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At GITEX, AOC is showcasing a special game room where visitors can get try out the latest lineup of gaming monitors, some of which are made for professional e-gamers.
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Arabian Business
3 hours ago
- Arabian Business
UAE shoppers want 1-click, biometric checkouts for safer online payments: Visa
Consumers across the UAE are calling for more secure and seamless online shopping experiences, according to Visa's latest Checkout Friction Report. Despite the rapid growth of ecommerce and digital adoption in the region, key challenges at the checkout stage continue to hinder consumer satisfaction and business performance. Based on a survey of more than 2,000 online shoppers across the GCC, the report shows that security concerns and complex payment steps are the top barriers to smooth transactions. Online shopping in the UAE In the UAE, 40 per cent of shoppers cite fear of fraud as their biggest concern, while 37 per cent are frustrated by the need to repeatedly enter card details. Shopping frequency is high, with one in three UAE consumers buying groceries online multiple times a week, and categories like fashion, entertainment, and electronics seeing regular purchases monthly. However, friction during checkout can lead to abandoned carts and lost revenue for retailers. Visa's research underscores a growing preference for advanced payment technologies. A significant 67 per cent of UAE shoppers said they would adopt biometric authentication like fingerprint or face ID to check out online. Additionally, 65 per cent support a unified registration process for digital payments across websites. The report also highlights that 82 per cent of consumers would shop online more frequently if one-click checkout options were widely available, and 66 per cent are likely to use Visa's 'Click to Pay with Biometrics' feature. This solution simplifies online shopping by eliminating manual card entry, using secure device-based biometric authentication to speed up and protect the transaction process. Salima Gutieva, Visa's VP and Country Manager for UAE, said: 'Challenges in the online checkout process have direct implications for businesses, resulting in lost revenue, and hampering both customer acquisition and retention. 'Today's consumers expect – and deserve – a more seamless and secure eCommerce experience. That's why Visa is working with partners to enable solutions like Click to Pay, which leverages biometrics and tokenisation to eliminate key pain points and deliver a more convenient shopping experience.
Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Sharing stories, sweets: How UAE expats use Eid as a time to reconnect with family
As the light of dawn broke over Dubai, families across the city began their day with anticipation, wearing their best clothes to celebrate one of the most beloved mornings of the year — Eid Al Adha. Among them was Shehna Mansoor, a Dubai resident, who made her way to New Generation School (NGS) in Barsha with her husband, children, and mother, all together for the Eid prayers — a moment of faith and tradition. 'It was the first time we have attended Eid prayers at this place,' she said. 'It was a great community experience where I met a lot of friends and family members. My kids had Eid treats from the ice cream truck. There were children and families handing out little goodie bags. It was a really great start to my Eid.' The atmosphere at NGS was vibrant, filled with familiar faces and laughter. At the center of this yearly gathering stood Sheikh Ayaz Housee, the long-time Imam of NGS. 'We have built a family here and we get anywhere between 500 to 1200 people every Eid,' he said. 'We serve karak and some snacks. There are bouncy castles for children to play at.' Extended family getting together Syrian expat Aiham Joratli, a resident of Al Ain, made the long drive to Sharjah with his wife, Samar Razuk, and their children to attend a special family gathering. 'Today, we're driving to my uncle's house in Sharjah for a big family reunion,' he said. 'Relatives from across the Emirates, as well as family members flying in from Saudi Arabia and the UK, will be joining us. There will be around 30 of us gathering under one roof.' He said, 'the day will be full of joy and togetherness, hopefully. We'll all have lunch together, catch up, and spend some quality time. Later in the evening, we plan to head to a mall in Dubai, where we'll continue the celebrations with dinner at a nice restaurant,' he added. The feast will feature a spread of traditional Syrian delicacies, including sweet treats like Ka'ik and Ma'amoul, as well as savory dishes such as Mahashi and Kibbeh. 'It's not just about the food; it's about reconnecting, sharing stories, and making memories,' Joratli added. Parents visiting This Eid is especially meaningful for Shukri Deria, as her mother is visiting UAE this year. The American expat who is originally from Somalia, said: 'We headed to the pray early this morning, around 5.30am. The sky was just beginning to lighten up. It was so peaceful. After offering our prayers, we waited for the restaurants to open. As soon as they did, we treated ourselves to a warm, hearty breakfast. It felt especially rewarding, as it is a special day." 'Now we're back home, resting for a while. Later, we'll head over to my cousin's house for our usual family lunch. Meeting up with friends and family is always heartwarming especially during festive occasions. There are certain family stories that never get old. "What makes today extra special is that my mom is here with us, this Eid. This adds extra warmth and presence to everything. It's the kind of day that feels both simple and unforgettable. This Eid is truly special,' added Deria. Nostalgic times Similarly, Sharjah resident Majd Ali Al Khatib said, 'Today, I woke up before sunrise, around 5.30 am, so I got ready and headed to Eid prayer by 5.45 am. That moment, standing in prayer with everyone, was incredibly special and meaningful to me. After the prayer, we all congratulated one another and passed around sweets to share.' Feeling nostalgic, she pointed out that back at home in Syria, they usually have coffee with dates or traditional Eid sweets. 'When we were young, the whole family gathered at my grandparents' house either for brunch or lunch. It used to be the most cherished meal of the year for us, and it still is.' 'My children are always the most excited; they wear their new clothes, eat plenty of sweets, get Eidiyah (Eid money) from the adults, and play together all day. In the afternoon, relatives started arriving to visit and offer their Eid greetings. It really is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with family, breaking the monotony of everyday life.'
Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Emirati architect Azza Aboualam takes UAE climate solutions to Venice Biennale 2025
In May, the days in Venice are longer than usual — so are the queues outside exhibitions in Giardini and the Arsenale complex, the two major hubs of the prestigious Venice Biennale. This year, the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the biennale (which is also known as 'the Olympics' of the art and architectural world) opened to the public on May 10, with around 66 countries displaying their finest cultural productions. The UAE, which has been hosting award-winning pavilions at the biennale since 2014, returns this time with a theme that couldn't be more relevant — the importance of food production, sustainable agrarian practices, greenhouse architecture, and climate strategies in arid regions like the UAE. Commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and supported by the UAE Ministry of Culture, the national pavilion, aptly titled Pressure Cooker, has been curated by architect and academic, Azza Aboualam. Interestingly, Aboualam, who is based between Dubai and Sharjah, is the first Emirati woman curator representing the national pavilion of the UAE at Venice Architecture Biennale. The installations in Pressure Cooker (including multimedia and audio content) invite visitors to examine Aboualam and her team's extensive research, which focuses on the transformative power of greenhouses and how UAE is responding to the challenges of climate change. Aboualam, who is an assistant professor at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University and co-founder of Holesum Studio, was selected after an open call for proposals to curate the national pavilion of the UAE in 2023. As the pavilion creates unprecedented buzz in Venice, we speak to her about her curatorial concept, the UAE's role in driving solutions to the looming environmental crisis, and what we can learn from local wisdom and indigenous climate systems. Is it true that the Eureka moment for this project came to you when your mother expressed surprise after sampling some desert blueberries you offered her — 'But you need greenhouses to produce these?' she reportedly remarked? Yes, the whole project really started from that moment with my mother. She was shocked when I told her the blueberries we were eating were locally grown. 'In the desert? They must be grown in greenhouses,' she said. That sparked something. I started researching how greenhouses are used in the UAE, and quickly noticed that they are mostly approached from a technical or agricultural angle, not architectural. With Pressure Cooker, we reframe the greenhouse as a spatial and formal composition, in addition to it being a tool to grow food. Through design and experimentation, we explored how architecture can enhance food production in extreme climates — responding to sunlight, heat, and water scarcity. It's not about offering a perfect solution, but rather opening up ways in which architecture can support food security and resilience, particularly in arid environments like the UAE. The installations in Pressure Cooker highlight traditional farming methods and there's all this research that visitors are free to explore. Can you share the idea behind recreating greenhouses as objects of art? In collaboration with Holesum Studio, the exhibition focuses on three greenhouse assemblies, each using a modular 'kit-of-parts' that we designed. Each configuration explores different design variables — roof shape, shading, wall height — and how they impact interior climate and crop growth. We also included regional crops to show what's possible. The aim was to make the research visible, showing the process from fieldwork to construction, and inviting visitors to think about design as experimentation and imagine how architecture and food production can overlap. Greenhouses are sanctuaries for growth and birth but in a way, they also stand as metaphors or seeds for new ideas. They are spaces of protection, growth, and transformation. In many ways, they reflect the design process itself. We saw them as spaces where ideas take root and where adaptation becomes possible. For us, the greenhouse became a way to talk about care, context, and how architecture can create the conditions for change as well as act as third spaces in arid climates. The UAE relies mostly on food imports. As an architect and researcher, what do you believe can be done to make the UAE more self-sufficient in terms of food production? Self-sufficiency in the UAE will require a mix of traditional knowledge and new tools. Pressure Cooker suggests that adaptive, small-scale systems, designed with climate in mind, can be part of the solution. If we rethink food production as a spatial issue, not just a technological one, we can build more resilient and locally attuned infrastructures that communities can access and maintain. What can countries with harsh climates, like the UAE and others in the Gulf region, learn from Pressure Cooker? They can take from Pressure Cooker the idea that architecture can help us think with the land, not just on top of it. Harsh environments aren't obstacles to work around, they are part of the equation. The project proposes small-scale, adaptable systems that respond to heat, light, and resource limits through design. It's not about importing solutions, but developing ones rooted in local conditions. If we pay attention to how land behaves, how it retains heat, where shade falls, and how air moves, we can shape more efficient, resilient spaces for food production, even in the most challenging settings. During your research, you visited farms in the UAE. In your view, how is the UAE coping with cultivating vegetation for the local population and what are the impacts of climate change on this region? In the UAE, agriculture faces significant challenges due to the country's hot climate and limited water resources. However, there have been notable strides toward sustainability. The government has introduced innovations like hydroponics, vertical farming, and controlled-environment agriculture to mitigate these challenges and ensure food security. There's also a growing interest in researching drought-resistant crops and more efficient water management systems. In terms of climate change, the UAE is highly vulnerable. Rising temperatures, water scarcity, and desertification are key concerns, which is why the country is investing in research to develop sustainable agricultural practices. The impacts of climate change are already being felt through increased temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns, which further strain existing agricultural resources and traditional farming methods. What is the best response you've received at Venice so far and what has been your personal takeaway from participating in this biennale? There were many interesting conversations and comments, but one in particular struck me. One of the visitors told me the exhibition reminded her of their farming techniques in Oman — along with the different ways they've adapted to their context and how architecture can play a role in that. That felt like success to me. It meant we created spaces that visitors could visually recognise but also where people could slow down and reflect and realise the potential in their slight alterations and modifications. Personally, my biggest takeaway has been how architecture can function as a bridge — especially on a global scale like the Venice Biennale. It reminded me that sometimes, the most impactful ideas are the ones that emerge slowly, through conversation and contemplation. Venice, as a lagoon, is probably as fragile to the rising tides of climate catastrophe as the UAE. This is a city where nothing is grown locally and most of the food arrives on boats. Does your exhibition feature nods to Venice? Yes, it does and the parallels between Venice and the UAE were intentional. Both are places where sustenance has historically depended on the outside world to meet a large number of its needs, in terms of food and other goods. Venice receives its food by boat, echoing the UAE's own logistical choreography of food imports, as proven by the archival research conducted for the project. In Pressure Cooker, and the space in the pavilion, we reference the Veneto region in the materiality of the space. The rammed earth element, for example, relies on the same recipe as the one we experimented with in Dubai during the design-build phase but here it has a pink undertone due to the materials and colour of sand from the region. The crops that you see are at a Venetian growth phase and echo Venice's climate. Other nods include spatial references and thematic echoes that invite the visitor to think about how geography, climate, and trade shape our food systems and our futures, and how architecture can play a role. What made you first become interested in architecture? My interest in architecture grew out of a fascination, as a young girl, about how spaces influence human behaviour. Growing up and witnessing the urban development of the UAE, I was fascinated by how architecture responded to both the environment and culture, as well as its users. I started seeing architecture not just as buildings but also as a way to solve problems and create environments where people can interact, work, and live more effectively. As an architect, I would describe myself as practical and context-driven. I focus on solutions that work for the specific place and people, whether that's through sustainability, material choices, or just making sure a space feels right for the people who use it, with a focus on designing spaces that have a lasting impact and respond to both their immediate and broader environments. I grew up witnessing rapid change around me, and still do. That pace of transformation made me curious about what we choose to keep, especially in our memories, and how cities are constantly changing. I was drawn to architecture not just for its creative potential but also for how it holds memory and meaning. Research came during my time at Yale and grew tremendously after that. I was curious about architecture and its strong ties to history, form, and systems of care. Becoming the first Emirati curator at the Venice Biennale for its architectural version wasn't something I imagined early on, but it became a way to reflect on where we are as a region and where we might go. It wasn't just about representation. It was about opening a dialogue that felt simultaneously personal and global. Finally, how can architects contribute to a global discourse on climate change? Architects are uniquely positioned to address climate change because the built environment is both a major contributor to global emissions while it could be used as a powerful platform for sustainable solutions. Through material choices, energy strategies, urban planning, and even reframing policy, architects can lead the way in reducing environmental impact. But more than that, architecture shapes how people live, move, and interact with their environments — so it's also about understanding culture and human behaviour and re-framing it through the built environment.
