UAE
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
+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.
SaaS
+3
May 22, 2026
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2 min read
UAE-founded Fresha reaches unicorn status with $80M KKR investment as beauty platform hits $15B in annual transactions
Founded by William Zeqiri and Nicholas Miller, Fresha provides booking, payments, point-of-sale, marketing and business management tools to over 130,000 beauty and wellness businesses across 120 countries.
Startups
+4
May 20, 2026
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1 min read
RemotePass raises $17.4M Series B led by EBRD as global employment platform expands into Europe and the US
Founded in late 2020 by Kamal Reggad and Karim Nadi, RemotePass enables businesses to onboard, manage and pay employees and contractors in more than 150 countries.
Fintech
+3
May 18, 2026
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2 min read
Abu-Sheikh's Mal lands in-principle CBUAE banking approval months after record $230M Seed
The Abu Dhabi-based fintech, founded by former Astra Tech CEO Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, has cleared the first regulatory step required to launch a Sharia-compliant digital bank in the UAE.
Jordan
+5
May 7, 2026
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1 min read
Careem makes sweeping layoffs across multiple markets, closes Berlin office
The cuts span the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan and Germany, with Careem yet to publicly acknowledge them.
Fintech
+3
May 6, 2026
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2 min read
Mubadala leads $15m Series A for UAE embedded finance lender CredibleX
Founded in 2023 by Anand Nagaraj, Ahmad Malik and Hassan Reda, CredibleX is an ADGM-regulated lender that provides SMEs with working capital through revenue-based financing, receivables financing and payable financing via an embedded, API-enabled platform.
Fintech
+4
Apr 27, 2026
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1 min read
Dubai's Comfi raises $65M pre-Series A in equity and debt to scale B2B buy now, pay later across MENA
The company offers a B2B buy now, pay later product that allows SME suppliers to provide up to 90-day payment terms to their business customers while receiving payment themselves within 24 hours.
News
+3
Apr 20, 2026
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2 min read
Speedinvest launches flagship Middle East and Africa fund backed by Mubadala, QIA and EIB Global
The fund is led by partners Deepali Nangia and Rana Abdel Latif and will invest across fintech, embedded finance, health, climate, AI, consumer and digital infrastructure in markets spanning MENAPT and Sub-Saharan Africa.
News
+2
Apr 17, 2026
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2 min read
UAE's Homegrown Ventures closes $22.8m debut fund as MENA's first VC firm dedicated to consumer brands
The fund is founded by Nader Amiri and Ahmad Shamieh, who between them have spent more than 30 years inside the CPG industry at Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kraft/Mondelez, Danone, Nokia and Microsoft.
Fintech
+3
Apr 16, 2026
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1 min read
Tabby secures UAE wallet licence, extending financial services push into its second core market
The BNPL unicorn has cleared the regulatory hurdle to hold customer funds and roll out a broader suite of financial products in the Emirates, including spending accounts, cards, and money management tools.
