Visa Reorganises Gulf Markets, Appoints New Leader to Boost Fintech Growth

Visa has quietly redrawn its regional map in a move that could shape how digital payments evolve across the Gulf. The company has folded the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar into a newly created region within its wider Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa business, placing the three markets under a single leadership structure. The idea is simple enough: be closer to the ground, move faster, and tailor products and partnerships to markets that are already charging ahead.

To steer this new setup, Visa has named Fadi Moukaddem as Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. He’s no stranger to the organisation, having joined in 2014 and most recently served as regional CFO across a hefty 87 markets in CEMEA. Before that, his career took him through senior roles at PepsiCo International and Nokia Networks, which gives him a fairly broad view of how big, complex operations tick.

Visa’s regional president for CEMEA, Tareq Muhmood, said the change brings leadership “even closer” to clients and partners shaping the future of commerce in the three countries. He described the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar as among the most ambitious markets globally when it comes to payments innovation, adding that Moukaddem’s regional experience puts Visa in a strong position for its next phase of growth.

Moukaddem, for his part, pointed to his personal ties to the region, noting that he has lived and worked in all three countries. He spoke about the strength of existing partnerships and the momentum behind the Gulf’s digital economy, saying he looks forward to expanding secure and seamless payment experiences as the markets continue to grow.

If you’ve spent any time around founders and fintech teams in the Gulf, this shift feels spot on. I remember sitting at a small demo day in Dubai a couple of years back, listening to a payments startup explain how regulatory nuance differed just slightly between neighbouring markets – enough to slow things down. Moves like this, you know?, are meant to cut through that sort of a bit of a faff. From where I’m standing, and Arageek readers will get this, tighter regional focus is generally a good thing, especially for startups that want one door to knock on rather than three.

That said, big structures don’t automatically guarantee innovation. It will come down to execution, local hiring and how much freedom teams on the ground actually get. Still, pairing the three markets makes sense given their shared push towards cashless economies, instant payments and regulation that’s, while strict, increasingly founder-friendly. I reckon the real test will be how quickly pilots turn into scaled solutions.

Visa has worked with banks, merchants and regulators in these countries for decades, helping to build what it calls secure and inclusive payments ecosystems. With digital wallets, contactless payments and embedded finance all gaining pace, the company is clearly betting that closer leadership will unlock the next wave. Whether that happens as smoothly as planned is another question, but definately one worth watching for anyone building or backing fintech in the region.

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