Happy Wednesday everyone!

Corporate brand realignments, digital commerce consolidation, and cross-border infrastructure investments highlight regional business updates today. Marking 50 years of operations, UAE telecom giant e& confirmed it is abandoning its four-year-old moniker to move forward under its original Etisalat identity. In digital finance, UAE merchant acquirer NEOPAY entered a definitive agreement to purchase a 65% controlling stake in noon payments to expand across Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Meanwhile, HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed and King Abdullah II launched the $2.3 billion Aqaba-Al-Shidiya-Maan freight railway connecting Jordanian mines directly to Red Sea export terminals.

WhatsApp | Instagram | Tiktok | Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday)

Markets

UAE Telecom Group e& Drops Moniker to Move Forward Under Longstanding Etisalat Brand

🔹 What Is It About 

Emirates Telecommunications Group officially confirmed it is reverting to its founding Etisalat brand identity after operating under the e& name since 2022. Coinciding with its 50th anniversary, the group shared a corporate message to customers affirming its return to the original moniker. The corporate U-turn aligns with an updated operational strategy structured around four primary business engines: telecom services, AI and enterprise solutions, digital infrastructure, and fintech.

• Reverting to Founding Brand: The group retired the e& name to move forward under the Etisalat identity.

• Celebrating 50 Years: The identity shift marks five decades of operations since the company's formation in the UAE.

🔹 Why It Matters 

Returning to the Etisalat brand allows the telecom group to reconnect with its established regional name recognition while shedding a complex corporate rebranding. Aligning international operations under a single brand simplifies consumer marketing across its expanding overseas footprint. Re-establishing the Etisalat identity provides a single, recognizable corporate anchor as the firm rolls out AI tools and 6G network testing across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

• Simplifying Brand Equity: Unifying group assets under Etisalat restores clear brand identity for international retail customers.

• Anchoring Technology Rollouts: A single brand framework supports regional commercial launches for AI and 6G infrastructure.

🔹 What’s Next 

Marketing teams will roll out updated brand assets across digital platforms, retail stores, and international subsidiaries. Executive leads will execute planned capital expenditures to expand global connectivity capacity and scale business solutions.

NEOPAY to Acquire 65 Percent Stake in Noon Payments to Expand Across MENA

🔹 What Is It About 

UAE-based merchant services company NEOPAY signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. Led by Chief Executive Officer Vipin Mundhada, the transaction combines NEOPAY's card acquiring and in-person payment hardware with noon's online payment gateway and seller network. Pending regulatory approvals, the merger expands NEOPAY's merchant network into Saudi Arabia and Egypt while keeping noon as an e-commerce partner.

• Buying Controlling Stake: NEOPAY agreed to purchase 65% of noon payments to build a regional merchant platform.

• Combining Processing Assets: The deal merges NEOPAY's physical card terminals with noon's online checkout gateway.

• Expanding Regional Reach: The combined network connects digital merchants across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

🔹 Why It Matters 

Merging physical card processing with online e-commerce checkout gateways creates a unified payment platform for Middle Eastern merchants. Expanding direct payment processing into Saudi Arabia and Egypt allows NEOPAY to capture transaction fees across high-density retail markets. Integrating installment plans and alternative payment options directly into merchant checkout systems improves checkout conversion rates for digital sellers.

• Unifying Omnichannel Payments: Merchants can process online checkout and physical store sales through a single vendor.

• Capturing Regional Volume: Entering Saudi Arabia and Egypt expands total transaction processing density across high-growth markets.

🔹 What’s Next 

Legal teams will submit filings to antitrust authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt to clear closing conditions. Technical leads will integrate payment processing gateways to launch faster merchant onboarding and fraud prevention tools.

• Securing Antitrust Clearances: Corporate attorneys will process regulatory approvals across all three operating countries.

• Integrating Checkout Platforms: Engineering teams will combine backend APIs to link physical terminals with online gateways.

UAE and Jordan Launch $2.3 Billion Railway to Connect Mining Hubs to Red Sea Ports

🔹 What Is It About 

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed and King Abdullah II of Jordan officially launched the $2.3 billion Aqaba-Al-Shidiya-Maan Railway Project. Developed by the Jordan-UAE Railway Company, the 403-kilometer industrial freight line will connect phosphate and potash mines in Al Shidiya and Ghor Al Safi directly to export terminals at the Port of Aqaba. The rail corridor aims to lower freight transit costs for Jordanian mineral exporters.

• Funding $2.3B Freight Line: UAE and Jordanian leaders launched a $2.3 billion, 403-kilometer industrial rail project.

• Connecting Key Mines: Track layouts connect phosphate and potash mines directly to the Port of Aqaba.

🔹 Why It Matters 

Replacing heavy truck transit with heavy-haul rail transport lowers shipping costs per ton for Jordan's phosphate and fertilizer exports. Directing Emirati capital into Jordanian industrial infrastructure deepens trade ties while securing supply chains for agricultural inputs. Modernizing industrial freight corridors improves Jordan's export capacity, attracting further international investment into its mining sector.

🔹 What’s Next 

Engineering teams at the Jordan-UAE Railway Company will award main civil construction and track-laying contracts. Procurement teams will issue tenders for heavy-haul freight locomotives and bulk cargo wagons to service the mining corridor.

👨‍💻From Smashi Business’ Desk

• Emirates NBD customers are reporting disruption to the ENBD X app, with some saying they can't deposit money and that the problems have lasted several days.

• Dubai-born fragrance brand KAYALI will enter China on October 15.

• Saudi-born dining platform SPICE has ruled out offering cashback on shisha or alcohol at partner restaurants as it keeps its rewards model aligned with Islamic principles.

• Uber will invest $50 million in Jordan over the next three years, targeting the country’s mobility ecosystem while supporting economic opportunities, tourism and access.⁠

• Dubai Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan just shared his Etihad Rail ticket on Snapchat as Dubai-Abu Dhabi passenger services prepare to launch on September 30.

🔍In other news…

• Rolls-Royce signs first Saudi licence for high-speed engines

• Man City appeal Premier League financial ruling

• UAE and Oman earn oil revenue windfall from Iran war

• Mena sovereign investment set to fall from 2025 peak

• Saudi Arabia planning Oman pipeline, says Total CEO

🦄 World of Startups

• erad: raises $22m Series A led by MEVP; new backers include 500 Global, SVC and ANB Capital; Shariah SME finance in KSA and UAE.

• Amaani (AIZA): raises $5m Series A led by
  BECO Capital with Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV Surge; $8m total; Saudi retail next.

• Shorooq and Presight: join Maven Robotics' $100m Series A via Presight-Shorooq Al and Bedaya funds; their cheque sizes undisclosed.

• Rela: Saudi workforce-housing startup takes undisclosed strategic investment from Yazeed Al Rajhi & Brothers Holding to scale its network.

• ITIDA × JICA: Innovation Bridge Egypt × Japan opens; ICT startups pitch PoCs against 7 Japanese corporate challenges; apply by 17 Oct.

Latest Episode of The Smashi Business Show

Apple | Spotify | Youtube | Anghami | Smashi TV

Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe here