NEWS
F5 Networks survey highlights
demand for Saudi ICT skills
set to intensify
stc pay
partners
with Visa to
launch digital
payment
solutions
Saudi Arabia-based stc pay, a digital wallet
and subsidiary of stc Telecom Company,
and digital payments firm Visa, have signed
a strategic partnership to launch customercentric
financial services and digital payment
solutions to stc pay customers.
The new agreement, Visa’s first fintech
collaboration in Saudi Arabia, further builds
on stc pay and Visa’s alliance from 2018,
and will involve issuance of Visa payment
credentials to millions of stc pay customers
enabling them to use their stc pay digital
wallet for contactless, scan-to-pay (QRbased)
and e-commerce transactions, and
international remittances using the stc pay
digital wallet.
The race to secure Saudi Arabian
digital talent will intensify in the
coming years, according to ICT and HR
professionals in the Kingdom.
A study commissioned by F5 Networks
and conducted by Think Positive indicates
that organisations are still struggling to
find talent integral to Saudi Vision 2030’s
Digital Transformation agenda.
More than half (58%) of surveyed
ICT and HR professionals across the
country believe recruiting general ICT
staff is a challenge, albeit one that
can be addressed with measures like
enhanced internal training and structured
development programmes.
For 77% of respondents, the availability
of local professionals was a pressing
challenge, while 95% cited a shortage of
female candidates as a key issue to address.
According to Think Positive, the Saudi
ICT skills gap widens the more advanced
technology gets. 86% of respondents
agree it is difficult to locate cloud
computing experts and 82% said the
same for cybersecurity.
Talent deficits also exist for increasingly
influential specialisms such as Security
Operations (an issue for 91%), Network
Operations (77%) and Development
Operations (74%).
“There will be enormous competition
for specialist talent as the Vision 2030
momentum picks up pace,” said Mamduh
Allam, Regional Director for Saudi Arabia
and North Africa, F5 Networks.
Ahmed Alenazi, CEO at stc pay, said: “This
global partnership agreement with Visa is
significant for stc pay, especially following
the granting of our e-money licence.”
Alenazi explained that partnership helps
the company to move steadily towards
its ambition of offering new, secure and
frictionless financial services and payment
solutions to merchants and consumers in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond.
“We are excited to be working with Visa to
drive this shared goal of offering innovative
solutions to resolve unmet gaps in financial
services and digital payments,” he added.
www.intelligentcio.com
INTELLIGENTCIO
11