One of the region’s leading business and communications groups, Orient Planet Group (OPG) has highlighted the need for stronger economic ties between the Arab world and Brazil through greater digital collaboration. Speaking at the 5th Brazil and Arab Countries Economic Forum 2026, Dr. Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director of OPG, emphasised the role of AI, fintech, and advanced technologies in creating new business opportunities and moving beyond traditional trade.
During the panel titled ‘Digital Economy, AI & New Generation of Consumers’, Dr. Abou Zaki outlined a set of initiative ideas aimed at leveraging cutting-edge technologies to overcome geographical distance and language barriers and to build stronger commercial and institutional ties between Arab and Brazilian markets. A key proposal from his side was an AI trade bridge, an integrated platform offering businesses real-time demand forecasts, faster customs clearance, and live market dashboards. Such a platform will help to shift from reactive trade towards proactive, data-driven planning.
He urged ABCC to integrate its long-running matchmaking efforts into a digital platform, which offers recurring online sessions connecting businesses in both markets throughout the year. Dr. Abou Zaki said this shift would extend the benefits of Arab-Brazil trade beyond large conglomerates to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), enabling them to enter new markets. He further proposed a live trilingual deal platform that covers English, Arabic, and Portuguese, where businesses can find partners, verify credentials, and draft contracts without the language barrier.
Dr. Abou Zaki further proposed year-round, sector-specific B2B virtual business events connecting investors with business communities in Brazil and the Arab world, extending participation beyond capital cities to manufacturers in remote regions who cannot travel internationally. In the financial sector, he suggested a cross-border fintech partnership linking Brazil’s Pix payment system with Arab countries’ payment systems, making cross-border transactions as seamless as domestic transfers, especially to support SMEs and startups. With Brazil hosting over 20,000 active startups, he called for a joint startup accelerator providing both Brazilian and Gulf-based startups, including student and early-career founders, with funding, mentorship and access to both markets from an early stage.
Emphasising the value of human capital in a sustainable economic relationship, Dr. Abou Zaki proposed a cross-border talent exchange that would enable young professionals in Brazil and the Arab world to collaborate remotely on projects in areas including fintech, content creation and gaming. This will build a generation of professionals familiar with both Arab and Brazil markets and strengthen the relationship beyond trade and government cooperation.
Dr. Abou Zaki said: “The fundamental step in further strengthening Arab-Brazil relations will be overcoming the barrier of geographical distance; technology gives us the perfect solution for this. AI, digital platforms and fintech can help us move from traditional trade towards a more connected, proactive and innovation-led relationship. This shift gives an opportunity to build the digital infrastructure, strengthen talent networks and nurture innovation ecosystems that can shape the next generation of Arab-Brazil economic cooperation.”
