Skyro and areeba Team Up to Revolutionise GCC’s Fintech Ecosystem

Editorial Team

Last updated 7-01-2026

3 min

Skyro UAE and areeba have signed an MoU to explore digital payment solutions in the GCC.

The partnership combines Skyro’s digital finance tools with areeba’s payment infrastructure.

Both companies aim to support the GCC's shift towards a cashless economy.

Skyro seeks to expand in the Gulf, providing simple, tech-driven financial products.

This alliance might enhance consumer access to convenient, responsible digital finance.

Skyro UAE has taken another step into the region’s fast-evolving fintech landscape after signing an MoU with areeba during Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025. The agreement, sealed by Skyro’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO Arsen Liametov and areeba’s regional manager Shady Tawk, sets the stage for both sides to explore joint digital payment and embedded finance solutions across the GCC. I’ve seen plenty of these tie-ups in recent years through Arageek’s work with young founders, but this one feels a bit more spot on because it links lending, savings, and investing directly with payment rails—something consumers usually find a bit of a faff to stitch together themselves.

The partnership still needs the usual regulatory green lights, but the focus is clear enough: combining Skyro’s consumer-facing digital finance tools with areeba’s issuer processing, merchant acquiring services, and wider infrastructure. That said, both companies seem to be leaning into the GCC’s wider push for a cashless economy, which—if you ask me—is long overdue in some pockets of the region.

In a statement, Skyro GCC’s CEO Roberto Mancone said the collaboration would help integrate modern payment capabilities more seamlessly into Skyro’s existing services, ultimately making it easier for people to move away from cash and access responsible credit through fully digital channels. On the flip side, areeba’s Shady Tawk highlighted that the company’s cloud-native platform, areeba X, puts them in a strong position to scale digital payment solutions for consumers and merchants in a secure way.

The framework allows both sides to look into a range of joint products, from co-branded cards to digital-first payment instruments and merchant acceptance tools for businesses serving Skyro’s users. And believe it or not, these seemingly small components can make or break customer adoption—something I learnt the hard way when a startup I once mentored couldn’t persuade merchants to accept their shiny new virtual wallet.

Skyro, which falls under Bahrain-based Breeze Ventures, already operates in the Philippines and now wants to broaden its presence across the Gulf with simple, tech-driven financial products. Meanwhile, areeba continues to build out its global payment infrastructure, supporting banks, fintechs, and SMEs with tools that keep them competitive in a market that never sits still. Together, they’re aiming to give the region’s payment landscape a bit of a shove in the right direction—though we’ll have to wait and see how quickly those plans turn into real, day-to-day services for users who are definately ready for easier digital finance.

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