Latest
Startups
+6
Oct 2, 2026
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1 min read
Replit acquires AI analytics startup Atta
Omar Shaik cold-emailed Amjad Masad two years ago asking him to invest. Masad and CTO Michele Catasta saw a demo and wrote a cheque the same day.
Fintech
+4
Sep 30, 2026
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12 min read
Open finance, AI agents and the price of being chosen
The UAE’s open finance payment volumes have nearly quadrupled in three months, with Lean doing almost all the running. Now add AI agents to the mix, and there’s the small matter of who wins the customer, who moves the money, and who gets to take a cut.
Fintech
+4
Sep 28, 2026
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2 min read
erad raises $22M Series A led by MEVP as SME financing reaches $133M
The Riyadh-based fintech has received more than $1 billion in financing requests and is expanding into logistics, manufacturing and wholesale after reporting eightfold annual growth in Saudi Arabia.
Startups
+4
Sep 25, 2026
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2 min read
MASNA Ventures seeks $150M fund capacity as Saudi defence investor accelerates maritime push
Saudi Arabia’s first defence-focused VC fund is seeking a 50% increase in capacity as it expands its focus on autonomous systems and builds out local manufacturing partnerships.
Startups
+2
Sep 23, 2026
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2 min read
Huspy enters Italy with Integra Finance acquisition, plans $86M investment
The Dubai-founded proptech has acquired Italian credit intermediary Integra Finance as it commits $86 million to building out its mortgage and real estate business in the country.
Fintech
+4
Sep 21, 2026
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2 min read
Paymob raises $35M pre-Series C co-led by Mubadala and EBRD as GCC nears half of revenue
The Egyptian payments company has grown GCC revenue sevenfold in 18 months, with Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala joining its cap table as Paymob increasingly shifts its growth towards the Gulf.
Fintech
+4
Sep 17, 2026
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2 min read
OCTA raises $3.5M seed led by MEVP as it expands into AI agents for accounting firms
The round brings OCTA’s total funding to $5.6M, as the startup expands from receivables and payables into AI agents that handle bookkeeping, reconciliations and month-end close.
Op-ed
+4
Sep 16, 2026
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9 min read
Money 20/20 Field Notes: mega-rounds, growing faultlines, and the increasing importance of taste
Mega-rounds, Saudi-UAE faultlines, an alarming amount of AI-generated slop and why Paul Graham’s 2002 essay on taste feels more and more relevant; some semi-unfiltered observations from three days at Money20/20 in Riyadh.
