TikTok, the short-form video application, rolled out the Arabic version of its TikTok For Business platform in the Middle East and North Africa region, the company said on Monday.
Owned by Beijing-based technology firm ByteDance, TikTok’s self-serve ads platform aims to provide regional small and medium businesses a “localised experience”. Its latest move will offer SMBs the tools needed to ensure they engage and grow their customer base with Arabic content, the company added.
“At TikTok, creativity has no limits and we go above and beyond to make sure that our business partners have all the right tools to unleash their spontaneity and authenticity … ,” said Shant Oknayan, TikTok’s general manager of global business solutions in Menat.
The video platform, which has over 50,000 registered businesses in the region, said it is seeing growing demand for Arabic content.
Overall, nearly 80 per cent of TikTok’s campaigns run in the Mena region are in Arabic. This is due to most businesses in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt choosing to operate and communicate with their target audience in Arabic, TikTok said.
Visual platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Snap are popular in the Middle East, largely driven by millenials that consume hours of video content on these platforms.
Saudi Arabia is the biggest user of YouTube per capita globally, its parent company Google said in a report last year. Nearly 68 per cent users consume more video digitally in the UAE and Saudi Arabia than they do on TV, it added.
The coronavirus outbreak further fuelled the growth of these platforms as movement restrictions limited people around the world to stay at home.
TikTok conversations in the Mena region increased 148 per cent monthly in April, according to social insights firm Talkwalker. Meanwhile, the time spent on Snapchat's video and voice calling grew by more than 50 per cent monthly in March this year.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious peace prize, held its final meeting on Monday, the Nobel Institute said Thursday, a day ahead of the announcement of the 2025 laureate.
This means a decision was made about the laureate or laureates before the conclusion of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, which included a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
President Donald Trump pushed for the ceasefire as part of a 20-point plan to resolve the Gaza war.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5