Tagged: middle east

September 12, 2021 @ 10:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UAE-headquartered healthcare financing platform Klaim has acquired $1.6 million via a pre-Series A round. Klaim’s investment round has been led by Mad’a Investments, a private equity company based in Saudi Arabia. Other investors also made contributions to the round, including Arzan Venture Capital and Wealth… Read More

September 8, 2021 @ 8:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Three private equity funds and a select group of VCs have reportedly invested around $120 million in Egypt-based MNT-Halan, a microfinance lending and payments firm. As noted by its management: “MNT-Halan is Egypt’s largest and fastest growing lender to the unbanked. Founded in 2018, with… Read More

September 4, 2021 @ 6:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), an Islamic financial institution, reveals that it has introduced “Amwali,” which is an Islamic digital proposition meant for youth between the ages of 8 to 18. Amwali is described as a unique proposition that aims to bring together a suite… Read More

September 2, 2021 @ 9:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) reveals that it has taken an important step towards establishing a derivatives market in 2021 by entering an agreement with Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) in order to provide marketplace tech services, such as matching, real-time clearing and settlement technology. Abu… Read More

August 30, 2021 @ 1:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech investments are fueling growth in the MENA region’s digital economy as consumers increasingly begin to conduct cashless transactions, following the Coronavirus outbreak. The region’s financial technology space is also benefitting from updated regulatory guidelines that may be more conducive for growth, according to consultancy… Read More

August 30, 2021 @ 10:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with James Wo, the Founder and CEO at Digital Financial Group, an investment company empowering Web 3.0 applications and blockchain or DLT -enabled platforms. Wo discussed the different products and services that his company supports. He also discussed the long-term impact that… Read More

August 24, 2021 @ 10:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

HSBC Qatar has introduced mobile payments and collections services for its personal and corporate clients, as part of its ongoing investment into digitizing banking services. These recent updates will aim to enable greater financial inclusion for the unbanked sector and  visitors in Qatar, which is… Read More

August 23, 2021 @ 10:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Arab Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, has launched its Fintech-focused corporate accelerator program, called “AB Accelerator,” in Egypt, after its successful launch in Jordan in 2018. The launch of this Fintech-related program in Egypt comes as part of… Read More

August 22, 2021 @ 9:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has introduced the 5th edition of its flagship project,  Fintech Abu Dhabi Innovation Challenge. The challenge is reportedly a part of the upcoming Fintech Abu Dhabi festival – which is scheduled to take place in November 2021. The ADGM… Read More

August 19, 2021 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ajar, a MENA region rental collection platform, reveals that it has expanded its business operations to the Kingdom of Bahrain. With an established presence in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the firm will be providing its property management and rent collection services in… Read More

August 19, 2021 @ 7:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European Fintech solutions provider finleap has teamed up with Bahrain-based telecom firm Batelco in order to support Open Banking in the MENA region. Recently, Batelco became the very first GCC-headquartered firm to acquire an Open Banking license. Through this latest partnership, finleap will be extending… Read More

August 11, 2021 @ 9:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In what appears to be a first for the Central and Eastern European as well as the MENA region, Visa (NYSE: V) and Mashreq, a card acceptance service provider in the UAE, have teamed up to offer a “Rapid Seller Onboarding” program in the Middle… Read More

August 9, 2021 @ 9:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubai-headquartered personal finance and investment platform Sarwa has acquired $15 million in capital through a Series B round. Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investment company Mubadala Investment Company has led Sarwa’s latest investment round. Other investors that made contributions include 500 Startups, KIPCO, Shorooq Partners, MEVP, DIFC,… Read More

August 8, 2021 @ 6:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UAE-headquartered Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Fintech tabby has acquired $50 million in capital as part of its recent funding round. tabby’s Series B investment round has been led by Global Founders Capital and STV. Delivery Hero, CCVA and several other backers of tabby took… Read More

August 8, 2021 @ 4:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)-owned online wallet Payit has entered a partnership with digital support services provider PLATX Omni Channel Conversational Commerce in order to offer a new solution for UAE-headquartered merchants. The two firms said they’ll enable UAE’s merchants to obtain customer payments through… Read More

August 2, 2021 @ 9:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Forus Capital, a Saudi Arabia-headquartered Islamic P2P lending marketplace, has secured funding via a Series A round (for an undisclosed amount). As noted by its management: “Forus Capital [is an] Islamic debt marketplace that enables investors to invest in a marketplace of alternative loans targeted… Read More

August 1, 2021 @ 11:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a special economic zone in Dubai covering 110 ha, established in 2004 and a financial hub for the MENA region as well as South Asia markets, has reportedly invested an undisclosed amount in UK-headquartered Legaltech firm Clara. Clara has… Read More

July 31, 2021 @ 8:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai-based Fintech company QPS Global recently revealed that it will be expanding its business operations in the Middle East. The company confirmed that it will be allocating $10 million in capital into the region within the next 12 months. The B2B card issuance and processing… Read More

July 29, 2021 @ 12:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

68% of wealth management customers in the post-COVID world are expecting a fully digital onboarding experience, according to an update from OneSpan, a company specializing in digital identity and anti-fraud solutions that “create exceptional and secure experiences.” OneSpan, which supports risk-based adaptive authentication and digital… Read More

July 26, 2021 @ 11:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked first among the Arab nations in FinxAr. As covered, the Arab Monetary Fund introduced the Index of Modern Financial Technologies in the Arab countries (called the FinxAr). The index aims to provide insights on the ongoing developments in the… Read More