The Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC) recently launched a “Corporate Challenge” for the three banks sponsoring its JOIN Fincubator; the Jordan Kuwait Bank, the Housing Bank for Trade and Finance, and the Jordan Islamic Bank. The corporate challenge which took place under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Adel Al-Sharkas, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan, aims to design the best user interface and experience design (UI/UX Design) for the Electronic Letter of Guarantee (eLG), as part of the initiative to digitalize the service.

JoPACC has identified the digitalization of the Electronic Letter of Guarantee (eLG) as one of its important 2023 projects. This falls under its broader strategy for the years 2023-2026, in which one pillar is centered around delivering innovative financial and banking services to individual and corporate clients alike. As such, JoPACC, through the banks sponsoring JOIN Fincubator put forth an initiative to digitalize the eLG service, to reduce reliance on paper and manual processes, which can lead to inefficiency, wasted time and effort, and the potential for forgery and fraud. Digitalizing the eLG service can further help improve governance and add reliability to the process by adding the beneficiary’s bank as one of the parties in the workflow mechanism for the eLG, like other banking services such as documentary credits and others that include the customer, the beneficiary, and their respective banks.

By collaboratively engaging in the eLG initiative introduced via JOIN Fincubator, banks have the opportunity to strengthen their collaborative efforts and partnerships. This not only demonstrates their dedication to implementing the priorities outlined in the 2022 Economic Modernization Vision but also aligns with the directives of the Central Bank of Jordan’s Open Banking Instructions, a pivotal pillar in fostering financial technology advancement. Additionally, the eLG project plays a crucial role in establishing technical standards for open banking services in Jordan, a collaborative effort spearheaded by a task force comprising Jordanian banks and the Central Bank of Jordan.

During the “Corporate Challenge”, the sponsoring banks presented their proposed UI/UX designs to a panel of expert judges, carefully selected by JoPACC. The panel of judges rigorously evaluated the designs and voted for the best one. The design from the Jordan Kuwait Bank emerged as the winner for its outstanding representation of the eLG service.  The next step will involve JoPACC collaborating with different banks, including the winning bank. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate the concept (Proof of Concept) through the regulatory sandbox (JO REG BOX) established by the Central Bank of Jordan, paving the way for the official launch of the service.

“The digitalization of financial services is an essential step for achieving a digital economy. By digitalizing eLG, we can add more security, ease, and speed to individuals’ transactions. Through the digitalization of many services, we aim to reduce reliance on paper tools in the Kingdom and achieve digital financial inclusion that includes all institutions and meets all needs.” said Ms. Maha Bahou, CEO of JoPACC.

Mr. Haethum Buttikhi, CEO of the Jordan Kuwait Bank, the winning Bank of the Best UI/UX Design for the eLG Service, added: “I want to express my gratitude to the incredible team at the Jordan Kuwait Bank who worked tirelessly to create an amazing UI/UX design for the eLG Service in just ten short days. I also want to extend my thanks to the Jordan Payments and Clearing Company’s team (JoPACC) for their outstanding organization of the competition and ceremony.”

Al Hussein Technical University hosted the annual NASA Space Apps Challenge, which is an initiative led by NASA in collaboration with the Earth Sciences Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The competition draws a large number of participants of various ages and backgrounds, targeting both students and non-students to solve problems related to space science in our universe.

Participating teams choose one of the diverse challenges presented on the competition’s website. These challenges typically revolve around topics such as artificial intelligence, climate change, electricity and communications, 3D printing, biology, smart applications, game development, art, and more. You can view this year’s competition challenges through the following link:

https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2023/challenges/

This competition provides a new experience for participants to think innovatively within a short timeframe by utilizing teamwork and collaboration skills, critical thinking, and selecting the best possible solutions to address the issues in their environment.

At the end of the competition, participants receive a participation certificate from NASA Space Apps, while the winning teams receive local awards, and three teams have the opportunity to participate in the global competition.

The first-place award was achieved by the team “Raptors” from Hussein Technical University with their project named “Astrofy.” The team was composed of Shadi Jibril, Emad Al-Khatib, Ra’ad Marayan, and Bisher Al-Dabbagh

PROTECH is excited to announce our participation in GITEX Global on behalf of Nutanix, one of the world’s most prestigious technology and startup events. Please save the date: October 16th to 20th. Let’s meet at the Dubai World Trade Center for an exciting opportunity to connect, collaborate, and innovate.

Estarta Training Program

Estarta is vastly known for its well-rounded training programs offered by “Estarta Training Academy”. Playing a major role in developing and guiding future IT talent, the company hosted a comprehensive training program for UJ students last month.

Delivered by several domain experts from the PSS (Professional Services and Solutions) department, the program was designed to specifically cover the main processes of software development and engineering.

Lasting nearly a month, this initiative aimed to equip UJ students with valuable insights and skills that are integral to the ICT sector and the digital transformation process as well.

Estarta Professional Services and Solutions

Estarta’s PSS department acts as the backbone for many of the company’s offerings. Prominent organizations turn to Estarta for outsourcing their software projects, making this department a key contributor in the organization’s success journey.

PSS Training Program: September Batch

Estarta is always keen on bridging the gap between academia and practicing professionals.

Students in this batch were introduced to a variety of important areas that make up the basis of Estarta’s operations during the first two weeks of the program:

Introduction: What is Estarta?

For the introductory segment of the course, the program’s structure and the ethos of Estarta were highlighted to the students.

In addition, they had a glimpse of how they would delve into the technicalities of software development, discovering its purposes and deliverables! So, what was covered?

Project Management and Agile Project Management

This bit covered both conventional project management and agile approaches and elements, which are key to successful project execution.

Product Management and Business Analysis

Students got to gain an overview of the product management cycle and tactics, as well as the critical function of business analysis.

User Experience and  User Interface

This program’s chapter underscored the value of building easy-to-use interfaces and modern user experiences. It was made clear that one should never underestimate the power of an aesthetic design that fulfills the specific needs of the application users!

Quality Management and Testing

For this part of the course, quality concepts were put into practical terms to maintain high standards of delivery. Testing processes and the related types, categories, and procedures were taught to students.

Programming and Databases

Last but not least, the foundations of programming, databases, and related concepts were analyzed.

PSS Training Program at a Glance

Week One

On September 13th, the program began with a lively introductory day designed to break the ice and introduce everyone to the training setup. The importance of software deliverables and documentation, as well as the phases, functions, and processes of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), were all covered in depth by the program.

The emphasis then switched to project management and agility, including methods for project management, risk management, progress tracking and reporting, and a dive into agile methodologies like Scrum by experienced, long-practicing project managers.

Week Two

By the second week, the students dove into business analysis and product management. This involved grasping product roadmaps and backlogs, setting priorities, outlining demands, and managing stakeholders. These competencies are essential to Estarta’s product-centric strategy.

After that, they addressed the fundamentals of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX), introducing design thinking, UI/UX terminologies, and stressing the significance of research, ideation, and prototyping in producing top-notch user interfaces.

The focus shifted to Quality and Testing, which educated students on software quality assurance, testing life cycles, different testing types, and bug management. It is important to note that these are all crucial components in providing clients with high-quality solutions.

The following lesson was devoted to programming; this section covered all the basics of programming paradigms, object-oriented programming, APIs, data structures, and databases. A full day was dedicated to covering databases in depth, including data types, syntax, operators, expressions, joins, comments, functions, and queries.

A Successful End to the Program

As the program came to a close, students explored development frameworks and concepts from experienced developers who put specific frontend and backend technologies, languages, platforms, etc., into practical contexts.

Along with learning important information, these students got to know what it’s like to work in the PSS department at Estarta as the weeks went on. The knowledge they picked up here will surely put them on the road to success and may even enable them to contribute to the future of outsourcing in the tech sector.

 Orange Jordan celebrated the 13th anniversary of the launch of Orange Radio, an interactive digital internal communication channel that engages employees and presents them with an episode every Thursday in a live broadcast that features a variety of topics including top updates, news, and expert advice in several fields, as well as fun competitions and events.

As an integrated digital channel, Orange Radio ensures a two-way communication by connecting with employees across the Kingdom, listening to their voices, and providing them with content that interests them, including business updates, wellbeing related tips, and topics at the core of life.

Orange Radio is the number one effective communication channel between management and employees. The CEO, members of the executive committee, and other directors and managers appear from time to time on the show to share news, answer questions, and discuss upcoming initiatives or updates transparently. Orange Radio also hosts senior management teams from Orange Africa and the Middle East, as well as Orange Global Group, when they visit Orange Jordan. These episodes are broadcast to all Orange Group employees.

Orange Radio recently broadcasted a special episode in Arabic titled “MENA wa Fina” for Orange Africa and Middle East employees in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt, as well as Jordan, witnessing remarkable participation and high interaction.

Marking its 13th anniversary, Orange Radio broadcasted a special episode that highlighted its key milestones, memorable moments, and happy occasions involving employees and their families. The episode also showcased Orange Radio’s remarkable transformation from an audio to a visual broadcast, which employees can now watch and interact with live from anywhere through phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages, and Orange Radio’s social media.

Employees Relations & Internal Communication Director at Orange Jordan, Maysoon Al Booz, affirmed the important role of Orange Radio in internal communication, which always seeks to anticipate employees’ aspirations and keep them informed. She pointed out that Orange Radio’s success came as a result of its keenness to ensure interactive communication with employees throughout the Kingdom in its engaging episodes, as well as sharing the most special moments with them by celebrating various occasions.

Chief Legal, Regulatory, Sourcing, Supply Chain, and Human Resources Officer at Orange Jordan, Dr. Ibrahim Harb, congratulated all employees on the 13th anniversary of Orange Radio and its impressive achievements throughout the years. He noted that the radio is a vital internal communication channel in the company and that it plays an important role in sharing special occasions with the employees and their families, such as special episodes for the month of Ramadan.

Dr. Harb also highlighted Orange Radio’s continuous efforts to grow and provide the best, a quest that distinguishes both internal communication strategy and company culture at Orange Jordan.

Orange Jordan announced the three winners in the seventh local edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP 2023), recognizing innovative projects with a sustainable social and environmental impact in various fields, such as health, agriculture, education, energy, trade, and industry.

For Talent Space, Muhannad Alsouqi won first place with a prize of JD 5,000, for Jusoor Labs, Tawfiq Qaffaf won second place with a prize of JD 3,000, and for Smart WTI Heba Asaad won third place with a prize of JD 2,000. The finalists, qualifying from 97 applicants, were evaluated by a jury of experts in entrepreneurship and technology before the winners’ announcement.

The winners of the local Orange Social Venture Prize get to compete in the international edition of OSVP, where the first prize is €25,000, the second prize is €15,000, the third prize is €10,000, and there is also a €20,000 award for projects founded by women.

Orange Jordan CEO, Philippe Mansour, emphasized the importance of the Orange Social Venture Prize in supporting projects that provide solutions to environmental and social challenges, especially climate change. He also expressed his pride in the Jordanian startup iROLE, which won the €20,000 Women’s Prize in the international edition of the award last year.

Chief Corporate Communications and Sustainability Officer at Orange Jordan, Engineer Rana Al Dababneh, congratulated the winners of the seventh local edition of OSVP, which embodies Orange’s commitment to supporting innovation, wishing them success in the international competition. She also highlighted the importance of OSVP in supporting prototypes and growth-stage startups with environmental or societal impact to attract investors and achieve a real impact with their innovations.

Al Dababneh thanked all the participants for taking the initiative in using technology to create innovations that improve people’s lives and contribute to development. She also thanked the jury members for their support of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, noting that entrepreneurship is a main pillar of Orange Jordan’s social responsibility strategy and a driver of economic growth.

Orange Jordan encouraged the seven finalists to continue their entrepreneurial journey and participate in next year’s edition of the prize. The finalists were Reem Al-Smeirat for Womotive, Jasser Al-Harasis for Robotna, Ziad Abu Ayyash for Sannula, Bayan Al-Abdallat for Adadk, and Faisal Al-Armouti for DoorBox, Yazan Tadros for Math Mania, and Majdi Al-Qudah for O2 Dive Experience.

This year’s local OSVP jury comprised the CEO of Information and Communications Technology Association – Jordan (int@j), Eng. Nidal Bitar, Managing Partner at Amam Ventures, Fida Taher, CEO of Injaz, Deema Bibi, CEO of Education for Employment– Jordan, Ghadeer Khuffash, Regional Director and Head of Programs at Ruwwad Al Tanmeya, Samar Dudin, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Jordan, Dr. Yazan Al Zain, and Chief Corporate Communication and Sustainability Officer at Orange Jordan, Eng. Rana Al Dababneh.

In partnership with the University of Jordan (UJ), Estarta launched its CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) networking and software development training courses last month. With that said, the course’s conclusion was celebrated on Thursday!

What is the Estarta Training Academy?

The “Estarta Training Academy” at Estarta is highly recognized for its comprehensive training programs. Through this particular program, the company underscored itself as a significant player in cultivating and directing future IT talent in Jordan.

Our success at the Estarta Training Academy depends on the achievements of our students. The brightest students who complete our training programs are given the chance to pursue careers at Estarta, resulting in a win-win situation for both the firm and the students while also strengthening the resource base at Estarta and in the markets where we do business.

UJ Training Program

This program, which was held under the guidance of the Training Academy, is expected to have a significant effect on the students at the King Abdullah II School of Information Technology (KASIT). This program, which included CCNA networking and software development in its curriculum, has the potential to revolutionize the way that technology is taught!

CCNA Networking and Software Development: The Focus

The networking and software development topics covered by the UJ Training Program are two crucial components of the tech sector. These are not merely academic specialties; they are also entryways to a wide range of fascinating job prospects.

The CCNA Networking course went deeply into networking and gave students the ability to understand both the basics and the complexities of network infrastructure. Precision and competence are essential in this industry, and Estarta is dedicated to giving students the tools they need to succeed.

Innovators of Tomorrow

The driving force behind innumerable technological advancements in today’s digital world is software development. Students were given the tools they need to learn about software engineering, development, and coding through this program. In other words, it was a chance to turn original concepts into useful software.

Grand Finale: Graduation Ceremony

The course’s conclusion was celebrated last Thursday, and students who completed it received certificates to commemorate their efforts and achievements. Congratulations to all the graduates!

We at Estarta are quite proud to see these intelligent, competent individuals. It demonstrates how much room there is for homegrown, local talent. Last but not least, to successfully complete such a challenging course is incredibly commendable and no minor accomplishment.