CoinMENA has been acquired by Türkiye’s largest digital asset platform Paribu in a deal valued at up to $240 million, marking the country’s biggest fintech transaction to date and its first cross-border acquisition of a regulated crypto exchange.
The transaction expands Paribu’s footprint beyond Türkiye into the Middle East and North Africa at a moment when regional licensing is becoming a critical differentiator for global digital asset firms.
CoinMENA operates under licenses from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and the Central Bank of Bahrain, giving Paribu immediate access to two active digital asset regulatory regimes. The acquisition positions Paribu as one of the only multi-jurisdiction regulated operators in the region, strengthening a strategy built around compliance and market expansion.
Founded in 2020 by Talal Tabbaa and Dina Sam’an, CoinMENA serves more than 1.5 million users across 45 countries, offering over 50 cryptocurrencies and multiple local currencies. The company has raised close to USD 20 million from investors including BECO Capital, Arab Bank Switzerland, Circle and Bunat Ventures.
For Paribu, the acquisition is the latest step in a multi-year effort to build a broader financial services ecosystem. The company launched Paribu Custody in 2024, Türkiye’s first institutional-grade custody provider, and in October 2025 received authorization from the Capital Markets Board to establish a brokerage, marking its entry into capital markets infrastructure.
“This transaction is a turning point not only for Paribu but also for the digital asset and broader finance ecosystem in Türkiye and the MENA region,” said Yasin Oral, founder and CEO of Paribu. “With this acquisition, we have expanded our licensed operations into a wider geography, becoming a regulated player in one of the world’s most crypto-adoptive markets.”
CoinMENA’s founders called the deal the most significant milestone in the company’s history. “By combining CoinMENA’s regional expertise with Paribu’s technology, we are poised to develop a comprehensive suite of digital asset products for users across Türkiye and the MENA region,” Tabbaa and Sam’an said in a joint statement. “Paribu’s investment validates the strength of what we have built.”
The acquisition comes as digital asset markets undergo rapid consolidation, with regional players seeking scale, regulatory clarity and operational efficiency. For Türkiye, the deal marks a defining moment in its fintech sector, signalling that local players are increasingly competitive in cross-border digital finance.
