Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Astra Tech (2nd nomination)

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep‎. The consensus was to keep, with the sources and keep arguments provided being persuasive (non-admin closure) Cinder painter (talk) 11:57, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Astra Tech

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The references in the article currently consist of routine coverage (WP:ROUTINE). Fails WP:NCORP. And a strong indication of WP:COI. Bakhtar40 (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Business, Technology, and United Arab Emirates. Bakhtar40 (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Companies-related deletion discussions. Shellwood (talk) 11:55, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Keep -- the company meets NCROP as it has multiple international deep coverage, including Bloomberg:

"The money will help Astra Tech’s attempts to build a so-called super app that handles everything from digital payments to instant messaging. As part of those efforts, the firm last year acquired the Middle East’s most popular voice-calling app, Botim, for an undisclosed sum."

Skynewsarabia also has decent coverage:

"Millions of users across its Potem and Payby platforms, providing authorization and multi-currency prepaid card services. Astra has also been granted the authority to act as an acquirer and leverage Mastercard's suite of products, including payment gateways, mobile payments, and fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions."

Astra will also be able to provide BIN custodian services, allowing third-party fintech companies to issue prepaid cards and connect to the Mastercard card network.

Another media outlet, Asharq News, also provides reliable coverage, naming the company (translated from Arabic):

...the largest telecom technology platforms in the Middle East and North Africa. The company did not disclose the value of the acquisition of Botim, which it acquired from a group of Emirati investors, but said the app has 90 million registered users and 25 million monthly active users."

Overall, the company is the largest fintech in the Arabian region, with subsidiaries, unicorns, and multiple coverage, which should be added as it exists (Google search, Google Books search). Xrimonciam (talk) 10:21, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The Asharq News is an announcement/PR. saying Astra Tech acquires Botim App. If you have any significant coverage which is independent about the subject. Please share. Bakhtar40 (talk) 11:47, 25 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I've provided three various international media with significant coverage, and while Asharq is not the best of them, it's not a press release and covers the company and the industry quite well, for instance here is additional coverage which I didn't provided before: The United Arab Emirates, where 85% of the population is foreign, blocks calls from apps like Microsoft Corp.'s Skype, Meta Inc.'s WhatsApp, and Apple Inc.'s FaceTime. This has led to a surge in users of Botim, one of the few apps UAE residents can use to make voice calls over the internet. In addition to free video and voice calls, Potem offers money transfer services within the UAE, phone recharges, and local and international bill payments, according to the statement. Following the acquisition, Astra Tech will allow users to pay bills, access government services, and order food and groceries through the app. “Botim will be the first of its kind in the region to simplify interactions for hundreds of millions of users, allowing them to engage and transact seamlessly,” said Abdullah Abu Sheikh, founder of Astra Tech. Astra Tech joins companies including Uber's Middle East subsidiary Careem in building so-called "super apps." Careem's app will enable access to services including food delivery, grocery shopping, shipping, and bike rentals, sectors that have boomed during the pandemic. The deal comes days after Astra Tech announced that PayBy, which it acquired in August, had received approval from the Central Bank to offer services including money transfers and payments. The company aims to integrate these services into Potem, allowing users to pay utility bills or transact with online stores. Founded last year, Astra Tech has raised $500 million from investors including Abu Dhabi-based AI company G42. The company expects to announce further plans for Botim at the end of the first quarter and will continue to explore acquisitions to add new services to the app. Its first acquisition was the Rizk app, which connects users with suppliers offering services ranging from car rentals and COVID-19 tests to housekeeping and personal training. Rizk, whose investors include Abu Dhabi's ADQ, was valued at $75 million in its latest funding round and has over one million users. Xrimonciam (talk) 09:26, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Keep per GNG, and per many good, not just brief-mentions or CEO-citations sources which demonstrate that the subject in question is the largest fintech and communications company in the Gulf region, with its Botim app being the most-used messaging platform in several regional countries. Additionally, Quantix, a unicorn under Astra Tech, secured the largest financing deal for a UAE-based fintech ("Astra Tech owned Quantix gets UAE's biggest financing for a fintech,..Deal makes it biggest financing for any UAE based fintech to date" Gulf News, December 11, 2024). Villkomoses (talk) 09:38, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Keep I did WP Before and added several additional reliable media sources, namely two The National ones The National News and The National News 2nd source. These articles provide a detailed description of Astra Tech, particularly regarding the impact of the new financing on the company and its role in building the Ultra platform. Another worth adding source is The Wired Middle East. It covers and analyzes the coopearation between Astra Tech and the Chinese Ant Group's Alipay+ payment platform, mentioning the Dubai development and the broader scope. I also added Bloomberg sigcov source. It talks a lot about Astra and its ecosystem of subsidiaries (example of coverage: The deal will make Astra Tech one of the largest communications technology platforms in the Middle East and North Africa. Astra Tech joins firms including Uber Technologies Inc.’s Middle Eastern subsidiary Careem in building out so-called Super Apps. Careem’s app will allow access to services including food delivery, grocery shopping, shipping and bike rentals — all sectors that boomed during the pandemic. ג'ימיהחיה (talk) 11:23, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.