Connect with us
Anglostratits

Events

Global Tech Economy Ushers in GITEX Ai Serbia as Southeast Europe Outruns the World in Tech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ambition

Published

9 months ago

on

GITEX

By fusing technological progress with cultural expression, Serbia’s digital evolution exemplifies how innovation can harmonise with humanity – a vision that GITEX Ai Serbia is poised to amplify

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, October 14, 2025/APO Group/ —

  • GITEX Ai SERBIA to debut at Belgrade Fair from 26-27 May 2027 – organised by DWTC and KAOUN International in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia
  • The inaugural GITEX show in Southeast Europe runs during EXPO 2027 Belgrade – Serbia’s first-ever edition of the world specialised exposition
  • New event aims to broaden cooperation, boost competitiveness, inspire investment, drive innovation, and open access to Southeast European markets for global digital economy stakeholders

As Southeast European nations pursue ambitious digitalisation frameworks, inspired by emerging technologies’ vast transformative potential, a new dawn beckons for this dynamic corridor linking European, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets. In a landmark occasion with far-reaching digital transformation implications for Southeast European states, it was announced on Monday that GITEX (www.GITEX.com) – the world’s largest tech and AI network of events – is officially entering the region.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and KAOUN International, in strategic partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, GITEX Ai SERBIA (https://apo-opa.co/477EyAU) debuts at the Belgrade Fair exhibition complex from 26-27 May 2027. Launching as the official tech event of EXPO 2027 Belgrade, GITEX Ai Serbia aims to propel the Southeast Europe as a formidable nexus where emerging regional digital economies seamlessly connect with global frontiers of innovation, technology, and investment.

Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, said: “Staging GITEX Ai Serbia during EXPO 2027 marks an unprecedented opportunity to showcase our nation’s digital transformation journey on the world stage, uniting regional innovation with a global community of investors, partners, and visionaries. Coupled with the Expo and number of visitors we expect for both events, we hope to achieve dramatically better positioning of our country in business and economic circles. We aim to impress future investors with the capacity of our education system and to present Serbia as a country that offers significant technological opportunities.”

Echoing these sentiments, Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of DWTC & CEO of KAOUN International and global organiser of GITEX, added: “GITEX Ai Serbia embodies our vision to champion bold, future-shaping innovation on every continent and forge cross-border collaboration, which is especially imperative in the decade of AI. The strategic hosting of the inaugural GITEX during Serbia’s EXPO 2027 Belgrade is a genius manoeuvre to exert the soft power of AI and tech, rally inter-country cooperation, and openly co-create a new world paradigm. By connecting this vibrant region with the world’s most influential tech leaders, we shall inspire collaborations that yield new opportunities for investment, talent development, and transformative growth across borders and increasingly tech-critical sectors.”

Supporting Serbia’s ICT Exports & AI Development Mandate

Serbia has emerged as a digitalisation frontrunner in Southeast Europe, affirming its transformation leadership through a thriving ICT sector, advanced e-government services, dynamic tech ecosystems, and national AI strategy. Accounting for 10% of national GDP [1], Serbia’s ICT industry generated record exports of US$4.31 billion [2] in 2024 – a tenfold rise in 12 years – and now employs around 110,000 professionals, a figure expected to reach 140,000 by 2027, when the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications targets US$11.7 billion (EUR 10 billion) in ICT exports.

Additionally, the Serbian Government last year announced a US$82.1 million (EUR 70 million) [3] AI development investment plan through 2027 – aligning with its vision to strengthen leadership across AI, agritech, sustainability, and the circular economy. This followed Serbia establishing the first AI Research Institute in Southeast Europe, consolidating its position as regional benchmark for innovation and R&D – a position GITEX Ai Serbia will further elevate alongside that of the region.

Aligning with EXPO 2027 Belgrade’s theme, “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All,” the nation’s innovation drive reflects the creativity, unity, and human connection destined to define the upcoming showcase. By fusing technological progress with cultural expression, Serbia’s digital evolution exemplifies how innovation can harmonise with humanity – a vision that GITEX Ai Serbia is poised to amplify.

Southeast Europe: Building Momentum as a Thriving Digital Hub

We aim to impress future investors with the capacity of our education system and to present Serbia as a country that offers significant technological opportunities

Southeast Europe is undergoing a remarkable digital transformation, driven by robust government reform agendas, rising ICT investments, and private sector innovation. Digital public services, e-governance, and fintech adoption are expanding rapidly with emerging tech industries primed for immense growth. The regional data centre market is set to grow by nearly 50% in the coming years (JLL), underscoring the region’s accelerating digital infrastructure development and its emergence as a pivotal technology corridor connecting Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Forging Bold Collaborations, Inspiring Transformative Growth

GITEX continues to offer unparalleled access to new markets, capital, talent, partnerships, and opportunities – reinforced by its rapid international expansion. In just three years, GITEX has built the world’s largest network of global tech events, staging editions across 14 cities and countries.

Leveraging its global public–private network of digital economy stakeholders, GITEX Ai Serbia will convene tech enterprises, thought leaders, policymakers, SMEs, startups, and venture capitalists from around the world in the Serbian capital. Its programme will prioritise broadening cooperation, boosting competitiveness, inspiring foreign direct investment, and opening access to national industry sectors and Southeast European markets – inspiring the co-creation of an inclusive digital future driven by innovation and opportunity.

The GITEX Ai Serbia announcement was made on Monday during the opening day of GITEX GLOBAL 2025 – the world’s largest tech, AI, and startup show – where the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, as the Future Digital Economy Partner, unveiled a pavilion featuring 24 exhibitors.

Showcasing the country’s fastest-rising entrepreneurs and most disruptive startups, exhibitors are demonstrating how Serbian innovation is shaping the future of AI – presenting applications across diverse fields including energy, healthcare, and social media.

For more information on GITEX Ai Serbia, please visit www.GITEXSerbia.com.

 

[1] Serbia – ICT and AI for a prosperous future – Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (http://apo-opa.co/477i8jd)

[2] Serbia’s revenue from ICT exports reaches record-high 4 bln euro in 2024 | Serbia Company News | SeeNews (http://apo-opa.co/474qA2F)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Global.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Events

Embracing an Intelligent Future: UnionPay Showcases AI Innovation at WAIC 2026

Published

15 hours ago

on

July 20, 2026

By

WAIC

Release of Phased Achievements of the National Pilot Base for AI Application (Financial Sector) Held Alongside the Conference

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 July 2026 – On 17 July, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) officially opened in Shanghai. UnionPay unveiled three proprietary AI technologies developed for the financial sector at the Shanghai exhibition area: financial transaction time-series foundation model, the Agentic Payment Open Protocol (APOP) framework, and a privacy-preserving large language model inference solution. As the AI era unfolds, the showcase highlights UnionPay’s continued commitment to accelerating the adoption of digital and intelligent technologies.

On 18 July, UnionPay hosted the Release of Phased Achievements of the National Pilot Base for AI Application (Financial Sector) at the UnionPay Center alongside WAIC 2026. The event brought together more than 100 representatives from commercial banks, Chinese and international partners, leading technology companies, academia, and research institutions. During the event, UnionPay released its “1+6+N” AI achievements framework, announced a series of industry partnerships, and launched a joint initiative calling for greater collaboration on the development and governance of the financial industry. These achievements demonstrate the progress of the National AI Application Pilot Base in building an open innovation platform that accelerates AI adoption across the industry.

Dong Junfeng, Chairman of China UnionPay and UnionPay International, attended the event and delivered a keynote speech. He noted that AI is rapidly reshaping the financial industry. Since the National AI Application Pilot Base was launched in 2025, it has delivered a number of meaningful outcomes through close collaboration across the industry. Mr. Dong elaborated on the vision for the development of the base from through three dimensions: sharing, collaborative governance, and mutual benefits. First, by pooling computing resources, data and models on a centralized public platform, the base helps address industry challenges such as the high cost of computing resources and data silos. This lowers barriers to AI adoption across the financial sector. Second, the base has strengthened AI security by building robust safeguards for large language models and applying AI to enhance transaction risk management and cybersecurity. Such efforts are made to support a safer and more resilient financial ecosystem. Third, the base is accelerating the AI adoption across real-world use cases. It has incubated a range of commercial AI solutions spanning agentic payments, credit risk management, consumption promotion and merchant digital transformation, turning technological innovation into tangible business value. Looking ahead, the future of AI + Finance holds enormous potential. UnionPay looks forward to working with partners across industries to build an open, shared, and well-governed financial AI ecosystem that supports the development of new productive forces through technological innovation.

A highlight of the event was the official launch of UnionPay’s “1+6+N” AI achievements framework.

The “1” represents a unified portal—the National AI Application Pilot Base. Built on a “One Portal, Six Centers” structure, it integrates six specialized centers covering models, datasets, applications, talent development, supply-demand matching, and financial services. Together, the platform currently hosts 11 models, 14 datasets, 59 demonstration applications, and 61 service offerings, bringing together 145 core resources in total.

The “6” refers to six independent and controllable capabilities, including computing resources scheduling through a trusted intelligent computing sharing platform, high-quality financial datasets, finance-specific foundation models, AI-powered financial security services, financial AI standards, and a pilot testing sandbox that supports model training and evaluation. Together, these six capabilities form the base’s shared technology foundation, providing ecosystem partners with the core technical infrastructure.

The “N” represents a portfolio of benchmark use cases, standardized AI solutions, and demonstration applications built on this technology foundation. These applications span five key areas—intelligent payments, inclusive finance, consumption growth, risk management and compliance, and operational excellence—building a multi-tier product portfolio serving consumers, merchants, local governments and financial institutions. This accelerates the application of AI capabilities across diverse use cases.

Together, the “1+6+N” framework of the base connects computing power, data, models, and use cases and forms an end-to-end value chain. By addressing common industry challenges—including limited computing resources, data silos and the high cost of AI deployment—it delivers standardized and widely accessible AI capabilities, providing the financial industry with reusable, highly secure and one-stop AI solutions for intelligent transformation. This also reflects UnionPay’s commitment not only to driving its own business growth, but also to enabling the industry through foundational capabilities and reinforcing financial infrastructure for the AI era.

These achievements have already been made available to industry partners and are beginning to create value. For banks, acquirers and other financial institutions, UnionPay’s shared infrastructure enables rapid access to mature financial AI capabilities without the need to build systems from scratch, significantly reducing both technical barriers and implementation costs. For merchants, UnionPay offers AI-powered marketing, digital analytics and intelligent risk management tools to support smarter operations, improve customer engagement and enhance operational efficiency, enabling even small and medium-sized businesses to benefit from AI innovation. For technology companies and other ecosystem partners, the base enables partners to rapidly adapt AI products for financial applications and complete compliance validation, accelerating the commercialization of technological innovations.

The event also featured six rounds of partnership signing ceremonies, covering areas including AI-themed card, cross-border agentic payment ecosystem development, AI-powered operational empowerment for merchants, joint commercialization of pilot base innovations, and broader ecosystem collaboration across the financial industry chain.

Following the signing ceremonies, UnionPay released the Initiative on the Collaborative Development and Governance of AI Applications in Financial Services, with representatives from participating organizations joining the stage to witness its launch. Building on the “1+6+N” framework, the initiative calls on industry stakeholders to collaborate in four areas: First, advancing trusted AI systems that serve the real economy by establishing governance mechanisms for traceable and explainable algorithms while safeguarding data privacy and security; Second, strengthening collaboration among industry, academia, research institutions and users, leveraging the base to jointly advance core technologies and develop independent and secure financial AI infrastructure; Third, promoting openness and inclusiveness by sharing mature AI models, testing services and implementation solutions to reduce the cost of intelligent transformation, particularly for SMEs; Fourth, improving lifecycle governance through tiered risk management, enhanced compliance standards and coordinated risk prevention. The initiative calls on all industry stakeholders to work together by jointly strengthening the foundation, unlocking greater value through shared capabilities, and reinforcing collaborative governance, with the goal of advancing the sound development of AI in the financial sector and driving digital finance through technological innovation.

 

Continue Reading

Energy

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Standard Bank and Africa50 Lead Finance Lineup at African Mining Week 2026

Published

4 days ago

on

July 17, 2026

By

Standard Bank

Leading development finance institutions, commercial banks and private investment firms will explore financing strategies that can unlock the continent’s estimated $29.5 trillion in mine-site mineral wealth at AMW 2026

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 17, 2026/APO Group/ –As Africa moves to unlock an estimated $29.5 trillion in mine-site mineral value, development finance institutions, commercial banks and private investment firms are expanding financial support to help transform the continent into a globally competitive mining hub.

The growing role of financiers in unlocking Africa’s mining value chain will take center stage at African Mining Week (AMW) 2026, taking place October 14–16 in Cape Town. The event will bring together leading financial institutions – including Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC), Standard Bank, Absa Bank, Trade and Development Bank (TDB), Africa50, Apeiron Investment Group and World Mining Investment – to showcase financing models supporting mining development across the continent.

AMW comes as momentum behind mining finance continues to accelerate. In July 2026, AFC, DFC and the Development Bank of Southern Africa reached financial close on the $753 million Lobito Corridor Railway Project, one of Africa’s most significant infrastructure investments supporting the mining sector. The project will rehabilitate 1,300 km of railway linking Angola’s Port of Lobito with the DRC and Zambia, creating a faster and more cost-effective export corridor for copper, cobalt and other strategic minerals.

At AMW 2026, Vibhuti Jain, Managing Director & Regional Head for Africa at DFC, is expected to discuss the institution’s growing investment portfolio and the U.S. strategy to strengthen critical mineral supply chains through Africa.

The event also comes as South Africa strengthens exploration finance through the IDC-managed Junior Exploration Fund. In June 2026, the IDC reached a new financing milestone, increasing the number of junior mining companies supported through the fund to 13. Earlier in the year, the IDC expanded the fund’s capital allocation to R600 million, advancing the country’s efforts to revive exploration, stimulate greenfield development and strengthen the participation of locally owned mining companies. Thabiso Sekano, IDC’s Head of Mining and Metals, is expected to discuss the fund’s progress alongside broader initiatives supporting the mining industry through investments in industrial infrastructure.

Infrastructure finance will also be a key focus at AMW 2026, with Simbarashe Chikarango, Head of Project and Infrastructure Finance at TDB, and Folaseto Akin-Olugbade of Africa50 expected to highlight investments aimed at addressing the energy, transport and logistics constraints that continue to limit mining productivity.

 

TDB recently partnered with several financial institutions to launch a $176 million energy investment platform that will accelerate private-sector electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. The bank is also providing a $150 million syndicated facility to Mota-Engil Africa to finance transport, mining and infrastructure projects across multiple African markets. Meanwhile, Africa50 is supporting Kenya’s $311 million electricity transmission public-private partnership, strengthening power infrastructure essential for mining and industrial development.

Commercial banks are likewise expanding their mining portfolios. Standard Bank and Absa Bank recently participated in a $130 million financing package for South African mining company Tharisa, supporting the company’s long-term growth strategy. Standard Bank also arranged a $150 million financing facility for Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation in Namibia to support mine expansion, reinforcing its commitment to financing strategic mining projects across Southern Africa.

Deerosh Maharaj, Executive Head for Energy, Infrastructure and Mining at Standard Bank, and Shirley Webber, Managing Principal and Coverage Head for Resources and Energy at Absa Bank, are expected to discuss opportunities to increase capital flows into African mining projects.

Private investment firms are also stepping up efforts to channel international capital into Africa’s mining sector. Apeiron Investment Group and World Mining Investment are expanding initiatives to connect investors with the continent’s growing pipeline of mining opportunities, as Africa seeks to secure a significant share of the estimated $500 billion in global investment required by 2040 to meet soaring demand for critical minerals, including copper, lithium, graphite, nickel and rare earth elements.

Sebastian Wagner, Head of Natural Resources at Apeiron Investment Group, and Didier Rault, CEO of World Mining Investment, are expected to showcase financing strategies designed to connect global investors with Africa’s next generation of mining projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

Continue Reading

Energy

South Sudan Reforms Target New Investment Push as African Energy Chamber (AEC) Backs Oil Sector Revival

Published

4 days ago

on

July 17, 2026

By

African Energy Chamber

A working visit to the country by the African Energy Chamber identified opportunities to promote investment as South Sudan pursues production growth and reform

JUBA, South Sudan, July 17, 2026/APO Group/ –South Sudan is taking steps to reposition itself as a strategic destination for foreign investment, with a renewed focus on attracting capital across the oil value chain. During a working visit to Juba, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org/) – which serves as the voice of the African energy sector – engaged with government officials and industry stakeholders to identify priority reforms designed to stimulate new capital flows, increase production and advance projects across both upstream and downstream segments.

The visit reflects a shared recognition that while South Sudan remains one of the continent’s most resource-rich oil frontiers, lack of investment has disrupted the country from unlocking the full potential of its hydrocarbon reserves. The government seeks to address this challenge by implementing new reforms aimed at strengthening the investment climate, ensuring clearer regulatory frameworks and incentivizing greater participation from both international and regional operators.

South Sudan possesses the resource potential to become one of Africa’s most compelling frontier investment destinations

With proven oil reserves of 3.5 billion barrels, South Sudan is both a legacy oil producer and currently the only major oil producer in East Africa. Production is largely led by the national oil company Nilepet, alongside Dar Petroleum Operating Company, Greater Nile Petroleum Company – operated by China National Petroleum Company – and Sudd Petroleum Operating Company. South Africa’s Strategic Fuel Fund also holds a 90% stake in the Block B2 concession, with plans to advance exploration while assessing opportunities for refining development.

Current production ranges between 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) and 100,000 bpd, with approximately 8.5 million to 12.2 million barrels of production estimated between August and November 2026. The government seeks to raise these numbers by attracting investment across the entire oil value chain, facilitating greater exports while addressing key national challenges such as fuel security and power generation. Oil represents the backbone of South Sudan’s economy, and the government seeks to cement this position by introducing reforms aimed at alleviating the country’s energy crisis.

To achieve this, the government has committed to reduce barriers to investment, improve project execution and create a more predictable environment for energy companies. Discussions also explored opportunities across natural gas, power generation and associated infrastructure, recognizing that diversified energy investment will be essential to supporting long-term economic development. The AEC reaffirmed its commitment to promote South Sudan on a global stage, taking the country’s energy story to a global audience.

Beyond oil and gas production, a major focus of the working visit was strengthening local content. Parties discussed strategies to increase employment opportunities for South Sudanese workers, while developing local value chains and ensuring that future projects generate broader economic benefits beyond production revenues. By increasing international visibility, the Chamber aims to position South Sudan alongside other emerging African energy markets competing for exploration and infrastructure capital.

“South Sudan possesses the resource potential to become one of Africa’s most compelling frontier investment destinations, but attracting capital requires sustained engagement with the global investment community. The Chamber will champion South Sudan’s opportunities on the international stage, connecting investors with government and industry leaders while supporting reforms that create a stable, competitive and investable energy sector capable of delivering long-term growth,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Continue Reading

Trending