UAE-Based Financial Media Platform Moniify Taps Lana Sawiris as CEO
UAE-based fintech media platform Moniify has named Lana Sawiris as its new CEO as it pivots from traditional operations to a video-first strategy focused on financial education for younger users.
May 20, 2025
Moniify, the financial media startup founded by Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris, has appointed Lana Sawiris as its new Chief Executive Officer. The announcement follows an internal restructuring and signals a new strategic direction for the company.
Founded in November 2024 and headquartered in the UAE, Moniify launched with a mission to provide financial news and content tailored to younger users in emerging markets. The platform raised around $50 million in initial investment, with significant operational costs projected annually.
Now under Lana Sawiris's leadership, Moniify is pivoting to short-form video content, with a focus on financial literacy and digital storytelling. The new approach is designed to engage Gen Z and millennial audiences through mobile-first, accessible media formats.
Sawiris brings experience from consumer-facing brands including Christian Louboutin and Kith, and is expected to lead the platform's transition away from traditional publishing toward a model driven by social-first video and educational tools.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
an hour ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Russia keen on expanding investment in Egypt energy sector with Egyptian partners: REW Director - Foreign Affairs
Russia is looking forward to discussing expanding energy cooperation with Egyptian partners during the Russian Energy Week this October, according to Vladimir Zatyinaiko, deputy director of the Roscongress Foundation and director of the Russian Energy Week (REW). Zatyinaiko told Ahram Online that Egyptian partners will join discussions at the forum on investment, logistics, and the development of energy infrastructure, including electricity, liquefied natural gas (LNG), renewable energy, and nuclear power. His remarks came on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), held from 18 to 21 June and organized by the Roscongress Foundation. This year's SPIEF was held under the theme: Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World. Russian Energy Week will take place from 15 to 17 October in Moscow. 'Russian Energy Week is among the leading energy forums in the world with a participation of 82 countries,' Zatyinaiko said. "During the Energy Week, we invite experts from all over the world. We have common projects with Egyptian partners. Closely working with Latin America, ASEAN, BRICS representatives, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We expect this interview to bring even more attention to the event.' He added: 'Russian Energy Week is a leading energy forum in the world. It is a key platform for discussing current issues and challenges in the energy sector worldwide. Our main goal is to gather at the same platform the representatives of the government, business, and the sector's experts to form common practices and define the future vision of the energy sector. REW grows annually, the business programme and the exhibition programme are improving each year.' 'In the context of the current world climate, I believe the Russian Energy Week unites people, and we are prepared to invite experts from all over the world during the Energy Week,' he said. Zatyinaiko said that the forum had become more relevant in the context of sanctions and ongoing geopolitical tensions and attracted growing international interest. 'As our political climate is quite tense, the Russian Energy Week has become increasingly popular. The number of applications for participation is growing. I can say openly that we don't impose any sanctions and restrictions. We are ready to accept delegates and representatives of technologies and equipment in our country.' He highlighted past activities and said several agreements had been signed in recent years between Russian companies and partners in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. 'We have also signed an agreement with the African Energy Chamber. The agreements are concerned with joint projects in the field of generation, infrastructure maintenance, equipment supply and technology transfer. Throughout the years, all the events that are held by the Roscongress Foundation raise questions that are important for the whole world's energy sector.' He said input from other global energy forums would help shape this year's REW agenda. 'We have several similar world platforms, conclusions of which we will include in the Russian Energy Week agenda. Global dynamics are changing the relationship between countries. We are trying to use interesting formats in the business programme. We are introducing so-called energy talks. These are the limited topic meetings with the representatives of Africa, ASEAN, and BRICS, where specific scenarios of energy cooperation are going to be discussed.' He added that plans were underway to expand the forum's programming. 'Plans for interesting business sessions, intellectual battles, developing the exhibition for the second year in parallel with the main event.' Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Today
2 hours ago
- Egypt Today
Egypt's FM, Saudi Counterpart discuss bilateral ties, regional escalation
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Saturday, June 21, on the sidelines of the OIC meetings in Istanbul CAIRO – 21 June 2025 – Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Saturday, June 21, on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meetings in Istanbul. During the meeting, Minister Abdelatty praised the strong fraternal ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, reaffirming his commitment to launching the Egyptian-Saudi Supreme Coordination Council and convening the Egyptian-Saudi Investment Forum. The forum, which will bring together ministers and prominent business leaders from both countries, is seen as a key step toward strengthening economic relations, in line with directives from the leaderships of both nations to elevate bilateral cooperation to new levels. Minister Abdelatty also presented Egypt's vision for the upcoming Egyptian-Gulf Investment Forum, to be hosted in Cairo later this year under the framework of the Ministerial Consultative Mechanism between Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The forum is expected to mark a significant advancement in economic integration between Egypt and GCC member states, particularly in sectors such as trade and industry, renewable energy, logistics, information technology, digital transformation, health, agriculture, and education. The initiative aims to foster new partnerships and cooperative programs across these critical areas. He further emphasized Egypt's strategic focus on localizing industry and technology, underscoring the importance of Egypt-Saudi integration in industrial sectors, especially those related to renewable energy and food security. Abdelatty also highlighted the various incentives and facilities the Egyptian government offers to investors in the industrial sector. The two foreign ministers also discussed regional developments, particularly the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Minister Abdelatty stressed the urgency of pursuing all political and diplomatic avenues to de-escalate the situation, calling for a ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations aimed at reaching a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Delays to the GEM
The long-anticipated official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum has been postponed to later this year Despite its near completion and its having already hosted several high-profile events after its soft opening to the public in 2023, the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), originally scheduled for 3 July, has been postponed in the wake of current regional developments until late in 2025. Across more than two decades and since its foundation stone was laid in 2002, the GEM's completion and official opening have been hindered by an epidemic, financial crises, political upheavals, and, lately, regional instability. Plans for the GEM were first unveiled in 1992, when a site was allocated just 2 km from the iconic Giza Pyramids for what would become one of the most ambitious cultural projects in Egypt's modern history. In 2002, the foundation stone for the GEM project was laid on a prime site overlooking the Pyramids of Giza. That same year, the Egyptian state working with the UN cultural agency UNESCO and the International Union of Architects announced an international architectural competition for the best museum design for the GEM. The winning proposal came from the Irish architectural firm Heneghan Peng Architects. Between 2005 and 2010, the site was prepared, and a high-tech conservation centre was built, funded by the Egyptian government. However, following the 2011 Revolution work on the project came to a halt. Construction officially began again in 2012 after a joint venture between Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries and the Belgium BESIX Group was awarded the contract for completion of the GEM's third phase, which included the construction of the museum's main building and landscaping. In 2014, the project was resumed with the help of a $300 million soft loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In 2015, the concrete shell of the main building was completed. At the time, the target opening date was 2018, but a series of political and economic challenges caused repeated delays, pushing back the long-awaited inauguration and the construction slowed down. By 2016, only 20 per cent of the museum had been completed. Another $460 soft loan agreement was then signed between the JICA and the ministries of antiquities and international cooperation to complete the GEM construction work within the scheduled time. Progress surged, bringing the museum to approximately 95 per cent completion, but the official opening, scheduled in 2020, was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Work continued and the museum saw a soft opening in 2023. Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said that the present circumstances in the region called for reconsidering the inauguration's timing to preserve the efforts required to deliver the event at the most opportune moment. He stressed that the upcoming opening would be a historic and pivotal event for Egypt and the world and therefore must take place under ideal conditions. In an official statement, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities emphasised that the postponement aligns with Egypt's national responsibility to present an event of global stature and one that reflects the grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilisation and showcases the country's heritage to the world in a manner befitting its international standing. Despite the delay, the GEM will remain open to visitors as part of its ongoing soft opening phase. The museum has already begun welcoming guests to selected exhibitions, offering a preview of what will become the world's largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilisation. Built on 500,000 square metres, the GEM, with its trapezoidal architectural design and distinguished external walls, offers an enormous panoramic view of the Giza Plateau. It houses objects from ancient Egypt, beginning with prehistory and going up to the early Roman period. Among the objects on display will be the unique treasures of the boy king Tutankhamun, some of which will see the light of day for the first time. The museum's main galleries offer visitors an unprecedented journey through ancient Egyptian civilisation. With 12 galleries organised into four broad time periods and three thematic pillars of Society, Kingship, and Beliefs, visitors are invited to explore Egyptian history in multiple ways. The star of the museum will be the Tutankhamun galleries, which will put on show the whole funerary collection of the golden boy-king that consists of 5,537 artefacts. The Khufu Boats Museum is another attraction of the GEM. Recognised as one of the world's foremost specialised museums, it houses two rare and invaluable artefacts: the first and second boats of King Khufu. For the first time in history, both royal boats will be showcased side by side within a single exhibition space. The first boat has already been carefully transported from its original location near the Great Pyramid of Giza to the museum, where it has undergone meticulous conservation and preparation in accordance with the highest international museological standards. The second boat, discovered adjacent to the Great Pyramid, has had all its wooden planks and components successfully extracted. Following an initial phase of restoration, the pieces were transferred to the GEM, where conservation work continues in close collaboration with Japanese experts. Visitors will be able to witness the reassembly process in real time, as the boat's components are gradually restored and reassembled before their eyes in a distinctive interactive exhibition that brings ancient craftsmanship to life. Both the Tutankhamun galleries and the Khufu Boats Museum were to be opened following the official inauguration and are not currently accessible. * A version of this article appears in print in the 19 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
