Tap Payments Snags Best Payments Solution Award at Abu Dhabi Finance Week

Editorial Team

Last updated 30-12-2025

3 min

Tap Payments won Best Payments Solution at Abu Dhabi Finance Week from MENA Fintech Association.

Originally from Kuwait, Tap has expanded across several Gulf countries, integrating local licences.

They tailor payment systems to MENA's unique conditions, addressing gaps in cross-border transactions.

Co-Founder Ali Abulhasan emphasizes Tap's adaptable, "future‑ready" infrastructure for regional commerce.

With over 120,000 merchants, Tap aims to be the digital payments backbone amid growing competition.

Tap Payments has picked up the title of Best Payments Solution at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, a nod from the MENA Fintech Association that highlights how far the Kuwait‑founded company has come. What started as a local fintech has gradually grown into a regional payments player, stitching together the licences and infrastructure needed to operate across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. I reckon that kind of regulatory footprint doesn’t happen by accident — it usually takes years of paperwork, patience and, frankly, a bit of a faff.

The award focuses on something businesses in the region talk about quite often: the need for payment systems built for MENA’s real operating conditions, not borrowed wholesale from somewhere else. Tap has leaned heavily into that idea, tailoring its tools to local regulations and the payment methods that merchants here actually use. And believe it or not, that simple-seeming point is still a gap in the market. When I chat with founders around Arageek’s circles, they tell me the same story — cross‑border payments in the Gulf can feel like moving pieces on a chessboard with half the rules missing.

In a statement, Co‑Founder and CEO Ali Abulhasan said the recognition reflects the team’s efforts to build trusted infrastructure that adapts to business needs across the region, with products that are “future‑ready” and customisable as digital commerce keeps expanding. Spot on, to be honest. Although I’m not a fan of how quickly every fintech now claims to be “future‑ready,” Tap at least has the licences to back the talk.

The company says it’s staying focused on strengthening regional payment rails as more businesses come online. With more than 120,000 merchants using its services, Tap is clearly trying to position itself as the go‑to backbone for digital transactions in MENA. On the flip side, competition in regional fintech isn’t exactly slowing down — but Tap seems chuffed to bits with the momentum it has, and fair enough.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years, watching startups across the region grow from scrappy teams to serious infrastructure providers, is how the most resilient ones tend to obsess over compliance. It’s not glamorous… well, I mean, hardly anything involving regulatory filings is — but it’s often the differnce between scaling smoothly and hitting a wall.

For now, with fresh recognition and a widening presence across the Gulf, Tap Payments is heading into the next phase of digital commerce with a steady footing — and plenty of eyes on what it does next.

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