Saudi platform Absher records 2.6m e-transactions in July amid digital shift

The interactive online platform experienced a surge in transactions during July, surpassing May’s record of 2.2 million. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 23 August 2023
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Saudi platform Absher records 2.6m e-transactions in July amid digital shift

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s online platform, Absher, facilitated 2.6 million electronic transactions in July, aligning closely with the Kingdom’s digital transformation agenda. 

Provided by the Saudi Interior Ministry, the interactive online platform experienced a surge in transactions during July, surpassing May’s record of 2.2 million.

The trend underscores the platform’s role in providing citizens, residents, and visitors easy access to essential e-services across multiple ministry departments.

Launched in 2010, Absher’s online service was introduced to enhance productivity and streamline operations within government bodies while elevating customer satisfaction levels.

In its latest report, Absher revealed that the Interior Ministry’s Agency for Civil Status saw a notable surge in online activity in July. 

Specifically, the platform recorded 128,255 e-transactions for ID validity verification, followed by 27,505 for national ID renewal. 

Additionally, Absher handled 11,057 e-transactions focused on issuing family registries, underscoring its significance in providing seamless digital services. 

The Byanati service, which addresses the Kingdom’s civil affairs, saw Absher serving 37,185 individuals in July. It included 9,209 e-transactions to issue replacements for damaged national IDs and 28,517 for lost national IDs.

The General Directorate of Passports utilized Absher to issue or renew 393,986 electronic passports and 640,588 residency permits in the past month.

The platform also facilitated 58,270 inquiries for extending exit and reentry visas and 389,803 for issuing new ones.

Absher enabled other transactions, including 6,642 for transferring services, 32,246 for residency print requests and 15,047 for canceling final exit visas. 

The General Directorate of Passports conducted 2,029 transactions to issue authorizations for female employees arriving for work, alongside 109,736 transactions for issuing and renewing passports for periods less than a decade.

On the traffic front, Absher paved the way for the services of the General Directorate of Traffic, Muroor.

In July, these operations included 108,469 transactions for vehicle license renewal, 86,717 requests for vehicle repair permits, 66,096 for driver license renewal, and 84,347 requests for driving authorizations.

Additional traffic operations through Absher in July encompassed 17,885 transactions for scrapping damaged and unwanted vehicles and 13,797 transactions for vehicle sales.

The platform also facilitated 4,881 transactions to review vehicle insurance validity and 23,327 transactions for replacing number plates.


Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick appointed Meta president and vice chairman

Updated 13 January 2026
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Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick appointed Meta president and vice chairman

  • The former Goldman Sachs partner and White House official previously served on Meta’s board of directors
  • Powell McCormick, who was born in Cairo and moved to the US as a child, joins the management team and will help guide overall strategy and execution

LONDON: Meta has appointed Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick as its new president and vice chairman.

The company said on Monday that the former Goldman Sachs partner and White House official, who previously served on Meta’s board of directors, is stepping up into a senior leadership role as the company accelerates its push into artificial intelligence and global infrastructure.

Powell McCormick, who was born in Cairo and moved to the US as a young girl, will join the management team and help guide its overall strategy and execution. She will work closely with Meta’s Compute and infrastructure teams, the company said, overseeing multi-billion-dollar investments in data centers, energy systems and global connectivity, while building new strategic capital partnerships.

“Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, makes her uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth as the company’s president and vice chairman,” Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

Powell McCormick has more than 25 years of experience in finance, national security and economic development. She spent 16 years as a partner at Goldman Sachs in senior leadership roles, and served two US presidents, including stints as deputy national security adviser to Donald Trump, and a senior State Department official under George W. Bush.

Most recently, she was vice chair and president of global client services at merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners.