to local operations, including store development, local hiring, training, and marketing. Following the opening in Riyadh, the brand plans to expand its physical presence across the Kingdom, targeting future locations in Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina over the next two to three years. Additionally, there will be an accelerated expansion of its online store to ensure nationwide accessibility.

“At METRO BRAZIL, our goal is to be part of the remarkable transformation occurring in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030,” said Alaa Kara Ali, Founder and CEO of METRO BRAZIL. “Our relationship with Saudi customers has already been shaped through e-commerce, and this flagship store is a natural evolution that deepens our presence, invests locally, and creates opportunities that reflect the ambitions of the Kingdom and its people.”

A central aspect of METRO BRAZIL’s expansion is women's employment and skills development. The Riyadh flagship plans to create numerous job opportunities for Saudi women in retail, customer service, marketing, and management. New hires will participate in a comprehensive training program that includes customer experience, store operations, experiential retail, marketing and social media, and leadership development. This program will provide clear pathways for advancement into supervisory and managerial roles.

“We are creating an environment where Saudi women can grow with the brand and shape its future in the Kingdom,” Alaa added. “We are proud that our Customer Service Department is led by a Saudi woman, and we aim to see more Saudi women in leadership roles as our presence in Saudi Arabia expands.”

To foster local ecosystem growth, METRO BRAZIL is strengthening partnerships with Saudi logistics and distribution firms, local contractors for store fit-out and construction, and established Saudi marketing agencies that have supported the brand’s GCC presence for over eight years. The company will also engage with national initiatives and entities, such as Monsha’at, the Ministry of Human Resources, and the Tamheer program by HRDF, to enhance women’s employment and training in direct support of Vision 2030 workforce priorities.

METRO BRAZIL’s strategy in Saudi Arabia continues to reflect local consumer preferences, focusing on products that combine elegance and comfort while respecting cultural values. The brand’s positioning in the Kingdom emphasizes confidence and empowerment, highlighting its belief that comfort and self-assurance are essential components of modern beauty.

Additionally, METRO BRAZIL brings a strong commitment to community engagement in Saudi Arabia. The brand previously partnered with the Saudi Cancer Society in the Eastern Province, dedicating a portion of sales from its surgical shapewear collection during October 2024 to support breast cancer programs under the “Al Sharqiya Wardiya” campaign. Future initiatives will further assist women through entrepreneurship and skills development in fashion, marketing, and retail.

To learn more or explore the full collection, visit https://metrobrazil.com.

Beyond ONE Strengthens Digital and Financial Inclusion in Saudi Arabia, Advancing Vision 2030

• Expanding access to mobile and fintech solutions to empower communities in line with Vision 2030

• Helping residents and expatriates stay connected and access essential digital services across the Kingdom

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 Driving a more inclusive, connected, and cashless society across Saudi Arabia

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Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia December 16, 2025 – Beyond ONE, the digital services provider behind the Virgin Mobile and FRiENDi Mobile brands in the Kingdom, today affirms its commitment to enabling more inclusive digital participation across Saudi Arabia, in support of Vision 2030’s goals of a vibrant society and a thriving economy.

As Saudi Arabia accelerates its transition to a more diversified, digital first economy, connectivity and access to digital services have become foundational. Beyond ONE’s local expansion, strategic partnerships and consumer friendly  platforms help reduce barriers to financial and digital inclusion for users who may not have traditional banking relationships.

Driving Inclusion Through Connectivity and Digital Access

Beyond ONE’s products and services aim to deliver accessible digital ecosystems beyond standard mobile connectivity. For example:

• The company’s partnership with TIMWETECH enables almost 4 million prepaid mobile users in Saudi Arabia and Oman to subscribe to premium content and services directly via their mobile balance – a significant step in markets where credit card penetration remains  under 30 %. 

• The recent opening of Beyond ONE’s Riyadh office – bringing together Virgin Mobile KSA, FRiENDi Mobile and FRiENDi Pay under one roof – reflects a people first ethos, with 85 per cent Saudisation  and 35 per cent women in the workforce. 

These developments underscore the company’s role in enabling everyday users – including expatriate communities, prepaid mobile customers and underserved segments – to access digital services, manage their mobile usage and increasingly participate in digital financial ecosystems.

Alignment with Vision 2030

Saudi Vision 2030 sets out key targets around social transformation, digital innovation and financial accessibility. Through its work, Beyond ONE contributes to these strategic priorities by:

• Facilitating broader access to digital communication and services, thereby helping build a society that is digitally connected and inclusive

• Supporting the growth of digital economy infrastructure and mobile  first  financial solutions, aligning with the Kingdom’s drive to reduce reliance on cash and increase service access

• Empowering local talent and workforce development in Saudi Arabia via its Riyadh operations and localised employment strategy

Looking Ahead: The Next Phase of Empowerment

Beyond ONE is preparing to further its contribution to financial inclusion through upcoming services such as person-to-person transfers, debit cards and tailored offerings for youth, expatriates and small businesses. These moves reflect a shift from connectivity alone to a broader financial  services enablement model that supports everyday financial behaviour. Yaarob Al-Sayegh, CEO at Beyond ONE KSA stated “At Beyond ONE our purpose is not just to connect devices but to connect people, especially in contexts where digital and financial access have been limited. By expanding mobile first, prepaid  friendly platforms and empowering local talent in Saudi Arabia, we are helping to make the promise of Vision 2030 real for every resident. When people can pay, communicate, and explore without unseen barriers, they participate  fully in the modern economy. That matters.”

Gold Apple is bringing its most popular digital game to the Middle Eastern market. Beauty Elf, created in the spirit of classic virtual-pet mechanics, is now available on the retailer’s website and mobile app in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This is the first example of deep gamification introduced by a major beauty retailer in the MENA region.

Gold Apple continues to develop its retailtainment concept, expanding its gamification ecosystem with the launch of Beauty Elf. The main character of the new online game is the Elf — a recognizable Gold Apple mascot featured for many years in the brand’s campaigns and pop-ups. Users take care of the Elf, customize its appearance and room, complete in-game tasks, communicate in shared channels, and receive both virtual and real rewards. Through an engaging and easy-to-play format, users explore new beauty products, brands and rituals, and receive recommendations from experts representing leading fragrance and cosmetics houses.

In the UAE, the game is available in three languages — Arabic, English and Russian. In Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Beauty Elf launches in Arabic and English. The rollout is accompanied by exclusive merchandise, including limited-edition T-shirts with locally inspired designs such as I Love UAE.

Beauty Elf was first launched in Russia in 2024, where it quickly grew into a large-scale digital project with a multimillion-strong audience. It later entered the Asian market, demonstrating consistently high engagement and a strong interest in gamified formats.

The game serves both marketing and educational purposes: mini-games help users better understand product properties, learn the steps of a proper beauty routine and build effective self-care habits. Over time, the game has formed its own community — users share their progress, react to each other’s updates, add friends and compete in leaderboards that refresh every season.

Despite associations with classic virtual toys, Beauty Elf is designed primarily for an adult audience. Data from the Russian pilot confirms this: in its first year, the game attracted over 4 million users, with more than 80% aged 20–35, 15% over 35, and only about 5% under 18. Experience in Europe and Asia shows that this format has become a familiar and enjoyable way for adults to unwind, spend a few minutes in the app and discover new products through interactive play.

The arrival of Beauty Elf in the Middle East marks the next step in the development of Gold Apple’s digital services. The game will continue to expand with regional events, new seasonal mechanics, themed rooms and special collections inspired by local holidays and traditions. The company plans to further strengthen its gamification direction, viewing it as an important engagement tool and a new way of building long-term relationships with customers.

Empowering enterprises with locally hosted, end-to-end Process Intelligence aligned with Vision 2030

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Dec 16, 2025: ARIS, the global leader in process intelligence software for over three decades, has announced the launch of ARIS On-Prem Process Mining in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The launch underscores the brand’s commitment to supporting Vision 2030 by equipping enterprises with AI-ready process intelligence through locally hosted technologies that strengthen resilience, scalability, and data-driven decision-making.

As organisations accelerate digital transformation and embrace advanced automation, ARIS On-Prem Process Mining provides the foundational process governance layer required to unlock the full potential of intelligent systems. The platform delivers strategic advantages through a comprehensive, locally hosted suite for end-to-end process intelligence and governance. Leveraging advanced process modelling, mining, and analytics, enterprises gain granular visibility into workflows, enabling precise standardisation and optimisation across complex environments. The platform’s robust process repository ensures data integrity and compliance with local residency regulations, critical for highly regulated sectors.

As the industry’s only platform enabling true closed-loop process excellence, ARIS On-Prem Process Mining unifies process mining, analysis, modelling, and governance within a single, secure environment, providing enterprises with complete control over their transformation and compliance programmes. 

Operating as an AI governance backbone, ARIS On-Prem Process Mining contextualises enterprise process data for intelligent systems, ensuring that AI operates with accuracy, transparency and business relevance. The platform continuously accelerates optimisation through AI-driven insights, enabling ongoing improvements at scale. By bringing process intelligence and AI together, ARIS On-Prem Process Mining empowers enterprises to reach performance levels impossible to achieve when these capabilities operate independently. It is the only process mining solution purpose-built to dominate on-prem deployments, offering end-to-end process optimisation with native automation integration for highly regulated, security-conscious environments.

Through features such as ARIS Flows, enterprises can orchestrate seamless, no-code workflow automation, integration and process execution and monitoring directly within the ARIS environment. This enables rapid automation, enforcement of governance rules, and maintenance of audit trails, reducing operational risks and manual intervention. 

Ayham Alzaaim, Regional Vice President – Middle East Turkey and APJ - ARIS, said, “As Artificial Intelligence rapidly transforms business operations, true value emerges only when AI is anchored in clear, governed, and contextualised processes. At ARIS, we believe that processes provide the real-world foundation AI needs, enabling operations to perform at peak efficiency. By providing a locally hosted, secure, and scalable platform tailored for Saudi Arabia’s regulatory landscape, we are supporting Vision 2030 and enabling enterprises to futureproof their operations, accelerate digital transformation, and unlock the full potential of AI-driven process excellence.”

Fadi Naffah, Managing Director and Chief Revenue Officer, ARIS said, “As Saudi enterprises face growing regulatory requirements, geopolitical uncertainty, and the escalating demands of environmental and cybersecurity risks, the introduction of ARIS On-Prem Process Mining is timely. With the rapid adoption of AI technologies, organisations need a trusted platform that enhances resilience, enables continuous improvement, and ensures seamless operations in a constantly shifting landscape. ARIS On-Prem Process Mining meets these challenges, providing a secure AI governance framework and a comprehensive engine for process intelligence—empowering real-time, informed decision-making.”

From financial institutions and government entities to industrial leaders, ARIS On-Prem Process Mining provides the assurance, control, and insight required to govern processes, guide AI initiatives, and futureproof operations. 

The evolution of ARIS over the last three decades reflects a vision for the future of enterprise transformation. Having advanced from process mining to AI-driven continuous improvement, ARIS now serves as the foundational architecture for many of the world’s largest enterprises. 

The software provider is uniquely positioned in the BPM market, to serve highly regulated industries with complex requirements through its robust modelling, mapping, mining and analytics capabilities.

Cairo, Egypt – 11 December 2025 – In a move aimed at promoting financial inclusion and providing new payment channels for all segments of Egyptian society, tpay, the leading value-added services provider, announced today the signing of Egypt’s first license with the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) to offer Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) for government payments.

This milestone represents a significant step in advancing digital payments in Egypt, allowing citizens to pay for essential government services such as electricity and utility bills, traffic fines, and civil registry services directly through their mobile balance or added to their monthly mobile bill. The initiative expands access to citizens who own mobile phones but do not hold bank accounts or cards, making essential services available anytime with simple and seamless steps, without complex procedures.

The framework agreement was signed by Ahmed Nabil, tpay General Manager, and Mohamed Shamroukh, President of NTRA, marking a key step toward enabling and operationalizing mobile-based government payments in Egypt.

“This development marks a turning point in enabling secure and frictionless payments for government services via mobile numbers,” said Isik Uman, Group CEO of tpay. “Through this licensed framework, we are laying the foundation for a national digital payment channel that broadens access, improves convenience, and supports Egypt’s evolving digital economy. Our mission as a payment connector is to simplify transactions and bring essential services closer to every citizen.”

Financial inclusion data indicates that 76.3% of Egyptian adults already hold active bank accounts, while mobile and mobile internet penetration is nearly universal, highlighting a major opportunity to extend digital payments to even more citizens through mobile devices.

This licensed framework reinforces tpay’s role as the main payment enabler for mobile-based government services in Egypt, providing a trusted, flexible, and scalable pathway for government fee collection, and paving the way for further growth as more government services transition to digital channels.