Latest news with #EricWan
Mid East Info
11-08-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
Alibaba Cloud Collaborates with University of Birmingham Dubai to Enhance Digital Skills Across the MEA Region
Inaugural Internship Programme in the UAE Region Aimed at Advancing Digital Innovation and Developing Industry-Ready Talent Dubai, United Arab Emirates, August 2025 — Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, today announced a collaboration with the University of Birmingham Dubai through a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The partnership will introduce advanced curriculum in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) for students and educators at the University of Birmingham Dubai campus. As part of this initiative, Alibaba Cloud also launched its first internship programme in the UAE region, with the University of Birmingham in Dubai being the pioneer university for the program. Through this collaboration, students and faculty from the University of Birmingham Dubai will gain deeper insights into cloud and AI technologies by participating in advanced technology workshops, extensive training sessions available both online and offline, and various certification courses provided by Alibaba Cloud. Additionally, Alibaba Cloud introduced its 'Future Star' internship initiative in the United Arab Emirates, with the University of Birmingham Dubai as its inaugural academic partner. This programme offers a vibrant platform for talent development, delivering interns comprehensive training, hands-on experience, and exclusive mentorship spanning three to six months. Designed to provide a thorough understanding of multiple roles within Alibaba Cloud, 'Future Star' ensures that interns are well-equipped to contribute effectively to the cloud computing industry in the digital age. ''We are thrilled to partner with the University of Birmingham Dubai to nurture the next-generation digital skills in the region. The University of Birmingham Dubai, renowned for its dedication to research and education in technology and digital fields, brings a wealth of expertise and visionary thinking to the collaboration. Through this partnership, we are committed to equipping their students and faculties to acquire crucial digital insights, allowing them to engage more deeply with cutting-edge technologies and methodologies. Together, we are poised to unlock numerous opportunities in our rapidly digitalizing world, ensuring that students, educators, and industry professionals alike can thrive in the evolving digital landscape.' said Eric Wan, General Manager of the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. Professor Yusra Mouzughi, Provost of the University of Birmingham Dubai, said: 'We are proud to partner with Alibaba Cloud to provide our students with direct access to real-world learning experiences and cutting-edge technologies in cloud computing and AI. This collaboration reflects our commitment to equipping future graduates with the digital skills and global industry exposure needed to thrive in an increasingly data-driven world. The internship and academic enrichment opportunities offered through this partnership will play a pivotal role in shaping industry-ready talent from our campus here in Dubai to join leading institutions globally.' The freshly inked partnership is yet another demonstration of Alibaba Cloud's long-term commitment to creating a sustainable pool of digital talent for the Middle East region. Alibaba Cloud has been a leading provider of cloud services to local private companies and public institutions in the UAE and the wider Middle East region since 2016. It has a robust local ecosystem in the MEA region with partners covering banking, financial services and insurance, media, public sectors, and customers locally across different sectors. About Alibaba Cloud: Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud ( is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Alibaba has been named the leading IaaS provider in Asia Pacific by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner. It has also maintained its position as one of the world's leading public cloud IaaS service providers since 2018, according to IDC. About University of Birmingham Dubai: The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries. The University of Birmingham was established by Queen Victoria in 1900 as Great Britain's first civic university, where students from all religions and backgrounds were accepted on an equal basis. The University is renowned for its research excellence and its researchers have received 10 Nobel Prizes. From pioneering organ transplants, discovering gravitational waves and furthering understanding of Shakespeare, to developing cures for cancer, advances in robotics and revealing the structure of DNA, the University has been at the forefront of some of the most ground-breaking discoveries of the last 100 years. The University of Birmingham Dubai opened a purpose-built campus in Dubai International Academic City in 2022, which demonstrates the University of Birmingham's long-term commitment to contributing to UAE society – through in-country partnership in education and areas of research strength that support the National Agenda.
Mid East Info
25-06-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
Hibrid and Alibaba Cloud Sign MoU to Deliver Advanced Streaming and Comprehensive Infrastructure Solutions Across Middle East and GCC
Hibrid, a leading UAE-based provider of innovative streaming technology, has announced a strategic collaboration with Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, to offer comprehensive streaming and infrastructure services to customers throughout the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. This collaboration combines Hibrid's cutting-edge streaming platform with Alibaba's robust infrastructure capabilities to enhance content delivery, optimize network performance, and provide scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs of the Middle Eastern market. The partnership aims to empower businesses across various sectors, including media, telecommunications, and entertainment, by facilitating seamless streaming experiences backed by AI-powered technology and reliable infrastructure. 'We are excited to join forces with Alibaba Cloud to bring state-of-the-art streaming and infrastructure solutions to the Middle East and GCC,' said Victor Sawma, Founder and CTO of Hibrid. 'Together, we will help our customers unlock new opportunities by delivering high-quality, low-latency streaming services supported by strong, scalable, and advanced infrastructure. This partnership marks a significant step forward in our mission to drive digital transformation in the region.' 'We are thrilled to collaborate with local industry leaders like Hibrid to provide advanced media solutions powered by Alibaba Cloud's robust cloud infrastructure to businesses in the region,' said Eric Wan, General Manager of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. 'Through this partnership, we are dedicated to building a sustainable and thriving ecosystem that supports our local customers and partners to fully embrace and benefit from digitalization in the era of AI.' The combined expertise of Hibrid and Alibaba Cloud is expected to further improve content delivery networks, reduce latency, facilitate the setup and launch of streaming platforms for customers through a one-stop-shop environment, and enhance overall user experience for end-users. Both companies are committed to continuous innovation and customer-centric solutions that align with the rapidly evolving digital landscape in the Middle East and GCC. About Hibrid: Hibrid is a UAE-based company specializing in performance streaming technology, and dedicated to providing innovative, scalable, and highly customizable streaming solutions that support a broad range of industries. Known for its advanced, reliable platform and customer-first approach, Hibrid helps businesses deliver high-quality, monetizable streaming experiences across the globe. About Alibaba Cloud: Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud ( is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Alibaba has been named the leading IaaS provider in Asia Pacific by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner. It has also maintained its position as one of the world's leading public cloud IaaS service providers since 2018, according to IDC.
Al Etihad
26-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Alibaba Cloud MENA chief bullish on expansion in UAE and region
27 May 2025 00:38 MAITHEM AL ANBARI (ABU DHABI)Alibaba Cloud recently made a significant impact at the Dubai FinTech Summit 2025 by announcing partnerships with LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies. These collaborations aim to enhance financial innovation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through advanced cloud solutions and generative AI technologies. Aletihad met with Eric Wan, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud International and General Manager for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, to discuss the company's plans for expansion in the region. Here are excerpts from the interview: Alibaba Cloud is recognised as one of the largest online and mobile commerce enterprises globally. How would you describe Alibaba Cloud's participation in the Fintech Summit in the UAE?Alibaba Cloud has benefited from robust participation at the Dubai FinTech Summit 2025. We announced strategic partnerships with LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies during the summit. We also hosted a panel discussion at the summit focused on the future of financial services in an AI-powered world. The panel featured industry experts, including executives from Lulu Financial Holdings, Wio Bank and Zand Bank. How would you characterise Alibaba Cloud's position within the fintech market, and what are the anticipated developments for the future?Alibaba Cloud holds a significant strategic position in the fintech market, owing to its robust cloud infrastructure and advanced technologies that can empower financial institutions with high performance and scalability. Once companies delegate infrastructure management to the cloud, they can focus their efforts on their core competencies. We are recognised as a leading cloud provider globally and in the region and have been expanding our footprint in the fintech sector through various strategic partnerships and innovative solutions. Here in the MENA region, we offer a wide range of cloud-based services. These solutions provide the necessary agility, scalability, and security required by financial institutions to innovate and grow. Integrating cutting-edge technologies like AI and data analytics into our cloud offerings allows fintech companies to enhance customer experiences, improve operational efficiencies, and ensure regulatory compliance. Given our global presence – in 87 zones across 29 regions – we support fintech companies in scaling up their operations. In the UAE, besides the recent partnerships with Lulu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies, we also announced our collaboration with Zand Bank, the first fully licensed all-digital bank in the UAE. This partnership focuses on leveraging generative AI, blockchain, and payment technologies to boost the bank's digital capabilities. What insights can you offer regarding Alibaba Cloud's expansion in the UAE and the agreements it has established with local counterparts?The UAE is a key market due to its thriving economy, tech-savvy population, and strategic location as a global trade hub. Alibaba Cloud is fully committed to long-term investment and expansion in the region, and we have our sights set on more strategic partnerships and investments in digital infrastructure. We believe our strengths in technologies such as AI and cloud computing, and industry solutions in e-commerce, fintech, media, gaming, etc., will likely play a crucial role in supporting the UAE's vision for a diversified and innovative economy. As a first mover in public cloud computing, Alibaba Cloud established a presence here by opening a data centre in Dubai Internet City back in November 2016. With a goal to provide local businesses with robust, secure, and high-performing capabilities, this data centre underwent an upgrade to include state-of-the-art cloud infrastructure, enhanced analytics, databases, industry solutions, and AI services. We have been serving hundreds of customers from different sectors, especially retail, finance, media, gaming, and internet, in the UAE market. In March 2024, we also launched the MEA region's Alibaba Cloud Academy Training Centre. The centre empowers our ecosystem partners and customers by delivering physical and virtual training workshops and certification courses to equip them with the skills needed to thrive in a digital economy. We partnered with Mawdoo3, the GCC's largest online content publisher, to provide the platform with a cost-effective and high-performance cloud infrastructure, including services such as Elastic Computing Service and Relational Database Service (RDS). Another significant project involved the implementation of Alibaba Cloud's Web Application Firewall (WAF) for WEMART, a prominent supermarket chain in the Middle East, taking its business from offline to online during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Alibaba Cloud is being chosen by more and more local businesses as their trusted cloud service provider, we are positive that we will continue to grow. What are the forthcoming initiatives for Alibaba as a group, including Alibaba's cloud business, international expansion, or trends in financial performance?Looking ahead, Alibaba Cloud views the Middle East as a region ripe with opportunities, driven by its rapid digital transformation across various sectors. I want to emphasise Alibaba Cloud's long-term commitment to investing in the market and to contributing to the success of our local customers and partners. We will continue to introduce leading products and proven solutions in the AI and cloud computing sector to serve our local customers. We will expand our ecosystem with more local partners on board to address sector-specific pain points. We also plan to collaborate with more universities to enhance digital talent training.
Mid East Info
12-05-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
Alibaba Cloud Expands Fintech Footprint with LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies AI Partnerships
New collaborations pledge to accelerate financial innovation and resilience through advanced cloud solutions and Gen-AI technologies Dubai, The United Arab Emirates, May , 2025 – Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, today announced its strategic partnerships with LuLu Financial Holdings('LuluFin'), a leading UAE-based financial services company and Ant Digital Technologies during the Dubai Fintech Summit 2025. These collaborations underscore Alibaba Cloud's ongoing commitments to supporting the region's digital transformation by equipping businesses with effective tools and robust infrastructure to thrive in an AI-powered world. These alliances come amid a wave of AI-led disruption and digital reinvention in the UAE and the wider GCC, where financial institutions are being redefined by national innovation strategies, ecosystem investments, and future-focused talent development. This technological shift holds immense economic potential, with McKinsey estimating a $1 trillion annual value opportunity in global banking, and PwC projecting a $320 billion contribution to the Middle East's economy by 2030. Eric Wan, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud International, General Manager of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said: 'We've always believed that technology has the power to drive real-world change, and our collaboration with leading financial institutions like LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies reinforces this belief. It allows us to support them not just adapt but thrive in an increasingly digital world. With our dynamic cloud solutions and AI capabilities, we're supporting their journey to deliver smarter, more secure financial services – unlocking countless opportunities and reimagining the future of the financial sector.' Alibaba Cloud's robust cloud infrastructure and Generative AI capabilities are key to LuLuFin' transformation into an AI-native organization. With Alibaba Cloud's advanced solutions and technologies, LuLuFin has adopted a multi-cloud strategy that strengthens business resilience, enhances disaster recovery capabilities, and guides the development of innovative, customer-centric financial services. Alibaba Cloud's extensive portfolio of services, including its Elastic Compute Service (ECS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), PolarDB, and the EMAS mobile testing platform, provides LuLuFin with unprecedented agility, scalability, and security. Additionally, by leveraging Alibaba's proprietary large language model Qwen, LuLuFin is developing an internal AI agent called Treasury AI, as part of the joint Agentic AI development program. This intelligent platform is engineered to optimize fund allocation and movement. Treasury AI helps in transaction costs, currency exposure, and regulatory compliance. These innovations, powered by Qwen, are poised to significantly enhance LuluFin's service capabilities, revamp customer interactions, and streamline decision-making through predictive analytics and natural language processing. Joseph Cleetus, VP of Business Transformation, LuLu Financial Holdings said: 'AI is no longer on the horizon. It's already transforming the way we live, work, and transact. This collaboration marks a pivotal step forward in our journey to redefine cross-border payments, not just as a service, but as an intelligent, anticipatory experience. Together with Alibaba Cloud, we are building a future where technology doesn't just support finance — it elevates it.' During the Summit, Alibaba Cloud also announced its plan to deepen collaboration with Ant Digital Technologies to expand the suite of joint solutions into its Dubai region later this year, including ZOLOZ for digital identity verification, mPaaS for SuperApp development and operations, and cutting-edge AI capabilities tailored for the financial services industry (FSI). Leveraging the advanced technologies of Ant Digital Technologies and robust cloud and AI infrastructure of Alibaba Cloud, the partnership aims to deliver secure, scalable, and intelligent digital transformation services for local FSI customers. This initiative underscores both companies' commitment to empowering financial institutions in the region with innovative cloud and AI-native tools and trusted digital infrastructure. By partnering with forward-thinking organizations like LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies, Alibaba Cloud is helping businesses harness the full potential of technology to deliver meaningful change and create value for their customers and communities. Alibaba Cloud has been a leading provider of cloud services to local private companies and public institutions in the UAE and the wider Middle East region since 2016. It has a robust local ecosystem in the MEA region with partners covering banking, financial services and insurance, media, public sectors, and customers locally across different sectors. Photo caption: Eric Wan Vice President of Alibaba Cloud International, General Manager of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and Joseph Cleetus VP of Business Transformation, LuLu Financial Holdings witnessing the strategic partnership between Alibaba Cloud and LuLu Financial Holdings with the launch of Treasury AI platform at Dubai Fintech Summit. About Alibaba Cloud: Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud ( is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Alibaba has been named the leading IaaS provider in Asia Pacific by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner. It has also maintained its position as one of the world's leading public cloud IaaS service providers since 2018, according to IDC. About LuLu Financial Holdings: LuLu Financial Holdings is a leading global financial services provider, offering a wide range of services including cross-border payments, currency exchange, and financial technology solutions. With over 370 customer engagement centers in over 10 countries across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and APAC regions, and a commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, LuLu Financial Holdings continues to set benchmarks in the financial services industry. About Ant Digital Technologies: Ant Digital Technologies is the technology commercialization business division of the Ant Group, which started independent operation in April 2024. Ant Digital Technologies originated from AntChain and has the leading technologies and patents in the field of blockchain globally. It has continuously developed several commercialized product brands such as ZOLOZ, mPaaS, and ZAN, with representative technological capabilities and businesses that are always committed to helping enterprises better embrace the digital age.
Al Etihad
12-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Alibaba Cloud expands fintech footprint with LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies AI Partnerships
12 May 2025 16:38 DUBAI (ALETIHAD)Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, on Monday announced its strategic partnerships with LuLu Financial Holdings('LuluFin'), a leading UAE-based financial services company and Ant Digital Technologies during the Dubai Fintech Summit collaborations underscore Alibaba Cloud's ongoing commitment to supporting the region's digital transformation by equipping businesses with effective tools and robust infrastructure to thrive in an AI-powered alliances come amid a wave of AI-led disruption and digital reinvention in the UAE and the wider GCC, where financial institutions are being redefined by national innovation strategies, ecosystem investments, and future-focused talent development. This technological shift holds immense economic potential, with McKinsey estimating a $1 trillion annual value opportunity in global banking, and PwC projecting a $320 billion contribution to the Middle East's economy by President of Alibaba Cloud International, General Manager of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, Eric Wan, said, 'We've always believed that technology has the power to drive real-world change, and our collaboration with leading financial institutions like LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies reinforces this belief. It allows us to support them not just adapt but thrive in an increasingly digital world. With our dynamic cloud solutions and AI capabilities, we're supporting their journey to deliver smarter, more secure financial services - unlocking countless opportunities and reimagining the future of the financial sector.'Alibaba Cloud's robust cloud infrastructure and Generative AI capabilities are key to LuLuFin's transformation into an AI-native organisation. With Alibaba Cloud's advanced solutions and technologies, LuLuFin has adopted a multi-cloud strategy that strengthens business resilience, enhances disaster recovery capabilities, and guides the development of innovative, customer-centric financial services. Alibaba Cloud's extensive portfolio of services, including its Elastic Compute Service (ECS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), PolarDB, and the EMAS mobile testing platform, provides LuLuFin with unprecedented agility, scalability, and security. Additionally, by leveraging Alibaba's proprietary large language model Qwen, LuLuFin is developing an internal AI agent called Treasury AI, as part of the joint Agentic AI development intelligent platform is engineered to optimise fund allocation and movement. Treasury AI helps in transaction costs, currency exposure, and regulatory compliance. These innovations, powered by Qwen, are poised to significantly enhance LuluFin's service capabilities, revamp customer interactions, and streamline decision-making through predictive analytics and natural language processing. VP of Business Transformation, LuLu Financial Holdings, Joseph Cleetus, said, 'AI is no longer on the horizon. It's already transforming the way we live, work, and transact. This collaboration marks a pivotal step forward in our journey to redefine cross-border payments, not just as a service, but as an intelligent, anticipatory experience. Together with Alibaba Cloud, we are building a future where technology doesn't just support finance — it elevates it.'During the Summit, Alibaba Cloud also announced its plan to deepen collaboration with Ant Digital Technologies to expand the suite of joint solutions into its Dubai region later this year, including ZOLOZ for digital identity verification, mPaaS for SuperApp development and operations, and cutting-edge AI capabilities tailored for the financial services industry (FSI). Leveraging the advanced technologies of Ant Digital Technologies and the robust cloud and AI infrastructure of Alibaba Cloud, the partnership aims to deliver secure, scalable, and intelligent digital transformation services for local FSI initiative underscores both companies' commitment to empowering financial institutions in the region with innovative cloud and AI-native tools and trusted digital infrastructure. By partnering with forward-thinking organisations like LuLu Financial Holdings and Ant Digital Technologies, Alibaba Cloud is helping businesses harness the full potential of technology to deliver meaningful change and create value for their customers and communities.
