Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Visa (NYSE:V), a world leader in digital payments, announced the return of its “She’s Next” for the third time in Saudi Arabia with its  inaugural edition ‘She’s Next in Gaming’ . This new initiative is aimed to empower female gamers by providing them with safe spaces to connect, compete, and thrive in the rapidly growing gaming and eSports industry. Visa is teaming up with GCON, a leading platform in the gaming industry, focusing on fostering talent, bridging gaps, and meeting community demands since 2012.

She’s Next, empowered by Visa, is a global advocacy program that aims to support women-owned small businesses through funding, training, and mentorship. This year’s edition of the program in Saudi Arabia will spotlight four streams including Gaming and, later this year, Sports, Entrepreneurship, and Fashion.

In recent years, the gaming and eSports industry has risen to the forefront of the Kingdom's economic diversification strategy, which is expected to contribute more than $13.32 billion to the Kingdom's GDP by 2030. With 70 percent of its population under the age of 35, Saudi Arabia is home to an estimated 23.5 million gamers. The Kingdom's gaming and eSports market has experienced rapid revenue and consumer growth, representing a promising opportunity for increased investment.

Currently, 48% of Saudi Arabia's gamers are women. However, they face significant challenges in the form of online bullying, lack of safe training and competition spaces, and predominantly male-dominated eSports teams and gaming company staff. Visa’s partnership with GCON, KSA's largest organization for Game Developers and Women in Gaming, reaffirms its commitment to addressing these issues at the female-only gaming competition taking place in Riyadh on June 7th, 2024.

Commenting on the launch of the new gaming stream as part of its ‘She’s Next’ initiative Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Regional General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, said: “Female gamers, who represent half of the Kingdom’s gaming population today, must be included and empowered in the gaming and eSports industry as the country focuses on becoming a global gaming hub. At Visa, we are pleased to support women who have a passion for gaming to fuel their ambitions by launching the ‘She’s Next in Gaming’ initiative ahead of GCON. This initiative empowers female gamers in Saudi Arabia by providing a safe and supportive environment. I look forward to witnessing the incredible talent and enthusiasm of the participants.”

Join the inaugural event of the Visa’s She’s Next in Gaming

On June 7th in Riyadh, 800 avid women gamers will assemble at GCON to showcase their talents, participate in cosplay, and seize the opportunity to earn a grant and mentorship for high-level competition. Gamers can look forward to a diverse range of experiences and opportunities:

  • Mentorship: Mentorship with Meshael and Najid, who will share their journeys in the gaming industry.   
  • Networking and community building:  The opportunity to exchange ideas and problem-solve with a community of female gamers.   
  • Access to thought leaders: Access to leading edge thinkers working across digital commerce and e-sports.
  • Grant: to help gamers to kick-start the next phase of growth.   

Lastly, the application procedure to participate in the event is straightforward. All interested competitors are encouraged to secure their place by purchasing a ticket for GCON. The event offers opportunities for winners, with the provision of grants. An esteemed panel of judges including Malak Alsaffar, Visa’s Country Manager for Bahrain, will deliberate and award the top performers in the cosplay competition.

Stay tuned for more information on Visa’s She’s Next program and announcements of the next streams. Visit the website.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, in territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at About Visa, visamiddleeast.com/blog and @VisaCEMEA.

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