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Awards

Zain Group: Best in Diversity Award 2021, Leadership in Sustainability Award 2021, and Championship Award in Women Empowerment 2021

Zain Group received three accolades at the annual Global Good Governance Awards 2021 for being Best in Diversity; Leadership in Sustainability; and Championship in Women Empowerment. These annual awards are organized by UK-based think tank Cambridge IFA and celebrate individuals, governments, public and private sector institutions and NGOs that exhibit governance and sustainability as their strategic priority. The awards were based on five pillars: The organization’s commitment on operating transparently; promoting best practices in social responsibility; promoting sustainable practices and initiatives that embrace the triple bottom line: social, economic, and environmental impacts sustainability reporting; and the company’s commitment to drive innovation in its business practices and governance. The three awards reflect the company’s firm commitment towards embedding a sustainability and inclusion agenda into its business practices.

Zain Group: ‘Best Corporate Governance Award 2021’

Zain Group was presented with the ‘Best Corporate Governance Award 2021’ for Kuwait at the World Finance Awards 2021 ceremony. These annual awards select and analyze diverse and succinct corporate governance platforms and recognize leading organizations in this area. Zain was highlighted for its principles and integrity as reflected by its Investor Relations and Corporate Governance Framework, which drives its ongoing ability to provide shareholder returns and pursue long-term objectives whilst ensuring ongoing transparency and accountability in its reporting. Zain’s selection for this award demonstrates the company’s pursuit of transparency and best practice in its Investor Relations and general operating and reporting functions.

Zain Kuwait: Best Mobile Operator

In February 2021, Zain won the ‘Best Mobile Operator’ category in Kuwait for 2020’ by Service Hero, the only entirely consumer-powered customer satisfaction index, by providing the best quality service standards in Kuwait. After an in-depth evaluation by Service Hero’s independent advisory council, Zain was recognized for its leadership in offering the best innovative digital services, as well as for its relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation with the aim of achieving superior digital lifestyle transformation for its customers.

Zain Group: “New Technology Leadership”, “Innovation Collaborations and”, and “Ground-breaking Products and Services” Awards

Zain Group was presented with three awards at the prestigious SAMENA Council-endorsed MEA Business Technology Achievement Awards 2021, in the categories of New Technology Leadership; Innovation Collaborations and Partnerships; and Ground-breaking Products and Services.

Pioneering 5G deployments in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and later Bahrain led to Zain’s recognition as the ‘New Technology Leadership’ award recipient. An early adopter of 5G, in May 2019, Zain announced its 5G network in Kuwait was fully ready for the commercial launch of services. In October that year, Zain Saudi Arabia launched the largest 5G network in the region at the time, and third largest in the world.

Zain Esports received an award from the ‘Innovative Collaborations and Partnerships’ category for its collaboration with YaLLa Esports and other entities in the region’s ecosystem such as Playhera in Saudi Arabia and AlHub in Kuwait. Zain Esports’ presence in the region as a gaming powerhouse is creating an ecosystem that reduces reliance on traditional telco services and opens growing opportunities for fast developing and lucrative digital services and online gaming.

Zain was awarded the ‘Ground-breaking Products and Services’ recognition for its Tamam financial technology company in Saudi Arabia, which provides consumer micro-lending services. The operation was established in 2019 with a goal to increase financial inclusion in the Kingdom in line with the Financial Sector Development Plan, part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Taman offers individuals requiring financing the opportunity to access Islamic Shari’a compliant loans without physically visiting a bank location.

Zain awarded ‘Best Brand’ at Telecom Review Excellence Awards 2021

The Zain brand was identified as the ‘Best Brand’ for telecom in the Middle East for 2021 at the Telecom Review Summit Excellence Awards gala ceremony held in Dubai in December, 2021. Telecom Review is a leading industry publication and the award recognizes the outstanding performance of Zain’s brand across all its markets, which has come to represent the highest standard of customer service across all of its touchpoints. Winners were chosen based on demonstrable capabilities in their specific sector by an independent panel of 15 experienced industry veterans. Zain has been a recipient of the ‘Best Brand’ accolade at other regional events in the past, confirming the success of its media campaigns, corporate sustainability, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as its ongoing innovation and investment in network upgrades. These factors combined have resulted in exceptional customer experience since the introduction of the Zain brand in 2007, making it one of the most respected and recognized corporate brands in the Middle East and Africa.

Zain Saudi Arabia awarded ‘Best 5G User Growth’ and ‘Most Innovative Service’ for its Yaqoot mobile-only platform.

At the Telecom Review Summit Excellence Awards in December 2021, Zain Saudi Arabia was awarded the ‘Best 5G User Growth’ accolade for reaching new heights in the Saudi telecom market, having established itself as the leading provider of 5G services in the Kingdom, having one of the largest 5G networks across the globe. Moreover, the operator’s digital-only mobile platform Yaqoot received the ‘Most Innovative Service’ award due to its enormous growth during 2021, counting over one million installations of the app, and offering customer centric services such as eSIM, Apple Pay, and a chatbot services, as well as coordinating the delivery of SIMs to over 170 cities in the Kingdom.

Zain Iraq: “Best Marketing Campaign 4G-LTE launch” and “Most Innovative Digital Transformation Telecom Company” (oodi)

Zain Iraq was granted the “Best Marketing Campaign 4G-LTE launch” award and the “Most Innovative Digital Transformation Telecom Company” (oodi) at the International Finance Awards 2021. This recognition was in respect to the introduction of 4G LTE service in Iraq and the launch of Iraq’s first all-digital telecom service with oodi providing Iraqi customers with complete flexibility, transparency, and ease-of-use for their mobile experience, helping bridge the digital divide in the country. The International Finance Awards 2021 highlight innovation, entrepreneurship, and success stories that focus on the importance of digital transformation. The two accolades reflect the company’s vision of achieving digital transformation alongside renewed offers, initiatives and projects that address customers’ growing and changing needs.

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