News
Fintech
+3
Jun 19, 2026
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2 min read
Lean Technologies launches Pay by Bank suite on UAE Open Finance rails
Unveiled at the company's first hosted event in Dubai on 18 June, the suite groups account-to-account payments into deposits, collections, checkouts and a low-code payment links product, and arrives with Lean reporting more than 20 billion dirhams in payments processed to date.
News
+3
Jun 19, 2026
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1 min read
Dubizzle Group invests in rental rewards startup Tern, integrating it exclusively into Bayut and dubizzle
The strategic investment embeds Tern's credit-card rent payment and loyalty product into the group's two flagship UAE property portals, and comes eight months after the classifieds operator postponed its planned $2 billion Dubai IPO.
Fintech
+4
Jun 18, 2026
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1 min read
Sovra raises $2M+ pre-seed led by Pharsalus Capital to build a self-custodial dollar account for MENA
The round drew angel cheques from the likes of Ramp founder Karim Atiyeh and Lean Technologies founder Hisham Al-Falih, backing a platform that holds user balances in USDC outside the conventional banking system.
Fintech
+2
Jun 18, 2026
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1 min read
Revolut secures full UAE central bank licences, completing its regulatory path to launch
The Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services (Category II) licences from the Central Bank of the UAE complete a process that began with in-principle approval in September 2025, and clear the London-based fintech to build out its local product ahead of going live.
Fintech
+2
Jun 17, 2026
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2 min read
UAE's Alaan launches AI-native business bank account in partnership with Islamic bank ruya
The account folds corporate cards, domestic and cross-border supplier payments, invoice automation and accounting into a single platform.
Startups
+4
Jun 16, 2026
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1 min read
UAE's CNTXT AI closes $60M Series A co-led by AI71 and BlueFive Capital to scale sovereign AI infrastructure
The round is led in part by AI71, the Abu Dhabi applied-AI company that acquired founder Mohammad Abu Sheikh's previous venture and now returns as an investor, and lands weeks after CNTXT AI's acquisition of Gulf-dialect voice startup Actualize.
Fintech
+4
Jun 12, 2026
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2 min read
Egypt's Thndr receives initial approval for Saudi brokerage licence, targets Q1 2027 launch
The Saudi push comes as the EGX ranked Thndr the largest of its 120 brokerages by value traded in the first four months of 2026, with a 12.9% market share and $1 billion in assets under custody across its products.
Fintech
+3
Jun 11, 2026
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1 min read
Egypt's Blnk raises $37.1M in equity and debt to expand point-of-sale consumer financing
The package comprises a $12.5 million Series A led by Algebra Ventures and $24.6 million in local debt facilities, and follows the company reaching profitability in 2025 on the back of a 173% year-on-year revenue increase.
Fintech
+3
Jun 11, 2026
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1 min read
Egypt's MNT-Halan hits $1.4B valuation as Al Ahly Capital leads new round, putting the National Bank of Egypt on the cap table
Founded in 2018 by Mounir Nakhla and Ahmed Mohsen, MNT-Halan offers consumer and business lending, payments, e-wallets, savings, investments and e-commerce services, all running on Neuron, its proprietary core banking software.
Jordan
+2
Jun 11, 2026
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1 min read
Jordan's ISSF commits $7M to Endeavor Catalyst V
It’s a returning LP, having committed $2 million to Endeavor Catalyst III back in 2020, making this week's cheque a more than threefold increase on its previous publicly disclosed exposure.
News
+2
Jun 9, 2026
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2 min read
Algebra AI emerges from stealth with $7M to bring managed AI operations to the GCC mid-market
Led by Anis Harb, former head of Deliveroo's Middle East business, the round was backed by Infinity Constellation, BECO Capital, Silicon Badia and Waseel Investments.
News
+4
Jun 5, 2026
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2 min read
Anthropic files for IPO after $65bn round at $965B valuation as QIA and MGX both deepen Gulf stakes
The filing makes Anthropic the third major AI company to move toward a public listing in 2026, following Cerebras, which listed on the Nasdaq in May at a $70B valuation, and ahead of rival OpenAI.
Startups
+3
Jun 5, 2026
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2 min read
Byju's founder faces Singapore jail sentence in QIA dispute as $22 billion edtech collapse deepens
The contempt finding relates to a $150 million loan provided by Qatar Holdings, a QIA subsidiary, to Byju's Investments, a Singapore-based entity of which Raveendran was personal guarantor.
Startups
+4
Jun 5, 2026
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1 min read
CNTXT AI acquires Actualize to power Arabic voice agents across the GCC
Actualize develops Arabic voice models built natively for Gulf dialects with a research team drawn from Google, Nokia and Siemens.
News
+2
Jun 3, 2026
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1 min read
Dubai's du launches $50m corporate venture fund managed by Shorooq
The mandate adds another vehicle to a rapid expansion at Shorooq, which also launched the $100 million Presight-Shorooq Fund I, in partnership with G42's ADX-listed AI arm Presight in late 2025.
Startups
+4
Jun 2, 2026
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2 min read
Ex-talabat chief Tomaso Rodriguez to lead $250M autonomous delivery venture CargoX
The funding round, led by Abu Dhabi's BlueFive Capital, reunites Rodriguez with the delivery sector seven months after he stepped down as talabat chief executive, and follows BlueFive's record $230m seed into the Islamic digital bank Mal in January.
Foodtech
+2
May 27, 2026
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1 min read
Calo winds down UK operations 14 months after launch as meal platform refocuses on GCC markets
New orders will cease at the end of May, deliveries will continue through June and all outstanding customer credits will be refunded.
