Galloping Toward Glory: A Night of Champions at the UAE President Cup

Under the shimmering lights of **Abu Dhabi, UAE**, history unfolded as the majestic Arabian Purebred Horses took center stage in the highly anticipated **33rd UAE President Cup**. This grand event was held **under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan**, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club. Adding to the grandeur, **His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan** graced the occasion, attending the breathtaking finale that would determine the champion of champions.  

With passion and precision, His Excellency crowned **HM Alchahine**, owned by The National Stables, as the hero of the night. Masterfully trained by Hilal and Tahnoon Al Alawi and guided to victory by Italian jockey **Cristian Demuro**, the magnificent steed stormed the 2,200-metre track in **2:23.55 minutes**, securing the prestigious **HH The President Cup for Arabian Purebred Horses (Group 1)**. With a staggering **AED 8 million** prize purse, this race was not only the richest of the evening but also a celebration of heritage, skill, and unyielding spirit.  

More Than Racing: A Spectacle of Culture and Heritage

As the races thundered on, it became clear that the UAE President Cup was about more than competition—it was about preserving the UAE’s **rich equine heritage** and showcasing Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for Arabian horse racing. His Excellency emphasized that the event acts as a living testament to the leadership's commitment to authenticity and sustainability, drawing elite competitors and admirers from around the world.  

Throughout the evening, spectators were enchanted by not only world-class races but also dazzling **drone displays** and the captivating operetta, *"Zayed's Dream, An Everlasting Dream"*, which celebrated the nation’s values and history. The crowd, a mix of passionate racing fans and distinguished dignitaries, watched with awe as champions like **Dark Trooper**, **Rasasi**, and **Samaa Al Ezz** claimed their victories. Notably, Rasasi broke the track record in the Yas Sprint for Arabian Purebreds, electrifying the crowd with a performance worth remembering.  

From the opening strides of the first race to the final champion's coronation, the **total prize money of AED 10.8 million** underscored the scale and prestige of the evening. Beyond the numbers, however, the true value lay in the unity, tradition, and pride that galloped through every heartbeat of the event.  

Breaking Boundaries: How Toku’s AI-Powered CX is Transforming the Middle East Experience

From Asia Pacific Excellence to Middle Eastern Momentum

Toku, Asia Pacific's leading AI-powered 360° customer experience platform, today announced its entry into the Middle East — a move that marks yet another milestone in its global expansion journey. A leading on-demand services enterprise operating across the region has selected Toku to power its contact centre operations, with the first phase now live in Bahrain and Qatar.  

This multi-market deployment is more than a simple geographical leap; it’s a tangible validation of Toku’s ability to thrive in **high-growth, complex markets**. Leveraging expertise honed in Asia Pacific, Toku brings an advanced, hybrid deployment model that blends cloud flexibility with in-country processing for data sovereignty — an important factor in regions where regulatory compliance is paramount. By integrating seamlessly into existing enterprise systems while supporting Arabic, English, and other regional languages, Toku is answering a call that global incumbents have often struggled to respond to.  

Why the Middle East, Why Now

The MENA region’s contact centre industry is on a fast upward trajectory, propelled by enterprises that need cloud-native solutions able to navigate diverse regulations and serve a multilingual customer base. For organisations spanning multiple Gulf states, delivering a uniform customer experience across borders while meeting local compliance requirements has become more than a goal — it’s a competitive necessity.  

It’s here that Toku’s **competitive moat** becomes evident. “Our first partnership in the Middle East demonstrates how our APAC-first approach has equipped us to succeed in markets with complex regulatory fragmentation, diverse infrastructure, and multilingual requirements,” said Thomas Laboulle, Founder and CEO of Toku. This mindset, paired with cutting-edge AI capabilities, ensures that Toku is not just entering the Middle East — it’s setting the tone for the future of customer engagement in the region.  

Complexity as a Catalyst: Toku’s Proven Playbook

Scaling Success Beyond Borders

The leap into MENA follows Toku’s earlier success in Latin America, where the company deployed its contact centre solution to serve **15 Spanish-speaking countries**. This repeated ability to scale in multi-country environments showcases Toku’s strength in markets where “one-size-fits-all” solutions fail. By offering a composable customer engagement platform, Toku equips enterprises to build tailored workflows that match unique regulatory and cultural landscapes.  

Recognition has followed this success. Appearing in both **Frost Radar™** and **Gartner Cool Vendors** reports in 2025, Toku’s credentials speak volumes. These accolades reflect a commitment not only to meeting customer needs but also to redefining what is possible in emerging and fragmented markets. The upcoming updates on the full Middle East rollout will likely further reinforce this narrative of sustained and strategic growth.  

The Power Under the Hood: Platform Capabilities

At the heart of Toku’s success lies a modular platform that operates at the intersection of cloud communications, customer engagement, and enterprise AI. Features like programmable voice and messaging APIs let organisations weave communication directly into their applications. The omnichannel contact centre, powered by intelligent routing, ensures consistency across every customer interaction, while the **Core AI Suite** — with transcription, summarisation, sentiment analysis, and conversation analytics — caters to the complexities of multilingual environments.  

Finally, the flexibility in deployment means Toku can adapt — whether the need is fully cloud-based, entirely in-country processing, or a hybrid approach. Seamless integration with enterprise systems such as CRM, ITSM, and BI platforms allows customers to orchestrate journeys that are smooth, compliant, and genuinely engaging.  

From Asia Pacific to Latin America and now MENA, Toku is proving that complexity isn’t a barrier — it’s an opportunity. The strategic expansion into the Middle East underscores a future where enterprises can confidently deliver exceptional, compliant, and personalised customer experiences in even the most intricate market landscapes.  

Beyond Segmentation: How Markopolo AI & T2 Are Shaping Saudi Arabia’s Tech Future Under Vision 2030

A Partnership Forged in the Heart of Riyadh

In the vibrant city of **Riyadh, Saudi Arabia**, innovation isn’t just a goal—it’s becoming a way of life. This week, the AI world witnessed a strategic leap forward as **Markopolo AI**, the cutting-edge AI revenue agent, announced an exciting partnership with **T2**, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading technology firms. This collaboration doesn’t merely add another name to the list of tech alliances—it signifies a *milestone* in Saudi Arabia’s journey toward becoming a global technology hub under **Vision 2030**.  

The signing of this strategic agreement was far from routine. The event brought together key visionaries: Fahmidul Hasan, Strategic Growth Officer & Business Partner, and Salman Saafi, Growth Product Manager from Markopolo; along with Abdulkarim Aljarba, CEO, Riyadh Alawwad, CBO, and Ziyad Alsuwaidan, Manager of the CEO's Office from T2. Their presence underscored not just the importance of this agreement, but also the shared ambition driving both companies forward.  

From Global Residencies to Local Impact

T2’s reputation for catalyzing digital transformation across emerging markets makes it the perfect partner for Markopolo AI’s bold expansion strategy. With a fortified network and unmatched regional expertise, T2 will help accelerate Markopolo’s penetration into Saudi Arabia’s growing **e-commerce** ecosystem. By co-selling Markopolo’s AI revenue agents and ensuring smooth integration, the partnership will redefine how personalization works in the Kingdom’s online commerce.  

Markopolo’s journey to this point has been marked by impressive achievements. Founders Tasfia Tasbin and Rubaiyat Farhan recently celebrated being accepted into KAUST’s **TAQADAM Accelerator (Cohort 8)**—a testament to their disruptive vision. Securing a USD 140,000 grant, along with joining **HF0 Residency** in San Francisco, puts them in an elite circle of global innovators. These milestones, alongside their 2025 USD 2 million seed funding led by **Joa Capital**, are propelling Markopolo into the frontlines of AI leadership.  

The AI Revolution in Personalization

What truly sets Markopolo AI apart is its ability to move *beyond segmentation*. Instead of clustering people into generic categories, its behavioral intelligence engine analyzes **real-time patterns**, purchase hesitations, and even communication preferences—to guide each customer’s journey with precision. This is personalization elevated to an art form; every interaction becomes meaningful, unique, and tailored to the individual.  

The ambition is nothing short of revolutionary: by 2030, Markopolo aims to recover USD 100 billion in lost global revenue. Founders believe the future will see *every e-commerce transaction* guided by AI revenue agents, ensuring no customer feels like a mere statistic ever again. With T2 as a strategic ally, and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 as a guiding framework, this future feels closer than ever. 

The partnership between Markopolo AI and T2 serves as more than just a business agreement—it’s a signal of transformation. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is rapidly emerging as a powerhouse in global tech innovation, and with initiatives like Vision 2030, collaborations such as this will continue to pave the way for a tech-driven economic renaissance.