Middle East stories

Replit secures USD $400m funding, lifting its valuation to USD $9bn as it bets on AI coding agents and rapid global expansion.

New research links Iran conflict to a swift surge in tightly targeted cyber espionage across Middle Eastern governments and embassies.

Partners for Growth unveils AUD $250m tech-focused private credit fund to offer non-dilutive growth finance to later-stage borrowers.

AutoRek's Michelle Earp and Amelia Doyle win top Women in Tech & Data Awards for marketing leadership and diversity and inclusion work.

Swift enlists over 50 banks to launch common rules for faster, clearer cross-border retail payments, with first flows live by June.

Airwallex hits USD $1bn in assets for its Yield product as it launches in the US, targeting SMEs seeking returns on operational cash.

Harvard research finds “human-like” AI mirrors Western liberal values, raising concerns over cultural bias as it spreads worldwide.

Alkira launches Connect partner programme to drive AI-native network services growth, prioritising recurring services over one-off resale.

In 2026, AI agents move from pilots to the enterprise core, forcing firms to prove measurable value under tight governance.

IT distributors are emerging as strategic cloud and AI power-brokers, driving subscription growth, hyperscaler ties and digital platforms.

Scammers hijack Israel-Iran war headlines for classic advance-fee email cons, security researchers warn, urging users not to respond.

Revolut seeks a US national bank charter and names Cetin Duransoy as US chief, sharpening its push into regulated American banking.

Vistra and G-P unveil a single-contract route to shift firms smoothly from EOR hiring to fully fledged entities in overseas markets.

SHAREit shifts from offline file-sharing staple to AI-fuelled ad platform, chasing emerging-market growth with 2.4 billion users.

Airwallex inks first major Australian sports deal, becoming Essendon's co-major partner with front-of-guernsey branding and tech rollout.

AI is racing into business plans, but NashTech research finds brittle legacy systems and poor integration are quietly throttling progress.

Firms spend millions on data sovereignty and rate awareness high, yet Kiteworks survey finds persistent breaches and cross-border exposure.

Apricorn wins AS9100 certification, becoming the sole maker of hardware-encrypted USB drives approved to aerospace and defence standards.

AI is driving sharp rises in cyber spend, yet boards still see it as the easiest line to cut when budgets come under pressure.

Insider risk now costs organisations an average USD $19.5 million a year as AI reshapes data access and employee negligence drives losses.