There are few companies that have positioned themselves as strongly as Workz, a Dubai-based technology firm specializing in eSIM, IoT, and cloud-based services, in this dynamically changing telecom landscape. With a focus on innovation and an eye toward the future, Workz has grown dramatically since its founding in 1997. Initially foray into SIM card production and personalization has now developed as a technological powerhouse that forms the game-changer for mobile connectivity throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Workz was founded in 1997 and first marked its presence in the SIM card manufacturing business. Success in early years helped open a modern, state-of-the-art production facility for scratch cards in Dubai in 2014. This increased the company’s production capabilities and its prestige throughout the region. In 2015, Workz joined the GSM Association (GSMA). Hence, it became one of the well-thought-out players in the global telecommunications industry-a pioneer at new mobile standards and security measures.

One strategic shift Workz took in 2018 was in eSIM technology. It emerged as the largest provider of GSMA-certified eSIM software in the Middle East and Africa. As embedded SIM technology’s consumer demand increased, it opened avenues for innovation for Workz while allowing it to distribute seamless eSIM experiences for the users of smartphones and IoT device manufacturers as well. Through a deal in collaboration with Arm and MTX Connect based in Luxembourg, Workz spread its wings further into the global eSIM market in the year 2018, providing far-reaching solutions for SIMs that would allow remote access for a more mobile life.

Protecting the lead in the telecoms industry being its primary intent, Workz launched the world’s first 5G SIM card in 2019, thus putting itself at the forefront of 5G technology. This sealed the company’s position as a provider of secure, quality SIM cards and eSIM solutions, putting it in a position to form partnerships with important players in the telecoms sector, such as Vodafone Qatar and Virgin Mobile MEA. By 2020, Workz had developed its IoT platform in-house, bringing a holistic suite of connectivity solutions to the market. This helped the company better respond to the growing demands of the IoT ecosystem, making it easier for businesses around the globe to manage and deploy SIM-based IoT devices.

The focus for Workz has also been on technological development, environmental accountability, and data protection. For instance, in 2021 the company launched a biodegradable SIM card which, in turn, received immediate interest from Virgin Mobile as one of the eco-friendly brands. This innovation was part of a broader mission by Workz to reduce its environmental footprint while meeting the needs of its clients. In ensuring that maximum security was in place, Workz obtained GSMA Security Accreditation Scheme (SAS), hence offering secure lifecycle management of consumer and M2M eSIMs.

Workz has been acquired by Trasna Holdings based in Ireland in September 2024 as part of a strategic acquisition. The acquisition is probably to accelerate further growth and innovation with Workz further expanding its competencies in SIM, eSIM, and SoC technologies. As it continues its expansion, the influence of the company on the global telecommunications market is expected to increase, especially in the vast emerging markets within the Middle East and Africa.

The Dubai real estate landscape has dramatically changed over the past decades. Among those who stand out as part of this evolution is Wasl Asset Management Group, founded in 2008 by the Dubai Real Estate Corporation, or DREC. Wasl has grown to be one of the most influential semi-governmental real estate entities in the city. With a portfolio as impressive and vast in terms of commercial, residential, and mixed-use developments, Wasl is not only changing the skyline of Dubai but also the standards set within property development and urban management.

Wasl was established as a company aimed to oversee the development and management of DREC-owned assets, a role that has dramatically expanded since its inception. It was founded by merging the two major public organizations: the Dubai Development Board and the Real Estate Department. This integration provided Wasl with an extremely vast arsenal of experience and materials that in the long run would establish it as one of the biggest players in Dubai’s real estate market. Under the leadership of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as Chairman, and Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim as Vice Chairman and CEO, Wasl has always envisioned and looked at the future of elevating Dubai’s urban infrastructure to new heights.

Wasl has a strong market presence in Dubai, with a significant number of developed residential and commercial projects. Wasl Properties was established in 2008 and undertakes property management in some of the oldest neighbourhoods in Dubai, such as Deira, Bur Dubai, and Al Karama. This placement in some of Dubai’s older neighborhoods has assisted Wasl in developing a strong reputation in the mind of a resident and an investor.

Wasl, entering 2014, in its aggressively competitive freehold real estate market took the first step with one big project: two iconic towers under the name of Hyatt Regency Creek Heights. Not only did it help diversify the portfolio, but it also placed it as one of the high-end players in the luxury real estate market of Dubai. Many of the recent corporate announcements represent other high-profile developments: Wasl Gate, Tiara United Towers, Wasl Green Park, and Wasl Village, all bringing something new in the way of lifestyle and operating together with a vision of what Dubai as a modern urban metropolis should represent.

Wasl has been one of the vanguards of innovative urban projects in Dubai. Through a partnership with the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, in 2017 Wasl initiated Dubai CommerCity, the largest free zone for e-commerce, marking Dubai’s effort to become a global business hub. A collaborative project between Wasl and the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, launched in 2021. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s initiative improves food security and encourages sustainable agricultural practices that fit Wasl’s innovation and sustainable development commitment mirroring national priorities.

Some of its projects extend to developing community-centric spaces that pay more attention to quality life. The group manages seven community malls located all over Dubai: Dar Wasl, Wasl Vita, Wasl51, and Wasl Square. These are not just designed to be shopping destinations but hubs of community gatherings and social gatherings, which reflects Wasl’s pursuit of maintaining very vibrant and connected communities.

Such strategic focus on quality, innovation, and sustainable growth has helped Wasl earn the trust of residents in Dubai as well as international investors. With a strong slate of upcoming projects on the horizon, this company continues to play an important part in the real estate landscape of Dubai, building properties to cater to every type of need and enhancing the appeal of this cosmopolitan city as a global destination.

A computer programmer turned into a billionaire entrepreneur, his journey has been one of determination, skill, and innovative vision. Not only has he built a fortune through his ventures but he also sold Media.net — one of the world’s biggest ad-tech deals worth $900 million in 2016 — to a Chinese consortium. That too made headlines across the globe and nailed down Turakhia’s position as a trailblazer in the industry. His success feats have earned him multiple accolades such as the prestigious ET Panache Trendsetter Award by The Economic Times for making a difference in the tech and advertising world.

Grown up in India, Divyank Turakhia always has the passion of technology and entrepreneurship since his childhood days. With his brother Bhavin, he co-founded his first tech company during his teenage years. This early start in programming marked the beginning of what was to become an exceptional career. The brothers started modestly with their ventures as the beginning, but forward thinking and tech-savviness soon brought them into the internet-based business world. As such, by focusing on these emerging opportunities that existed within the online space, they were able to come up with solutions that attracted major global players.

In 2010, Divyank started Media.net, which was to prove a crowning achievement of his life. Media.net focused contextual advertising, in which ads were represented in relevance to content a user was viewing and not just based on tracking the user. That was very forward-looking, akin to the shift towards privacy-conscious advertising that still exists today. This enabled Turakhia to leverage experience into the development of a robust ad-tech platform for the world’s major publishers and advertisers through Media.net.

Media.net, under Turakhia, turned into almost an overnight sensation in the space of an ad-tech solution, specially tailored for industry leaders. The company’s unique technological offerings combined with a customer-centric approach set it apart in a competitive market, and by 2016, Media.net had turned into a billion-dollar business by garnering investment from across the globe.

But Turakhia was not to stop there, and by 2016, he also achieved new success by selling Media.net to a consortium of Chinese investors for an astonishing $900 million. That deal turned Turakhia into a billionaire and further demonstrated the vast importance of innovative ad solutions in this increasingly digital world. This sale marked another landmark in the world of global ad-tech with underlining Dubai’s standing as a centre for innovation in the world of technology besides displaying the potential from these UAE-based entrepreneurs of the global industry.

The story of Divyank Turakhia, subsequent to the sale, kept inspiring budding entrepreneurs, as he is now very much in the tech world, investing in his projects and consulting others for new ventures. His work highlights determination, flexibility, and an unrelenting commitment to quality and innovation. Constantly pushing boundaries, Turakhia has marked success in the fast-evolving ad-tech sphere. Turakhia’s success has also inspired a generation of new entrepreneurs in technology sectors in the UAE and around the world. His transition from a programmer to a billionaire embodies what technical talents can achieve when combined with an entrepreneurial vision.