Saudi Arabia

Saudi Central Bank Permits New BNPL Company

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) granted “Tamara” a permit to provide Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solutions pursuant to Saudi Central Bank Law and Finance Companies Control Law. With Tamara, there are now four authorized companies offering BNPL solutions. SAMA

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Cisco Plans Cloud Security Data Center in Saudi Arabia

Cisco announced plans to establish a data center for cloud-delivered security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to help customers protect their users, infrastructure, and investments against threat actors. The announcement is part of Cisco’s continued effort to empower

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Mastercard Partners With UAE Life-Style Banking App to Issue Virtual Prepaid Cards Across GCC

Mastercard is partnering with Bankiom, a UAE-based lifestyle banking app, to introduce digital payment cards across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. This partnership marks a significant stride in Mastercard‘s ongoing commitment to advancing digitalization in the payments

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Saudi Arabia Permits 3 New Fintech Companies to Operate Under Its Regulatory Sandbox

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announces granting permits to three innovators to test their Open Banking solutions in the Regulatory Sandbox. These companies are: Tarabut Gateway Company for Information Technology, Umg Alholol Trading Co (known as Single View), and Drahim

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Saudi Central Banks Permits First Time BNPL Companies

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) granted “Spotii” and “Madfu” permits to carry out Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solutions pursuant to Saudi Central Bank Law and Finance Companies Control Law for providing finance to customers wishing to purchase products or

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Major Trends Driving Transformation in the Middle East’s Digital Payment Landscape

In the Middle East, the digital payment landscape is changing at a rapid pace, shaped by the advent of instant payments, booming adoption of new payment methods and the rise of online retail, a new whitepaper produced by Euromonitor International

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Top 20 VCs and Funds Backing Saudi Arabia’s Tech Startups

Against all odds, venture capital (VC) investments in Saudi Arabia reached a new all-time high last year, growing by a staggering 72% year-on-year (YoY) to reach US$987 million in 2022, data from the 2022 Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Report show.

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Saudi Central Banks Seeks Public Consultation on BNPL Regulation

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) seeks public consultation on the draft “Rules for Regulating Buy Now Pay later (BNPL) Companies.” In the interest of transparency and wider participation, SAMA invites stakeholders and public to provide suggestions and observations on the

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Tarabut Gateway Raises US$32 Million to Expand in Saudi Arabia

Tarabut Gateway announced the completion of a US$32 million Series A fundraise. The funding round was led by Pinnacle Capital with the participation of Aljazira Capital, Visa, Tiger Global and other existing investors. The proceeds raised bolster Tarabut Gateway‘s footprint

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Saudi’s STC Group Makes a Move Into Europe

stc Group announced that its ICT infrastructure subsidiary, TAWAL, has signed an agreement to acquire United Group’s telecommunications tower assets. The agreement, valued at EUR 1.220 bn supports stc Group’s ambitious strategy to expand its international footprint in key markets

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