VEON and MeetKai Expand Collaboration to Explore Sovereign AI Infrastructure Partnerships
MWN-AI** Summary
VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a leading global digital operator, has announced an expanded collaboration with MeetKai Inc. to explore the implementation of sovereign, locally-deployed AI infrastructure in various markets. The announcement was made on March 3, 2026, during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed to mark this significant venture.
This enhanced partnership aims to facilitate the rapid and standardized deployment of secure computing environments that comply with local data residency regulations and governance processes. By leveraging VEON's extensive regional presence and data center capabilities along with MeetKai's advanced AI platform and language models, the two companies will work together to develop AI-based services tailored to meet market-specific demands.
MeetKai’s technologies promise to deliver high-quality large language models at reduced development and inference costs through efficient optimization strategies. This aims to improve unit economics, accelerate time-to-market, and maximize returns on research and development investments in AI services.
Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON, emphasized the initiative's focus on building a sovereign augmented intelligence ecosystem, while MeetKai's CEO, James Kaplan, highlighted the importance of sovereignty in AI technology. Both firms plan to roll out their capabilities across VEON’s markets, with further expansion into regions that support strategic partnerships and regulatory frameworks for sovereign deployments.
This initiative builds on a prior collaboration initiated in November 2025 with QazCode, VEON’s AI and software arm based in Kazakhstan, to develop next-generation language models. VEON's commitment to driving inclusive digital growth remains central, with the aim of addressing local needs through advanced AI solutions.
MWN-AI** Analysis
VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON) and MeetKai Inc.'s expanded collaboration to delve into sovereign AI infrastructure could be a game-changer for investors looking at emerging markets and AI innovations. This partnership not only demonstrates a commitment to localized AI technologies but also addresses pressing data residency and governance issues. With VEON's significant operational footprint across markets that account for over 6% of the global population, this collaboration has the potential to unlock substantial growth opportunities.
Investors should consider VEON's strategic approach to deploying AI capabilities tailored to local languages and cultural contexts. By leveraging MeetKai's advanced AI platform which allows for cost-effective deployment and quicker time-to-market, VEON is positioning itself favorably amid increasing demand for AI solutions. This initiative is likely to enhance VEON's operational efficiencies and could optimize unit economics, essential for bolstering profitability in the fiercely competitive telecom sector.
The partnership aligns with broader trends toward decentralized AI systems that respect local data laws, a critical differentiator in today’s regulatory landscape. While the ambitious implementation plans across multiple markets present inherent risks related to regulatory approval and infrastructure challenges, the companies’ prior success in Kazakhstan suggests they may navigate these obstacles effectively.
Given the increasing investor appetite for AI-driven services and inclusive digital growth initiatives, VEON's proactive engagement in this space could yield attractive returns. Therefore, investors might want to consider accumulating VEON shares as the company embarks on this journey of building sovereign AI ecosystems, especially before the market fully recognizes the potential upside this partnership represents. However, they should remain mindful of the risks highlighted in VEON's filings, particularly with regard to execution and regulatory challenges.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Barcelona, Dubai, New York and Los Angeles, March 3, 2026: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator (“VEON”), today announced the expansion of its partnership with MeetKai Inc. (“MeetKai”) to explore launching sovereign, locally-deployed AI infrastructure and in-country AI capabilities across VEON markets, with the intent to expand into further strategic partners over time.
A memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) was signed to mark the expansion of the partnership in Barcelona, where the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is currently under way.
The expanded partnership will accelerate rapid, standardized deployment of secure compute environments, aligned with data residency requirements and local governance processes, supporting development of AI-based services that meet market-specific needs.
The partnership brings together VEON’s regional footprint, customer access, user experience design experience and data center capabilities, and MeetKai’s sovereign AI platform, local language models, and AI application layer, supported by the expertise of MeetKai Atlas, a MeetKai subsidiary, in deployment standards and infrastructure playbooks that enable repeatable, secure rollouts of infrastructure solutions.
MeetKai’s platform is designed to deliver high quality LLMs at significantly lower development cost and lower inference cost through efficient post training, targeted optimization, and hardware aware deployment. The parties intend to apply these efficiencies across VEON deployments, aiming to optimize unit economics, accelerate time-to-market, and support faster returns on R&D investment while expanding AI services across consumer and enterprise use cases.
“VEON is building a sovereign, locally rooted augmented intelligence ecosystem that can be deployed in country and scaled responsibly across each of our markets,” said Kaan Terzio?lu, Group Chief Executive Officer of VEON. “With this partnership, we look forward to developing end-to-end sovereign AI capabilities delivering a complete, secure, and culturally-relevant sovereign AI value proposition to the communities we proudly serve.”
“MeetKai was built to deliver sovereign AI stacks that run inside sovereign borders, tuned to local languages, aligned with local policy, and designed to monetize across consumer and enterprise channels,” said James Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of MeetKai. “With VEON, we will apply our model and inference efficiency to help roll out AI services faster, at lower cost, and at operator scale across multiple markets and beyond.”
This initiative underscores VEON’s broader commitment to drive inclusive digital growth through augmented intelligence solutions that address local needs in emerging markets. It follows an earlier collaboration initiated in November 2025 between MeetKai and VEON’s Kazakhstan-based AI and software company QazCode to develop and train next-generation large language models.
VEON and MeetKai intend to roll out the partnership across VEON operating markets, while also exploring expansion further where strategic partnerships and regulatory frameworks support sovereign deployments.
About VEON
VEON is a digital operator that provides connectivity and digital services to nearly 150 million connectivity and over 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: https://www.veon.com.
About MeetKai
Founded in Los Angeles in 2018, MeetKai is a Sovereign AI company specializing in post training optimization, local language reasoning models, and national AI platforms. Its flagship MKA1 Platform enables governments, enterprises, and consumers to build and operate fully sovereign AI ecosystems with data control, localization, and long term value creation. Learn more at www.meetkai.com.
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 commercial and infrastructure partnerships. 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 commercial and infrastructure partnerships, 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 Strategy and Communications Officer
pr@veon.com
Attachment
FAQ**
How do you envision the expansion of VEON Ltd.’s partnership with MeetKai in Barcelona assisting in the development of locally-deployed AI infrastructure aligned with country-specific regulations and market needs in other operating markets like Dubai and New York?
Given the varying data residency requirements across cities like Los Angeles and Dubai, how is VEON Ltd. planning to customize its AI solutions through the partnership with MeetKai to ensure compliance and relevance in those regions?
What strategies does VEON Ltd. anticipate using to optimize unit economics and accelerate time-to-market for AI services across its markets, including Barcelona, Dubai, New York, and Los Angeles, through this partnership with MeetKai?
In light of the collaboration between VEON Ltd. and MeetKai, what potential challenges do you foresee in scaling sovereign AI capabilities effectively across diverse markets such as Barcelona, Dubai, New York, and Los Angeles?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON).
NASDAQ: VEON
VEON Trading
1.12% G/L:
$54.07 Last:
288,699 Volume:
$62.86 Open:
