News

Fintech

Tabby Cash passes 1 million UAE accounts as remittances widen its push beyond credit

Nov 9, 2026

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2 min read

Tabby Cash passes 1 million UAE accounts as remittances widen its push beyond credit

The $6.5 billion company has added international transfers and bill payments to its spending account, broadening its push into everyday financial services.

Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

Ejari expands PFG credit facility to $50M ahead of commercial rental push

Nov 9, 2026

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2 min read

Ejari expands PFG credit facility to $50M ahead of commercial rental push

The BECO-backed Saudi rent-now-pay-later company is preparing to enter commercial leasing and says it expects to close its Series A soon.

Jamie Lane

Public Markets

Saudi Arabia tightens IPO rules on forecasts, investor bids and underwriting

Nov 6, 2026

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1 min read

Saudi Arabia tightens IPO rules on forecasts, investor bids and underwriting

Companies must publish financial projections, while banks face earlier underwriting commitments and stricter checks on investors’ ability to pay.

Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

ANALYSIS: What Uber’s $554M Blacklane deal could pay its Gulf backers

Nov 5, 2026

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2 min read

ANALYSIS: What Uber’s $554M Blacklane deal could pay its Gulf backers

We break down what Uber’s acquisition could mean for the Saudi sovereign investor and Emirati family businesses that backed Blacklane, from potential payouts to estimated returns.

Jamie Lane

Results

Uber singles out Middle East dark stores in Delivery Hero takeover

Nov 5, 2026

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2 min read

Uber singles out Middle East dark stores in Delivery Hero takeover

The agreed acquisition would give Uber control of Talabat and HungerStation and their grocery fulfilment networks in a region that generated 59% of Delivery Hero’s first-half adjusted EBITDA.

Jamie Lane

Fintech

Egypt’s Enza raises $6M seed extension to expand African payments business

Nov 5, 2026

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1 min read

Egypt’s Enza raises $6M seed extension to expand African payments business

4DX Ventures leads seed extension alongside British International Investment, with original backers Quona Capital and Algebra Ventures investing again.

Jamie Lane

Interview

Nov 4, 2026

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9 min read

The human face of the AI-native startup

Y Combinator-backed Veeza AI founder Aly Moursy is orchestrating dozens of AI agents, while using memes, personality and a conviction that "being nice is a moat" to earn trust, starting with a visa problem he knows firsthand from travelling on an Egyptian passport.

Jamie Lane

SaaS

Journify raises $12M Series A to take its advertising data platform into the US and Europe

Nov 4, 2026

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2 min read

Journify raises $12M Series A to take its advertising data platform into the US and Europe

Al Mada Ventures leads the Series A, with returning co-lead Silicon Badia reporting more than fivefold revenue growth since its initial investment.

Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

Aramco acquires 49% of HUMAIN in deal including $2.6B cash injection

Nov 1, 2026

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1 min read

Aramco acquires 49% of HUMAIN in deal including $2.6B cash injection

PIF retains majority ownership of the Saudi AI company as it targets three gigawatts of data-centre capacity by 2030.

Jamie Lane

Public Markets

Pakistani fintech AdalFi plans IPO to expand Islamic and SME lending

Oct 30, 2026

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2 min read

Pakistani fintech AdalFi plans IPO to expand Islamic and SME lending

The digital lending platform, backed by COTU Ventures and Chimera Ventures, has facilitated more than PKR110 billion in loans through partner banks.

Jamie Lane

Food Delivery

Saudi Arabia becomes Delivery Hero’s largest MENA market by orders

Oct 30, 2026

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3 min read

Saudi Arabia becomes Delivery Hero’s largest MENA market by orders

The HungerStation market reached the milestone as regional transaction growth accelerated to 20.6%, with MENA accounting for almost a third of the group’s global GMV.

Jamie Lane

Results

SCOOP: etisalat’s retained Careem stake valued at less than half the level implied by Uber deal

Oct 30, 2026

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4 min read

SCOOP: etisalat’s retained Careem stake valued at less than half the level implied by Uber deal

New accounts reveal a substantial gap between the price Uber paid to take control and the value assigned to etisalat’s remaining stake, alongside further losses at the Everything App.

Jamie Lane

News

Dubai’s BY Venture Partners closes $60M third fund for global AI-native startups

Oct 29, 2026

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2 min read

Dubai’s BY Venture Partners closes $60M third fund for global AI-native startups

Dubai Future District Fund anchors the vehicle, following earlier funds that backed Huspy, NymCard, Toters and Onfido.

Jamie Lane

News

Mubadala Capital’s venture chief Ibrahim Ajami to leave and launch $500M fund

Oct 28, 2026

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1 min read

Mubadala Capital’s venture chief Ibrahim Ajami to leave and launch $500M fund

The head of ventures is expected to leave next year to launch Noha, with backing from Mubadala Capital and a predominantly US investment mandate.

Jamie Lane

News

EXCLUSIVE: VC-backed proptech Silkhaus to wind down UAE short-term rental business

Oct 27, 2026

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3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: VC-backed proptech Silkhaus to wind down UAE short-term rental business

The Dubai-based startup, which raised more than $10 million before securing further funding last year to fuel an expansion to Saudi, reportedly plans to end its operations on November 11.

Jamie Lane

News

ADGM revises VC fund rules with $200M manager cap and new capital requirement

Oct 26, 2026

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2 min read

ADGM revises VC fund rules with $200M manager cap and new capital requirement

The new framework replaces a $100 million cap per fund with a $200 million ceiling across a manager’s funds. Existing venture firms have until March 2027 to comply.

Jamie Lane

Fintech

Ziina secures UAE approvals for merchant payments and international transfers

Oct 26, 2026

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1 min read

Ziina secures UAE approvals for merchant payments and international transfers

The fintech says it processes more than $1.5 billion in annualised payments as it expands beyond its digital wallet into a broader financial platform.

Jamie Lane

Public Markets

Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan pares IPO gains after heavily subscribed listing

Oct 23, 2026

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2 min read

Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan pares IPO gains after heavily subscribed listing

Shares ended their first three trading sessions about 2% above the offer price, after an EGP 7.84 billion share sale drew strong institutional and retail demand.

Jamie Lane

Public Markets

Property Finder, Fresha, eyewa backer General Atlantic eyes $10B IPO valuation

Oct 23, 2026

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3 min read

Property Finder, Fresha, eyewa backer General Atlantic eyes $10B IPO valuation

The growth investor has deployed more than $3 billion in the Middle East and secured a $500 million commitment from QIA as it broadens its business beyond private equity.

Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

Saudi regulator proposes fuller VC fund disclosures on valuations and exits

Oct 23, 2026

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2 min read

Saudi regulator proposes fuller VC fund disclosures on valuations and exits

Draft rules would require venture capital and private equity funds to give investors details of individual holdings and realised returns, alongside broader reforms to Saudi capital markets.

Jamie Lane

Startups

Oct 20, 2026

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1 min read

CapQuest raises $1M pre-seed to help startups manage ownership and employee equity

Oraseya Capital and AMKM Family Office led the round for the Dubai-based company, whose customers span 11 countries.

Jamie Lane

Fintech

Oct 20, 2026

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1 min read

Saudi fintech Vrtx raises $3.6M pre-seed to help businesses launch wallets and cards

Founded by former Tweeq colleagues, the fintech has backing from Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures and preliminary SAMA approval for an electronic money licence.

Jamie Lane

Startups

UAE’s CNTXT AI expands into Silicon Valley with $300M in committed revenue

Oct 20, 2026

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2 min read

UAE’s CNTXT AI expands into Silicon Valley with $300M in committed revenue

The company, which raised $60 million from AI71 and BlueFive Capital in June, is building a US commercial team to sell Arabic voice technology and robotics training data.

Jamie Lane

Startups

Nabta Health adds PVP backing to $3M pre-Series A as it expands into employer healthcare

Oct 19, 2026

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2 min read

Nabta Health adds PVP backing to $3M pre-Series A as it expands into employer healthcare

Phoenix Venture Partners led the second close of the UAE healthcare company’s ongoing $3 million pre-Series A, combining fresh funding with purchases of existing shares.

Jamie Lane

News

Activate Capital to open Doha office with backing from QIA’s $3B venture programme

Oct 16, 2026

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2 min read

Activate Capital to open Doha office with backing from QIA’s $3B venture programme

The US energy and infrastructure technology investor, which manages more than $1 billion across three funds, becomes the latest firm drawn to Qatar by the sovereign wealth fund.

Jamie Lane