
Stc Bahrain reveals winners of the 12th InspireU General Program 2025 as it returns to Bahrain for the second time
The winners were selected following an intensive bootcamp at stc Bahrain headquarters. The bootcamp featured coaching sessions led by industry experts Al Harith Al Attawi, CEO of Shafra Technology Labs, and Hisham Al Saati, Co-Founder of Siin, who helped participants refine their business strategies. On the second day, 20 start-ups pitched their business plans to a panel of judges, including Mr. Jawad Mahmood Jawad, CEO of Jahez; Abdulrahman Al Zuhair, Head of inspireU at stc; and other members from stc Bahrain management. The judges evaluated the pitches based on innovation, scalability, and impact.
As part of the inspireU program, the winning start-ups will receive financial support, mentorship, and access to stc's extensive network. They will also participate in national and international exhibitions, workshops, and other events designed to accelerate their growth.
Launched by stc Group in 2015, the inspireU accelerator program supports entrepreneurs across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. By promoting innovation and connecting start-ups with mentors, investors, and industry leaders, the program helps transform ideas into successful businesses. In Bahrain, inspireU aligns with the Kingdom's vision for economic diversification and reinforces stc Bahrain's commitment to driving digital transformation.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Saudi Arabia's annual inflation accelerates to 2.3% in June
Inflation in Saudi Arabia accelerated to 2.3% in June compared to the same month last year and was also up slightly from 2.2% in May, government data showed on Tuesday. Inflation has hovered between 2% and 2.3% since the beginning of this year, mainly driven by rises in housing rents. It stood at 1.5% in June last year. Rents for housing increased by 7.6% due to villa prices rising by 7.1%, the General Authority for Statistics said. Housing was the primary reason for prices in the combined housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels category climbing to 6.5%. The Saudi government last month announced steps to balance Riyadh's real estate market, including setting aside some price-capped plots for Saudi citizens. Saudi Arabia also recently approved a new Real Estate Ownership and Investment Law, which will ease property purchases by foreigners when it takes effect next year. Saudi Arabia is in the process of building several massive new developments around Riyadh as part of its Vision 2030 program of diversifying the economy away from oil and boosting both tourism and the private sector. The new law is expected to balance out supply and demand in the long term, but is dependent on the success of the city's real estate projects getting completed on schedule. The International Monetary Fund expects Saudi inflation to remain steady at around 2%, supported by the riyal's peg to the U.S. dollar, domestic subsidies and "an elastic supply of expatriate labor".


Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE bourses outperform GCC peers in H1 net foreign inflows
Foreign investors ramped up their participation in Gulf stock markets in the second quarter of 2025, with the UAE emerging as one of the most attractive destinations. According to Kamco Invest, net foreign inflows into UAE bourses reached $1.33 billion in Abu Dhabi and $462 million in Dubai, reinforcing investor confidence in the country's resilient macroeconomic fundamentals and regulatory environment. Across the GCC, foreign investors were net buyers for the sixth consecutive quarter, recording net purchases worth $4.2 billion in Q2-2025, up from $2.8 billion in Q1-2025. Cumulatively, in the first half of 2025, net foreign buying in GCC markets stood at $7.0 billion — an impressive 39.8 per cent increase year-on-year from $5.0 billion in H1-2024. The UAE outperformed the region in terms of foreign inflows during the first six months, attracting a total of $4.5 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia ($1.6 billion) and Kuwait ($1.4 billion). The consistent inflow of foreign capital into UAE markets reflects the country's deepening capital market sophistication, IPO momentum, and economic diversification strategies — particularly in the non-oil sectors. Abu Dhabi, in particular, remained a magnet for cross-border capital, driven by strategic listings, economic stability, and expanding regional influence through sovereign funds. The emirate also recorded the highest net buying by GCC investors at $48.4 million in Q2, followed by Dubai at $23 million, underlining intra-regional investor interest. In contrast, Oman and Bahrain saw persistent outflows. Oman recorded net foreign sales of $29.6 million in Q2-2025 after a sharper outflow of $459.2 million in the previous quarter. Bahrain also posted net foreign selling of $27.9 million. Collectively, foreign investors remained net sellers in Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain in the first half of 2025, to the tune of $580.7 million — partially offsetting broader regional buying. The buoyancy in UAE equity markets comes despite mixed global signals, including uncertainty around US trade policy. Investors are closely watching the impact of new tariffs announced by the U.S. government, including a 30 per cent duty on imports from Mexico and the European Union and a 35 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, all taking effect on August 1, 2025. Yet, despite such external pressures, five of the seven GCC exchanges posted gains in Q2-2025, underscoring selective investor optimism. The UAE's performance was further bolstered by robust trading volumes. Dubai's volume surged by 21 per cent to 16.3 billion shares in Q2 from 13.4 billion in Q1. Abu Dhabi also saw value traded rise to $22.5 billion in Q2, up from $20.3 billion in Q1, increasing its share of total GCC market activity to 14.9 per cent. Overall trading volume across GCC exchanges climbed 9.1 per cent year-on-year to 94.73 billion shares in Q2-2025, with Qatar leading the way with a 39.4 per cent quarterly increase. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, however, saw declines of 5 per cent and 61.5 per cent, respectively. Despite this, Saudi Arabia remained dominant in terms of individual stock activity. Six Saudi-listed companies were among the top 10 most traded stocks in the GCC, led by Al-Rajhi Bank ($5.8 billion), Saudi Aramco ($5.1 billion), and International Holdings Co. ($4.0 billion). Other notable names included Adnoc Gas, Emaar Properties, and Kuwait Finance House. Foreign investor interest in the Saudi market remains high, though Q2 saw a moderation in inflows. Foreign purchases totalled 7.3 billion Saudi riyals in H1-2025, down 37 per cent from 11.5 billion riyals in the same period last year. Local institutional investors in Saudi Arabia were net sellers in Q2, offloading 13.3 billion riyals worth of shares, offset somewhat by retail investors who were net buyers of 8.2 billion riyals. GCC investors (excluding Bahrain) recorded net sell trades worth $50.5 million in Q2-2025, a significant drop from $482.3 million in Q1. Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman reported net sales, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia saw marginal net buys by GCC investors. Total value traded across GCC markets declined slightly to $151.8 billion in Q2-2025 from $157.5 billion in Q1. Despite the overall dip, market depth and foreign participation — particularly in the UAE — remained strong, bolstered by continued IPO activity, investor-friendly reforms, and sectoral diversification.


Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi bans 12 private schools from enrolling grades 11, 12 students amid inflation probe
In a move to uphold academic integrity, the UAE capital's education regulator has temporarily barred 12 private schools in the emirate from enrolling students in Grades 11 and 12. The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge's (ADEK) decision, follows the launch of a wide-ranging review targeting grade inflation and inconsistencies in academic records. The crackdown — part of Phase One of ADEK's new compliance initiative — aims to ensure that high school grades are a genuine reflection of student performance and learning quality. According to ADEK, the review was triggered by red flags raised through internal quality assurance mechanisms, which detected discrepancies between students' internal school grades and their performance on external benchmark exams. 'These measures are essential to protect the integrity of student qualifications,' ADEK said. 'Grade inflation not only misrepresents student learning, it also undermines trust in the education system and limits fair academic competition.' As part of the initial phase, the 12 affected schools must now submit detailed academic records for all Grade 12 students. This includes transcripts, grading frameworks, assessment samples, and documentation of graduation requirements. The goal is to identify patterns of grade inflation, inconsistencies in awarding credits, and any mismatch between reported grades and actual student performance. ADEK emphasised that each student should earn their graduation credential through genuine academic achievement — not through inflated scores or unreliable internal assessments. What's next? The ongoing review will soon expand to cover Grades 9 through 11. Future phases will also compare internal grades with external test results and look at longer-term trends to detect potential systemic issues across schools. Schools found non-compliant may face further administrative action, including mandatory corrective measures, under ADEK's regulatory policy.