Latest news with #Yasmina
Zawya
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Zawya
Yango Play takes the music experience to the next level with new features and releases
Yango Play, the AI-powered entertainment super app, is elevating its music offerings with a suite of new product features and an exciting lineup of regional music releases. These enhancements aim to provide users with a more personalized and seamless listening experience across various devices and platforms. Offline Music Playback on Apple Watch: Yango Play on Apple Watch now supports direct music downloads, allowing users to enjoy their favorite tracks without needing an iPhone nearby. This feature is particularly beneficial during workouts, commutes, or outdoor activities. Once downloaded, the music can be played directly from the watch, even without an internet connection. This enhancement offers greater flexibility and convenience for music lovers on the go. Enhanced Playback and Control on Yasmina Speakers: Yasmina speakers now offer enhanced music control by allowing users to connect their smartphones via the Yango Play app. This integration enables users to manage their music playlists and queues directly from their devices, providing a seamless and intuitive experience. Through the app, users can organize their music library, create custom playlists, and adjust playback settings, all from the convenience of their smartphones. This feature complements existing voice control options, offering users multiple methods to interact with their music, and is now available on iOS and Android devices. Personalized Playlist Creation: Music lovers now have a smarter and more engaging way to discover and enjoy their favorite tunes with the launch of a new personalized playlist creation feature, available on both Android and iOS. Whether exploring the latest hits by mood, genre, or activity or diving into top charts from around the world, users can now take full control of their listening experience. The app's intuitive design allows users to create and customize playlists that reflect their unique tastes. Once created, playlists can be easily shared with friends or made public, encouraging a vibrant and connected community of music enthusiasts. This feature allows users to curate their music collections by selecting specific tracks, arranging them in preferred order and adding descriptive titles and cover images. Yango Play continues to enrich its music library with a diverse array of tracks and albums from renowned artists across the Arab world. From emerging talents to established icons, here's a curated selection of the latest releases available on the app: Nancy Ajram - 'Nancy 11' (Album) Nancy Ajram's eleventh studio album spans 12 tracks, led by 'Sidi ya Sidi.' With her signature blend of Egyptian and Lebanese dialects and musical styles, and their vibrant fusion and cultural harmony she proves her status as a regional megastar across the Arab pop scene. Tamer Hosny - 'Leena Maad' (Album) Tamer Hosny's newest 15 track album titled "Leena Maad" features exciting collaborations, including a track with the popular folk singer Reda El Bahrawy titled 'El Magas', and another duet with Syrian singer Al Shami titled 'Malket Gamal El-Kon'. Several songs from the album, like "Halal Feek", have already been released as successful singles. Assala – 'Daribet Al Bo'd' (Album) A new full-length album from one of the Arab world's most beloved voices, featuring tracks like Mesh Wehsha, Daribet El Bo'd, El Enab El Saqe', and Ana Hansak. Latifa - 'Galbi Ertah' (Album) Latifa's anticipated 13-song album with 4 tracks released in its first week. This VIP release features exciting collaborations, including three tracks with Mohamed El-Kazmy and one with Kazem Al-Saher, and many more exciting features! Ramy Sabry - 'Ana Bahebak Enta' (Album) Ramy Sabry's new album, "Ana Bahebak Enta," features 11 exciting tracks, including a thrilling remix with producer Aly Fathallah. Adding to the excitement, two tracks from the album have been released as official music videos, including the single, 'Ana Bahebak Inta'. Najwa Karam – 'Halet Tawari' ' The Lebanese superstar returns with a fresh release for fans across the region. Fadel Chaker – 'Elhob w Bass' A heartfelt ballad that underscores his romantic style. Melhem Zein – '22' (Album) To celebrate 22 years in the music scene, Melhem Zein releases an album that reflects his long-standing career. The album features a mix of energetic Dabke tracks, romantic slow songs, and upbeat summer anthems, all highlighting Zein's versatile voice and musical journey. The songs featured include Albi Daa', Hlaftellik, Maana El Eshe', Kawkabi, Alf Mabrouk, Kiff Aaanni, and Tannour. Mohamed Mounir - 'Malamehna' Malamehna is the latest pop song from one of Egypt's most iconic artists. Fadel Chaker and Mohamed Chaker - 'Kifak Ala Foragi' The father-son duo's collaboration showcases their undeniable musical chemistry and heartfelt delivery. About Yango Play Yango Play, an all-in-one entertainment super app, is a pioneering AI-powered entertainment service that combines video, music streaming, mini-game's and live TV channels into a single platform. Launched in the GCC, it offers a seamless and comprehensive entertainment experience. Subscribers enjoy a vast selection of video content, including beloved classics and exclusive new releases, spanning movies and TV series from the Middle East, Turkey, and Hollywood, all presented ad-free and in high quality. Additionally, the app features an innovative music stream that personalized recommendations to match user preferences, blending international hits with regional favorites. Available on both Google PlayStore and iOS App Store, Yango Play stands out for its diverse content library and personalized entertainment experience. For more information about Yango Play and its offerings, visit Stay in the loop with the latest content by following Yango Play on social media: Facebook: Yango Play Instagram: @yangoplay Twitter: @Yango_Play TikTok: @yangoplay YouTube: Yango Play Channel
Arab News
19-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Startup Wrap: Early stage funding continues to attract investors in MENA
RIYADH: Startups across the Middle East and North Africa witnessed multiple funding rounds throughout the past week, as firms across a range of industries seek geographical expansion. The moves come in the light of a new report from regional venture platform MAGNiTT showing Saudi Arabia led funding activity in the region in the first half of 2025, raising $860 million — a 116 percent annual jump — backed by sovereign support and foreign interest. The report added that the Kingdom also witnessed 114 deals in the first half of the year, marking a significant 31 percent rise compared to the same period in 2024. secures $1.5 million in pre-seed round a Saudi Arabia-based conversational AI startup, raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round, from a syndicate of angel investors from the Kingdom. The funding will be used to accelerate the company's product development, as well as expanding its operations in the region. Headquartered in Riyadh, the firm aims to develop interactive Arabic AI agents that can listen, act, and integrate across systems. 'We're building Arabic-first, human-level AI to transform customer engagement,' the company said in a statement. Yasmina closes $2 million seed round Saudi Arabia-based Yasmina, an embedded insurance platform, has secured $2 million in seed funding to expand insurance tech across the Middle East and North Africa. The concept of so called insurtech refers to transforming and modernizing the traditional insurance sector, revolutionizing how policies are created, underwritten, and managed. It also promotes greater customer engagement by offering personalized insurance products based on individual risk profiles and lifestyle choices. Yasmina's seed funding round was led by Scene Holding and co-led by Access Bridge Ventures, with participation from Arzan VC and Sanabil Investment Accelerator by 500 MENA. The financing will be used to expand the team and explore opportunities in other regions, with the company planning to launch operations in the UAE later this year and in Egypt by 2026. 'This round is a strong vote of confidence in our vision to simplify insurance across digital touchpoints. We're proud to be the first embedded insurance platform in Saudi Arabia, and this funding will help us scale faster, serve more partners, and redefine how protection is offered in the region,' said Masoud Alhelou, CEO and co-founder of Yasmina. Egypt's PALM raises 7-figure funding PALM, an Egypt-based fintech startup offering incentivized goal-based saving, has closed its pre-seed seven-figure funding round, led by 4DX Ventures with participation from Plus VC and several international angel investors. In a press statement, the company said that the funding will be used to focus on accelerating user acquisition, expanding its product use cases, and strengthening its network of strategic partners. 'We're incredibly grateful to our investors for their trust and belief in PALM's vision. Their support empowers us to accelerate our mission of transforming how Egyptians save and achieve their life goals,' said Mazen El-Kerdany, co-founder and CEO of PALM. He added: 'We launched PALM to help Egyptians take control of their financial future by turning gradual saving into a smarter, more rewarding habit.' PALM is a goal-based saving company that offers personalized saving experience to help users achieve their various goals of life, whether to fund basic needs such as education and healthcare, or afford their funding needs for travel, home appliances and electronics. Ahmed Ashour, co-founder of PALM, said: 'We will offer Egyptians a modern saving experience that caters to their lifestyle needs, aligns with their interests, and helps them along their financial journeys regardless of their income levels or assets.' Morocco's Ora Technologies raises $7.5 million Ora Technologies, a Morocco-based super app, has raised $7.5 million in a series A funding round, led by Azur Innovation Fund and a group of local investors. Through the funding, the company aims to expand its delivery network and strengthen the firm's logistics capability. It will be also used to grow its user base, expansion into new regions, as well as accelerating the adoption of its digital payment solution. 'This is more than funding, it is proof that Morocco is ready to back innovation made by and for its people,' said Omar Alami, founder and CEO of Ora Technologies. Founded in 2023, the app offers multiple features, including an e-commerce platform, on-demand services, chat functionality, social networking, and a digital platform which is expected to be launched soon. Telr partners with Peko to support business setup in UAE Telr, a digital payment gateway and financial solutions provider based in Dubai, has partnered with fintech firm Peko to launch Telr Incepta, a platform aimed at supporting business setup and operations in the UAE. According to a press statement, Telr Incepta is expected to empower small- and mid-sized businesses with advanced tools that transform the way businesses manage their finances and operations. With over 50 business services, Telr Incepta centralizes essential functions, from enabling investors and entrepreneurs to set up their new companies in the UAE to helping companies streamline operations, manage expenses, and gain full financial visibility. 'At Telr, our mission has always been to simplify digital commerce and equip entrepreneurs with everything they need to succeed,' said Khalil Alami, founder and CEO of Telr. He added: 'With Telr Incepta, we're taking that mission even further. From secure payments to setting up your business in the UAE to smart business tools, we're proud to be the one-stop shop for the UAE's e-commerce ecosystem.' The platform also offers other features including bill payments, human resources tools, corporate travel arrangements, eSIM services, software subscriptions, license renewals, as well as, WhatsApp for Business integration, and automated financial reporting. Kashif Khan, founder and CEO of Peko said: 'From setting up a company to managing payments, controlling expenses, and streamlining operations, we're empowering founders with world-class tools to build boldly from day one.'
Fintech News ME
18-07-2025
- Business
- Fintech News ME
Saudi's Yasmina Secures $2M to Scale Embedded Insurance Platform
Yasmina, an embedded insurance platform based in Riyadh, has raised US$2 million in Seed funding. The round was led by Scene Holding, co-led by Access Bridge Ventures, with participation from Arzan VC and the Sanabil Investment Accelerator by 500 MENA. Founded in 2023 by Masoud Alhelou and Bashar Abalkhail, Yasmina provides API-based insurance solutions that integrate directly into digital platforms. The company enables businesses to offer personalised insurance at checkout within 48 hours, backed by full regulatory approval. Since its launch, Yasmina has formed partnerships across sectors including human resources, automotive, travel, point-of-sale, and real estate. These collaborations are expected to extend embedded insurance products, such as SME medical, motor, life, and general insurance, to more than 1.5 million users. The Seed funding will support the company's regional expansion, with operations launching in the United Arab Emirates later this year and in Egypt by 2026. Yasmina also plans to scale its team to support this growth. 'This round is a strong vote of confidence in our vision to simplify insurance across digital touchpoints. We're proud to be the first embedded insurance platform in Saudi Arabia, and this funding will help us scale faster, serve more partners, and redefine how protection is offered in the region.'
Campaign ME
16-07-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Shifting search strategies in the age of AI
'Hey Siri, search for a grocery list starting with …' 'Hey Alexa, what are today's deals on …' 'Dear ChatGPT, where can I find …' 'Yasmina, what's that song with lyrics saying …' The ways in which people search and shop are changing. People in the Middle East have switched from habitually opening default browsers on their devices to querying generative AI engines, virtual voice assistants and interactive chatbots. Personalised recommendations, tailored discounts and product suggestions are now expected by mobile-first and multilingual Middle East audiences – especially given that their multi-modal search has been layered with generative AI tools. This has ushered in an era of 'zero-click search' – with answers being spoon-fed through artificial intelligence (AI)-generated summaries. Add to the mix agentic AI, which are systems that act on behalf of users, and shopping agents, which autonomously compare prices, find discounts and 'add to cart'. This has welcomed a culture that no longer requires consumers to manually hunt for deals. In short, the path to purchase is no longer linear or as textbook as the funnel would dictate. Marketers are pivoting accordingly. Search specialists are being called on to become AI content strategists. Keyword optimisation and traffic-centric tactics are giving way to 'answer engine optimisation' (AEO). Brands – and the agencies servicing them – are no longer catering only to consumers; they are also attempting to ensure that their data and content appeal to algorithms and machines taking decisions on behalf of consumers. Marketers must 'learn pronto' Campaign Middle East speaks to several industry leaders about the evolution of multi-modal search experiences, changing consumer search preferences, and how marketers need to measure better in the age of AI. Terry Kane, Managing Director – Middle East and Africa, The Trade Desk, begins the conversation by saying, 'Search is moving beyond keywords, reshaping how consumers express intent. The challenge for marketers isn't just to be present – it's to stay relevant across channels with adaptive creative, rooted in durable identity and contextual insight.' Najeeb Jarrar, Regional Marketing Director – Middle East and Africa, Google, adds, 'Marketers' key challenge now is recognising richer, more intuitive consumer interactions. This requires optimising for context and intent across input modalities, not just keywords. To simplify this: brands must ensure content is discoverable and understandable visually, audibly and across complex queries.' With an aim to unleash the untapped potential of search through AI, Google revealed AI Overviews at its recent Google Marketing Live 2025 event, rolling out the tool across more than 200 countries and territories, with support in more than 40 languages, including in Arabic. When asked about the speed of adoption of such search tools, Jarrar says that AI Overviews has already gained more than 1.5 billion monthly users globally, while Google Lens currently witnesses more than 25 billion visual searches each month, with a significant portion of users – up to one in every five – showing commercial intent. Reacting to AI Overviews and new interfaces such as 'io', the AI device cooked up by OpenAI and former Apple designer Jony Ive, Laura Gleadhill, General Manager, Keyade Middle East, a WPP Media brand, says, 'These point to a screenless, conversational future. For marketers, this means content, product feeds and site structures need to be optimised for AI interpretation, not just search engines. The priority is ensuring your brand is eligible to surface in these new environments – not just be discoverable. Teams across search engine optimisation (SEO), paid and content must work together, and measurement needs to account for multi-surface, zero-click interactions.' The role of platforms is also changing. In 2024, approximately 64 per cent of Gen Z consumers used TikTok as a search engine, driven by the wealth of content available on the platform, according to an Adobe study. In this context, Terry Mo, Head of Digital, OMD, raises some interesting questions: 'How do platforms differentiate between real and AI-generated content? Are they willing to fight the battle? Will regulation step in to combat this, or will the line be drawn naturally between platforms that pride themselves on engaging quality content and platforms that build their reputations on accuracy?' As such, leaders agree that brands need to rethink their content strategies, especially in a culturally sensitive region. While aiming to achieve distinctiveness, brands must foray beyond keywords to embrace relevant elements across modalities. 'But this is easier said than done,' says James Dutton, Chief Product Officer, UM MENAT. 'It requires staying culturally relevant by understanding nuanced, contextual conversations while adapting to ever-changing AI generated content, which is being blended with brand content.' 'Another key challenge is ensuring accessibility across all modalities,' Dutton says. 'The concept of brand distinctiveness is important here, where clear value propositions and integrated experiences are created to meet heightened consumer expectations.' Jarrar adds, 'In this new era of search, success hinges on a deeper, human-centric strategy resonating with the region's youthful, mobile-first population. This requires shifting from keywords to understanding user intent and creating high-quality, culturally attuned and authoritative information – particularly in Arabic. For MENA brands, the goal is to be a trusted answer within intelligent search to build lasting brand affinity.' However, to achieve this, marketers must welcome change and upskill on the go – quickly. Sholto Douglas-Home, Chief Marcomms and Sales Officer, Expo City Dubai, says, 'It's clear this convergence of modalities will rapidly become the norm, but exactly how this will change the way content is tagged, loaded and optimised is something that we as marketers are having to learn – and learn pronto.' Commenting on what marketers must prioritise learning, Douglas-Home adds, 'In principle, it's all about breaking down content silos, keeping on top of adtech developments, and designing for large language model (LLM) and intra-platform discoverability. That said, the reality is likely to be more fundamental in terms of understanding changing human behaviour: people will be re-framing and re-orientating their search expectations by moving from 'searching for an answer' to 'searching for inspiration'.' ''Brands must appeal not just to humans, but to AI agents making decisions on their behalf.' What's next for search specialists? Before we discuss what's next, it's important to acknowledge that search has been witnessing significant change – even before the dawn of generative AI. OMD's Terry Mo explains, 'Knowledge graphs and search on social platforms have been taking a share of search activity from the established search engines, while more specialised queries have split off to platforms such as online travel agencies (OTAs) and retail e-commerce. Search specialists with a laser focus on Google Search have been shifting towards irrelevance, but specialists requiring understanding of consumer behaviour is more important than ever.' With the advent of generative AI has come the 'zero-click search' era – an age when search queries result in definitive answers, not requiring further click-throughs that were previously required by search engines that offered links to the most relevant results. Hence, 'zero click'. 'This repositions the roles of search specialists,' Jarrar says. 'Their focus must evolve from driving clicks to ensuring brand visibility and authority within AI-generated summaries and multi-modal results. The goal becomes one of 'more useful results'. Search specialists must delve deeper into content quality and how generative AI synthesises information. They will be instrumental in building genuinely valuable and informative content, encouraging engagement even without immediate clicks.' With consumers favouring conversational queries and AI summaries, Deepak Mankani, Head of Search Experience, Merkle MENA, adds, 'Specialists must optimise for LLMs, voice search and social platforms – all while maintaining the usual rigour on SEO fundamentals. As traditional search engine traffic is set to decline, new metrics such as AI share of voice and AI readiness will prioritise the search engine results page (SERP) presence and engagement over clicks.' The notion that search specialists must shift from driving traffic driver to driving brand visibility is further cemented by leaders who point to the fact that AI is increasingly answering questions directly in the SERP. Keyade Middle East's Gleadhill says, 'Search specialists now need to optimise for presence within AI-generated content – not just for clicks. That means focusing on structured data, content relevance and technical hygiene. The role has become more strategic, sitting at the intersection of SEO, paid media, content and user experience (UX). Specialists need to shape how and where a brand appears, even when the user doesn't land on the website – and redefine performance accordingly.' UM MENAT's Dutton takes this a step further, saying that search specialists will need to evolve from 'keyword strategists' to 'AI content architects'. Dutton says that search specialists will need to 'craft structured content that is both discoverable by AI and engaging for human users, while also focusing on creating unique brand experiences that go beyond simple information retrieval to driving deeper connections and brand loyalty.' He adds, 'The future may hold a world where brand websites, as we know them, become obsolete – an era when it's not just zero-click but also zero-page, and when AI manages most consumer interactions.' The age of agentic AI Industry leaders also share that agentic AI will fundamentally change the customer journey and, by extension, the marketing playbook. Gleadhill says, 'Consumers will delegate tasks such as buying, booking or researching, and AI agents will make decisions based on structured inputs: availability, reviews, pricing and relevance. That shifts influence from the consumer to the algorithm.' This shift challenges traditional marketing tactics. Visibility, trust and AI agent-optimised experiences have become a 'must do' for marketers because agentic AI tools are revolutionising brand interactions. Merkle MENA's Mankani says, 'Brands must appeal not just to humans, but also to AI agents making decisions on their behalf. As agentic AI replaces passive models, success will depend on being discoverable, trusted and integrated into these new decision-making ecosystems.' Gleadhill adds, 'Marketers need to ensure their data, product feeds and content are clean, accessible and optimised for machine-led evaluation. Messaging still matters – but technical readiness, operational agility and trust signals will increasingly determine if your brand gets picked.' Additionally, agentic AI is also surpassing traditional reactive models, providing personalised and proactive engagement by anticipating user needs. It also offers tailored, real-time recommendations. Dania Dallasheh, Business Director, Spark Foundry, says, 'By autonomously gathering and analysing data, agentic AI grants brands deeper insights into consumer behaviour for more informed strategic development. This shift from reactive to proactive marketing drives brands to integrate these tools, crafting seamless and intuitive experiences.' It's no surprise, therefore, that agentic AI tools are reshaping the way brands connect with consumers in the digital age, and the way marketers are strategising and executing campaigns. For instance, Google's Marketing Advisor – an AI-powered Chrome sidekick for marketers, announced in June 2025 and due to roll out later this year – is expected to offer real-time guidance, conduct business assessments and identify strategies across diverse properties, streamlining complex tasks and uncovering new growth opportunities. Unlike traditional chatbots, Marketing Advisor will be able to proactively assess performance, recommend alternative strategies, and even apply changes across multiple business units. There's no doubt about it: Marketing will need to not only embrace agentic AI but also learn how to engage with it. Jarrar says, 'From strategic planning and optimisation to reporting and troubleshooting, marketers will need to engage AI directly for holistic campaign management. This represents a significant evolution beyond traditional AI models, which have primarily focused on data analysis or content generation. Agentic capabilities, being integrated into platforms, aim to provide personalised recommendations, insights and automate problem-solving.' Expo City Dubai's Douglas-Home goes to the extent of calling agentic AI a 'game-changing opportunity for brand owners,' especially given that AI agents are becoming the 'masters' of personal shopping and customer service by handling autonomous, multi-layered and informed brand interactions. He says, 'Handled correctly, any AI agent delivering customer experiences that genuinely resonate with a brand's values, messaging, tone of voice and principles will open the door to a holy grail of optimised marketing campaigns through ultra-niche personalisation and empathy on steroids.' While eMarketer data reveals that the adoption and execution of such AI experiences still lags behind technological advancement, leaders share that companies such as Google that are deepening AI integration into their core products will catalyse the shift towards agentic AI. However, industry leaders also caution that this shift should be built on foundations of trust and led by utility. With increasing consumer demand for personalised and seamless brand experiences, marketers need to wade carefully into the agentic AI realm, rather than diving in merely because the option exists. OMD's Mo says, 'Consumers will shift to agentic AI if they trust that AI over the brand. For example, I might use an agent to book a holiday. But if I have a favourite hotel group, then will I use an agent on that brand's website or will I use a commercially available agent to search for cheaper prices, acting like a modern OTA? That choice will depend on the individual consumer. The only wrong move is when a brand ignores the possibilities of agentic. That's just bad customer experience (CX).' Dutton adds, 'We shouldn't get bogged down 'developing an agent' but rather focus on leveraging the right environments to create meaningful consumer utility experiences.' 'The shift in conversation away from media metrics and towards business impact is one of the healthiest things to have happened to digital media for many, many years.' Diversify and measure search for better outcomes The truth of the matter is: Search has diversified far beyond Google and Bing. It also includes retail platforms such as Amazon and noon, social search on TikTok and Instagram, and AI-driven discovery through tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews. With marketers navigating fluctuating cost per click (CPC), new channels such as retail media and consumer demand for personalised recommendations are now forcing marketers to diversify and measure better. Gleadhill says, 'As CPCs rise on core search channels, marketers need to diversify within the search ecosystem – investing in retail media for high-intent moments, optimising feeds and product data for visibility, and using first-party signals to personalise experiences.' She adds, 'Measurement must evolve too: incrementality testing, margin-based metrics and cross-channel attribution are critical to prove what's truly driving business results, not just clicks.' The Trade Desk's Kane agrees, 'Don't chase CPCs. The key is to diversify and focus on goals and tangible outcomes. Retail media, connected TV and audio all work better when you have a unified view of your customers and their behaviours in real time across all these channels. Fragmented 'disconnected' campaigns are often a sign that the right tech stack isn't in place.' Kane also calls for marketers to leverage programmatic advertising for enhanced targeting, deeper insights into campaign performance, real-time optimisation, and personalisation at scale across the open internet. Leaders also agree that marketers must: Embrace AI-powered ad products designed to reach users across new 'inputs and outputs' without requiring additional work; Prioritise high-quality data and comparable measurement to track true performance and optimise campaigns; and Focus on the full funnel, from discovery to decision, ensuring a strong presence across all stages where consumers interact with information. Dutton says, 'This requires a shift from the popularity of lower-funnel, performance-based media metrics to holistic brand growth measurement frameworks that capture brand lift, cultural resonance, and the overall impact on brand health, enabling data-driven decisions that maximise return on investment (ROI) and build lasting brand value. Overcoming this challenge requires a focus on long-term brand building and a willingness to experiment with new measurement methodologies.' If done right, this move from monitoring CPCs to holistic brand growth through new measurement methods could be just the medicine the industry needs to revive itself. Spark Foundry's Dallasheh says, 'Leveraging data analytics and AI insights enables precise tracking of consumer behaviour and preferences, allowing more tailored personalised recommendations that collectively drive desired business growth. Implementing advanced attribution models facilitate more effective cross channel impact evaluation, improving investment efficiency amid fluctuating CPCs.' She adds, 'By prioritising customer experience and engaging content across various touchpoints, marketers can now strengthen brand loyalty while adeptly measuring and adapting to the rapidly evolving marketplace.' Mo sums it up, saying, 'CPCs were never a reliable metric, and any move we can make towards new measurement solutions is a win for the industry. Even brands and advertisers can shift focus to metrics such as brand lift and digital attention measurement, or use marketing mix modelling to measure the overall impact on business objectives.' He adds, 'The shift in conversation away from media metrics and towards business impact is one of the healthiest things to have happened to digital media for many, many years.' All in all, marketers have their work cut out for them in the way they craft content and search strategies; embrace and engage with generative AI, agentic AI and shopping agents; and go the extra mile to connect with consumers calling for relevance, personalisation and memorable brand experiences.
Wamda
14-07-2025
- Business
- Wamda
Saudi insurtech Yasmina closes $2 million Seed
Saudi Arabia-based Yasmina has raised $2 million in a seed round led by Scene Holding, with co-leadership participation from Access Bridge Ventures, Arzan VC, and Sanabil's 500 MENA Accelerator. Founded in 2023 by Masoud Alhelou and Bashar Abalkhail, Yasmina enables digital platforms to offer personalised, API-driven insurance products (SME: medical, motor, life, and general) at checkout, fully regulated and ready in under 48 hours. The funding will help Yasmina scale operations beyond KSA, with planned launches in UAE (2025) and Egypt (2026). Press release: Yasmina, the pioneering embedded insurance platform based in Riyadh, has successfully secured $2 million in Seed funding. Scene Holding led the round, co-led by Access Bridge Ventures, with participation from Arzan VC and early backing from the Sanabil Investment Accelerator by 500 MENA. Founded in 2023 by Masoud Alhelou and Bashar Abalkhail, Yasmina is transforming how insurance is delivered across digital platforms. By offering seamless API integration that enables digital businesses to provide personalised insurance at checkout in under 48 hours, Yasmina meets customers where they are, with full regulatory approval and a frictionless user experience. Since its inception, Yasmina has formed strategic partnerships across HR, auto, travel, POS, and real estate platforms. These collaborations are expected to bring embedded insurance to over 1.5 million customers, offering a range of products including SME Medical, Motor, Life, and General Insurance. With $2M in Seed funding, Yasmina is scaling its team and launching operations beyond Saudi Arabia, beginning with the UAE this year and Egypt in 2026. Masoud Alhelou, Yasmina's Co-founder and CEO, commented: 'This round is a strong vote of confidence in our vision to simplify insurance across digital touchpoints. We're proud to be the first embedded insurance platform in Saudi Arabia, and this funding will help us scale faster, serve more partners, and redefine how protection is offered in the region.' Sultan Ghaznawi, Chairman & Managing Director of Scene Holding, commented: 'At Scene Holding, we back founders who are solving legacy problems with precision and scale. Yasmina's API-first model and regulatory momentum place it at the intersection of Insurtech, fintech and protection, a space we believe will define the next wave of value creation across MENA.' Rakan AlRashed, Partner at Access Bridge Ventures, commented: "At Access Bridge Ventures, we're passionate about the untapped potential of Saudi Arabia's Insurtech landscape. Yasmina's team has paired deep sector insight with impressive early traction, and they're well-positioned to become the breakout player the market has been waiting for. We're thrilled to support them and are confident that together we can reshape how insurance is delivered across the Kingdom." Amal Dokhan, Managing Partner at 500 Global, commented: 'At 500, we support bold founders aiming to solve meaningful problems, and Yasmina is an example. We believed in their vision early on, and their momentum today shows just how powerfully embedded insurance can be across our region.' Hasan J. Zainal, Arzan VC's Founder & Managing Partner, commented: 'For years, insurance companies in the region have followed a well-worn path – familiar, but far from transformative. We believe the Yasmina team is uniquely positioned to drive innovation in this sector, thanks to their superior understanding and strategic insight into the regional insurance landscape.'
