{"id":937152,"date":"2026-02-17T05:07:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/veon-and-hala-to-explore-partnership-in-ride-hailing-services\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T05:07:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:07:16","slug":"veon-and-hala-to-explore-partnership-in-ride-hailing-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/veon-and-hala-to-explore-partnership-in-ride-hailing-services\/","title":{"rendered":"VEON and Hala to Explore Partnership in Ride-hailing Services"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n Dubai, February 17, 2026 <\/b>\u2013 VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator (\u201cVEON\u201d or \u201cthe Company\u201d), announces that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hala, Dubai\u2019s leading local e-hailing taxi solution and a joint venture between Dubai\u2019s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Careem, to explore cooperation in expanding ride\u2011hailing and mobility services across VEON\u2019s operating markets. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed last week at VEON\u2019s headquarters in Dubai.<\/p>\n

The MoU establishes a framework for evaluating joint market entry and expansion opportunities, building on VEON\u2019s existing experience in ride-hailing in Ukraine and Uzbekistan. VEON aims to leverage Hala\u2019s operational expertise alongside its own digital scale and local market presence across frontier markets. The companies will also explore potential areas of integration within VEON\u2019s broader digital ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\n VEON Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu <\/b>said: \u201cAt VEON, we are building digital services that improve the lives of our customers every day in some of the most exciting and underserved markets of our region. With our existing ride\u2011hailing operations in Ukraine and Uzbekistan, we already see strong demand for locally-built, locally-relevant solutions that give us the opportunity to deliver valuable experiences to our customers with multiple touchpoints on any given day. Our partnership with Hala has the potential to significantly accelerate the scale and impact of our mobility service offerings across our other markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Khaled Nuseibeh<\/b>
\n , CEO of Hala<\/b>, said: \u201cHala has developed a scalable ride-hailing platform in the UAE built around operational efficiency, technology integration and consistent service delivery. Through this MoU with VEON, we are exploring how that experience can support expansion into new markets where VEON already has strong digital reach and customer relationships. By combining VEON\u2019s scale and ecosystem with Hala\u2019s mobility expertise, we see potential to develop locally relevant ride-hailing platforms that integrate seamlessly with other digital services.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO, Vitaly Shmakov, VEON\u2019s Chief Investment Officer, Khaled Nuseibeh, CEO of Hala, and senior leadership from both organizations.<\/p>\n

VEON and Hala plan to jointly assess the commercial, operational, and technological foundations for locally rooted ride\u2011hailing platforms to serve VEON\u2019s markets. This includes evaluating collaboration models, customer acquisition strategies, and opportunities for future expansion.<\/p>\n

VEON operates in Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh \u2013 five markets that are home to 530 million people, \u00a06% of the world\u2019s population. The company provides a broad range of services across digital platforms -financial services, insurance, entertainment, healthcare, online marketplaces, digital-first brands, learning, among others \u2013 serving approximately 140 million digital users monthly, in addition to its connectivity customers. Uklon, Ukraine\u2019s leading ride-hailing platform which provides services in Ukraine and Uzbekistan, joined the VEON family of digital services in April 2025.<\/p>\n

\n About VEON\u00a0 <\/b>
\n
VEON is a digital operator that provides connectivity and digital services to nearly 150 million connectivity and 140 million digital users. Operating across five countries that are home to more than 6% of the world\u2019s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. VEON is listed on NASDAQ. For more information, visit: https:\/\/www.veon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n About Hala<\/b>
\n
Hala is Dubai\u2019s most convenient e-hailing taxi solution, easily booked through the Careem app. A joint venture between Careem and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Hala leverages Careem\u2019s ride-hailing technology and the local knowledge of the RTA to provide the most reliable and convenient rides across Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. With a motivation to continuously elevate customer experience in public transportation, Hala has unlocked this incredible region by keeping Dubai connected and moving.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\n www.halaride.com\u00a0 <\/a>\u00a0
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer<\/b>
This release contains \u201cforward-looking statements\u201d, within the meaning of the Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to VEON\u2019s execution of its digital operator strategy and its expansion of ride-hailing services to new markets. There are numerous risks, uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements, including risks relating to uncertainty over VEON\u2019s execution of its digital operator strategy and its expansion of ride-hailing services to new markets, among others discussed in the section entitled \u201cRisk Factors\u201d in VEON\u2019s 2024 Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 25, 2025 and other public filings made by VEON with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release and VEON disclaims any obligation to update them, except as required by law.<\/p>\n

\n Contact Information <\/b>
\n
VEON
Hande Asik
Chief Communications and Strategy Officer
pr@veon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Attachment<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n