Introducing Vezeeta Lab: Digital healthcare platform Vezeeta has launched a new innovation hub — dubbed Vezeeta Lab — to develop the company’s presence at home and abroad, in addition to developing new services, the company said in a statement (pdf). “Vezeeta Lab aims to empower the healthcare sector by providing advanced services that align with the growing needs of customers,” Chief Corporate Development Officer Choucri Asmar said.

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Aiding the company’s expansion plans is a big part of the innovation center, with the company planning to expand into Libya and Iraq by next year, a company official told EnterpriseAM. Vezeeta is also looking to increase its presence in countries it is already operating in, he said, name checking Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Nigeria.

Visa and Nymcard are also on board with the company’s plans: Vezeeta also signed cooperation agreements with electronic payments leader Visa and fintech player NymCard to develop, simplify, and improve the platform’s payment and booking services for both patients and doctors. The end game, according to Vezeeta, is to “create an integrated ecosystem for digital healthcare services that enhances quality and user experience.”

This is Visa’s first healthcare venture in the region: The agreement “marks our first steps into the healthcare sector in Egypt and the Middle East and reflects Visa’s commitment to driving digital transformation, by providing innovative and secure payment solutions,” Visa Egypt Country Manager Malak El Baba said.

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