Latest
Fintech
+4
Sep 13, 2025
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2 min read
Tamara to secure at least $1.4B in debt financing from Goldman, Citi, Apollo; deal could reach $2.4B
The facility, among the largest of its kind in the Middle East, refinances and expands a prior Goldman-arranged debt package, with commitments potentially rising to $2.4 billion.
Op-ed
+1
Sep 11, 2025
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11 min read
Property Finder and the Last Mile of Venture Investing
Venture investing is won and lost in the final stretch. Using Careem and Property Finder as case studies, Amir Farha explores how compounding, timing, and investor courage determine whether funds deliver liquidity or leave multiples on the table.
Jordan
+4
Sep 11, 2025
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2 min read
Jordanian founder Amjad Masad’s Replit raises $250M at $3B valuation, launches Agent 3
Replit was founded in 2016 by Amjad Masad, a Jordanian-born engineer, alongside Faris Masad and Haya Odeh, and has now raised around $478 million to date.
Fintech
+2
Sep 11, 2025
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13 min read
Nauman Ali on Orbii's $3.6M Seed round, the death of credit scores, and establishing trust with lenders
How Ali's early experiences shaped the mission, why defaults can be reduced to near zero, and what a post–credit score world could look like for businesses across the region.
Startups
+4
Sep 10, 2025
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2 min read
Permira, Blackstone back Dubai’s Property Finder with $525M investment
The vehicle will back firms at the growth and pre-IPO stage through a mix of equity and secondary transactions, prioritising businesses with scalable platforms and alignment to Saudi Vision 2030’s digital transformation agenda.
Fintech
+3
Sep 9, 2025
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2 min read
Revolut secures in-principle approval for UAE payments licence
The move positions the London-based fintech, which now serves over 60 million customers worldwide, to roll out its full product suite to UAE users.
Morocco
+3
Sep 8, 2025
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2 min read
Ora Technologies acquires Cathedis to bring last-mile delivery in-house
Founded in 2023 by Omar Alami, Ora’s super-app bundles P2P payments, an e-commerce marketplace, on-demand services, chat, and social networking into a single platform.
Contech
+4
Sep 8, 2025
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2 min read
Saudi contech startup Fitting raises $500K pre-seed to digitise building materials supply chain
Founded in 2024 by Ahmed Rian and Abdulaziz Almubayad, the startup addresses inefficiencies in the Kingdom’s fragmented construction supply chain by creating a digital marketplace that links wholesale suppliers of building materials with retailers and real estate developers.
Startups
+4
Sep 8, 2025
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2 min read
UAE proptech PRYPCO raises undisclosed pre-Series A led by General Catalyst
The vehicle will back firms at the growth and pre-IPO stage through a mix of equity and secondary transactions, prioritising businesses with scalable platforms and alignment to Saudi Vision 2030’s digital transformation agenda.
Startups
+3
Sep 8, 2025
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2 min read
anb Capital and Lexham Partners launch $200M growth fund targeting MENA tech startups
The vehicle will back firms at the growth and pre-IPO stage through a mix of equity and secondary transactions, prioritising businesses with scalable platforms and alignment to Saudi Vision 2030’s digital transformation agenda.
Fintech
+4
Sep 8, 2025
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2 min read
Orbii raises $3.6M seed round to scale embedded SME lending across MENA
Founded in 2024 by Nauman Ali, Nasara Mughal, and Guillaume Kieffer, Orbii develops an AI-powered embedded lending platform that enables banks, fintechs, and B2B ecosystems to launch and scale SME credit products.
Analysis
+2
Sep 3, 2025
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9 min read
The Gulf’s new space race for sovereignty
Why sovereignty in space matters, the divergent bets of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the players shaping the race, and whether these efforts will coalesce into a regional ecosystem, or remain a contest for supremacy.
SWFs
+5
Sep 3, 2025
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3 min read
Qatar’s QIA backs Anthropic’s record $13B round at $183B valuation
The raise, led by Iconiq Capital with co-leads Fidelity Management & Research Company and Lightspeed Venture Partners, nearly triples Anthropic’s valuation from just six months ago.
Morocco
+3
Sep 2, 2025
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2 min read
Justyol secures $1M to scale Moroccan e-commerce platform with Turkish roots
Founded in Morocco, Justyol connects Turkish fashion and lifestyle products with North African consumers, while recently branching into electronics and household goods.
Startups
+3
Sep 2, 2025
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2 min read
UAE’s WheelsOn raises $12.5M to expand deposit-free digital car rental platform
Founded in 2023 by Nikolay Melnichuk, Adlet Shagirov, and Maxim Olivson, WheelsOn operates a fully digital, deposit-free car rental platform designed to eliminate hidden fees, paperwork, and large upfront security deposits – pain points that continue to frustrate customers in the region’s traditional rental market.
