How Middle Eastern Merchants Can Keep Up With Pandemic-Driven Privacy, Payment Shifts

Consumers around the globe have moved their purchasing online during the pandemic, and those in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are no exception. The region’s financial institutions and merchants have needed to work swiftly to support unprecedented levels of digital payment and shopping growth.

The true change merchants are facing is not in trying to stay on top of a spike in online users. Consumers have been steadily moving to eCommerce and online banking platforms for almost a decade, after all. What has shifted most during the pandemic are consumers’ views on the data privacy and online security standards attached to these digital transactions, Oren Paran, managing director for Israeli retail startup firm Retail Innovation Club, explained in an interview with PYMNTS.