H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, opened Seamless Middle East at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The two-day exhibition is organized by the League of Arab States and the Council of Arab Economic Unity in partnership with Terrapinn Middle East FZ LLC. 

This year's edition follows the launch of the joint Arab Strategic Vision for Digital economy last December in Abu Dhabi by the League of Arab States and the Council of Arab Economic Unity to activate partnerships in the various fields of the digital economy and provide a platform to examine the latest technology applications and models. 

The Council of Arab Economic Unity is a strategic partner and supports holding Seamless ME in the UAE affirming the leading role of the country and its support for joint Arab employment opportunities in the tech field. 
H.H. toured the exhibition organized on the sidelines of the conference and was briefed on the latest developments in technology in the fields of digital identity, digital payments, e-commerce, retail and Fintech. 

More than 350 international exhibitors and 400 speakers from international organizations are participating in more than 250 sessions as well as 50 startups, highlighting the latest technologies. This year‘s Seamless is witnessing 15,202 attendees of which 5,260 are from outside the UAE. 

"This year's Seamless follows the launch of the joint Arab Strategic Vision for Digital Economy. It is important to note that the first milestone was in Abu Dhabi with the UAE embracing the opportunity to support a common vision for the Arab nations and the ecosystem for policies and legislation necessary to support economic growth. Today’s Seamless ME is the best platform to examine the latest technology in various digital economy fields in support of Arab governments and economies in their digital transformation", said Mohammed Al-Rabe’a, Secretary General of the Council, said in a press statement. 

Al-Rabe’a added that "the Council issued the first draft of the join Arab Strategic Vision which highlighted 50 programs and projects that the private sector can review to begin coordinating efforts for execution and compete due to their great financial returns, as well as positive social impact on Arab communities". 

"The Strategic Vision is the perfect opportunity, if not the only one currently available, to unite the efforts of all Arab governments to benefit from digital economy’s positive effects on economies and sustainable development and boost political and social stability", Al-Rabea’ concluded. 

"Security, in its traditional sense, means the ability of countries to protect their borders, lands, assets as well as their social and cultural structures. Today, however, the concept has become much more intense in the presence of big data and interconnected social networks, and the connection of security to the digital worlds and the lives of individuals and communities. It has become crucial to find new concepts for collective security for these new virtual limits, so that we can protect our global security as the security of one is the concern of all.", said Dr. Ali Al-Khouri, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity. 

"During the planning for the Joint Arab Strategic Vision for Digital Economy, we studied successful digital economy models, as a key driver of economic growth and a catalyst for sustainable development. We researched the impact of the strategic vision programs, on the political, social and economic stability in the Arab region as we believe that the political, economic and social stability of the Arab region will directly and indirectly leave positive impact on the Arab communities and the rest of the world", Dr. Ali continued. 

"We don’t have any other option in the Arab world but to transform to digital economies to advance our Arab societies and contribute to global economic growth," Dr. Ali concluded. 

Digital ID is the latest addition to Seamless ME to highlight the challenge of one Billion people not having legally recognized ID, and half of the world’s population have ID but cannot use it on digital channels. 

The potential economic value of good digital ID in Brazil, India, China, US, UK, Nigeria and Ethiopia alone can reach US$3 Trillion by 2030, according to reports. 

Seamless ME was inaugurated by a keynote speech delivered by the Ambassador Mohammed Al Rabe’a, Secretary General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, followed by an interview session with Ronaldo Mouchawar, CEO of souq.com and a presentation by Chris Colbert, Managing Director of Harvard Innovation Labs. 
"Strategic outlook on e-Commerce" was presented by the Dubai Airport Free Zone.