Author: Editorial Board

UAE-based mobility fintech Naran has raised $10 million in a combination of equity and debt financing from UAE investment firm Landel, as it looks to expand its vehicle financing operations across emerging markets. The new capital will be used to scale Naran’s mobility fleets in Colombia, Peru, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, enter new markets including the MENA region, and launch additional fintech products built around its asset-backed financing model. Founded in 2025 by Bayaskhalan Alexeev and Alexander Gubarev, both former Yango executives, Naran provides rent-to-own financing for cars and motorcycles to independent ride-hailing and delivery drivers. The founders previously launched…

Qatar-based venture capital firm Rasmal Ventures has invested in global payments infrastructure company Yuno as part of its $45 million Series B round, strengthening the fintech’s expansion across the Gulf. The round was led by Global PayTech Ventures, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, QuantumLight Capital, Monashees, Kaszek and Endeavor Catalyst. Rasmal Ventures joined as a strategic regional investor alongside GrowthX Capital and Abu Dhabi-based Further Ventures. Yuno has developed an AI-native payments infrastructure platform that enables enterprise merchants, banks and digital wallets to manage global payment operations through a single API. The company connects businesses to more than…

Saudi Arabia-based private markets investment platform OORI has secured a licence from the Capital Market Authority (CMA) to conduct Arranging and Advising activities, clearing the way for the company to begin regulated operations in the Kingdom. Founded by Elie Nasr and Naif Al Ajmi, OORI is building a technology-enabled investment platform designed to provide qualified investors with regulated access to curated private market opportunities. The platform will initially focus on Shariah-compliant investments in technology companies across pre-seed, venture, growth and pre-IPO stages. The regulatory milestone follows OORI’s seven-figure USD pre-seed round completed in 2024. The round was backed by strategic…

Arab Therapy, an AI-powered mental health platform founded by Jordanian entrepreneurs, has raised $2 million in a Pre-Series A funding round to accelerate its expansion across Saudi Arabia and the wider region. The round was led by Jordan-based Manara Ventures, with participation from Anara Impact Fund and Saudi Arabia’s Value Makers Studio (VMS). Founded in Berlin by Dr. Tareq Dalbah, CEO, and Hekmat Al Hasi, CPTO, Arab Therapy currently operates across Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Germany and Egypt. The company combines digital mental health services with AI-powered tools designed specifically for Arabic-speaking users. The fresh capital will be used to expand…

AI-powered customer intelligence startup Cobi has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by MENA-focused investment firm Lunara Partners, with participation from Plug and Play, Annex Investments and Spring. The company will use the fresh capital to accelerate enterprise deployments across the Middle East and international markets, while expanding its customer intelligence, recommendation and decisioning capabilities. Cobi also plans to further automate the workflows connecting raw customer data with actionable business decisions. Founded by Darren Edmund and Botlhale Mosoane, Cobi is building what it describes as an AI decision stack for customer intelligence. The platform brings together behavioural,…

Saudi Arabia-based game development studio Majestic Mind Games has raised $1.45 million in a funding round co-led by Merak Capital and Impact46, as the company looks to develop original gaming intellectual property for international markets. Founded in Jeddah by Lujain Albukhari and Majed Anbar, Majestic Mind Games develops original video games primarily for PC, with selected titles also being expanded to console and mobile platforms. Its core development team includes lead artist Samaher Bantan and game programmer Mohammed Baeshen. The studio focuses on building entertainment-driven games that also encourage curiosity, creativity and independent thinking, combining distinctive concepts with ambitions to…

UMAMI E-Learning Solutions, a leading Egyptian provider of digital learning and workforce development, has announced the launch of its Learning Operating System (LOS™), a next-generation intelligent learning infrastructure built to serve governments, ministries, and large-scale institutions across the MENA region. The initiative is backed by a phased investment plan exceeding EGP 50 million. As governments, educational institutions, and enterprises face increasing pressure to measure workforce readiness, skills development, and the real impact of learning investments, traditional learning technologies are no longer sufficient. Organizations require integrated systems that transform learning data into actionable insights and measurable outcomes. Having supported large-scale learning…

Bahrain-based insurtech startup Soor has raised an undisclosed pre-Seed investment from venture studio and ecosystem builder Spring, as the company looks to strengthen its digital insurance platform and accelerate its growth in the Bahraini market. Founded by Mahmood Dhaif and Qasim Albaqali, Soor is building a digital marketplace designed to simplify the way consumers discover and purchase insurance. Through a single application, users can compare policies from multiple insurance providers and select and purchase the option that best fits their needs. The startup aims to address some of the friction traditionally associated with buying insurance, including lengthy processes, limited visibility…

Saudi construction technology startup Fitting has raised $1.1 million in its second Seed funding round, bringing on board a strategic investor from the contracting and real estate development sector as the company looks to expand its footprint across the Kingdom. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate Fitting’s field expansion, strengthen its technology infrastructure, and scale its operational and technical capabilities as demand for digital construction solutions grows across Saudi Arabia. Founded by Mohammed Al-Mubayed, Fitting is building a digital platform focused on automating and digitizing construction supply chains. Its technology is designed to streamline procurement and improve coordination…

My Syria’, Syria’s first integrated digital super app bringing together tourism, hospitality, lifestyle and payment services within a single ecosystem, officially launched today under the patronage and in the presence of H.E. Mazen Al-Salhani, Minister of Tourism. Developed by 121 Living with the strategic support and supervision of the Ministry of Tourism, the platform launches at a time of strong momentum for Syria’s tourism sector, with visitor arrivals more than doubling during the first half of 2026 alongside growing adoption of digital services and payment solutions. Founded by UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani and Kinan Madi,…