Fuse, a Dubai-based company developing infrastructure for cross-border payments in the MENA and GCC regions has raised US$6.6 million in a funding round led by Northzone, with participation from Flourish Ventures, Alter Global, and several angel investors, including the founder of Flutterwave.

The company is building foundational infrastructure for cross-border payments in the MENA and GCC regions.

Co-founder and CEO George Davis is a serial entrepreneur with a background in global payments, having previously held senior roles at TrueLayer, Paymentsense, and BVNK.

Expanding into the MENA region has traditionally involved high costs and complex processes, with each country operating its own regulatory frameworks and banking systems.

Fuse aims to address this by offering a unified API that facilitates payments across key markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others in the region.

Currently, Fuse provides last-mile payout and first-mile collection services.

These are supported by the region’s first Virtual IBAN technology, proprietary compliance systems, and internal tools, enabling real-time cross-border and local payments without the need for businesses to establish local accounts.

Fuse launched with flagship client dLocal and is now supporting companies such as Deel, Airbnb, and Etsy, along with other use cases including cross-border trade and high-value purchasing.

Commenting on the company’s direction, George Davis said:

“Fuse has entered the market at an exciting time. Demand is surging, and money is flowing into the UAE rapidly. Before Fuse, infrastructure for complex financial services like Virtual IBANs simply didn’t exist in the region. This year, it’s all about scale – serving the immense demand in MENA.”

“While our focus has been on the US – Middle East corridor, we’re now expanding into Europe and Asia, enabling faster, more efficient payments between these regions and the Gulf countries.”

Featured image credit: edited from freepik