stc Group increases connectivity speed in the two Holy Mosques by over 120%

Women in Saudi Arabia are increasingly stepping into the world of entrepreneurship, with 78 percent considering starting their own business, according to Mastercard’s latest research, released ahead of International Women’s Day 2025. As the country continues its economic transformation under Vision 2030, fostering an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs will further accelerate growth and innovation in the Kingdom.

As part of its commitment to advancing financial inclusion and fostering an inclusive digital economy, Mastercard has launched this report across its Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, including Saudi Arabia – an initiative designed to champion women entrepreneurs, provide key business insights, and drive tangible solutions to break down systemic barriers.

“This research highlights the entrepreneurial drive among women across Saudi Arabia, particularly younger generations. While progress has been made, key challenges remain, reinforcing the need for stronger support networks. At Mastercard, we are committed to fostering an inclusive digital economy and equipping small businesses with the tools they need to grow and thrive,” said Selin Bahadirli, executive vice president, Services, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard.

 In Saudi Arabia, a significant proportion of men and women identify as entrepreneurs (42 percent men, 34 percent women), reflecting the Kingdom’s evolving business landscape. Among those who consider themselves entrepreneurs, 44 percent of female millennials identify with this role, demonstrating strong ambition among younger generations.

 The study further reveals that Saudi women are most likely to start businesses in food and drink (30 percent), education (27 percent), and cosmetics (24 percent). Key motivators for women pursuing entrepreneurship include the belief that their ideas can change lives (33 percent), the desire for a better work-life balance (29 percent), and the ability to pursue their dreams (25 percent).

 Women-led businesses in Saudi Arabia remain optimistic about growth, with 90 percent of female entrepreneurs expecting revenue increases over the next five years. However, challenges persist, with 31 percent of women believing that launching a business is “not possible for someone like them,” highlighting a crucial confidence gap.

 Despite strong ambition, Saudi women recognize areas where additional support could accelerate their success. The study highlights that:

•Women are more than twice as likely as men (24 percent vs 11 percent) to cite lack of confidence as a barrier to starting a business.

•32 percent of women state that lack of funding is the primary challenge to starting a business.

•39 percent of female founders cite not knowing where to start with a business plan as a major obstacle, reinforcing the need for greater mentorship and resources.

Encouragingly, women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia are increasingly leveraging side hustles to gain financial independence with 47 percent of women currently have a side hustle, with freelancing (35 percent), selling products online (31 percent), and tutoring (27 percent) ranking among the most popular income streams.

 AI and digital security are also shaping the way women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia run their businesses. While 80 percent of women business owners regularly use AI, they are slightly less likely than men (86 percent) to rely on it for decision-making. Meanwhile, 27 percent of women entrepreneurs have been targeted by fraudsters, reinforcing the importance of secure digital transactions.

Global technology brand Honor recently announced the HONOR ALPHA PLAN, a new corporate strategy to transform Honor from a smartphone maker to a global leading AI device ecosystem company. The visionary three-step plan details the bold steps Honor will take to usher in the new intelligent world, and calls on the industry to co-create an open, value-sharing ecosystem that maximizes human potential, ultimately benefiting all mankind.

“It is clear that the AI revolution will reshape the paradigm of the device industry — completely transforming our productivity, our society, and even our culture more than ever before,” said James Li, CEO of Honor. “I am calling on all of us to unite together to address the challenges —  as well as the many opportunities – of AI technology. I also call on the industry to be truly open so that we can fully embrace this exciting AI future. Let’s do it together.”

The designation HONOR ALPHA PLAN is chosen for its unique symbolic meaning. Alpha, as the first letter in the Greek alphabet, symbolizes Honor’s relentless pursuit of technological excellence. Additionally, the Chinese word for humans (人) can be found where the stroke connects in the lowercase letter “α,” echoing Honor’s commitment to human-centric innovation. The East-meets-West symbolism perfectly encapsulates Honor’s global vision and ambition to create value for consumers worldwide.

The HONOR ALPHA PLAN comprises three steps: the first step begins with the development of an intelligent phone. Honor will work with partners to open technology boundaries to co-create a new paradigm for AI devices in the agentic AI era. Next, Honor will open industry boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for AI ecosystem in the physical AI era. Finally, in the AGI era, Honor will open human potential boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for civilization.

The envisioned intelligent phone that is central to the first step will embed human-centric AI that is purpose-built to maximize human potential, including the leading AI technology Honor showcased during the keynote address.

Leading AI technology for the agentic AI era

The world’s first GUI-based personal mobile AI agent developed by Honor redefines daily convenience with intelligent technology.

In a technology showcase in collaboration with Google Cloud and Qualcomm Technologies, Honor demonstrated how an AI agent can help make a table reservation through a third-party service while taking into consideration appointments saved in the Honor calendar and traffic information. Honor plans to bring agentic experiences to its devices in international markets in the near future.

Honor is transforming mobile photography with AiMAGE, the new brand for Honor’s imaging technology. AiMAGE is powered by the AI Kernel, the industry’s first solution to support device-cloud AI models. Locally, the on-device model supports a 1.3 billion parameter model to generate a 50% uplift in image clarity. The cloud counterpart benefits from a larger scale of computing resources, running a 12.4 billion parameter model to massively enhance the quality of telephoto images.

Equally important in AiMAGE is the AI ecosystem component. Through collaborating with partners, including Google Cloud, Honor will continue improving the versatility of its imaging offerings by integrating more intuitive AI features into its smartphones. The brand-new AI Upscale feature for restoring old portraits will be rolled out gradually to the Honor Magic7 series powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, starting this March.

Honor introduced the world’s first all-ecosystem file-sharing technology. With it, users can enjoy ultra-fast speeds, whether transferring files to one or many iOS and Android devices. Additionally, the brand also announced that AI Deepfake detection will soon arrive in its latest flagship bar phones and foldable phones in international markets.

Co-creating an open, value-sharing ecosystem with global partners

“As we move into the physical AI era, we need to open our industry boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for the AI ecosystem,” Li said. To reach the second step of its strategic plan, Honor calls on the industry to open up its AI capabilities for a wider range of devices, enabling seamless collaboration as Honor co-creates a value-sharing ecosystem with global partners. As testament to its commitment, Honor announced recently that it will invest more than $10 billion over the next five years to fund this endeavor.

“In the end, we will open human potential boundaries, and co-create a new paradigm for civilization in the AGI era. You will witness the co-existence between carbon-based life and silicon-based intelligence. This is why all of us need to work together to maximize human potential to embrace an intelligent world,” said Li, extending an invitation for all to join Honor to realize the third and final step of its plan.

Representatives from Google Cloud, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., CKH Group, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone joined Li on stage to officiate a tree-lighting ceremony. By illuminating a tree of light representing the AI ecosystem and AI devices, the ceremony symbolized the collaboration of industry partners to co-develop the AI device ecosystem that will serve every consumer worldwide.

“Today, Honor has presented a bold new vision for a future where AI will underpin every facet of the device user experience. We are excited to partner with Honor to integrate our technology and power the next generation of AI devices,” said Alex Katouzian, group GM, Mobile, Compute, & XR, Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“Collaboration is the fabric that weaves together the open ecosystem for AI. We’re thrilled to join hands with Honor and other industry partners to ride this disruptive wave. We are working closely to deeply integrate Google’s Gemini AI models into Honor solutions, and create new possibilities for users around the world that were never before possible, while protecting their data security and user privacy,” said Matt Waldbusser, managing director, Global Solutions and Consumer AI, Google Cloud.

To demonstrate the HONOR ALPHA PLAN’s emphasis on a consumer-centric approach, Honor pledged to provide seven years of Android OS and security updates for its Honor Magic series, starting in the EU market.

In addition, Honor committed to accelerating its sustainability initiatives to reach operational carbon neutrality by 2040, five years ahead of its initial goal. Honor also announced its plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain and products by 2050.

New product showcase

At MWC Barcelona 2025, Honor introduced multiple new products to bring more choices to consumers in international markets. With a beautiful vine-leaf curved design and lightweight body, the AI PC HONOR MagicBook Pro 14 integrates Honor Turbo X to deliver powerful performance and record-setting battery life.

Honor Pad V9 provides an enduring, AI-powered learning and office experience with its ultra-thin body, industry-leading 2.8K Honor eye comfort display, and one of the best performing batteries in the industry.

Combining premium design and smart technology, Honor Watch 5 Ultra offers up to 15 days of battery life for active users to keep track of their fitness journey.

Honor also introduced the Honor earbuds open, ergonomic earbuds that deliver powerful sounds while supporting AI-powered translation, real-time interpretation and more.

MWC booth details

Between March 3-6, visitors of MWC Barcelona 2025 may visit the Honor booth located at Stand 3H10 in Hall 3, Fira Gran Via, to check out the latest innovations from Honor and its partners.