Mastercard has entered into a partnership with Qover, the insurtech firm based in Brussels, initiating a new service in Belgium and Luxembourg that automates return shipping costs for credit cardholders. This feature is a timely innovation, responding to the surge in e-commerce activities within the region; notably, Belgian e-commerce penetration hit 90% early in 2024,…
Pemo, a fintech company based in Dubai, has raised US$7 million in its pre-series A funding round led by Shorooq and Augmentum Fintech. The funds are expected to enhance Pemo’s operations and support expansion into new GCC markets, including Saudi Arabia. The company plans to use the investment to improve its spend management platform, which…
Paymentology has signed a referral partnership with Zand Bank, the UAE’s first fully licenced, all-digital bank. This collaboration focuses on expanding financial services for fintechs and startups, aiming to accelerate innovation and growth in the UAE. Since 2022, Zand Bank has empowered UAE and global corporate, institutional and wealth clients to unlock new opportunities, foster…
Lean Technologies, a Riyadh-based FinTech infrastructure platform, has raised $67.5m in its latest Series B funding round. This financing was led by General Catalyst, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm known for supporting high-growth tech companies. The funding round also saw participation from several major investors, including Bain Capital Ventures, Stanley Druckenmiller’s Duquesne Family…
Saudi Vice Minister of Finance Abdulmuhsen Alkhalaf revealed that the number of fintech companies in the kingdom reached 224 by the end of the second quarter of this year, surpassing the program’s target for the same quarter, which was 168 companies. He indicated that the goal is to increase this number to 525 companies by…
