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AI Nova Apps

Middle East

App & Software Development for Businesses in Qatar

Bilingual mobile apps, web platforms and AI assistants for Qatari companies and institutions — built for the PDPPL, local payments such as NAPS, Himyan and Fawran, and hosting in Doha.

Serving:Doha · Al Rayyan · Lusail · Al Wakrah

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  • Free consultation & estimate
  • NDA on request
  • You own the source code
Overview

Software Development for Qatari Businesses

Qatar is a small market with big expectations. Customers are used to world-class services, government services are largely online, and organisations from retail to healthcare are investing under the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Digital Agenda 2030.

Qatar was the first GCC country to pass a national data-protection law — Law No. 13 of 2016, the PDPPL — and the National Cyber Security Agency enforces it. Payments have their own local rails: the NAPS network, the national Himyan card and the Fawran instant-payment service launched by the Qatar Central Bank in 2024. We plan for these from the start.

Doha is two hours behind Islamabad. Our office day runs from 7 AM to 4 PM Qatar time, Monday to Thursday overlapping fully with the Qatari working week.

Qatari projects at a glance

Time difference
Islamabad is 2 hours ahead of Doha
Shared hours
7 AM – 4 PM Qatar time, Monday to Thursday
Languages
Arabic (RTL) and English
Data law
PDPPL (Law No. 13 of 2016)
Hosting in Doha
Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure regions
Local Know-How

What We Handle for Qatari Projects

Much of the work in a market-ready product is local detail. These are the requirements we plan for from the first sprint.

  • PDPPL compliance

    Consent and transparency, privacy by design and breach notification to the regulator and affected people within 72 hours under the NCSA's guidelines. Health data, children's data and other data of a "special nature" need the regulator's approval before processing, which we plan into the timeline.

  • Local payments

    Debit cards on the NAPS network and the national Himyan card, Fawran instant transfers, Apple Pay, and gateways such as Sadad Qatar and QPay, so customers can pay the way they prefer.

  • Hosting in Doha

    Qatar's cloud policy allows hosting abroad with proper safeguards except for highly sensitive data. For government, healthcare and financial clients we deploy to the Google Cloud Doha or Microsoft Azure Qatar Central regions.

  • Arabic and English

    Right-to-left Arabic and left-to-right English designed together, with bilingual content managed in a CMS and Arabic copy written or reviewed by native speakers.

  • Getting ready for e-invoicing

    Qatar's Cabinet approved a draft e-invoicing law in May 2026, with the timeline and technical rules still to come. We store invoices as structured data now so connecting to the national system later is straightforward.

  • Secure AI adoption

    There is no AI law yet, but the NCSA has published guidelines for adopting AI securely. Our chatbots and AI agents follow them: data stays in the region you choose, prompts and outputs are logged, and sensitive actions need a person's approval.

Integrations

Local Services We Integrate

Payment, identity and cloud services commonly used by Qatari businesses.

  • NAPS
  • Himyan
  • Fawran
  • Apple Pay
  • Sadad Qatar
  • QPay
  • WhatsApp Business Platform
  • Google Cloud Doha
  • Microsoft Azure Qatar Central
Industries

Industries We Build For

  • Retail & e-commerce
  • Food delivery & hospitality
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Real estate
  • Logistics
Services

What We Build for Qatari Clients

Every service is delivered remotely by the same senior team, with the local requirements above built in.

What to plan for when launching an app in Qatar

Qatar's population is small and highly connected, so word of mouth spreads fast and a poor first release is hard to recover from. Delivery and lifestyle apps such as Talabat and Snoonu have set a high bar for speed and polish. These are the topics we cover with Qatari clients in discovery.

Data protection under the PDPPL

The PDPPL applies to personal data processed electronically in Qatar. It requires transparency, a lawful basis such as consent, privacy by design and security measures, and the regulator's guidelines set a 72-hour window for notifying breaches. Data of a "special nature" — including health, children's and religious data — needs a permit before processing, so healthcare and education projects should apply early. Companies in the Qatar Financial Centre follow the separate QFC Data Protection Regulations.

Payments on local rails

Most card payments run over NAPS, Qatar's national switch, and Himyan has added a national card scheme. Since March 2024 Fawran has let people send instant transfers between banks, which suits invoices, rent and peer-to-peer features. We combine these with Apple Pay and card payments through a local gateway.

Government and identity

More than 2,000 government services are available online through Hukoomi and Metrash, with Tawtheeq as the national login. For projects linked to government services we follow the relevant authority's integration rules and accessibility guidance, which references WCAG.

Where to host

Google Cloud (since 2023) and Microsoft Azure both run regions in Doha, so even sensitive workloads can stay in the country without giving up managed databases, AI services or global content delivery.

Working with us from Qatar

We overlap with Qatar from 7 AM to 4 PM, Monday to Thursday. Every project starts with a free consultation and a fixed-price proposal; you then get weekly demos and a staging app to test. As a rough guide, a focused MVP costs US$5,000–$15,000, a mid-sized app $15,000–$40,000 and complex platforms start from around $40,000.

Ways to work with us

Engagement Models That Fit How You Build

Every engagement starts with a free scoping call. We recommend a model based on how clear your requirements are and how much control you want over the team.

  • Fixed-Price Project

    A defined scope, timeline and price agreed up front, delivered in milestones you sign off. Change requests are estimated before any work starts, so the budget never moves without your approval.

    Best for: MVPs and projects with clear, stable requirements

  • Dedicated Team

    A full-time team — engineers, designer, QA and a project manager — working only on your product, in your tools and rituals. You set priorities each sprint; we handle hiring, retention and delivery quality.

    Best for: Long-term products and growing roadmaps

  • Time & Materials

    Pay for the hours actually worked, billed against a shared backlog and transparent timesheets. Ideal when the product is still being discovered and you want to adapt the plan as you learn.

    Best for: Evolving scope, R&D and post-launch iterations

  • Team Augmentation

    Add one or more vetted developers to your existing team to close a skills gap or hit a deadline. They join your stand-ups and follow your engineering standards from day one.

    Best for: In-house teams that need extra capacity fast

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Qatari projects.

Which data-protection law applies to apps in Qatar?

Law No. 13 of 2016 on the Protection of Personal Data Privacy (PDPPL), enforced by the National Cyber Security Agency. It covers consent, transparency, security and breach notification, and requires approval before processing special-nature data such as health or children's data. Companies in the Qatar Financial Centre follow the QFC's own regulations.

Can you integrate Qatari payment methods?

Yes. We integrate card payments over NAPS, the Himyan national card, Apple Pay and Fawran instant transfers through local gateways such as Sadad Qatar or QPay. Your business holds the merchant account and we handle the technical work and testing.

Can our app be hosted in Qatar?

Yes. Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure both have regions in Doha. We recommend in-country hosting for government, healthcare and financial data, and regional hosting with safeguards for other apps if it saves cost.

What hours can we reach your team from Doha?

Our office hours are 7 AM to 4 PM Qatar time, Monday to Thursday overlapping fully with your working week. Friday is our working day but your weekend, so we use it for focused development and send you a summary.
Global Delivery

Other Countries We Serve

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