Tagged: saudi arabia

March 23, 2025 @ 3:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Nayla Finance, a Saudi Arabia-based Fintech focused on improving access to capital for micro-businesses, has raised $4 million in seed funding to scale its operations and expand its digital lending platform, the company said. The round was led by Sanabil Venture Studio by Stryber and… Read More

February 21, 2025 @ 8:57 am By JD Alois  |  

Artificial intelligence firm and OurCrowd portfolio company Groq has received a $1.5 billion commitment from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the offering page, Groq is an energy-efficient, high-performance AI provider. Founded in 2016 by former Googlers, Groq aims to: “…revolutionize the AI industry… Read More

February 16, 2025 @ 6:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Derayah Financial Company has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at 30 riyals ($8) per share, the upper end of its indicated range, following strong demand from institutional investors. The Saudi-based independent digital investment platform attracted 243 billion riyals ($64.79 billion) in total orders during… Read More

February 5, 2025 @ 9:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Eastnets, a global firm enabling and supporting compliance, payments, and cloud solutions, has launched a SWIFT Service Bureau in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Designed to empower institutions with compliant solutions, the Eastnets KSA Service Bureau delivers seamless SWIFT connectivity, cloud-enabled operations, and “adherence… Read More

January 6, 2025 @ 8:57 pm By Michael Wong  |  

United International Holding Co. has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fintech firm NowPay Corp. to establish a specialized wage processing company in Saudi Arabia, according to a company announcement. The non-binding agreement, effective for two months with an option to extend, outlines… Read More

January 2, 2025 @ 8:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licensed “Hiberbay Ink Al-Saoudia for IT Systems” to provide E-wallet solutions. With “Hiberbay Ink Al-Saoudia for IT Systems,” there are now 27 licensed firms providng payments services across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This decision reflects SAMA’s aim to support… Read More

December 29, 2024 @ 8:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licensed “Majd Saudi Payments” to provide E-wallet solutions. With Majd Saudi Payments, there are now “26 licensed companies offering payment services” in Saudi Arabia. This decision reflects SAMA’s goal to support the payments sector, increase the efficiency of financial transactions,… Read More

December 26, 2024 @ 8:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Zid, Saudi Arabia’s commerce enablement platform, has unveiled ‘Total Commerce’ – which is described as a unified ecosystem redefining digital retail – at Ripple 2024. The development is said to be important for retail innovation in Saudi Arabia and across the region as well. Sultan… Read More

December 11, 2024 @ 5:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpaca noted that it is cementing its self-clearing foundation through its DTCC membership and product launches, including Options Trading and High Yield Cash Accounts. Alpaca, a brokerage infrastructure tech firm and self-clearing broker-dealer, delivering execution and custody solutions for Stocks, ETFs, and Options, that support… Read More

December 3, 2024 @ 9:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Themis, a global firm that’s focused on financial crime prevention, announces the official launch of Tathabbat. This reportedly marks an important step in Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing compliance landscape, aligning with Vision 2030 as well as the Middle Eastern nation’s ongoing push to adopt innovative Know-Your-Finance… Read More

November 21, 2024 @ 9:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tarabut, an open banking platform operating in the MENA region, and Geidea, Saudi Arabia’s payments solutions provider, have entered a strategic partnership to explore and develop SME financing solutions, subject to regulatory approvals. SMEs represent 1.3 million businesses in Saudi Arabia, and they face a… Read More

November 4, 2024 @ 10:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is pleased to announce that it plans to open an office in Riyadh in 2025. The office will now aim to strengthen HKEX’s Middle East presence as the Group looks to promote connectivity between China and the Gulf… Read More

November 3, 2024 @ 9:42 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) 8th Edition in Riyadh to jointly anchor a proposed $1 billion investment fund. The initiative, announced on October 31, is… Read More

October 27, 2024 @ 4:29 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco, has allocated $100 million to invest in early-stage artificial intelligence (AI) startups. The fund aims to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s push to enhance its competitiveness in the global AI sector, Bloomberg reported. The investment will be deployed… Read More

October 20, 2024 @ 6:54 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are expected to maintain their credit strength advantage among rated sovereign wealth funds, Moody’s Investors Service said. Moody’s highlighted that both funds display stronger intrinsic credit quality, supported by superior credit metrics, excellent liquidity, and… Read More

October 15, 2024 @ 9:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Kaspersky’s Digital Footprint Intelligence (DFI) team has released a report that is shedding light on the most pervasive cyberthreats facing organizations in the Middle East. The Kaspersky cybersecurity team has recently delved “deep into the dark web” – exploring everything from cybercriminal forums to shadow… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 12:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Amplify Growth Partnership has announced the launch of its growth debt fund. The $100 million fund aims to “provide debt capital to technology focused companies across the MENA region.” The Fund is also pleased to announce “that it has successfully closed its first transaction, deploying… Read More

September 8, 2024 @ 10:21 am By Omar Faridi  |  

barq, a Saudi financial services startup, has partnered with Mastercard (NYSE: MA) to empower its customers with a range of payment acceptance solutions through Mastercard Gateway. The strategic agreement will see barq leverage Mastercard Gateway technology “to further equip its merchants and consumers around the… Read More

June 17, 2024 @ 10:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

barq, a digital wallet for consumers and businesses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Thunes, a global money movement innovator, announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand international money transfer opportunities for barq’s users. In the partnership, Thunes will provide… Read More

June 17, 2024 @ 8:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank SAMA released the Annual Performance Report of the Saudi Finance and Real Estate Refinance Companies Sector for the year 2023. The report highlighted the sector’s developments and financials “during 2023, where the paid-up share capital for finance companies sector increased by… Read More