Adyen and Careem Pay Turbocharge UAE Remittance Services with Expanded Partnership

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 16-04-2026

4 min

Adyen deepens its eight-year partnership with Careem Pay to scale UAE remittances.

The focus is shifting from exchange houses to “mobile screens” nationwide.

Adyen’s single platform offers unified settlement and smoother, more reliable transactions.

Careem Pay sends money to 35+ countries, licensed by the UAE Central Bank.

Rising competition means winners must pair sharp tech with transparent pricing.

Adyen is deepening its long-running partnership with Careem Pay in the UAE, a move that highlights just how fast digital remittances are becoming the norm across the country.

The Dutch fintech platform, which works with major global brands, is expanding its collaboration with Careem’s in-app payments arm after more than eight years of working together. This time, the focus is firmly on scaling Careem Pay’s remittance service, which allows UAE users to send money abroad to Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and other corridors.

If you live in the Gulf, you know remittances are not a niche feature. They are part of everyday life. I still remember speaking to early-stage founders who built products around cross-border transfers because, frankly, standing in queue at exchange houses was a bit of a faff. Now, that experience is rapidly shifting to mobile screens. And believe it or not, it’s happening faster than many expected.

Under the expanded agreement, Adyen will power Careem Pay’s infrastructure through its single global platform. In simple terms, this means unified settlement and consolidated reporting in one framework. For a fintech scaling across markets, that sort of operational clarity can be spot on. It reduces complexity behind the scenes while aiming to give users smoother, more reliable transactions.

The partnership is also designed to improve payment performance, particularly conversion and authorisation rates. That matters more than it sounds. When someone is sending money home to support family, a failed transaction is more than an inconvenience, it can be stressful. A secure and resilient backbone, built with flexibility in mind, is therefore not just technical language, it’s central to trust.

Daumantas Grigaravicius, Head of Middle East at Adyen, described Careem Pay as a strategic growth area for Careem, adding that supporting its expansion is a natural next step in their relationship. He noted that as remittances in the UAE increasingly shift from physical branches to digital channels, a single platform can help reduce operational complexity while delivering reliable payment experiences that strengthen long-term customer relationships.

From Careem’s side, Mohammad El Saadi, Vice President of Careem Pay, said the company’s mission is to simplify financial services and offer a fairer, more transparent way for people to manage their money. He pointed out that operating in the UAE means competing in a highly innovative ecosystem, which pushes the team to continually improve. Deepening the partnership with Adyen, he said, should help ensure the remittance service remains fast and dependable as it expands globally. After all, customers are trusting the platform with what matters most, supporting their families.

Careem Pay currently enables international money transfers from the UAE to more than 35 countries through the Careem app. The service is provided in partnership with Lulu Exchange and is licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, a detail that underlines the regulatory framework supporting its growth.

On the flip side, competition in digital remittances is only heating up. Traditional exchange houses are digitising. Startups are racing to shave off fees and processing times. I reckon the winners will be those who combine sharp technology with local compliance know-how, and who keep pricing transparent. Customers in this space are savvy; they notice every dirham.

For the wider MENA startup scene, this development feels indicative of a bigger shift. Infrastructure is no longer an afterthought. It is the engine. And when established fintech players and regional super apps double down on collaboration, it sends a clear signal: digital finance in the UAE is not just growing, it’s maturing.

There is still work to be done, definately. But for entrepreneurs watching the space, and for many readers at Arageek building the next wave of fintech solutions, this is a reminder that partnerships, when done right, can be the quiet force that keeps the whole machine running smoothly.

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