Saudi-born entertainment and sports tech platform marks its first European acquisition, exporting technology built in the Kingdom to global markets
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,June, 2026 – webook.com today announced the acquisition of SmartMove, a Portugal-based event technology company specialising in membership management, ticketing systems, access control, CRM, e-commerce, and digital event operations.
The acquisition marks a major milestone for Saudi Arabia’s technology sector, positioning webook.com as one of the Kingdom’s first entertainment and sports technology companies to scale internationally through the acquisition of a European technology platform. It reflects the growing ability of Saudi-born companies to export technology, expand into global markets, and contribute to the ambitions of Vision 2030.
Built in Saudi Arabia to power some of the region’s most in-demand events, webook.com has grown into a global live experiences platform, reaching over 17 million users across more than 180 countries and processing more than 40 million ticket bookings. Through SmartMove, webook.com now establishes its first operational base in Europe, creating a platform to scale its technology, partnerships, and event operations across the continent.
With more than 30 years of market presence, SmartMove is one of Portugal’s most deeply embedded sports technology companies. The market-leading company operates the technology behind the ticketing platforms and fan membership of Portugal’s biggest clubs, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Liga Portugal, national cup competitions, and corporate ticketing platforms.
The acquisition combines SmartMove’s deep local expertise in club membership, ticketing, access control, and event operations with webook.com’s strengths in event discovery, high-demand ticketing, fan engagement, anti-scalping AI, identity-linked ticketing, digital commerce, and scalable event infrastructure.
“webook.com was built in Saudi Arabia with global ambition from day one,” said Nadeem Bakhsh, Chief Executive Officer of webook.com. “This acquisition is a Saudi technology export story. It shows how companies from the Kingdom are now building platforms capable of competing internationally, acquiring global capabilities, and contributing to the future of sports and entertainment technology.”
He added: “Vision 2030 created the environment for Saudi companies to think bigger and build for the world. SmartMove gives us a strong operational foundation in Europe, with deep expertise in football membership, ticketing, and matchday access. Together, we are ready to innovate the live event and entertainment booking experience for fans and organizers across Europe.”
Portugal was selected as webook.com’s European entry point due to its strong football culture, growing tourism sector, advanced digital capabilities, and active live entertainment landscape. Through SmartMove, webook.com gains an experienced European team, established client relationships, and a locally embedded technology platform.
António Precatado, General Manager SmartMove commented “We built our position by becoming essential to how Portuguese football and other sports operate, from membership sign-up to ticketing and matchday access. With webook.com‘s platform, investment, and international network behind us, we can now bring that model to clubs and venues across Europe.”
“This is exactly the kind of global growth Saudi technology companies are capable of,” Bakhsh added. “We are not only expanding internationally. We are taking Saudi-built infrastructure, operational expertise, and ambition into global markets.”
webook.com is expected to announce additional European partnerships and projects in the coming weeks as its international footprint continues to grow.
Photo caption: Hamdi Missaoui CCO webook.com (left) and Anotnio Precatado General Manager SmartMove (right)
About webook.com:
webook.com is a Saudi-born global technology platform for live experiences, built to operate at the scale and intensity of the world’s most in-demand events. More than a ticketing provider, it brings together event discovery, ticketing, fan engagement, digital event operations, and integrated travel services, including flights, hotels, restaurants, and local experiences, into a single, end-to-end ecosystem. Its infrastructure is engineered for high-demand environments, with the ability to manage over 2 million users in a single queue and deliver high-volume ticket releases exceeding 65,000 tickets per event, with speed, reliability, and control. Advanced capabilities, including proprietary queuing systems, AI-driven anti-bot and anti-fraud technology, identity-linked ticketing, and controlled resale, help ensure fair and secure access at scale. Since launch, webook.com has reached over 17 million users across more than 180 countries and processed more than 40 million ticket bookings, while maintaining a 4.6+ app rating across iOS and Android. With a rapidly expanding international footprint, including Europe, webook.com is building the infrastructure powering how fans discover, access, and experience live events globally.
About SmartMove:
Smartmove, Serviços de Mobilidade S.A., is a Portugal-based event technology company with more than 30 years of market experience. The company specialises in club membership management and ticketing systems, digital access control, CRM, e-commerce, and digital event operations. SmartMove is the technology partner behind the membership and ticketing platforms of Portugal’s leading football clubs, including the “big three” Sporting CP, FC Porto, and SL Benfica, for 18 years until 2018, as well as the Portuguese Football Federation, FPF, Liga Portugal, and international football federations. The company also operates in Brazil and other international markets. SmartMove’s product suite includes SmartFAN, fan-facing digital services and membership, SmartSPORTS, club and league operations, SmartARENA, venue management, SmartVENUE, exhibition and conference venues, and SmartEVENT, event management.
