Ghanem, a digital real estate platform specialising in fractional ownership, has closed a US$7.1 million funding round with Al-Romaih Group, an investment firm with interests in Saudi Arabia’s real estate and financial sectors. The investment marks a notable step for Ghanem as it works to expand access to real estate investment through lower entry points, greater transparency, and flexible ownership models. The company operates under the Regulatory Sandbox of the Real Estate General Authority (REGA). Saleh Al-Ghamdi, CEO and Co-Founder of Ghanem, said: “We are proud of our partnership with Al-Romaih Group, which shares our vision of developing the real…

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has launched its Fintech Services, an initiative designed to support digital transformation in Kuwait’s banking sector and strengthen the country’s position in regional financial innovation. The new services include Virtual IBANs (VIBANs) with secure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Bin Sponsorship, and QR Code Cash Withdrawal. These offerings are intended for fintech companies and digital businesses, including licensed e-wallet providers, enabling secure integration and compliance with the regulations of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). The services allow fintech firms to connect with NBK’s infrastructure to provide financial services to a wider customer base, promoting financial…

Workday, the enterprise AI platform for managing people, finance, and operations, has appointed Zakaria Haltout as Group Vice President, based in the UAE. The appointment supports Workday’s expansion in the region. Haltout has more than 20 years of experience leading in the Middle East across technology, IT, and energy sectors. In his new role, he will oversee Workday’s operations in the region, focusing on building a local team, expanding the partner network, and supporting customers in adopting AI to manage their businesses. “The pace of AI adoption across the Middle East is extraordinary, and organisations are eager for solutions that…

Revolut has appointed Dr Gaby Magomola as Chairman of Revolut South Africa, as the company moves forward with its plans to establish a bank in the country. The announcement follows Revolut’s submission of its Section 12 application, the first formal step under the Banks Act. Dr Magomola is regarded as one of South Africa’s most experienced banking figures, with senior roles at Citibank, Barclays Bank, First National Bank, and African Bank, where he served as Chief Executive. He recently stepped down as Deputy Chairman of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, where he also contributed to the Audit and Risk…

FNB, in partnership with Mastercard, has launched Globba, a cross-border payments solution powered by Mastercard Move. The service, available through the FNB and RMB Private Banking apps, enables South Africans to send money abroad to more than 120 countries, offering faster, transparent, and traceable transactions. Globba aims to strengthen key remittance corridors such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and Ghana, while also providing access to bank accounts, mobile wallets, and cash pick-up locations globally. Lytania Johnson, CEO of FNB Personal Segment, said: “Globba represents a powerful platform for inclusion, speed and transparency. Our customers are Pan-African and globally connected, they value…

Tanami, a Bahrain-based private markets investment platform, has introduced SmartMatch, described as the world’s first private markets robo-advisor, at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025. SmartMatch allows investors to build portfolios across private equity, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure, tailored to their objectives, investment horizon, and risk profile. The platform uses proprietary algorithms to create personalised private market portfolios managed by established institutions, targeting investors who have traditionally had limited access to these markets. “We believe private markets should be an integral part of every investment portfolio,” said Faisal Aljalahma, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tanami. “SmartMatch empowers every…

The Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) has entered a strategic partnership with Qatar Development Bank (QDB), represented by Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH), to establish a Global Centre of Excellence (CoE) for finance and technology in Doha. The initiative aims to promote regional collaboration, strengthen links with Asian markets, and deepen connections with Singapore’s fintech ecosystem. Under the partnership, QDB and GFTN will pursue two main initiatives. The first is the Qatar Forum, an annual fintech event in Doha integrated with GFTN’s global platforms, including the Singapore Fintech Festival. The forum will bring together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, investors, startups,…

Thunes is enabling Mashreq to send instant mobile wallet transfers to millions of customers across major remittance corridors. The partnership connects Mashreq to Thunes’ Direct Global Network, giving the bank direct access to mobile wallets in Asia, Africa and Europe. The service is designed to offer faster, more affordable, transparent and efficient cross-border transfers across key growth markets. The rollout will begin with Mashreq’s top 30 payment corridors and expand to more destinations over time. The UAE, the world’s second-largest remittance hub, is expected to process about US$47 billion in outward flows in 2025, growing at 4.7 percent annually. Both…

Shory, a First.tech company and the UAE’s digital insurance platform, has launched its digital vehicle insurance renewal service on TAMM 4.0, in collaboration with TAMM, the Abu Dhabi Government Services Platform. The service allows residents to renew insurance, arrange vehicle inspections, and complete car registration through a single, secure, government-verified process. It uses AI to verify inspection, insurance, and registration details in real time, enabling transactions to be completed digitally and authenticated through UAE PASS. The integration leverages TAMM 4.0 features such as AutoGov and Single Prompt. AutoGov allows customers to pre-authorise recurring transactions, storing verified data for automatic renewals.…

The Ministry of Finance and the Dubai Department of Finance (DOF) have completed the UAE’s first government financial transaction using the Digital Dirham, in collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). The transaction marks a key milestone in the pilot phase of the Digital Dirham project under the CBUAE’s Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programme, which aims to advance digital payments and strengthen the UAE’s position as a global financial hub. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the CBUAE, said the Digital Dirham is a “strategic…

BENEFIT, Bahrain’s fintech and electronic financial transactions service provider, has signed a linkage agreement with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) of India to enable interoperability between Bahrain’s Electronic Fund Transfer System (EFTS), particularly its Fawri+ service, and India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The initiative, overseen by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), aims to enhance cross-border payment connectivity between the two countries. It will allow users in both countries to make real-time, secure cross-border transfers. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, Chief Executive of BENEFIT, said: “The partnership underscores our commitment to delivering advanced digital payment services…

Abdul Latif Jameel Finance, a provider of financing solutions regulated by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), and Ant International have signed a MoU to explore opportunities in the fintech sector in Saudi Arabia. The collaboration aims to support the growth of SMEs in the Kingdom through advanced digital services. The partnership will focus on a range of digital financial services for businesses and consumers. This includes exploring how WorldFirst, Ant International’s digital cross-border payment and treasury account service, can support Abdul Latif Jameel Finance’s digitisation strategy across its financial and consumer businesses. The parties will also collaborate on cross-border payment…

Equinix, a global digital infrastructure company, has announced plans to open a new high-performance data centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The US$22 million LG3 facility represents the first phase of a planned US$100 million investment in Africa over the next two years. Scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2026, the data centre will provide infrastructure to support local businesses and attract international companies to Lagos, a growing hub for global connectivity. The LG3 site will also incorporate Equinix Fabric, allowing businesses to connect physical and virtual infrastructure to cloud providers, partners, and other Equinix locations worldwide. “LG3 marks a…

Network International (Network), a fintech company operating across the Middle East and Africa, has formed a partnership with CredibleX, a working capital finance platform for SMEs, to expand access to financing for SME merchants in the UAE. Under the partnership, CredibleX’s lending services will be available on Network’s digital lending marketplace, allowing SMEs to obtain loan offers through a fully digital process. By using real-time transaction data, the marketplace aims to simplify credit assessment and speed up loan approvals, reducing paperwork and processing delays. Through the platform, eligible SMEs can review financing options, receive loan offers from CredibleX, and complete…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has established itself as the leading fintech hub in the Middle East, boasting 329 fintech companies in 2024, surpassing Saudi Arabia’s 261 and Egypt’s 177. The UAE also dominates the region’s fintech investment landscape, recording the lion’s share in fintech deals in H1 2025 with 39 transactions, according to Magnitt, further cementing its position as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s most dynamic fintech market. This burgeoning landscape has made the UAE a premier destination for fintech events, attracting global industry leaders to explore opportunities and tackle emerging challenges. Among the many conferences…

Saudi Arabia is moving closer to launching stablecoins under national regulation, with global crypto exchanges expressing support for the Kingdom’s digital asset plans. Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majed al-Hogail said the government aims to introduce stablecoins soon with the Capital Market Authority and the Central Bank. “If digital currencies are developed within Saudi values and regulations, it will create a faster financial system,” he said. According to Alarabiya, stablecoins are digital currencies pegged to a reserve asset such as the US dollar or gold, offering the speed of crypto with the stability of traditional money. Unlike Bitcoin…

Stephen Carter, Chief Executive of London-listed publishing and events group Informa, has reportedly moved his residency from the UK to the UAE, joining a rising number of wealthy British residents relocating to the Emirates. The move, first reported by the Financial Times, means the former aide to Gordon Brown will now run Informa from the UAE. While the relocation is likely to provide tax advantages, the FT report did not detail other potential benefits for Carter, who is entitled to sit in the UK House of Lords as Baron Carter of Barnes. Informa, which owns the global fintech and payments…

First Circle Capital, an early-stage venture fund focused on African fintech, has secured US$6 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to expand its investments in financial technology startups across the continent. Based in Casablanca and Kampala, First Circle Capital invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies addressing key challenges in financial services. The firm is targeting a US$30 million fund to build a focused portfolio of 24 startups, offering both capital and operational support to help founders prepare for Series A funding. So far, the fund has backed 15 startups across eight African…

Stream, a Saudi-founded platform focused on modernising billing and payments for businesses in the MENA region, has secured US$4 million in seed funding to advance its goal of simplifying how businesses get paid. The round was led by early-stage investment firm Outliers VC, with participation from BYLD Ventures and angel investors including Abdullah Elyas, Co-founder of Careem. The funding will be used to enhance Stream’s product development, including engineering, compliance, and payment capabilities, while improving its user experience and internal systems to support a growing subscriber base. Founded in 2024 by Ibrahim Aldlaigan, Stream offers tools to manage and automate…

Adyen, a global financial technology platform, has announced the launch of two new payment terminals in the UAE, the S1E4 Pro and S1F4 Pro. Designed for use across sectors such as retail, food and beverage, hospitality, and beauty and wellness, the devices mark the company’s latest advancement in in-person payment solutions. The S1E4 Pro is a mobile point-of-sale (POS) terminal built for durability, with an IP-65 rating for spill and dust resistance, and a 1.5-metre drop-proof design. It features a 6.1-inch display, hand strap, all-day battery life, and supports 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The device accepts all major payment methods…