Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 35 | Page 7

NEWS FinTech Hive welcomes 22 innovative start-ups for accelerator programme of which 22 finalists were selected. The accelerator programme consists of a 12-week curriculum in which a group of selected finalists work closely with financial institutions and other stakeholders to create innovative and forward-looking solutions that aim to address the evolving needs of the region’s financial services industry. Raja Al Mazrouei, Executive Vice President of FinTech Hive at Dubai Finance Centre, said: “The extraordinary quality and overwhelming quantity of proposals we received this year is testament to the growing interest in FinTech Hive and the industry’s trust in its collaborative platform. F “As the region’s FinTech industry continues to provide unique solutions that address the evolving needs, we are committed to providing the FinTech space with invaluable access to, and feedback from, an international network of strategic partners and well- established financial institutions looking for innovative solutions to their everyday challenges.” The second edition received an overwhelming response of over 300 applications that were created from all around the world, Finalists from the UAE include: Game Change Solutions, iWealth, Money Mall, ebooc, Amani Technologies, Addenda, BetterTradeOff FinTech Solutions, Turnkey IS Technologies and Virtual i Technologies. inTech Hive, the financial technology accelerator for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, has announced the commencement of the 2018 edition of its accelerator programme, in partnership with Accenture. ///////////////// UAE leads the ICT Global Competitiveness Index T he UAE has achieved a new accomplishment in ICT global competitiveness by achieving advanced ranks in the Global Competitiveness Index, according to the results published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The results showed that the UAE is ranked first globally in the rate of mobile-broadband subscriptions, in addition to ranking first in the rate of the population covered by a mobile-cellular network, as well as the population covered by at least a 3G mobile network. The UAE also ranked second globally in Mobile-cellular subscriptions. The UAE maintained its advanced positions in other indicators, ranking forth globally in the proportion of households with a computer, seventh globally in the proportion of households with Internet access at home, and eighth in terms of internet users. www.intelligentcio.com HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Director General, said: “In the UAE, we deserve to achieve successive accomplishments and we are on the right track to achieve the deserved leading position of our country. On this occasion, I have the privilege to congratulate all ICT sector workers, including my colleagues in TRA, and the private sector who have proved in recent years that they are an excellent and dedicated team serving the highest goals of our beloved country in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership.” INTELLIGENTCIO 7