VEON CEO Kaan Terzioglu informed Benzinga in a special interview that the business’s decade‑long digital improvement is going into a brand-new stage– one where in your area developed AI designs are powering development throughout 5 frontier economies: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
” VEON is not a standard telco,” Terzioglu stated. “We are a digital services business that takes place to offer connection.”
Expert system, he included, isn’t a standalone sector however a “horizontal ability” incorporated throughout fintech, education, health care, home entertainment, and business services.
That combination seems settling.
VEON’s digital incomes increased to $759 million in 2025, representing 17.3% of overall group profits, with strong momentum into the 4th quarter. The business’s digital environment reached 205 million active users, exceeding its connection base of 150 million.
In Pakistan, the business’s AI assistant within the Simosa super‑app now serves over one million month-to-month users.
Throughout essential markets, AI is currently embedded in customer‑facing tools like tutoring apps, healthcare assistants and farmer training services– genuine items producing quantifiable profits uplift.
Terzioglu stated the chance depends on constructing nationwide AI environments that show regional languages and worths.
” Sovereign AI is not an alternative; it is non-negotiable, a raison d’être,” the CEO informed Benzinga.
He likewise mentioned that sovereign AI for VEON’s markets– such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ukraine– is a space worldwide hyperscalers have actually mostly disregarded.
” Regional languages and cultural context are just not a top priority for hyperscalers. These markets are underserved by worldwide AI designs,” he informed Benzinga. “If we do not develop for them, nobody will.”
Partnerships with partners such as MeetKai are speeding up VEON’s advancement of localized language designs while keeping the group asset‑light and concentrated on returns, not facilities costs.
Looking ahead, Terzioglu anticipates VEON’s market re‑rating to follow its pivot towards AI‑powered digital services.
” We’re currently valued in a different way,” he stated. “We are a digital operator today– and an AI operator gradually.”
VEON Rate Action: According to information from Benzinga Pro, VEON shares ended Tuesday’s session up by 3.39% at $46.30.
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