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Women Breaking Barriers in the Payments Industry: A New Frontier of Innovation and Leadership in 2025

Category: Global Events

Women Breaking Barriers in the Payments Industry
Mohab Global Events, Social Commerce 0

Women Breaking Barriers in the Payments Industry

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, it is important to reflect on the achievements of women in the payments industry while also acknowledging the work that remains to be done. Women in the MENA region are breaking barriers, shattering glass ceilings, and reshaping the payments landscape, creating a more inclusive and diverse future for all.

With the continued support of initiatives that promote female entrepreneurship, mentorship, and leadership development, women in the MENA region will continue to make strides in the payments industry, leading the charge towards innovation, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment. The future is bright, and it is powered by women. Let’s see how.

A New Wave of Female Leaders in Payments

For years, the payment sector has been predominantly male-dominated, with leadership roles and innovation largely attributed to men. However, the past decade has witnessed a dramatic shift as women entrepreneurs across the Levant and GCC region are emerging as pivotal players in the fintech space. These women are not just participating—they are leading, innovating, and pioneering change in ways that are reshaping the payment ecosystem.

In 2025-2026, more women are establishing themselves as founders, investors, CEOs, and tech experts, playing key roles in the development of new digital payment solutions. Whether it’s through launching fintech startups, AI, and digital wallets, women in the region are revolutionizing how payments are made, ensuring that these innovations are more secure, efficient, and inclusive.

Innovation in Payment Solutions: Women Leading the Charge

One of the most notable aspects of women’s increasing role in the payments sector is their focus on user-centric innovation. Women-led startups and established companies are introducing solutions that prioritize the user experience, making digital payments accessible to people of all backgrounds. From creating seamless and secure payment gateways to launching social commerce platforms that connect sellers with buyers on platforms like Instagram shopping, Facebook and Pinterest women entrepreneurs are paving the way for a more connected and globalized economy.

PayTabs, a prominent name in the payment gateway industry, is empowering women entrepreneurs by providing end-to-end solutions that allow businesses to accept payments in multiple currencies, giving them access to global markets. The ability to do this through a single API is a game-changer for women, particularly those running micro-businesses or home-based enterprises.

Championing Female Entrepreneurs: PayTabs’ Role in Building an Inclusive Future

PayTabs has been a long-time advocate for women’s empowerment in the fintech space, actively working to bridge the gender gap that has historically existed in this sector. With its acquisition of Paymes, the largest social commerce platform in Turkey, PayTabs has opened new doors for female entrepreneurs across the Levant and GCC region. The platform allows women to create their own customized online stores, enabling them to sell products directly to consumers on social media platforms.

This integration is particularly beneficial for women in the Levant and North Africa, many of whom operate micro-businesses that rely on social commerce. These women now have the tools to grow their businesses, reach global audiences, and receive instant payments, all without the need for expensive infrastructure or technical know-how.

PayTabs’ commitment to supporting female entrepreneurs is also reflected in its workforce, where a significant number of women hold leadership roles in technology, operations, and sales. This inclusive work environment is part of PayTabs’ broader goal to create a positive social impact by empowering women to lead and drive change.

A Transformative Impact on Gender Equality and Economic Growth

The rise of women in the payments sector goes hand-in-hand with a broader shift towards gender equality in the Levant and GCC region. Over the past few years, the gender gap in entrepreneurship has steadily narrowed. For example, in the UAE, women now make up 44% of the workforce, and 7.6% of all entrepreneurs in the country are women, as compared to 11.8% of men founders of businesses. This is a significant increase from previous years.

Looking Ahead: A Future of Empowerment and Innovation

This International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the trailblazing women in the payments industry in the MENA region. Their leadership, innovation, and resilience are transforming the financial landscape and paving the way for future generations of female entrepreneurs. Through collaboration, empowerment, and access to technology, women in the payments sector are shaping a future where there are no limits to what they can achieve.

At PayTabs, we remain committed to supporting women in their entrepreneurial journeys, providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed and continue contributing to the global economy. Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive payments ecosystem—one led by women who are shaping the future of fintech.

3 days ago
A fresh take on Ramadan Shopping
Mohab Ecommerce, Global Events 0

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, the Middle East and Levant braces itself for another season of spiritual reflection, fasting, and acts of charity. It’s also a time when shopping activity peaks, with people purchasing everything from clothing and home decor to groceries and gift baskets. For merchants, this surge in demand presents both an opportunity and a challenge. To capitalize on this, ensuring a smooth and seamless shopping experience for customers is essential to building trust, strengthening your brand, and encouraging repeat business. A crucial element of this experience is the checkout process, and that’s where having the right payment solution becomes vital. PayTabs provides just the right tool for this problem!

By integrating PayTabs into your online store or mobile app, you can provide your customers with various payment methods and currencies, enabling you to reach markets across the GCC and beyond. PayTabs’ advanced payment orchestration system ensures smooth transactions even during high volumes, enhancing payment acceptance rates and overall customer satisfaction. Let’s dive deeper into the common challenges merchants face during Ramadan and how payment gateways like PayTabs can alleviate these issues.

A fresh take on Ramadan Shopping

Common Challenges During Ramadan:

As consumer demand surges during the holy month, retailers face challenges with:

  1. Increased Traffic and Risk of Cart Abandonment:

During Ramadan, both online and offline stores experience a surge in shopping activity, especially during peak hours like after Iftar. For online retailers, high website traffic can lead to slow loading times or even crashes, causing potential customers to abandon their carts. In physical stores, long queues and crowded aisles can lead to frustrated customers who might decide to leave without making a purchase.

  1. Limited Payment Options:

Consumers today expect flexibility in payment methods. Retailers who offer only traditional payment options (like cash or cards) may lose customers. A lack of diverse payment methods can create friction in the shopping experience, particularly when dealing with international customers who might prefer different payment types.

  1. Delayed Fund Transfers and Payment Processing:

During Ramadan, banks may operate on limited hours or close during certain days, causing delays in fund transfers or payment processing for retailers. This can lead to cash flow issues, especially for merchants relying on fast payments to replenish stock and fulfill orders on time.

  1. Inefficient Inventory Management:

The demand for goods such as clothes, groceries, and electronics spikes during Ramadan. Retailers often struggle to keep up with inventory management due to the high volume of orders, especially if they do not have an integrated system for online and offline sales. This can result in stockouts or delays in fulfilling orders, negatively impacting customer satisfaction.

  1. Time-Sensitive Deliveries and Logistics:

With many shoppers purchasing gifts or items to be used for Ramadan meals or events, the timely delivery of goods becomes critical. Retailers face logistical challenges in meeting delivery deadlines during this busy period. For online retailers, ensuring on-time shipping becomes even more complex with increased demand, which can lead to dissatisfied customers if products arrive late, especially for Ramadan-specific events like Eid celebrations.

So, how can payment gateways reshape the Ramadan shopping experience for businesses in general?

Ecommerce: High Traffic and Demand:

Payment gateways like PayTabs can handle high volumes of transactions seamlessly, ensuring merchants don’t face disruptions during peak shopping times, especially during Ramadan evenings. Whether a merchant operates in retail, food services, or booking industries, payment gateways like PayTabs ensure smooth payment processing, even during rush hours when customer demand surges. By reducing cart abandonment and processing payments securely and quickly, these gateways help businesses scale up operations without worrying about technical hiccups, leading to increased customer satisfaction.

  1. Retail: Providing Diverse Payment Options and Multi-Currency Support:

During Ramadan, customers tend to make purchases at different times of day and from various locations, including international buyers. Payment gateways like PayTabs can transform the experience by offering multiple payment methods—credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and even Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) options—catering to diverse customer preferences. Additionally, with support for multiple currencies, merchants can serve both local and international customers effortlessly. This flexibility ensures customers can shop without any payment barriers, enhancing their overall experience and boosting sales for the merchant. PayTabs can also alleviate another pain point for the merchant by integrating with inventory management systems, helping retailers keep track of orders and stock in real-time, reducing the risk of stockouts and improving order fulfillment efficiency.

  1. Streamlining Donations and Charitable Giving:

Charitable giving is central to Ramadan, and if you’re overseeing an Islamic center, mosque, or charitable trust, making it easy for people to donate—no matter their location—is key. With PayTabs, you can offer flexible payment options and track donations seamlessly through Flexible Payment Methods | PayTabs Payments. Plus, with support for multiple currencies, you’ll be able to accept contributions from across the globe. This digital capability ensures that more people can contribute during Ramadan, thus fostering a broader sense of community and philanthropy while increasing operational efficiency for these organizations.

  1. Food: Delayed Fund Transfers and Payment Processing

If you operate a restaurant, home delivery service, or grocery store, you’ll likely see a surge in demand during Ramadan. With Iftar and Suhoor meals being key highlights of the month, it’s crucial to have the best digital payment solutions to ensure you don’t miss a single customer. PayTabs, for example, can streamline the checkout process, reducing errors during peak times. You can also send invoices with PayLinks | Simplify Payments , allowing customers to pay conveniently via their mobile devices.

Payment gateways enable real-time payment processing, reducing delays in receiving funds. This ensures that businesses can manage cash flow efficiently, even with banks operating on limited hours during Ramadan.

  1. Transportation: Time-Sensitive Deliveries and Logistics

Payment gateways like PayTabs facilitate faster payment processing, enabling quicker order confirmations and better coordination with logistics partners to ensure timely deliveries during the high-demand Ramadan period.

Wishing you a prosperous Ramadan

Gear up for Ramadan 2025 by choosing PayTabs as your payment gateway provider. With easy onboarding and budget-friendly fees, you can start effortlessly. Offer your customers a seamless shopping experience that brings happiness and convenience across the Middle East and beyond.

1 week ago
Celebrate Saudi Founding Day with PayTabs
Mohab Ecommerce, Global Events 0

Saudi Founding Day is a time to honor the rich history, culture, and achievements of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As the nation celebrates its legacy, PayTabs is proud to support the vision of a thriving digital economy by empowering entrepreneurs like you to grow. This Founding Day, we’re offering an exclusive opportunity for aspiring ecommerce businesses in Saudi Arabia to take their first step toward success—with no monthly fees for 3 months!

Why Start Your Ecommerce Business This Saudi Founding Day?

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming a hub for digital innovation and entrepreneurship. With a growing number of consumers shifting to online shopping, there’s never been a better time to launch your ecommerce business. Whether you’re selling handmade crafts, fashion, electronics, or services, PayTabs  payments will help your business succeed.

Our limited-time offer is designed to give you a head start by removing one of the biggest barriers to entry—monthly fees. From 20 February 2025, to 2 March 2025, customers from Saudi Arabia who sign up for a Payment Gateway solution from PayTabs  can enjoy no monthly fees for the first 3 months.

What’s in the Offer?

Here’s how PayTabs can help you grow your ecommerce business:

  1. Start Your Ecommerce Business with No Monthly Fees
    Launch your online store without worrying about monthly costs. Focus on building your brand while we handle the payment processing.
  2. Grow Your Business with Our Ecommerce Payment Gateway Solutions
    Our secure and seamless payment solutions are designed to help you accept payments from customers worldwide, ensuring a smooth shopping experience. At PayTabs, we understand the unique needs of businesses in Saudi Arabia. That’s why we offer a wide range of payment methods tailored to your customers’ preferences. Whether your customers prefer paying with:
  • Credit and Debit Cards (mada cards, Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
  • Digital Wallets (Apple Pay, UR pay and more.)
  • Split Payment options (Tabby, Tamara)

We’ve got you covered. By offering these flexible payment options, you can cater to a broader audience and increase your sales.

3.Seamless Integrations to Simplify Your Business

Starting an ecommerce business can feel overwhelming, but PayTabs makes it easy. We offer plug-and-play integrations with popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and more. Whether you’re building your store from scratch or migrating an existing one, our tools ensure a smooth setup process.

Key Details of the Offer

  • Eligibility: This offer is only applicable for new Payment Gateway merchant sign-ups from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Offer Period: 20 February 2025, to 2 March 2025.
  • Fee Waiver: Monthly fees will be waived for 3 months for successful sign-ups during the offer period.
  • Terms and Conditions: All PayTabs terms and conditions apply. This offer does not include other fees payable to PayTabs.

How to Get Started

  1. Visit PayTabs and sign up for a new Payment Gateway account.
  2. Complete the registration process and start building your ecommerce store.
  3. Enjoy no monthly fees for the first 3 months and watch your business grow!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this exclusive offer, feel free to reach out to our team at [email protected].

Celebrate Saudi Founding Day with PayTabs

This Saudi Founding Day, take the leap and turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality. With PayTabs’ payment gateway solutions and our limited-time offer, you can start, grow, and scale your ecommerce business with confidence.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to celebrate the Kingdom’s legacy by building your own success story. Sign up today and enjoy no monthly fees for 3 months!

Ready to start your ecommerce journey? Sign up with PayTabs today and take advantage of our exclusive Saudi Founding Day offer.

2 weeks ago
Future of eCommerce
Mohab Global Events, Growth Hacks 0

The eCommerce landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, especially in regions like the GCC and Levant, where digital transformation is reshaping how consumers shop and businesses operate. As we celebrate Innovation Day, it’s the perfect time to explore the cutting-edge technologies and trends that are revolutionizing the shopping experience. Here are 5 game-changing innovations that are setting the stage for the future of eCommerce:

Future of eCommerce

  1. AI-Powered Personalization

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept— it’s here, and it’s transforming how businesses interact with customers. In the GCC and Levant, where consumers value personalized experiences, AI is being used to analyze customer behavior, predict preferences, and offer tailored product recommendations. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also boosts conversion rates for businesses.

  1. Seamless Payment Solutions

The rise of flexible and secure payment options is a game-changer for eCommerce in the region. Platforms like PayTabs are leading the way by offering seamless payment solutions that cater to the diverse needs of consumers in the GCC and Levant. From one-click payments to installment plans, these innovations are making transactions faster, safer, and more convenient.

  1. Augmented Reality (AR) Shopping

Imagine trying on clothes or testing furniture in your living room without leaving your home. Augmented Reality (AR) is making this possible, and it’s gaining traction in the GCC and Levant. By allowing customers to visualize products in real-time, AR is reducing return rates and increasing customer confidence in online purchases.

  1. Voice Commerce

With the growing popularity of smart speakers and voice assistants, voice commerce is becoming a key trend in the region. Consumers in the GCC and Levant are increasingly using voice commands to search for products, place orders, and track deliveries. This hands-free shopping experience is not only convenient but also accessible, making it a favorite among tech-savvy shoppers.

  1. Sustainable eCommerce Practices

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword—it’s a necessity. In the GCC and Levant, consumers are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact. Businesses are responding by adopting eco-friendly practices, such as using biodegradable packaging, offering carbon-neutral shipping, and promoting sustainable products. This shift is not only good for the planet but also resonates with the values of modern shoppers.

The future of eCommerce in the GCC and Levant is bright, driven by innovations that prioritize convenience, personalization, and sustainability. As businesses embrace these trends, they are not only enhancing the shopping experience but also staying ahead in a competitive market.

Ready to take your eCommerce business to the next level? Explore how PayTabs can help you integrate these innovations and elevate your customer experience.

3 weeks ago
Lunar New Year Impact on UAE E-Commerce & Payments: Trends, Growth, and Opportunities
Mohab Ecommerce, Global Events 0

As the UAE gears up for Lunar New Year celebrations, the event signifies more than cultural festivities—it’s a powerful driver of e-commerce, retail, and digital payments in the region. With China and the UAE targeting $200 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, the significance of such celebrations transcends tradition, reinforcing economic and cultural bonds.

A Time of Joy and Commerce

This year’s Lunar New Year UAE e-commerce trends showcase the growing vitality of the UAE-China relationship. From dazzling performances to parades of new energy vehicles, the “Happy Chinese New Year” festivities highlight a shared commitment to cultural exchange. With 2023 marking the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the UAE, the deep ties between the two nations continue to flourish.

In Dubai, Lunar New Year shopping promotions offer discounts of up to 90% across major malls, enticing residents and tourists alike. Family-friendly events, cultural concerts, and raffles with incredible prizes—ranging from luxury cars like the BMW 8 Series to high-end watches—make this season truly unforgettable. Such activities not only foster cultural exchange but also create a thriving retail environment that directly benefits e-commerce platforms and payment service providers.

Image credits: The National, UAE

Lunar New Year Impact on UAE E-Commerce & Payments: Trends, Growth, and Opportunities

E-Commerce: Empowering the Festive Rush

The Lunar New Year season typically witnesses a surge in consumer spending, particularly on gifts, dining, and travel. Merchants leverage the celebrations to launch exclusive deals, aligning with festive payment solutions UAE trends while ensuring seamless transactions for both local and cross-border shoppers. Payment platforms offering quick links, secure gateways, and multiple currency options empower businesses to maximize their share of this seasonal economic boom.

Additionally, the trend of shifting towards online shopping habits continues to grow during such events, driven by the UAE’s tech-savvy population and the convenience of digital payment solutions. Merchants who integrate advanced payment options like Union Pay, Apple Pay, and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) gain a significant edge in capturing consumer interest.

 A Catalyst for Tourism and Retail

Chinese tourism growth in UAE has seen remarkable progress, showcasing the vigor of cultural exchanges between the two nations. Visitors from Beijing, Shanghai, and Shandong contribute to the local economy by exploring Dubai’s iconic attractions and indulging in the festive spirit. Emirati travellers, in turn, are encouraged to visit China, fostering mutual tourism growth.

Dubai’s Global Village, China Town, Dubai Mall, Dragon Mart, and Jumeirah Burj Al Arab have curated exclusive Lunar New Year experiences, offering something for everyone—from cultural performances to culinary delights. Hotels and restaurants across the UAE are also joining the celebrations, with limited-time stay packages and dining offers adding to the festive appeal.

 The Role of Digital Payments in Seasonal Success

For merchants, the ability to handle high transaction volumes during festive periods is critical. Digital payment solutions empower businesses with secure, scalable, and localized payment methods, ensuring a smooth shopping experience. The integration of digital wallets, QR codes, and real-time payment options makes it easier for consumers to shop online, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty.

The growing trend of offering cashless raffle entries, mobile app-exclusive deals, and contactless payments aligns perfectly with the UAE’s push towards a cashless economy. By enabling seamless payments, merchants can not only cater to existing customers but also attract new ones during the high-demand season and elevate their online sales.

 Looking Ahead

The Lunar New Year is more than a celebration; it’s a powerful economic driver that strengthens the UAE’s retail, tourism, and e-commerce sectors. It reinforces the country’s position as a global hub for cultural and economic exchange while showcasing the importance of advanced payment solutions in today’s digital-first world.

As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, let’s recognize its broader impact: fostering cultural connections, driving economic growth, and creating endless opportunities for businesses in the UAE. From festive payment gateway trends Dubai to cross-border shopping trends UAE, this season is a testament to the UAE’s dynamic and inclusive economy.

1 month ago