About Zain

Zain is a leading innovator in ICT and digital lifestyle communications across the Middle East and Africa. Powered by a talented workforce of 9000 people, the Group serves over 51.9 million active individual and business customers as of June 30, 2026.

Our Story

Founded in 1983 in Kuwait as Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), Zain was one of the region’s first mobile operators. Beginning in 2003, we accelerated our regional expansion, acquiring and launching operations across the Middle East and Africa.

In 2007, the company rebranded to Zain, marking a new era as a dynamic, multinational provider with global aspirations. The Zain brand lies at the heart of everything we do—it reflects our vision, defines our promise to customers, and drives our innovation. In 2025, Brand Finance valued the Zain brand at over USD 4 billion, ranking it among the most powerful homegrown brands in the region with a AAA- rating.

By 2008, Zain became the world’s fourth-largest mobile operator by geographic footprint, with operations in 23 markets..

In 2010, Zain took a strategic decision to focus on its core Middle East and North Africa operations, selling its African assets to Bharti Airtel Limited, excluding Sudan. This pivotal moment sharpened our focus and positioned Zain as a leading voice and data provider across the MENA.

Today- Evolution to a TechCo

Zain operates in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Sudan, and South Sudan, offering a comprehensive portfolio of mobile, data, fintech, gaming, API, enterprise, wholesale, and tower infrastructure services. In Morocco, Zain holds a 15.5% stake in INWI, a leading Moroccan telecom operator, through a joint venture. In KSA and Iraq, in addition to its main operations, Zain offers a pure digital operator service respectively branded, ‘Yaqoot’ and ‘Oodi’ offering flexible communication and internet solutions.

Our digital arm, ZainTECH, headquartered in the UAE, is driving enterprise and government transformation across the region through the full stack of advanced ICT solutions. Meanwhile, Zain Omantel International (ZOI) is reshaping the global wholesale telecommunications landscape as a powerhouse serving regional operators, international carriers, and global hyper scalers. Moreover, Zain’s tower entity, TASC Towers is currently overseeing the Group’s fixed network infrastructure in Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan with plans to expand across the region in a landmark strategic agreement with Ooredoo. Our customer facing fintech subsidiaries operate under multiple brands, including ‘BEDE’ (Zain’s master fintech brand) in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Sudan; ‘Zain Cash’ in Iraq and Jordan; and ‘Tamam’ in Saudi Arabia. Zain Group’s API digital monetization ecosystem provider, ‘Dizlee’ standardizes and streamlines digital services offerings across all Zain Group operators and Omantel, offering a one-stop shop for businesses offering innovative entertainment and gaming solutions, direct operator billing, messaging, digital authentication, and more looking to reach Zain's vast customer base of over 50 million users. Recently, the launch of the ‘Zain Insure’ motor insurance platform in Kuwait and Jordan, provides competitive pricing based on mileage, ensuring cost-effective, personalized coverage, with other operations within the Group also offering motor and device insurance services, all planning to extend the offerings. Zain foray into Esports has seen it undertake tournaments and activations across operations in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq.

Strategy: ‘4WARD – Progress with Purpose’

Building on the strong foundations of our 4SIGHT corporate strategy (2019–2024), Zain is now accelerating its evolution with ‘4WARD – Progress with Purpose’, a bold roadmap introduced in December 2024 to transform the company into a purpose-driven, customer-centric technology conglomerate (TechCo). Under ‘4WARD’, Zain is accelerating and unlocking new opportunities across multi-core digital domains, expanding in ICT, AI, fintech, digital infrastructure, entertainment, subsea, and cross-border connectivity, while remaining deeply committed to purposeful innovation and sustainable progress in a collaborative manner. Zain continues to refine its strategy in response to market dynamics.

Listings

Listed on Boursa Kuwait (ticker: ZAIN), the Group’s shares are 100% publicly traded with full free float. Major shareholders include Omantel (21.9%) and the Kuwait Investment Authority (15.9%). Additionally, Zain’s operations in Bahrain, Iraq and KSA are listed in their local stock markets. For more, please visit our Investor Relations page.

Zain continues to reimagine the future of meaningful connectivity in driving systemic change—powering progress, enabling possibilities, and connecting communities across the region.

For more, please visit:

www.facebook.com/zain
www.twitter.com/zain
www.youtube.com/zain
www.instagram.com/zaingroup
www.linkedin.com/company/zain

Click here to read more from the Zain Vice Chairman & Group CEO

Overview