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The MENA Fintech Association and Swiss Fintech Association Forge Strategic Alliance to Accelerate Global Fintech Integration, Cross-Border Innovation, and Ecosystem Empowerment

15th June 2026 – Abu Dhabi, UAE – The MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) and the Swiss Fintech Association (SFTA) today announced a landmark strategic partnership designed to advance a new era of cross-border collaboration, ecosystem integration, and innovation-led financial transformation across global markets.

This alliance reflects a shared conviction that the future of financial services will be defined by interconnected ecosystems, seamless knowledge exchange, and the collective empowerment of institutions, innovators, and talent across geographies.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formally signed with the Swiss Fintech Association, represented by its President, Phillip Weights, marking a significant milestone in strengthening institutional ties between the two ecosystems. The engagement was held under the presence and facilitation of H.E. Arthur Mattli, Ambassador – Embassy of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates & Kingdom of Bahrain, whose support underscored the strategic importance of deepening bilateral cooperation in financial innovation and reinforcing cross-border ecosystem linkages.

At the heart of this partnership lies a bold commitment to cross-border collaboration, enabling structured engagement between fintech ecosystems in the MENA region and Switzerland. Both associations aim to eliminate silos that limit innovation, fostering a unified platform for dialogue between startups, regulators, investors, financial institutions, and technology leaders.

A central objective of the partnership is to develop cross-border frameworks, understand the global outlook and landscape, and further the future of finance across both ecosystems and beyond. Empowerment of the next generation of fintech talent, with a strong emphasis on nurturing emerging founders, developers, and innovators, is also a vital pillar of this partnership. Through joint programs and curated ecosystem access, MFTA and SFTA will work to cultivate a globally competitive pipeline of fintech leadership capable of shaping the future of financial infrastructure.

The collaboration will further prioritize knowledge sharing and intellectual capital exchange, establishing formal mechanisms for sharing insights on regulatory frameworks, emerging technologies, market dynamics, and best practices. This will include thought leadership forums, research collaborations, and high-level roundtables aimed at elevating industry-wide understanding and accelerating informed innovation. Both organizations will also engage in co-development of ecosystem-building initiatives, designed to unlock scalable impact across both regions. These initiatives will support fintech startups in accessing new markets, facilitate investor connectivity across borders, and enable institutional partnerships that drive real-world adoption of financial technologies.

In addition, the partnership underscores a strategic global outlook, positioning both associations as key enablers of international fintech alignment. By bridging two of the world’s most dynamic financial ecosystems, the collaboration is expected to create new pathways for capital flow, regulatory dialogue, and innovation diffusion at a global scale.

The alliance is further anchored in a long-term strategic vision focused on building resilient, inclusive, and future-ready financial ecosystems. This includes fostering regulatory innovation, supporting digital transformation agendas, and reinforcing trust-based frameworks that enable sustainable fintech growth.

Leadership from both MFTA and SFTA emphasized that this partnership is not symbolic, but foundational, representing a decisive step toward shaping a more interconnected, collaborative, and innovation-driven global financial landscape.

Philip J. Weights, SFTA President comments that: “This strategic MOU between the Swiss FinTech Association (SFTA) in Zurich and the MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) in Dubai creates a powerful cross-border corridor for wealth, innovation, and digital finance. It establishes a bridge between two of the world’s most prominent financial technology hubs.”

“This alliance is a defining step toward deepening cross-border collaboration and co-creating the future of financial innovation between our two ecosystems. It reflects a shared ambition to enable sustainable growth and global connectivity in fintech.” — Nameer Khan, Chairman, MENA Fintech Association

Together, the MENA Fintech Association and the Swiss Fintech Association are setting a new global benchmark for ecosystem partnership, one defined by cross-border synergy, talent empowerment, and the shared ambition to co-create the future of finance.

Gurugram | June 15: As Indian consumers increasingly shift towards expert-backed, personalised and community-driven skincare experiences, Fixderma Cosmetic Laboratories (FCL), a dermatologist-recommended skincare brand known for its science-backed formulations, hosted an exclusive Loyal Customer Meet as part of its ‘And I Still Look the Same with FCL’ campaign to build deeper consumer relationships and better understand evolving skincare needs.

The initiative was conceptualised to create a meaningful platform for direct dialogue between the brand and its consumers, recognising the growing demand for education-led skincare and informed decision-making. By bringing together loyal customers in an intimate setting, the brand sought to gather first-hand feedback, understand consumer preferences and strengthen its community through authentic interactions.

A key highlight of the event was an interactive session by renowned dermatologist Dr. Sachin Dhawan, who addressed attendees’ skin concerns and shared expert insights on ingredient efficacy, personalised skincare routines and the importance of preventive skincare practices. The session enabled guests to engage directly with a skincare expert and gain a deeper understanding of building effective, long-term skincare habits.

Speaking on the initiative, Shaily Mehrotra, CEO and Co-Founder, Fixderma & FCL, said, “Today’s consumers are more informed, conscious and actively involved in their skincare journeys than ever before. They are seeking credible information, expert guidance and brands that genuinely listen to their needs. Through this initiative, we wanted to create a platform for open conversations that not only help us understand our consumers better but also empower them to make informed skincare decisions. At Fixderma, we believe that building a community rooted in trust and education is just as important as developing effective, science-backed solutions.” ]

The campaign celebrates consistency in skincare and reinforces the idea that healthy skin is built over time through expert guidance, informed choices and science-backed solutions. As the beauty and skincare industry continues to evolve, community-led experiences are emerging as a key driver of long-term consumer relationships, with brands increasingly investing in meaningful, two-way engagement beyond product offerings. Through this initiative, Fixderma continues to reinforce its commitment towards consumer education, expert-led skincare awareness and fostering a community built on trust, transparency and informed skincare practices. 

June 15: Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort and Spa has announced the appointment of Suman Kumar as its new Director of Engineering, effective May 7, 2026. Bringing over fourteen years of experience across hospitality engineering, pre-opening projects, and large-scale operational management, Mr. Suman joins the resort’s leadership team at a pivotal time as it continues to elevate guest experiences in the heart of Uttarakhand.

While guests are drawn to the resort for its panoramic mountain views, expansive spaces, and sense of escape, it is the unseen precision behind the scenes that allows every experience to unfold effortlessly. In his new role, Suman will lead the resort’s engineering function, overseeing maintenance, safety, infrastructure, and operational efficiency across the property, ensuring that every aspect of the guest journey is supported by systems that are dependable, sustainable, and future-ready.

Suman’s career reflects a steady progression built on technical expertise and hands-on leadership. A graduate of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, with a degree in Technology and a diploma in Electrical Engineering, he began his professional journey in project engineering before transitioning into hospitality. Over the years, he has contributed to some of North India’s notable hotel developments, including pre-opening assignments at The Lalit Chandigarh, Hyatt Regency Chandigarh, and most recently, Hyatt Centric Chandigarh, where he served as Chief Engineer.

Suman’s ability to combine operational discipline with a practical understanding of how engineering shapes the guest experience has distinguished him throughout his career. From implementing energy-efficient solutions and preventive maintenance programmes to ensuring rigorous safety and compliance standards, his work has consistently focused on creating environments that are both high-performing and guest-centric.

Known among colleagues as a people-first leader, Suman believes that meaningful growth comes from embracing challenges and stepping beyond familiar ground. His leadership style is rooted in collaboration, patience, and accountability, qualities that have helped him build high-performing teams throughout his career.

As Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort and Spa continues to strengthen its position as one of the region’s leading luxury destinations, Suman’s appointment reinforces the resort’s commitment to operational excellence, sustainability, and long-term value creation.

Mumbai, June 15, 2026: Euro Pratik Sales Limited, a leading seller and marketer of decorative wall panels and interior surface solutions, today announced the launch of STONITE, an innovative range of Liquid Metal Finish Panels designed to redefine contemporary interior aesthetics. Combining the elegance of metallic textures with the practicality of ready-to-install decorative surfaces, STONITE offers architects, interior designers, developers, and homeowners a premium solution for creating visually striking spaces.

Inspired by global design trends and manufactured in Korea, STONITE panels deliver the luxurious appearance of metal-finished surfaces while offering superior ease of installation, durability, and design flexibility. The collection has been curated to meet the growing demand for sophisticated interior materials that seamlessly blend aesthetics, functionality, and performance.

A key differentiator of STONITE is its ability to combine matching wall panels, louvers, and laminates within a single coordinated design language. This integrated approach enables architects and designers to create seamless, visually cohesive interiors while simplifying material selection and execution across projects.

Elevating Modern Interior Design

The STONITE range has been developed to bring a touch of luxury and sophistication to interior environments across residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, and institutional projects. The liquid metal finish creates a unique reflective effect that adds depth, texture, and character to spaces, enabling designers to create statement walls, feature surfaces, partitions, furniture facades, and decorative applications.

With intricate surface detailing and a wide range of contemporary textures and finishes, STONITE empowers designers to achieve premium aesthetics while simplifying execution and reducing installation complexities.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Pratik Singhvi, Chairman & Managing Director, Euro Pratik Sales Limited, said:

“At Euro Pratik, we continuously strive to bring innovative global surface solutions to the Indian market that combine design excellence, functionality, and long-term value. STONITE reflects our commitment to offering premium interior solutions that address the evolving needs of architects, designers, developers, and discerning consumers.

The demand for distinctive interior surfaces is growing rapidly as customers seek unique design experiences without compromising on quality, durability, and ease of installation. STONITE offers a unique combination of matching laminates, louvers, and wall panels that helps create cohesive interior environments while simplifying execution. The integrated system enables less wastage on overlapping and improves material utilization across projects. Manufactured in ISO-certified facilities and containing highly recyclable material, the collection also supports Go Green initiatives, making it a versatile choice for modern residential, commercial, and hospitality spaces.”

Designed for Performance and Sustainability

Beyond aesthetics, STONITE has been engineered to deliver long-term performance across diverse applications. The panels are water resistant, termite resistant, and borer resistant, making them suitable for high-use environments where durability and low maintenance are essential.

In addition, the ready-to-use format enables quicker installation and minimizes material wastage during application, which helps improve project efficiency while reducing overall resource consumption.

Strengthening Euro Pratik’s Decorative Surfaces Portfolio

The launch of STONITE further strengthens Euro Pratik’s position as a comprehensive provider of decorative wall panels and interior surface solutions. The addition complements the company’s extensive portfolio of decorative panels, laminates, veneers, boards, and allied interior products, enabling customers to access a wider range of globally inspired design solutions under a single trusted brand.

As demand for premium interiors continues to rise across India, Euro Pratik remains focused on introducing innovative, sustainable, and design-led products that help architects, designers, developers, and homeowners create spaces that are both functional and visually distinctive.

New tenancy contracts above AED1 million jump 27% in value over first five months of 2026

Dubai, UAE, 15^th June, 2026: Dubai’s luxury villa rental market has grown sharply in value over the first five months of the year, with a decisive shift toward ultra-luxury price brackets, and Palm Jumeirah emerging as the standout location.

A fäm Properties market analysis issued today reveals that the annualised value of new rental contracts above AED1 million increased by 27% year-on-year to AED509 million from AED400 million between January and May 2026.

The report also shows that the annualised value of renewed tenancy contracts for villas above AED1 million rose by 28% to AED114 million from AED89 million over the same period.

Data from DXBinteract reveals that while luxury rental transaction volumes remained steady, the upward shift in value was driven by more activity in higher price brackets. This trend was most visible in the AED2-3 million range, where new contracts rose 21% and renewals 17%.

At the ultra-luxury end, nine new annual tenancy contracts were recorded in the AED5-10 million band, with a further seven exceeding AED10 million. Overall, 67.3% of all contracts signed between January and May 2026 were for a 12-month duration.

Palm Jumeirah dominated both transaction volumes and annualised rental value, recording the highest number of new and renewed contracts above AED1 million across all villa communities.

Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties, said: “Demand at the luxury and ultra-luxury end of the rental market has remained resilient over the last few months. Tenants at this level are not only choosing Dubai, they are prepared to pay significantly more to live here, and that sends a clear signal about the sustained confidence in this market.”

The value of new contracts above AED1 million on Palm Jumeirah reached AED113 million between January and May, up 14% from AED99 million in 2025, while renewed contracts rose 15% to AED37 million from AED32 million.

The strongest growth in new contract values was recorded at Dubai Hills Estate, where annualised rental value rose 37% to AED87 million from AED63 million.

The highest volume of new rental contracts above AED1 million was 36 at Palm Jumeirah, ahead of Dubai Hills Estate at 35 and District One Mohammed Bin Rashid City at 22. Palm Jumeirah also led with 16 renewed rental contracts above AED1 million.

In each case, the majority of rental contracts above AED1 million were new agreements – 69% at Palm Jumeirah, 85% at Dubai Hills Estate and 63% at District One MBR City.

June 15: World Food Safety Day, marked each year by the United Nations along with WHO and FAO, is about one simple truth: safe food practices start at home. The day reminds us that food safety is everyone’s responsibility, from farmers and producers to families in their kitchens. For urban households, managing kitchens efficiently while reducing food waste has become increasingly important as people look for healthier, more sustainable ways of living.

Fresh produce and proteins often spoil quickly during humid months, leading to unnecessary wastage. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) cautions that bacteria such as Salmonella, and Campylobacter multiply rapidly between 4°C and 60°C the “Danger Zone” doubling in as little as 20 minutes. To counter this, many families are turning to frozen and Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) foods, which let them cook only what they need while keeping nutrition, taste, and quality intact for longer.

Food safety isn’t just about storage it’s also about knowing where food comes from and how it’s handled. The farm-to-fork approach builds transparency and trust, giving consumers confidence in the meals they prepare.

Equally important is learning to read food labels. Terms like “BBE” (Best Before End), “IQF” (Individually Quick Frozen), “HPP” (High Pressure Processing), and “FD” (Freeze Dried) help consumers make smarter choices about freshness, shelf life, and storage.

Anushree Dewen, Head of Marketing & Innovation at Godrej Foods, said: “At Godrej Foods, we believe food safety is not just a standard it’s a promise. From sourcing to packaging, we are embedding safety practices at every step. More people today are choosing frozen foods because they want convenience without compromising on hygiene or nutrition. By offering options that help reduce waste and keep meals wholesome, we’re supporting safer and smarter kitchen habits for urban homes.”