Tagged: middle east

March 15, 2023 @ 10:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

This is notably the first ‘directly integrated’ open banking API in MENA’s crypto sector. The collaboration will allow Rain customers in Bahrain “to quickly and easily top-up their crypto wallets via bank transfer through the Rain app.” Tarabut Gateway, which claims to be one of… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 10:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Zad is reportedly the “first-of-its-kind digital investment platform launched in Kuwait by Securities House, “offering end-users access to trade over 4,000 stocks and ETFs in full compliance with Islamic Shariah principles.” As noted in a blog post, Zad is “the brainchild of the fintech Securities… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 10:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Astra Tech’s PayBy, a Central Bank-UAE licensed Fintech offering a variety of financial technology services, has achieved a significant milestone in the MENA region fintech space by becoming one of the first fintech player “to obtain a Mastercard (NYSE: MA) principal membership license.” This achievement… Read More

March 14, 2023 @ 12:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

VMware recently announced VMware Cloud on AWS is now available in Bahrain. The service, which launched on February 28 in the AWS Middle East (Bahrain) region, will help customers in Bahrain “move their workloads across VMware cloud environments with optimized access to AWS services, supporting… Read More

March 13, 2023 @ 8:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Paymob, the financial services enabler in the MENA region and Pakistan (MENAP) and Shahid, the Arabic streaming platform by MBC GROUP, announced their signing of a new partnership agreement. The partnership “enables Shahid customers in Egypt to pay for their subscriptions via electronic wallets processed… Read More

March 12, 2023 @ 11:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Liquidity Group, an Israel-based fintech and asset manager, is looking to provide $500 million this year “to support startups in the UAE and across the Middle East.” The company reached unicorn status last month, “with fresh investment of $40 million from Japan’s MUFG at a… Read More

March 7, 2023 @ 9:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

FOODICS, the cloud-based restaurant management technology and payments platform in the MENA region, announces a strategic partnership with the Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider, Unifonic. Since it was founded in 2006, Unifonic has consistently “grown its product line and its markets to provide… Read More

March 7, 2023 @ 7:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), a technology company in the global payments industry, has collaborated with Google in order “to launch Google Pay in Kuwait, strengthening digital payment capabilities in the country.” Cardholders can tap to pay “with their Android phones or supported Wear OS devices in… Read More

March 6, 2023 @ 1:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Liquidity Group, a pioneering financial technology firm and asset manager that uses patented machine learning and decision science to provide capital to high-growth technology companies, has announced the launch of its global ‘Twenty Chairs’ series. The series will bring together leading industry players “to network… Read More

March 1, 2023 @ 8:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the global financial centre in the MENA and South Asia region, has chosen anti-financial crime compliance specialist Napier in order to upgrade the screening services they employ with Napier Client Screening. With the next-generation solution, the DIFC Authority will “benefit… Read More

February 26, 2023 @ 4:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the licensing of Mani, a finance debt collection company to provide debt collection service for finance institutions. The license was granted to the company after completing all requirements stipulated in the “Rules of Licensing Finance Support Activities” issued by… Read More

February 25, 2023 @ 6:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: RELY), a digital financial services provider for immigrants and their families, announced it has expanded into the Middle East with the launch of its outbound remittance product in the UAE. Remitly has also “opened an office in the Dubai International Financial… Read More

February 22, 2023 @ 9:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UAE-based Fintech firm InvestSky has launched a social investing platform with assistance from Alpaca. InvestSky is a social investing platform that “offers a new generation of investors the opportunity to embark on trading stocks in a more inclusive, intuitive, and informed way.” InvestSky was established… Read More

February 22, 2023 @ 1:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, announced the launch of Hub71+ Digital Assets, a dedicated Web3 specialist ecosystem, “with more than $2 billion of capital committed to fund Web3 startups and blockchain technologies from the UAE’s capital.” Hub71+ is “a specialist ecosystem dedicated to advancing… Read More

February 14, 2023 @ 10:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

XS.com, the multinational global Fintech and financial services provider, has announced that it will be the Global Partner of “the first ever Fintech and crypto exhibition of its kind held in the Kingdom of Bahrain.” The Fintech and Crypto Summit is “organized by Smart Vision… Read More

February 14, 2023 @ 9:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Central Bank of the UAE’s (CBUAE) Board of Directors, the CBUAE launched its Financial Infrastructure Transformation Program (FIT program)… Read More

February 2, 2023 @ 3:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), a technology firm focused on the global payments industry, has partnered with Bahrain’s fintech and payment service provider Eazy Financial Services (EazyPay) that will now be powered by Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS). MPGS is a trusted platform that “provides financial institutions… Read More

January 31, 2023 @ 10:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the licensing of two finance companies that are “specialized in debt-based crowdfunding, namely: Forus and Tameed.” The licenses were “granted to the companies after successful testing of their solutions in SAMA’s Regulatory Sandbox; an experimental environment dedicated to innovative… Read More

January 30, 2023 @ 11:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Wafeq, a modern and easy-to-use accounting platform, has announced the completion of its $3 million seed round. The Dubai-headquartered company’s seed round was “led Raed Ventures by and saw participation from Wamda Capital, both of which are two of the most prominent names in the… Read More

January 26, 2023 @ 9:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Open Ecosystem RegTech provider, Konsentus, establishes its MENA regional base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “to provide open data infrastructure and technology services to regulators and financial services providers in the Kingdom and surrounding territories.” The team is “led by Managing Director MENA, Konsentus,… Read More