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.
