JANUARY
1. Zain Sudan launches partnership with Facebook as the first
company in the country to do business with an American
entity after sanction uplift for Sudan, allowing customers to
access Facebook without internet connection.
2. Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC) in Jordan was the
recepient of a Mohammed Bin Rashid Awards for
Young Business Leaders accolade for being the Best
Social Entrepreneurship Responsibility Initiative in the
Arab World.
3. The commencement of Zain Group’s ‘Generation Z
2018’ program for six high-caliber Kuwaiti graduates,
who were selected to enter the initiative following a
rigorous assessment process.
4. Zain Jordan launches ‘Dezain Space’, a platform
to support designers in Jordan enabling talented
and creative youth to turn their ideas into
productive projects.
FEBRUARY
1. Publishing of Zain’s Thought Leadership Report entitled
‘‘Saving Lives by Empowering People through Zain
Cash”, a dynamic and life enhancing mobile banking
service that allows unbanked consumers to undertake
financial transactions
2. touch Lebanon launches investment fund ‘MIC
Ventures’ to invest in ICT startups as well as providing
entrepreneurs with an incubator working space,
logistics, and technical support.
3. Zain Iraq partners with Instagram to promote its
products, services, offers and competitions on
Instagram Stories platform, a first in Iraq in terms of
using social media as an advertising communication
platform for corporations
4. Entering agreement with Google Cloud’s Apigee Edge
API Platform at MWC Barcelona to launch Application
Program Interface (API) Platform, exposing Zain’s APIs
facilitating a faster and more cost-efficient launch of
new digital services. At the same time, teaming up with
the European unit of Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Digital to
enhance gaming offerings.
5. touch Lebanon launches the “touch Innovation
Program” (TIP) in partnership with ArabNet, and with
the support of Antwork in the custom development
of a co-working space at the touch LAB whereby
every six months, TIP will identify and incubate 4-6
promising entrepreneurs
MARCH
1. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with
Ericsson creates a roadmap to jointly develop and test
selected 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) cases
2. Enters MoU with Huawei to explore innovative
solutions to continue investing in key areas of talent
development and digital transformation including 5G
testing and exploiting the vast opportunities in cloud
services and gaming.
3. Announced a strategic partnership with Apigate, a
subsidiary of Axiata Digital, to procure and provide API
services via Zain’s API Hub for its operating companies
and end users.
4. Launch of Zain Life, a new brand that offers customers
a portfolio of innovative and flexible digital services
and solutions in the areas of Smart Homes, Digital
Entertainment, and Customer Experience.
APRIL
1. Winners announced of the Zain sponsored MIT
Enterprise Forum PanArab Startup Competition, an
annual competition designed to support and celebrate
innovation in the Arab world
MAY
1. Opening of Zain Innovation Center (ZINC) in Kuwait,
a youth empowerment initiative creating a co-working
hub, the first of its kind in Kuwait provided by
a corporate entity aiming to bolster youth
entrepreneurship and the country’s startup ecosystem.
JUNE
1. Zain Kuwait launches the first integrated 5G technology
on its network, representing a quantum leap in the
operational efficiency of its network, in several
prominent locations as an early initiative for its customers.
2. Zain KSA refinances its SAR 5.9 billion existing
Murabaha facility for five years at preferential terms,
with an additional working capital facility of SAR 647
million for two years
3. Zain Kuwait launches gaming platform with DOCOMO
Digital, allowing customers to enjoy more than 1,000
popular high-quality brands on iOS, Android and Windows
JULY
1. Zain joins other global mobile operators committing
to adopt and implement the GSMA IoT Security
Guidelines, that outline best practice and
recommendations for Internet of Things (IoT) security
for the entire IoT ecosystem.
AUGUST
1. Finalizes a USD700 million, five-year Revolving Credit
Facility with a syndicate of regional and international
banks that refinances a USD800 million Revolving
Credit Facility arranged in 2014.
2. touch Lebanon selected as the top performing telecom
company for the Anghami services, MENA’s biggest
home-grown music streaming platform that connects
more than 60 million users.
SEPTEMBER
1. Company's innovative internal ideas generating
e-platform Zainiac, selects three startup initiatives to
incubate towards commercialization offering full
financial and strategic support.
2. Zain crowned ‘Best Brand’ at Telecom World Middle
East Awards 2018 for the fifth consecutive year.
3. Zain Kuwait launches zBot, an all-new interactive digital
channel for smart customer service, utilizing the latest
artificial intelligence solutions to interact and respond
to customer inquiries in a fully automated manner.
4. Zain Sudan launches Tak Tik, a flexible service allowing
customers to buy a bundle of units with full flexibility
and without any restriction of use between data, voice
and SMS.
5. Zain Jordan awarded the "Best Financial Technology
Solutions - Fintech Telecom Company" by a regional
telecom operator for its Zain Cash service, at the JFEX
2018 Awards.
OCTOBER
1. Zain Kuwait showcases its digital capabilities at
GITEX, showcasing its capabilities as an active
partner in achieving the goals of the New Kuwait
2035 Development Plan.
2. Launch of Zain Drone-as-a-service in Kuwait, offering
a wide-ranging fleet of world-renowned drones and
applications for gathering precision data and a
multitude of use cases that bolster efficiency for many
businesses and government entities.
3. Zain Bahrain launches the Kingdom’s first interactive
fully automated smart customer service solution ‘zBot’,
making it the first telecoms operator to launch this
innovative solution in Bahrain.
4. Zain Iraq opens new modern headquarters in Baghdad
with dynamic, fresh, collaborative space designed to
encourage sharing ideas and provoke inspiration
between staff as well as being customer centric in
showcasing products and services.
NOVEMBER
1. Huawei selects Zain to offer HUAWEI CLOUD services in
Kuwait and MENA supporting Zain's digital strategy of
unlocking the tremendous growth opportunities in B2B,
aiming to become the operator of choice for
governments and enterprises.
2. Second annual Women Empowerment forum held in
Kuwait with a focus on raising the roles and number of
women leaders across all Zain operations; creation of a
new position, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer
announced; introduction of flexible hours for working
mothers with children up to Kindergarten age.
3. Zain Sudan MD and Zain Africa CEO, Mr Elfatih Erwa
awarded CommsMEA’s first-ever Lifetime Industry
Service Award.
4. Zain Saudi Arabia agrees to sell and lease back its
telecom tower network to IHS Holdings for circa USD
648m, a conditional divestment of more than 8,100
towers that creates shareholder value as it reduces
debt obligations, unlocks capital and resources,
allowing more focus on core operation
DECEMBER
1. Zain Drone partners with worldwide leader
DroneShield, to offer counter drone solutions across
the Middle East to civil infrastructure operators,
airports, governmental bodies and security agencies
2. Zain launches exclusive Amazon Prime Video offer for the
first time in Kuwait featuring award-winning and popular
movies, Prime Originals and exclusive TV shows.
3. Zain KSA signs agreement with Kingdom’s Finance and
Telecom authorities to consolidate annual royalty fees;
and settles disputed amounts for the past 9 years
positively impacting future financial results.
4. Zain Kuwait enters pioneering agreement with Zain
Drone for tower inspection and maintenance services,
one of the first operators in MENA to deploy drone
technology for its cell tower infrastructure.
