Startup news, funding rounds and founder stories from Africa and the Middle East, covering fintech, technology, investors and the policies shaping regional markets.
African fintech Kuunda has completed a $5 million secondary share sale led by E4E Africa, giving existing shareholders a liquidity opportunity as the company prepares to expand into seven additional markets.
Saudi Arabian automotive technology startup Autobia has raised $12 million in Series A funding to expand its digital autoparts marketplace, with Artal Capital leading the round.
Pan-African payments company PawaPay has secured a Payment Service Provider (PSP) license from the Bank of Mozambique, allowing it to onboard merchants directly and provide regulated payment services in the country.
UAE fintech platform Numou has partnered with Comera Financial Holding (CFH) to expand financing and digital payment options for small and medium-sized businesses across the country.
UAE-based Open Innovation AI has partnered with data infrastructure company NetApp to explore sovereign AI infrastructure for governments, enterprises, and neocloud providers.
Commercial International Bank (CIB) has committed up to EGP 2 billion ($42.5 million) to MNT-Halan as part of the fintech’s planned international share sale.
MENA’s startup funding market entered the second half of 2026 with a notable change in the composition of capital. Startups across the region raised $172.6 million across 45 deals in July, up 16% from June but still 78% below the amount raised in July 2025.
Nigeria currently hosts around 20 co-location data centers, mainly concentrated in Lagos, with the market led by Rack Center, Africa Data Centers, MDXi (Equinix), and MTN, which together account for more than 70% of the country's IT power capacity.
Nigerian geospatial technology startup Milsat has helped power Nigeria’s new digital postcode system after mapping more than 65 million properties nationwide as part of preparations for the country’s first digital census.
UAE-based payments company NEOPAY has agreed to acquire a 65% controlling stake in Noon payments, expanding its footprint across key Middle East and North African markets.
