The National Article: Arab businessman’s bold bid to create 100 million jobs

This applies to oil-rich countries and nations with limited resources alike, he says, and he has a plan to help make sure that it happens.

With his company, Mena Apps, and a new, expanded initiative called Arabreneur, he is providing technology start-ups across the Middle East and North Africa with the training, connections, office space and funding to become major players in fields such as e-commerce, cloud computing and new media.

While Arabreneur’s centre is currently in Amman, with offices in Dubai, it is about to set up a third in Ramallah, and a special Palestinian programme will include co-working spaces, mentoring and a seed fund that Dr Al Jaber hopes to reach US$2.5 million (Dh9.18m). Eight to 10 Palestinian start-ups are expected to graduate annually, creating about 50 to 100 new jobs each year, and become part of the wider Arabreneur programme. By the time that is completed, they should be ready to cut deals with venture capitalists looking to invest millions.

“After what happened in Egypt and Yemen and Tunisia, with all this unemployed, frustrated youth, then what do you do?” Dr Al Jaber asks. “You have no option but to come up with an idea to open the horizon for the young generation, so that the youth of the Arab world can be useful, creative, elevated and build their own future.”

It is an ambitious idea, but Dr Al Jaber has an impressive track record when it comes to implementing big plans. As head of the biggest telecom operators in Jordan and Palestine, he was given an award for business excellence by the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in 2001.

He has founded the Arab region’s first microfinance bank and is chairman of half a dozen organisations, including a payment-processing company and a football club. He has a PhD in engineering and a similar qualification in business and has studied in Jordan, Paris, Chicago and Montreal.

He is also proof that business acumen and a social conscience can co-exist. While still in Canada, he was persuaded to return to Palestine in 1991 by the revered Palestinian politician Faisal Husseini, who was heading peace talks in Madrid and re-organising the infrastructure of Gaza and the West Bank.

“Husseini had the idea of attracting young Palestinian talent from around the world,” Dr Al Jaber says, “and telling them we need brains to participate in the rebuilding of Palestine, making it a modern, civilised nation. I was one of them.”

Dr Al Jaber moved to Jerusalem and worked “basically for free”, participating in the peace negotiations as a technical and economic adviser, and helping to develop Palestine’s telecommunications, property and banking industries. When he later became chief executive of the telecom company Paltel, its profits increased almost sevenfold during the following two years.

Paltel had programmes for corporate responsibility and sustainability, with an affiliated foundation that funded further education and digital inclusion in Palestine, but Mena Apps, which Dr Al Jaber founded in 2011, aims to make a bigger splash.

There are already plenty of start-up incubators in countries such as Jordan and Egypt that nurture businesses at their very earliest stages, but there is a big difference between graduating from an incubator and being ready to deal with venture capitalists, who typically look to make multimillion-dollar investments. According to Dr Al Jaber: “That gap needs to be filled.” The effects, he hopes, will ripple outwards, creating jobs and strengthening the economy.

At the moment, he says, the best bet for an ambitious Arab entrepreneur is to move to Silicon Valley to put his ideas into practice. “If [the same entrepreneur] comes to Syria or Jordan or Lebanon, the chances that his idea will be sold for hundreds of millions of dollars is almost zero. My dream is to change that.”

Of the 15 companies Mena Apps initially chose to invest in, three have folded (“which is quite normal”), 10 are generating revenues, and the other two will be launched by the end of the year.

“We invested about $3.5m, Dr Al Jaber says, and the valuation is now $12m. From every angle all of this has been positive.”

Among these companies is an online payments provider, an IT services start-up, a stock photography library, a company that helps manage ATMs and card payments, and SooShef, a website that allows users to search for recipes by selecting the ingredients they want to use. Founded by Salah Zalatimo, a Palestinian who was born and raised in the US, the beta version of SooShef was launched last month, with the final product expected out early next year, when it will incorporate elements of social networking. It is currently available only in English, but an Arabic version is also being developed.

“Being able to draw on [Mena Apps’] experience has helped us make some important decisions,” Mr Zalatimo says, “and their position in the Middle East will be critical as we roll out the Arabic version [of the site]. I would definitely recommend the experience to other start-ups.”

Mr Zalatimo will be running the business from New York, where he lives, but his software development team is in Nablus, Palestine. It is cheaper than hiring a team in New York and, after working with contractors in 12 countries (including the US, China and India) he says the Palestinian developers he worked with are the best he has found, “forward thinking, professional and passionate”. If SooShef is confirmed as part of the Arabreneur programme, they will move to its Ramallah space.

Arabreneur Palestine’s official launch was pushed back from mid-July, says Radi El Fassed, Mena Apps’ vice president of business development, with a first round of investments scheduled to be announced at the end of that month, and a second round taking place in December. USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, will cover part of the “operational expenses of managing the funds” but the funds themselves (as with all of Arabreneur’s initiatives) will come from serious investors looking to make a profit. The next 12 months will be about launching new hubs in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt; Mr El Fassed is also looking at Algeria and, “later on, maybe Libya”.

The idea is that eventually all these hotspots will be linked up. “If you look at the region” Mr El Fassed says, “you have 350 million people speaking the same language. We want to connect entrepreneurs in Morocco with entrepreneurs in Jordan and Egypt so that they can ask each other questions, or find mentors, or look for an investor in Dubai.”

Two of Mena Apps’ companies already have representatives in Dubai, and Mr El Fassed says that the number should reach five by the end of the year. “We definitely see Dubai as a hub for expanding the reach of these companies,” he says. “When they are ready to go to market, they will have offices or head of sales based in Dubai. That’s the vision.”

The Arabreneur fund is unique because it supports young Palestinian entrepreneurs to grow startups, spurring employment and fostering an environment of creativity. The entrepreneurs will be provided with investment, facilities, mentors and working spaces in locations in the Palestinian Territories and other locations in the MENA Region that include Jordan and Dubai, to set grow and accelerate their companies.

USAID Compete Project’s ICT sector lead Mustafa Deeb notes, “Palestinian entrepreneurs need help in bringing their company concept to market. We believe that the seed fund will accelerate this process and support local companies to get to market faster.” In the first year the program will support a minimum of 10 startups resulting in 50 – 100 new jobs in the emerging Palestinian ICT sector.

“For years USAID has worked with the ICT sector to implement programs that include skill-building, creating new jobs and linkages with international expertise all with the aim of propelling Palestinian firms to compete at a global level,” says Ghassan Al-Jamal, USAID Project Development Specialist-Private Enterprise Office/USAID West Bank and Gaza. “Today we’re proud to launch Arabreneur to support increased international investment in Palestinian entrepreneurs. One of our goals is to see the services and products of Palestinian entrepreneurs reach international markets as was the case in Jordan where Yahoo Inc. invested $170 Million USD in Jordanian company Maktoob in order to help it to better connect to the Middle East market through Maktoob’s existing user base. Maktoob now employs about 280 people throughout the region. We know Palestinian entrepreneurs are also ready to be on the global stage.”

The Arabreneur initiative has two key elements: first, it will establish a co-working space in the Palestinian Territories for entrepreneurs. In these furnished spaces highly experienced mentors from the MENA network will provide specialized business support. The second component is the establishment of an Arabreneur Seed Fund and Angel Network that will facilitate global exposure and investment for Palestinian companies. Investment per start-up will be in the range of $50,000-150,000 USD covering a gap that currently exists.

“Various incubators are operational in the Palestinian Territories, what is required is to continue investments in successful entrepreneurs to continue their venture through Seed and Angel investment to get their products to market and grow their business to become ready for VC funding. We know the Palestinian market is prime for this kind of investment.

We have been working in Jordan and Dubai for two years and made 15 investments in start-ups, some of them are Palestinian start-ups. Now we start our operation in the Palestinian territories and we will capitalize on our partnerships around the globe to open the way for Palestinian Start Ups to make it to global markets.” notes Abdul Malek Jaber, Chairman and Founder, Arabreneur.

Operations to establish the Arabreneur initiative in the Palestinian Territories will commence within a month of signing the agreement.

Building on the existing successful relationship across Jordan and region, the new agreement will allow MasterCard to support MEPS with a suite of advanced value added services, technical support, training, and new payment platforms.With this enhanced collaboration, MasterCard’s point of sale and ATM acceptance will increase across Jordan and the Levant, thereby allowing more consumers to access MasterCard’s global payments network. MEPS’ members and clients banks will now also be able to leverage MasterCard’s acquiring and issuing capabilities across several merchants, ATM, and e-commerce channels.

Commenting on the new agreement with MEPS, El Tell said, “MEPS is our key acquirer partner in Jordan and today’s agreement has paved the way for MasterCard to deliver global innovation in payment solutions to consumers in Jordan through an established local partner. Consumers and card issuers will now experience enhanced security and increased channel presence, which will drive adoption and usage of electronic transactions in Jordan. The alliance will also open up a new e-commerce channel for merchants, which can drive new revenue streams for their businesses.”

Furthermore, MasterCard will also launch its domestic processing capabilities in Jordan and Levant and introduce new platforms such as the MasterCard Internet Gateway Service (MiGS) for online payment acceptance andthe MasterCard Expert Monitoring System (EMS) for fraud monitoring and protection.

“E-commerce and online payment solutions are becoming vital in many aspects of our lives. E-commerce volume in the MENA region reached around six billion in 2012 and is expected to reach 16 billion in 2016. MEPS is leading the way in the region through introducing the most innovative payment solutions in the Levant. MEPS is proud of its strategic alliance and partnership with MasterCard, and is confident that with the introduction of MasterCard’s new technology platforms, the electronic payments landscape in Jordan will witness significant growth and will be a positive enabler for the economic growth that the Kingdom is aspiring towards,” said Dr. Jaber.

Seed stage along with early and developed companies selected during the course of the year make presentations during the conference, which has become the leading event in the region.

As part of MENA Apps’ vision to bridge the talent and potential of the MENA region’DSC02062s youth with all the resources, financial, administrative and logistical support, and to establish an eco-system that facilitates the operations of start-ups and supports entrepreneurship across the MENA region; for the first time, MENA Apps nominated ten Start-ups to participate and pitched in front of MENA and Turkish Angel and VC investors at StartupTurkey.

MENA Apps nominated 10 start ups from Jordan and Palestine to be interviewed by Etohum during January 2013. Six were selected; four from Jordan, Weziwezi.com, Masmoo3.com, Taqetna and Abjjad.com in addition to two Palestinian start-ups LiveTop and Ma3loomah.

“We are so glad to cooperate with MENA Apps and quite excited to work with the team on our new projects, which would eventually contribute and bring another real dynamism to the start-up scene as a whole. By joining up forces, we aim not only to support entrepreneurs and investors on their way to great innovations and assets, but also to greatly help each other in sharing our know-how with the world and building up relationships between the local and the global. This cooperation, in essence, is of great significance for the future of internet start-ups, especially when we consider the greater connections that would emerge, at the first stage, between Turkey and the MENA region”, comments Burak Büyükdemir, Founder of Etohum

Dr. Abdul Malek Jaber, Founder and CEO of MENA Apps added, “We received many compliments regarding the quality of the MENA Start-ups from both organizers and investors. The MENA start-ups were among the best pitches in their categories during the StartupTurkey event. The entrepreneurs additionally had many networking opportunities with the colleague entrepreneurs, investors and mentors which enriched their experience and viability”

This step corresponds with MENA Apps’ ongoing efforts to establish an eco-system that facilitates the operations of start-ups and supports entrepreneurship across the MENA region.

MENA Apps seeks to establish a Pan Arab network of accelerators, angel investors, mentors and seed fund investors that will provide entrepreneurs across the Arab World with the needed support to accelerate their business ideas and initiatives, as well as establish new start-ups that are supported by MENA Apps and its network.

By virtue of the agreement, MENA Apps and Top Seeds Lab will form a joint investment fund which will invest in the establishment and internationalization of technology start-ups in Spain and across the MENA region. The fund will facilitate interaction between start-ups, venture capital and angel investors in both regions, as well as commercialize the best projects presented by young entrepreneurs from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Through the joint investment fund, MENA Apps and Top Seeds Lab will collaborate in terms of providing the start-ups with financing, mentoring, technical support and business development opportunities, helping the selected projects to not only be positioned as leaders in their respective sectors, but to also penetrate and grow in potential international markets.

“We are proud to partner with Top Seeds Lab and are confident that this agreement with positively impact the entrepreneurial landscape in the MENA region and Spain. MENA Apps and Top Seeds Lab are currently in the process of finalizing an action plan for 2013 in order to provide entrepreneurs with a platform for cooperation, joint activities, exposure to investors and market penetration. Training, coaching and mentorship opportunities will also be offered by both parties,” commented Dr. Jaber.

“Our agreement with Top Seeds Lab is one of many partnerships MENA Apps is scheduled to unveil in the near future, all of which correspond with the Company’s strategy aimed at bridging gaps and exchanging experiences with leading accelerators, venture capital funds and angel investors across the world,” added Dr. Jaber.

In turn, Macias expressed pleasure at signing this agreement with MENA Apps, and confirmed that this collaboration will positively impact start-ups across Spain and the MENA region. Macias added that he looks forward to visiting the Middle East to meet with start-up companies and angel investors in the Arab World. He also expressed his delight with the fast-pace of development in the Arab region, particularly in the area of Internet start-ups, and reaffirmed that this agreement will significantly benefit both MENA Apps and Top Seeds Lab.

Samia Jarrar, Jordanian entrepreneur and Founder of Sallaty.jo, established the e-shopping website in 2011 in an effort to provide local community members with an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience. Sallaty.jo delivers orders directly to customers’ doorsteps across Amman, offers an exchange/refund policy and allows easy payment methods including card or cash-on-delivery. The website also comprises a customer service guide that offers related advice and answers on any inquiries during the ordering process.

Sallaty.jo secured an investment from MENA Apps, which also extended technical and marketing support and guidance, enabling the website to commence its operations and deliver its unique services to the local market. Sallaty.jo is a progressive online supermarket that is on par with the latest international developments and market directions in the field of e-commerce which is currently gaining popularity across the Middle East, and seeks to expand its operations to encompass regional markets.

“We are proud to support and facilitate the launch of Sallaty.jo, a unique project which we are confident will revolutionize the concept of home shopping. We are delighted to accelerate the launch of entrepreneurial projects that cater to the needs of local community members and create much-needed balance in the daily lives of Jordanian families. Sallaty.jo strives to grow its operations beyond Jordan to offer an easy, convenient and enjoyable shopping experience to customers across the entire MENA region. I would like to commend Samia Jarrar’s diligent efforts in establishing Sallaty.jo,” commented Dr. Abdul Malik Jaber, Founder and CEO of MENA Apps.

“Sallaty.jo is the first of many entrepreneurial projects MENA Apps seeks to launch. It is also a model example for innovation amongst Jordanian youth who are actively contributing to socioeconomic development and job creation in the local market,” added Jaber.

In turn, Jarrar stated, “In light of our fast-paced and hectic lifestyles, we hope that Sallaty.jo’s convenient and time-saving services will facilitate the daily lives of local community members. As an example, the website enables working mothers to do their grocery shopping online from their office desks, to be delivered directly to their houses, subsequently allowing them more time to spend with their children and families. I would like to thank the MENA Apps team for offering Sallaty.jo invaluable support and guidance which has accelerated and positively impacted the website’s launch.”

The total number of Facebook users in the Arab world stood at 45 million at the end of June, which is almost 60% more than the number of users a year ago — 29 million at the end of June 2011.
These numbers, from the Arab social media report of the Dubai School of Government, represent about half of the total number of internet users in the region. Additionally, the Middle East/North Africa region is the world’s fastest growing in terms of internet penetration, and Arabic-speaking internet users have grown at a faster rate than any other language.
This growth is driven by various factors. First, the growth of mobile data through the introduction of 3G in many countries in the region has made the internet more widely available.
The mobile internet has created a competitive market environment for internet access in most countries in the region. In Jordan, for example, the number of internet users grew by around 30% after the introduction of high speed mobile data services.
The Middle East will reach the same level of mobile penetration as most western countries in one of two years.
The Arab Spring and the use of the mobile internet and social media as tools to transfer their message worldwide have drawn a lot of attention to their use.
Despite this enormous growth in the use of internet and social media, the volume of content in Arabic on the internet is still very low.
One fifth of the Arab population are young people between 15 to 24, and 50% are below 24 years old. Arab young people are aware of their collective potential, having witnessed first-hand the people power that they wield and can effectively harness through their use of social media. They are ripe with hope for a brighter future for themselves and their countries, emerging as a young, engaged, socially conscious and extremely tech-savvy segment of the population.

Highly educated

This dynamic group is both innovative and highly educated, and is actively looking to redefine the region’s technological and socio-economic spaces. Many have turned to e-entrepreneurship, hoping to capitalise on the region’s growing reliance on internet, smartphones and mobile phones.
While Arabic is the first language of around 400 million people — 6% of the world’s population — genuine Arabic content represents much less than this in the online world. However, Arabic content is growing extremely fast on media such as Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia.
The main element that these media have in common is that this content is user-generated and thus adapted to the language, culture and the needs of Arabic-speaking internet users.
Today 85% of the searches in the MENA region are in Arabic, but the results do not reflect the local requirements. There is no platform that addresses the uniqueness of the Arab world.
Given the region’s reliance on the Arabic language and a general desire to support local initiatives and businesses, tapping into the potential of the MENA youth will be instrumental in order for that expansion to be realised.
In a recent study published by AppsArabia in cooperation with Real Opinions, for example, out of 3,000 people surveyed throughout the MENA region, 61% of the smartphone users surveyed preferred applications to be in Arabic.
Localisation is essential if international players are to reach a mass market in the Middle East, as some of them — notably Google, Facebook and Yahoo — have realised after making efforts to penetrate the MENA technology market. Yet the MENA region is difficult to penetrate without the necessary regional fluency — from the language to the culture — and international entrants find this difficult to replicate.
That makes the MENA region’s homegrown talent a necessary player in the development of content and applications for the market.
In light of the Arab Spring — an outcry for socio-economic development and youth employment — addressing the lack of Arabic content will both address socio-economic development and youth unemployment. The World Economic Forum has indicated that a 10% rise in broadband internet penetration will increase GDP growth between one and two percentage points.

Need for reform

To address the need for Arabic content and applications, thus stimulating socio-economic growth and youth employment, there is a need for a stimulation of local content creation, for government support and for an adjustment in the business models.
The opportunities within the MENA region’s content and applications sector are ripe — and the youth of the region are both eager to realise their potential and they are drawn to e-entrepreneurship.
However there is a severe lack of institutional support to allow their entry into this space and ensure viable, sustainable growth of the industry as a whole. In response to this void, a full-scale regional incubator aimed at providing the necessary support and mentorship for youth-run technology start-ups throughout the region needs to be created and funded. Such a fund can help Arab youth e-entrepreneurs engage in content and software development, cloud computing, video streaming, social gaming, mobile and e-financial services, as well as other fields relating to mobile and web applications.
Foreign VC funds are already looking at the region as a good place for tech investments. Amman in Jordan is ranked as the tenth best city in the world to launch a tech startup, according to a 2012 list compiled by Rachid Sefrioui, the founder of Fina Ventures, a California-based venture-capital firm.
It is in the governments’ interest to make sure that the internet sector is developed quickly. The World Bank and the World Economic Forum have consistently ranked Arab countries near the bottom of their lists for their business environment. Governments must actively work to foster an inclusive culture of entrepreneurship as it creates products, services and jobs.
Fostering entrepreneurship and self-employment amongst youth can make a crucial contribution to increasing both national and individual revenues, cutting unemployment rates, driving economic growth, maintaining socio-economic stability. To achieve this, governments and relevant ministries need to facilitate the growth in the e-economy by providing timely legislation, regulation, investment and education that stimulate the use of internet and support the growth of the e-economy.
Arabic content and applications are not new topics and most telecoms operators in the region have been discussing them for a few years now, but the sector has still not developed. Instead of focusing on content and application, operators are still selling access and minutes — since the vast majority of their revenues are generated through these services.
However, by focusing on this only, they run the risk of becoming dumb pipes in the long run.
Another issue for the operators is that they are looking only at their local markets, in their own countries, while the opportunity for Arabic content and applications is regional.

North America-sized market

The economy of scale for the Arab region is similar to that of North America. When addressing 400 million customers with a single language and similar cultural background, it is necessary to cooperate and develop a MENA app store that addresses this whole market.
This MENA app store would provide the developers a single channel that is tailored to the needs of this market. Only when this is realised, will a sustainable business model succeed.
A regional app store where developers can sell their applications would allow operators to use and brand it for their own national operations.
Sustainable business models have to be created for the content business to generate revenues. Nowadays, most of the local content is free, paid through the telecom operators’ bills or through advertisements.
There are two major revenue streams that can drive content and applications business that will enhance the sector and enhance the economic development:
The first is mobile and online advertisements. Advertising through regional TV stations is too expensive for local companies and the other channels are less effective. The online advertisement poses a huge opportunity for the future where better segmentation and localisation will drive revenues upwards.
Estimates show that the digital advertisement market in the region is already worth around $250 million a year and will triple in the next three years.
The second source of revenue is e-commerce, already growing fast in the region. A recent survey of Arab advisors in Jordan showed that the total value of e-commerce in the country grew from a spend of $192 million in 2010, to almost doubling to $370 million in 2011. Predictions for the MEA region show an 88% annual growth in the next few years to reach $3 billion.

Cash payments

The problem however is that the characteristics of the market hinder online payments. In the MENA region 95-99% of payments are in cash and 70% of the population is unbanked. That means there is a need for a regional e-payment solution to perform prepaid transactions online. Most e-commerce sites in the area still use cash on delivery as the main payment method, which is a risky model for future growth.
The mobile entertainment market in the MENA region is expected to rise to $2 billion in 2016, with digital advertisement revenues passing $1 billion and e-commerce forecast to reach $3 billion in the same period. It is evident that addressing the content and applications market in the right way will boost the MENA e-economy.
But only when the industry — investors as well as the governments — focus collectively on addressing much-needed action points will the MENA region be able to benefit both socially as economically from this e-economy development.
This will not only generate revenue for the industry and will create a future for young people in the MENA region and will enhance the education, culture, language and people of the region. It will allow the region to be at the forefront of internet development and e-economy and to achieve its place in the internet world.

investment company based in Jordan, develops and grows a socially conscious business model that facilitates and supports E-entrepreneurship among Arab youth while securing profitable returns on investment.

It bridges the talent and potential of the MENA region’s youth with all the resources, administrative and logistical support, and the funding needed to become successful E-entrepreneurs within the regional and global technology spheres.
The visit started with a meeting between his excellency Mark Gwozdecky and MENA Apps founder and chairman dr. Abdul Malek Al-Jaber, whereafter the embassador met with some of the entrepreneurs, who presented their company, vision and experiences. HE toured MENA Apps premises and met with the start-ups’ founders and CEO’s, who presented their companies to HE and shared their future plans. The entrepreneurs addressed some questions to his Excellency, who in turn showed interest CAVM_PFin the experience of each one of them.

The Ambassador expressed his happiness to see such innovation in Jordan and to have the opportunity to meet with Founders and CEO’s of Jordan Start Ups. He added, “I was impressed from the energy, motivation, innovation and skills that I saw during my visit”. He indicated his readiness to support these start ups and advocate for them with in the Diplomatic Corps Community and with the relevant Canadian Organizations.

Dr. Abdul Malik Al-Jaber, Founder and Chairman of MENA Apps indicated that the visit of HE Mr. Gwozdecky was very important for several reasons; “firstly I’m a Jordanian/Canadian who is committed to building bridges between Canada and MENA at large and Jordan in Particular, the fact that Canada is a leading country when it comes to innovation and supporting and encouraging entrepreneurs and the fact that I know that HE is keen in strengthening the bridges with Jordan and he has a soft spot for entrepreneurship and believes in the strategic importance of job creation.”

The visit was concluded with a brainstorm session on how the Canadian government in specific and the international community in general can support the growth of entrepreneurship in the MENA region especially in light of the developments after the Arab spring.

HE offered his support and help to make the links between MENA Apps and start ups to the relevant Canadian institutions and support cooperation and partnership between the two sides.

Middle East Payment Services (MEPS) – the leading payment services company in the region licensed from internationally renowned financial services corporation MasterCard – unveiled its new portfolio of advanced security services to the Middle East market. Leveraging the latest security technology breakthroughs, the unique portfolio was designed in strategic partnership with UK-based vulnerability management services provider, RandomStorm Limited.

“We are proud to announce the launch of our latest portfolio, which will enable us to expand our range of security, safety and trusted services across multiple strata,” said Dr. Abdul Malik Jaber, Chairman of MEPS. “Data is a critical component in the operations of all businesses regardless of their industry. This, given the ever-increasing number of security breaches and fraudulent transactions, especially in the world of payment services, spurs us to adopt the latest technologies and measures to meet world-class security standards. Through our portfolio, we aim to protect the confidentially, integrity and availability of merchants’ and service providers’ sensitive data. We also hope that it will contribute to elevating the quality of information security in the Middle East.”

In turn, Dr. Ramzi Sanna, RandomStorm Manager in the Middle East region, stated, “We are very pleased to be partnering with MEPS yet again to deliver a new range of leading-edge solutions. We hope that this step will help change the way merchants and service providers view and deal with network security and encourage them to work towards greater due diligence in protecting corporate information in line with international compliancy requirements. Through our partnership with MEPS, we seek to provide effective security services to financial institutions in particular, which have recently witnessed an increase in successful database hacking attempts.”

MEPS is a leading MasterCard-licensed acquirer, issuer and processor operating in both Jordan and the Middle East. MEPS intends to develop a highly varied lineup of services that meets the growing demand for streamlined payment solutions throughout the region.

Amman: Middle East Payment Services (MEPS), a leading MasterCard licensed acquirer, issuer and processor, recently completed the PCI DSS compliance certification and Attestation of Compliance in partnership with the UK-based provider of vulnerability management services, RandomStorm Ltd. The PCI DSS is a key certification that demonstrates an organization’s strict adherence to the guidelines outlined by the PCI Security Standards Council, which safeguard consumer interests through added reliability and security measures.

Given the fact that card business and payment services in Jordan are key drivers of commercial activity and economic development, MEPS’ primary objective is to create fundamental leaps in the industry by offering innovative services tailored to meet the needs of the market. The company enjoys a strong and strategic relationship with MasterCard and plans to advance and expand its network to deliver services that match MasterCard’s offerings in developed countries around the globe.

“The completion of the PCI certification process is a key step toward offering the market the robust payment solutions we seek to deliver,” commented Dr. Abdel Malek Jaber, chairman of MEPS. “MEPS is proud of this landmark achievement, which will enable us to offer reliable, safe and trusted services across multiple strata, including acquiring, processing and ATM services. Given the ever-increasing number of security breaches and fraudulent transactions in the world of payment services, strict adherence to the PCI standards will not only protect consumer interests but those of the industry as a whole.”

Jaber further noted that the management of MEPS values the unwavering dedication of RandomStorm’s team, who spared no effort at helping MEPS complete its PCI DSS certification.

“At RandomStorm, we are pleased to see a company as quality-conscious as MEPS delivering services to Middle Eastern markets,” commented Dr. Ramzi Al Sunna, Director of Randomstorm in the Middle East and who holds PCI DSS QSA, CHFI, ECSA, CEH, LPT, CCSP, MCSE, CCNP, CCVP, IPTSS certificates. “The company’s far-reaching vision, together with its commitment to world-class security standards, will undoubtedly propel the development of payment services in the region, in addition to helping us win the battle against fraud.”

The strategic affiliation between MEPS and its shareholding banks brings a plethora of unique opportunities for delivering innovative and cutting-edge products to Jordanian customers. MEPS intends to develop a highly varied lineup of services that meets the growing demand for streamlined payment solutions throughout the region.

It is worth mentioning that Randomstorm has developed a range of on demand scanning services to meet the security requirements for any size organization without the need for additional infrastructure investment. Based on over 30 years combined professional experience in IT security technology, the company offers a comprehensive range of scanning, monitoring, alerting and remediation consultancy services exclusively through its network of specialist security partners.