The EXPO-nential Impact Of Partnership
For Amnah Ajmal, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President for Market Development in the MEA region, partnerships pave the way to a bright future for all.
In 2013, when Dubai won the bid to host Expo 2020, the celebration and excitement in the air were palpable. Over the years, World Expos have provided a platform to showcase the greatest innovations that have shaped the world we live in today.
Now, with Expo 2020 Dubai upon us, the element that really stands out for me, is partnership. The can-do collaborations. The co-creations. The inclusive solutions that are born from diverse perspectives. Ultimately, it is partnerships that are necessary to bring the wonder to life, the innovation to reality, and the ideas to fruition. And it is partnerships that will elevate the feeling that there really is a chance for an exponentially better tomorrow.
Partnerships can bring real change and have far-reaching impact for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole.
For many years, long before we became the Official Payment Technology Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, Mastercard had been partnering across the public-private sector sphere. In partnerships that range in scale and size, we create connections, share insights, and develop solutions. Our goal is to include everyone in a sustainable economy, educate entrepreneurs, grow small businesses, identify consumer pain points, and activate the contributions of our entire network to secure a thriving world beyond cash.
Powering partnerships with technology
As a premier partner, we are doing all this and more as we invite millions of visitors on an expedition to explore the technology of the future. From virtual reality and face recognition to voice shopping, wearables, and artificial intelligence, this is where the most fascinating developments for the digital economy are happening.
By showcasing the impact and potential scale of this exciting range of new payment technologies at Expo 2020 Dubai, Mastercard will enable millions of people to experience the future of payments. It
represents the beginning of the next era of innovation, where new opportunities in technology are unlocking doors to a Priceless tomorrow.
None of this can be done in isolation. It is through partnerships that the value of technology is often demonstrated best.
Revolutionizing the snack shopping experience with PepsiCo
Among many other things, Expo 2020 Dubai will be the place for a glimpse into the future of retail. Using the power of this global platform to forge strong partnerships, PepsiCo has partnered with Mastercard to develop realworld technology solutions that meet the growing consumer demand for more autonomy and for digital shopping experiences. The result of this collaboration is Pepsi Go: an AIpowered, unmanned store offering a seamless, contactless, invisible checkout. It will first open its doors at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Powered by Mastercard’s industry-leading payment technology, customers start their journey by tapping, inserting, or swiping a valid payment card to open the kiosk’s doors. Once inside, the store uses artificial intelligence and computer recognition technology to track the PepsiCo snacks and beverages shoppers select. To check out, customers simply exit the gates, and the Mastercard Payment Gateway Services technology automatically initiates the payment, making checkout queues a thing of the past.
Fueling growth for women entrepreneurs with Female Fusion Female Fusion is the region’s largest network for women-owned businesses and counts as another impactful collaboration at the world’s largest cultural gathering. Mastercard is partnering with Female Fusion to host a series of activities at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Women’s Pavilion. The series is designed to unlock opportunities for women entrepreneurs and to accelerate women’s impact in creating a better world.
The focus will be on knowledgesharing workshops, networking sessions, and mentoring events. Each activity will be accessible exclusively to women-owned businesses and will empower and educate them to build, grow digitally, and scale their businesses in an evolving digital economy. Inspiring guests will include Sarah Beydoun, owner of a social impact fashion business in Lebanon. Beydoun was also featured in FIVE, a Mastercard award-winning documentary tracking the stories of five women entrepreneurs.
Last year, Mastercard committed to a direct focus in connecting 25 million women entrepreneurs globally with support and digital tools. Partnerships are crucial to reaching these women, activating their important contributions, and driving inclusive growth.
Value-driven solutions for nontraditional partners
Expanding connections, enhancing the value chain, solving pain points, optimizing efficiencies, growing as a business, advancing a frictionless user experience— these are all reasons why a diverse range of companies comes to Mastercard for its insights, global network, and technology.
Among these partners are banks, Fintech companies, and mobile network operators, as well as digital marketplaces, food delivery services, and ridehailing apps. They include premier partners and official suppliers of Expo 2020 Dubai. To support our partners, we roll out dedicated, tailor-made solutions that are tapping into the possibilities of the many innovative new payment experiences that are actively changing the way people pay in a digital age.
In the process, as we are cocreating, we’re also looking with fresh eyes and from different perspectives at how we can solve some of the world’s most pressing problems related to financial inclusion and sustainability. These are challenges that cannot be fixed alone.
Connecting minds
By the time Expo 2020 Dubai concludes, I’m convinced our horizons will be broader, our skies taller, and our connections deeper.
Partnerships are the key to a future that works for everyone. When we put our heads together, there are more minds that can develop ways to exponentially change the world for the better. It’s a wonderful thought, for a wonderful world.
“By the time Expo 2020 Dubai concludes, I’m convinced our horizons will be broader, our skies taller, and our connections deeper.”