The Middle East's Nine Fintech Unicorns, Valued at US$17.75 Billion

Nine Middle East fintech companies had reached unicorn status by late September 2026, with a combined valuation of US$17.75 billion. The group spans buy now, pay later, digital banking, lending, payments and stablecoin infrastructure, and most are now directing capital toward new markets, products and partnerships.

The nine unicorns

• Tabby — US$6.5 billion. A BNPL platform for Saudi Arabia and the UAE, letting merchants offer shoppers installments and pay-next-month terms. It processes more than US$18 billion in annualized transaction volume across 25 million registered users and 70,000 business partners including SHEIN, Amazon, Apple, IKEA, Jarir, Samsung and noon. A September 2026 Series F of US$233 million valued it at US$6.5 billion and included an employee liquidity option. Consumer and SME finance licences from the Saudi Central Bank, the acquisition of the SAMA-licensed wallet Tweeq, and a UAE Stored Value Facilities licence behind the no-fee Tabby Cash account push it beyond BNPL into accounts, cards, transfers and cashback.
• Moove — US$2.1 billion. UAE-based and founded in 2020, Moove finances, owns and operates mobility assets for transport platforms and is building an operating layer for autonomous mobility. It spans 13 countries and 29 cities with roughly 42,000 vehicles and more than 3,300 employees, and reports US$420 million in annual recurring revenue. An August 2026 Series C of US$250 million valued it at US$2.1 billion, funding autonomous fleet ownership, robotics-first depot infrastructure called Nests, new markets and a 220%-plus rise in its autonomous vehicle workforce by year end.
• Barq — US$1.85 billion. Founded in Riyadh in 2023, Barq runs a mobile wallet and digital payments platform with international remittances and physical and virtual cards offering travel insurance, subscription management and airport lounge access. It reports more than 15 million users across over 210 nationalities and SAR 440 billion (US$118 billion) in processed funds. A US$329.5 million Series A this month valued it at US$1.85 billion. A tie-up with Alipay+ supports cross-border QR payments at merchants in more than 220 markets.
• D360 Bank — US$1.6 billion. A fully digital, Sharia-compliant Saudi retail bank backed by a consortium led by Derayah Financial Company, with the Public Investment Fund and other strategic investors. Accounts open in about two minutes, with bill payments, transfers and international remittances at competitive rates and low fees. Founded in 2022, it has 3 million customers and SAR 3 billion (US$805 million) in deposits; a June 2026 raise of SAR 1.5 billion (US$402.5 million) put its valuation at SAR 6 billion (US$1.6 billion).
• MNT-Halan — US$1.4 billion. An Egyptian fintech and lending super-app founded in 2018 for unbanked and underbanked customers, covering digital payments, wallets, cards, BNPL, microfinance, SME and payroll lending. It claims over 1.5 million quarterly active users and more than 8 million customers globally, with over US$15.5 billion disbursed in loans to date. A September 2026 capital increase led by Al Ahly Capital Holding valued it at US$1.4 billion, and it filed a listing request with the Egyptian Exchange on 8 September 2026.
• STC Bank — US$1.3 billion. A fully licensed Saudi digital bank created from the stc pay wallet in 2025 and owned by stc Group, offering payments, transfers, cards and other financial products through its app. Since becoming a bank it has launched more than 15 products and services and signed dozens of agreements and partnerships in business banking, and this year added account tiers. Its SAR 5 billion (US$1.3 billion) valuation dates to a 2020 investment of US$200 million from Western Union.
• Tamara — US$1 billion. Riyadh-based since 2020, Tamara splits purchases into installments online and in stores while paying merchants upfront, and also provides digital payments and financing. It claims more than 25 million customers and over 130,000 partner merchants across retail, travel, education and healthcare. A US$340 million Series C in December 2023 valued it at US$1 billion. It is widening into business payments, including online and in-store payments, QR payments, promotions and processing, and in October 2025 secured a UAE restricted finance licence.
• Fasset — US$1 billion. A Dubai-based, AI-powered stablecoin neobanking platform founded in 2019, letting individuals, businesses and institutions hold, move, spend and invest across currencies and asset classes. Its Own Network links banks, payment providers, financial institutions, telcos, liquidity providers, custody partners and settlement networks across more than 100 banking corridors, using stablecoins for settlement where useful and AI to route transactions by cost, speed and availability. It reports over US$40 billion in annualized transaction volume, more than 3 million wallets across 125 countries and over 1,000 enterprises. A US$68 million Series C in May 2026 valued it at US$1 billion.
• The Open Platform — US$1 billion. The Dubai company builds Web3 products for Telegram, supplying funding, expertise and technology including wallets, developer resources, SDKs, APIs and marketplaces. Its products include Wallet in Telegram, the self-custodial Keeper wallet, the Tribute creator monetization platform and Mira, a personal AI agent native to Telegram. A US$28.5 million Series A in July 2025 valued it at US$1 billion, with proceeds for geographic expansion, go-to-market work, licensing, compliance and security.