Mashreq, the oldest privately owned bank in the United Arab Emirates, and Galaxy Racer (GXR), a transmedia powerhouse focused on esports, content creators, music and sports, headquartered in Dubai, are proud to announce their new partnership. The one-year collaboration will see Mashreq and Galaxy Racer create an engaging content series and launch gaming tournaments. Mashreq will also feature across all of Galaxy Racer’s team jerseys.

As the first official partnership of its kind in the region, the collaboration will help to realize Mashreq’s overarching goal to create new and exciting ways to speak to the next generation through digital-focused initiatives within the gaming and esports sector.

The partnership will focus on inclusivity and equitability, empowering gamers as well as content creators from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds who are hoping to break into the competitive gaming scene. For the first time in the Middle East, the Galaxy Racer and Mashreq collaboration will see the launch of a content creator series, which will support 10 of the region’s top content creators.

Galaxy Racer and Mashreq will also host community tournaments for all gamers, as well as the First Neo NXT Featuring Rocket League Championship, an online competition with the potential to reach 91 million active players throughout the region. Registration for the championship opened on June 30 and will last until July 14. Qualifications will start on July 22, with the finals scheduled for the same day. The winner will be announced by the end of July.

Mashreq, one of the leading financial institutions in the UAE, is shaping the future of financial services through convenience, innovation and trust, while delivering a seamless experience to customers. Founded in 1967, Mashreq has differentiated itself by pioneering new-to-market concepts and launching unique products and services, making it one of the region’s best performing banks, voted by its customers for the last five decades. The bank enjoys an expanding footprint across the Middle East including dominance in markets such as UAE, Egypt, with international offices in the financial capitals of the world.

Founded in 2019, Galaxy Racer has an existing global footprint of over 500 million followers, more than 100 content creators – including YouTube content creator Noor Stars – and over 2.5 billion monthly views. Having cemented its position as one of the biggest names in Esports, gaming and lifestyle across the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe, the organization recently expanded into North America with new headquarters in Los Angeles.

Founder and CEO of Galaxy Racer, Paul Roy, said: “I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Mashreq Bank, especially as this is a first of its kind within the country. By combining our shared values and beliefs to nurture the next generation of gaming talent and content creators, we believe we can create some fun and engaging content and activations for our always-growing community.”

Ahmed Abdelaal, Group CEO at Mashreq, said: “Esports is witnessing incredible growth across the Middle East, which is helping to drive the region’s gaming industry to the multi-billion dollar sector it has become today. Our innovative, digital-focused Neo NXT proposition targeting the SMART teens (12-18) resonates with the gaming community, positioned for internet savvy connected generation, to suit their lifestyle on the go. We are delighted to partner with Galaxy Racer to grow the region’s esports industry further.”