Post by Dr. Benedict Xavier

Here are some of the highlights from the latest edition of my newsletter 🏦 MENA Banking & Fintech Update 🚀 📩 Sign up to stay up to date on the latest around Regional Banking, Finance, Fintech and Payment Technology directly from the MENA Region Regional Headlines: 👉 Investcorp Capital secured $800M in refinancing, surpassing its initial target of $600M, thanks to strong participation from regional and international institutions. Kudos to Chairman Mohammed Al and CFO Abbas Rizvi! 👉 DOHA BANK successfully issued a $500M international bond on the London Stock Exchange, oversubscribed 4 times over. 👉 HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited Emirates NBD to celebrate the bank's 60th anniversary. 👉 EFG Hermes One and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) are set to handle the planned IPO of Abu Dhabi-based edtech firm Alef Education. 👉 Saudi Arabia is in talks to include top Wall Street banks in a secondary share sale for aramco, aiming to raise up to $20B. 👉 DIFC implemented the world's first comprehensive Digital Assets Law to boost investor confidence and innovation in the digital asset sector. Fintech and Innovation: 👉 FSS PaymentSystems launched its next-gen payment platform BLAZE in the UAE, positioning itself as a trusted partner for banks, fintechs, and merchants. 👉 Abu Dhabi MGX, backed by Mubadala and G42 UAE , is exploring potential investment in OpenAI's chip venture. 👉 Burgan Bank spearheaded the Kuwait Women's Economic Empowerment Platform, promoting gender equality and diversity. 👉 Jan Pilbauer of Al Etihad Payments emphasized the vast opportunities in open finance for the UAE and MENA region. Startup Highlights: 🚀 PaybyBit PSP CO. L.L.C secured seed funding to offer decentralized cryptocurrency payment solutions. 🚀 Flare Networks raised $35M from Kenetic and Aves Lair to further develop its layer-1 blockchain. 🚀 The Cloud - Food Ecosystem raised $12M in Series B funding and acquired companies to accelerate expansion. 🚀 Saudi Arabian startup Salla E-Commerce Platform raised $130M in pre-IPO funding from Investcorp, Sanabil Investments, and STV capital. 🚀 Hayi حي App secured seed funding from Plus VC (+VC) to expand its neighborhood platform. 🚀 Saudi proptech Buildnow raised $9.4M in seed funding from RAED Ventures and Khwarizmi Ventures 🚀 UAE-based edtech Thiqa Tutoring secured $300K investment during the Beban TV show. This is just a snapshot of the vibrant ecosystem, with many more exciting developments shaping the future of finance, technology, and entrepreneurship in the region. Stay tuned for more updates! #fintech #banking #startups #investment #MENA #UAE #SaudiArabia