Kuwait: Zain, a leading mobile telecom innovator in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa, announces that its brand has been identified as the ‘Best Telecom Brand’ in the Middle East for the third consecutive year during the Telecom Review Summit Excellence Awards gala ceremony held recently in Dubai.

The 'Best Brand’ accolade confirms the ongoing impact of Zain’s investment in 5G network upgrades and unique digital offerings that enhance the customer telecom experience, ground-breaking media campaigns, focus on corporate sustainability and diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives, making the company one of the most respected and recognized corporate brands in the region, since its introduction in 2007.

Distinctively, Zain Saudi Arabia was recognized for its successful transformational and digital growth in recent years that has taken the operation to new heights. The operation was awarded four prestigious awards for the ‘Best CSR Initiative’; ‘Best Standalone 5G Network’; ‘Best Cloud Provider’; and a Global Merit award for the Chief Technology Officer for his efforts in the successful 5G rollout that placed the Kingdom on the 5G world map.

ZainTech received two awards for the ‘Best ICT Investment’ for its agreement to acquire BIOS Middle East, a managed cloud service provider and ‘Best Enhanced Service Provider’ for its Drone-as-a-Service offering. ZainTech was established in October 2021 with the primary aim to offer enterprises and governments across the region a unique, one-stop shop across the full stack of ICT services. The two awards are testament to the ongoing progress that the new entity has attained in signifying itself as a key player in this lucrative and fast-growing sector.

Telecom Review is a leading industry publication, and the multiple awards recognize the outstanding performance of Zain’s brand and enhanced customer experience across its markets, reflective of the company’s significant investments and pioneering innovation in digitalization, better serving individuals, enterprise and government customers across the region.

In its 2022 global ranking, Brand Finance, a leading valuation and strategy consultancy based in London, valued ​​the Zain brand at USD 2.4 billion, a 9.6% increase year-on-year.

Andrew Hanna (CEO ZainTech) and Dominic Docherty (BIOS Middle East) receive the Best ICT Investment award

Zain’s marketing campaigns on various media channels across the region have captured the hearts and minds of millions of people. Zain’s Ramadan, Eid and other television commercials throughout 2022, for example, received an impressive 250 million views on YouTube, indicative of the brand power of Zain.

Today, Zain Group and its local operations boast over 13 million fans on Facebook, more than 7 million followers on Twitter, 2.6 million on Instagram and 750,000 on LinkedIn, totaling more than 23 million fans and followers across its social media footprint.

Zain continues to introduce new, dynamic services to its customers, evident by the expansion of Zain’s digital services and API platform ‘Dizlee’ in offering over 50 unique and appealing content and gaming services, as well as the growth of Zain Esports that has attracted over 30,000 gamers and 50 million social media views since its establishment in November 2020.

In the Fintech space where Zain provides far-reaching benefits to needy and vulnerable groups across various operations, the company’s market leadership saw it increase its customer base by 34% and revenue by 231% year-on-year in 2022, processing approximately US$ 3 billion transaction value annually.

Sustainability and good corporate governance lie at the heart of every aspect of Zain’s day-to-day operational activities in pursuing its sustainability agenda and supporting the communities it serves. Zain is passionate about curbing the effects of climate change, children’s rights and safety, capacity-building, education, socio-economic development, and environmental stewardship.

The company’s focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators, ensures that ESG issues are integrated into the business strategy, and Zain’s Corporate Governance structure and sound practices in providing accurate, timely, and actionable information in a transparent and accountable manner has won the confidence of local and global investors.