VEON and Hala to Explore Partnership in Ride-hailing Services
Dubai, February 17, 2026 – VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator (“VEON” or “the Company”), announces that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hala, Dubai’s leading local e-hailing taxi solution and a joint venture between Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Careem, to explore cooperation in expanding ride‑hailing and mobility services across VEON’s operating markets. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed last week at VEON’s headquarters in Dubai.
The MoU establishes a framework for evaluating joint market entry and expansion opportunities, building on VEON’s existing experience in ride-hailing in Ukraine and Uzbekistan. VEON aims to leverage Hala’s operational expertise alongside its own digital scale and local market presence across frontier markets. The companies will also explore potential areas of integration within VEON’s broader digital ecosystem.
VEON Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu said: “At VEON, we are building digital services that improve the lives of our customers every day in some of the most exciting and underserved markets of our region. With our existing ride‑hailing operations in Ukraine and Uzbekistan, we already see strong demand for locally-built, locally-relevant solutions that give us the opportunity to deliver valuable experiences to our customers with multiple touchpoints on any given day. Our partnership with Hala has the potential to significantly accelerate the scale and impact of our mobility service offerings across our other markets.”
Khaled Nuseibeh, CEO of Hala, said: “Hala has developed a scalable ride-hailing platform in the UAE built around operational efficiency, technology integration and consistent service delivery. Through this MoU with VEON, we are exploring how that experience can support expansion into new markets where VEON already has strong digital reach and customer relationships. By combining VEON’s scale and ecosystem with Hala’s mobility expertise, we see potential to develop locally relevant ride-hailing platforms that integrate seamlessly with other digital services.”
The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO, Vitaly Shmakov, VEON’s Chief Investment Officer, Khaled Nuseibeh, CEO of Hala, and senior leadership from both organizations.
VEON and Hala plan to jointly assess the commercial, operational, and technological foundations for locally rooted ride‑hailing platforms to serve VEON’s markets. This includes evaluating collaboration models, customer acquisition strategies, and opportunities for future expansion.
VEON operates in Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh – five markets that are home to 530 million people, 6% of the world’s population. The company provides a broad range of services across digital platforms -financial services, insurance, entertainment, healthcare, online marketplaces, digital-first brands, learning, among others – serving approximately 140 million digital users monthly, in addition to its connectivity customers. Uklon, Ukraine’s leading ride-hailing platform which provides services in Ukraine and Uzbekistan, joined the VEON family of digital services in April 2025.
About VEON
VEON is a digital operator that provides connectivity and digital services to nearly 150 million connectivity and 140 million digital users. Operating across five countries that are home to more than 6% of the world’s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. VEON is listed on NASDAQ. For more information, visit: .
About Hala
Hala is Dubai’s most convenient e-hailing taxi solution, easily booked through the Careem app. A joint venture between Careem and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Hala leverages Careem’s ride-hailing technology and the local knowledge of the RTA to provide the most reliable and convenient rides across Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. With a motivation to continuously elevate customer experience in public transportation, Hala has unlocked this incredible region by keeping Dubai connected and moving.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements”, within the meaning of the Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to VEON’s execution of its digital operator strategy and its expansion of ride-hailing services to new markets. There are numerous risks, uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements, including risks relating to uncertainty over VEON’s execution of its digital operator strategy and its expansion of ride-hailing services to new markets, among others discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in VEON’s 2024 Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 25, 2025 and other public filings made by VEON with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release and VEON disclaims any obligation to update them, except as required by law.
Contact Information
VEON
Hande Asik
Chief Communications and Strategy Officer
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