Saudi Arabia
Top 8 MENA Fintech Funding Rounds With Corporate VC Investment in H1 2022
Corporate venture capital (CVC) deals declined on the whole in terms of number and volume in the first half of 2022, though the average deal size increased to US$35 million in the second quarter of the year. This is according
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Five FS Launches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia After Closing US$3.5M Seed Round
Dubai-based financial services platform Five FS has launched in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and raised US$3.5 million in seed funding led by Romanian vc firm Zeyshare Ventures at a US$30 million valuation. Five FS helps users get better offers
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6 Middle East Fintech Startups on CB Insights’ Fintech 250 Most Promising List
Six fintech startups from the Middle East made this year’s Fintech 250, CB Insights’ annual list of the 250 most promising private fintech companies in the world. The 250 winners were selected from a pool of over 12,500 eligible private
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Saudi Central Bank Adds 4 Open Banking Startups to Its Regulatory Sandbox
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has added four open banking startups to its regulatory sandbox, bringing the number of companies currently operating under the sandbox to 27. 42 companies have been granted permits to operate under the regulatory sandbox to
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Saudi’s Mobile Point of Sale Startup NearPay Raises US$3.6M Pre-Series A
Saudi-based point of sale startup NearPay has closed a US$3.6 million pre-series A funding round led by Vision Ventures, with participation from Hala Ventures, Arzan VC, Palm Ventures, and angel investors. Founded in 2020, NearPay provides a solution that allows merchants
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Here Are the Top 5 Fintech Startups in the Middle East on LinkedIn in 2022
Five fintech companies made LinkedIn’s second annual top startups list featuring 10 companies in the UAE that it says is gaining attention. The ranking was produced using LinkedIn data in four areas: employee growth, jobseeker interest, employee engagement, and their
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Saudi Central Bank Grants Payment Licenses to Arab Sea Financial Company and Fatoraah
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has granted e-commerce payment licenses to Arab Sea Financial Company and Fatoraah, bringing the total number of payment companies licensed by the central bank to 21 companies. This comes in addition to five payment companies
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Saudi Central Bank Updates Its Regulatory Sandbox Framework to Drive Innovation
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced that it has updated its Regulatory Sandbox framework as part of its efforts to achieve national strategic goals in the Financial Sector Development Programme (FSDP), a key objective of the Saudi Vision 2030. The
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Saudi Central Bank Permits 2 New Fintech Startups to Operate Under Its Regulatory Sandbox
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced granting permit to a new batch of companies; “Lean Technologies” and “Mod5r” to provide Open Banking Solutions; bringing the total number of permitted Fintech companies operating under its Regulatory Sandbox to 38. This step
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Saudi Fintech Tamara Secures Record $100M Series B Round
Saudi fintech startup Tamara, a leading payments startup focused on driving financial inclusion across the Middle East, has raised a $100m Series B equity round led by Sanabil Investments, with participation from Coatue, Shorooq Partners, Endeavor Catalyst and a follow-on
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