Marhaba, fintech friends!

From the outside in, things may look uncertain. International investors are pausing, unsure whether to advance deals, acquisitions or expansion plans across the region. The geopolitical overhang is real, and so is the expectation that Q3 and Q4 activity may slow as some IPO timelines quietly shift to September and beyond. In parallel, the recent (though choreographed, but that's a separate conversation) escalation involving Iranian strikes on Gulf soil has redrawn the contours of perceived risk in the region.

But on the ground, the picture is far more stable than the headlines suggest.

Oil prices have settled. Markets have not materially shifted. Founders aren’t panicked. There is no sense of capital flight. Local and regional investors continue to assess and deploy with discipline. And this week, we saw a signal worth watching: Egypt’s valU successfully listed on the Egyptian Exchange and is trading at strong multiples. Amazon’s investment in the offering provided global validation, but the market performance was also driven by investor confidence in the stability of regional markets and the transience of the week's geopolitical events.

The foundation is intact, which means we're right back to business as usual in this corner of the world.

💸 Fundraises and Exits

🇱🇧 Related, UAE-Lebanon-based loyalty solution, raises $8 million from Equivator

🇪🇬 ValU, Egypt-based BNPL, goes public on the Egyptian Stock Exchange at a stock price of $0.015

🇪🇬 Amazon announces it exercised its option to acquire a minority stake in ValU

🇸🇦 Morni, KSA-based automotive services platform, raises from STV's NICE Fund I, at an undisclosed value

🇦🇪 Stryde, UAE-based digital investments platform, acquires Qora71, an angel investors syndicate, and rebrands to Stryde71.

🚀 Partnerships & Product Launches

Mastercard launches Account Intelligence Reissuance, an AI-driven tool that helps card issues across EEMEA manage card reinsurance more efficiently

Wealthbrix Capital Partners Limited, a newly established independent wealth management firm, launches in the DIFC

Justlife, a Dubai-based lifestyle services platform, expands its professional welfare program, focusing on financial access, timely incentive disbursements and wider wellbeing initiatives.

🏛 Licensing & Regulations

Dubai’s VARA grants GAP 3 Partners, a UAE-based institutional virtual asset advisory firm, an operational license to service institutional clients with token strategy, investment, structuring, licensing, treasury management and token-market execution

Kuwait’s Cabinet passes a new law that increases fines on failure to comply with money laundering and terrorist financing global requirements for all financial service providers

The Central Bank of Egypt issues new rules for the licensing and registration of payment system operators and payment service providers

Oman plans to introduce a 5% personal income tax in 2028, a first among the 6 members of the GCC

SAMA updates their credit card issuance and operation regulation, reducing fees and increasing transparency between issuers and customers

The DFSA grants Altery, a UK-based fintech, a license to facilitate the collection and expenditure of funds in local currencies within the UAE.

Thank you for tuning in!

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Until next week,

Salam ✌🏼