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UAE 🇦🇪

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Talabat closed 2025 strongly, with Q4 GMV up 21% to $2.5 billion. 
Full-year revenue jumped 33%, while adjusted EBITDA reached $615 million. 
Growth stayed “spot on” between expansion and profitability, with solid cash flow. 
Non-GCC markets surged 57%, and grocery and retail climbed 45%. 
Over $100 million will fund grocery scaling and talabat pro in 2026.

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Predictheon won the first Xcelerate contest at World Health Expo Dubai. 
Its AI “Predictive Decision Assistant” anticipates anaesthesia risks up to 10 minutes early. 
Runners-up MeNOW Health and BiPER Therapeutics also secured cash and mentorship. 
Finalists from around the globe showcased AI-driven tools across diagnostics and care. 
Dubai positions itself “at the centre” of fast-accelerating global health-tech innovation.

GWC tells WORLDEF Dubai cross-border expansion shouldn’t mean “reinventing the wheel” each time. 
With Quivo, sellers access 40+ marketplaces through one connector. 
The integrated model links warehousing, shipping and returns across GCC, Europe and US. 
GWC offers “infrastructure designed for multi-market operations” to curb messy backend growth. 
The strategy backs Qatar’s 2030 vision, positioning GWC as a digital trade platform.

Sharjah’s SPARK and AFSRC plan tighter Arab research collaboration. 
They aim to turn research into “real economic value” across borders. 
Focus areas include green innovation, startup incubation, and commercialising intellectual property. 
Proposals include a regional R&amp;D network to align priorities and funding. 
Leaders say stronger integration could move ideas “from labs” into markets.

Dubai’s iBloxx Studios raised $5,4 million to finish and market StrayShot. 
The third-person shooter is in closed beta, targeting global console launch. 
Funding supports live operations, ensuring updates, events and long-term player engagement. 
StrayShot features battle royale modes and a blockchain-based in-game economy. 
The deal highlights growing confidence in MENA’s rapidly maturing gaming industry.

UAE fintech XSquare secures AngelSpark backing to accelerate its unified finance platform. 
It tackles “messy, fragmented” finance by merging payments, banking and automation tools. 
The system links RTP, cards and cross-border rails in one interface. 
Funds will boost product development and infrastructure to cut admin chaos. 
Execution and regulatory depth will decide if it becomes regional fintech backbone.

e&amp; money has secured a UAE Finance Company licence to offer lending. 
It will add credit to its 2 million‑user payments app. 
The firm says access, not risk, blocks many borrowers. 
AI and transaction data will shape new credit scoring models. 
Rollout includes buy-now-pay-later, wage access and cards, boosting fintech competition.

Basatne unveils ORBT to turn refunds into digital credits, keeping value “in motion”. 
Platform targets UAE’s mobile-first shift, where instant digital rewards dominate. 
Brands issue instant refunds and incentives across 4,000 partner retailers. 
Executives say cash payouts weaken engagement; closed loops boost retention and ESG goals. 
Firm eyes $30bn regional trade-in market, planning wider rollout by 2026.

Fakeeh Health launches AI-enabled “Smart Clinics” across UAE malls, offices and communities. 
Patients enter medical capsules for “hospital-grade care” linked to licensed doctors. 
AI assistant AISHA supports workflows, while clinicians retain full medical responsibility. 
System integrates records, referrals and the full patient journey, from insurance to delivery. 
Success hinges on trust and adoption as Dubai pushes digital healthcare forward.

Rakez partners with Zoho to expand cloud tools for registered businesses. 
Firms gain integrated apps for accounting, CRM, HR, and analytics. 
Eligible companies receive up to $1,000 in wallet credits. 
Leaders cite “enterprise-grade tools without the enterprise-level price tag”. 
The move supports the UAE’s wider push for a stronger digital economy.

Dubai proptech startup Smart Bricks raised $5 million in pre-seed funding. 
It aims to compress property deals from months into minutes. 
Its AI analyses “one million data feeds” to rank top investments. 
The platform targets cross-border markets like Dubai, London and New York. 
Backed by a16z and others, it promises institutional-grade precision.

TikTok-using small firms added around “AED 1.1 billion” and supported more than 7,000 UAE jobs. 
Over “10,000 SMBs” reportedly started on TikTok, with 70,000 local businesses now active. 
The platform is seen as “a functional layer” of the UAE’s digital economy, beyond entertainment. 
One in four creators began because of TikTok, turning side hustles into steady incomes. 
Tourism, skills and cultural discovery are also shaped, making TikTok “increasingly hard to ignore”.

ThrowMeNot raised $550,000 pre-seed to strengthen its team, delivery, and logistics operations. 
The platform resells surplus and near-expiry goods, offering discounts that can reach 90%. 
It targets food waste first, as the UAE discards about 3.27 million tonnes annually. 
Founded in 2025, the startup plans expansion across the UAE and wider MENA region. 
Backing from a prominent local investor adds credibility despite execution and logistics challenges.

PhotonPay secured a DFSA Category 3D licence, its first regulatory approval in the UAE. 
The move signals a “compliance‑first” push across the wider MEASA region. 
Approval enables local payment rails, UAE‑aligned onboarding, and faster settlement options. 
Leadership calls the UAE a fast‑growing payments hub and a “pivotal step” for global scale. 
The licence strengthens PhotonPay’s footing in a strategically important financial centre.

SmartCrowd’s Nawy Shares secured an In‑Principle Approval from VARA for tokenised real estate. 
The nod marks the “last major checkpoint” before full licensing in Dubai. 
The platform aims to make property ownership more accessible through blockchain tokenisation. 
SmartCrowd has seen over AED 220 million in exits, with more planned by 2026. 
Founders say the move strengthens trust in regulated digital property finance.

re.life, backed by BEEAH, has partnered with TCS to expand sustainability tech internationally. 
TCS will roll out re.life platforms to simplify trade, logistics and recyclable materials markets. 
Leaders stressed “digital certainty” as key to scaling circular economies beyond pilot projects. 
The tie-up follows re.life’s expansion with fleet and AI-driven operational platforms. 
India is a priority market, building on platforms already proven across the UAE.

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has partnered with G42’s AI arm, Inception. 
The deal, signed at the World Governments Summit, aims to upgrade ADFD’s internal operations. 
AI tools will “speed up analysis” and strengthen data‑driven decision‑making. 
Leaders say AI is key to resilience in a “rapidly evolving” environment. 
The real test will be whether day‑to‑day use turns insights into action.

UAE proptech startup Daleel raised $3 million pre-seed to organise a notoriously messy property market. 
The funding will boost product development, mobile apps, and expansion beyond Dubai. 
Daleel uses AI to merge government records with live listings for “accurate market insights”. 
Plans include Saudi expansion ahead of 2026 foreign ownership rule changes. 
Its strength lies in detailed, cleaned data rather than flashy features.

EmCoin has launched in the UAE as the first onshore Capital Market Authority–regulated trading platform. 
It offers crypto, FX, equities, ETFs and commodities through “one regulated account”. 
The platform targets investors tired of “juggling several apps, logins and funding channels”. 
Digital onboarding, transparent pricing and investor protection sit at its core. 
Its debut signals the UAE’s maturing push for regulated digital finance.

du Pay launched a “Flexi Cash Loan” inside its wallet after partnering with Deem Finance. 
Credit decisions use in‑app behaviour, not “traditional credit histories” that trip up expat workers. 
The product targets blue‑collar and mid‑income expats needing short‑term, accessible loans. 
Pricing is upfront with a fixed fee, and repayments align with monthly income cycles. 
The deal reflects a wider UAE fintech shift toward “wallets joining forces” with licensed lenders.

Checkout.com will handle global acquiring for Spotify across more than 180 countries. 
The deal aims for &#8216;frictionless payments&#8217; as Spotify scales 700 million monthly users. 
Spotify plugs into Intelligent Acceptance to reduce failed cards and smooth subscriptions. 
Checkout.com calls it a milestone, running 87 million real-time payment optimisations daily. 
The partnership underlines how &#8216;boring-but-critical&#8217; payments quietly shape global digital growth.

Bybit wants to become “The New Financial Platform”, blending crypto, banking and traditional markets. 
The strategy targets 1.4 billion underbanked people with “always‑on, borderless services”. 
A new product, MyBank, launches in February 2026 to handle payments and cross‑border transfers. 
ByCustody already secures over $5bn, signalling growing trust in hybrid financial models. 
The plan aims to push crypto “into the financial mainstream”, with regulators firmly in mind.