Zest Your Equity | 17-September-2025

This week’s agenda 📜

• Money20/20 Middle East 🎤

• Who’s raising? 💰

• M&A activity 💼

• What we’re reading 📖

Let’s dive in 👇

Who’s raising? 💰

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based fintech HALA has secured US$157 million in a Series B round, led by The Rise Fund and Sanabil Investments, to expand its embedded finance, SME banking, and transaction services, as it already serves over 142,000 businesses and processes more than US$8 billion annually

• 🇦🇪 UAE-based fintech CredibleX has obtained a US$100 million senior secured credit facility from Pollen Street Capital, its first such transaction in the UAE, to scale its digital working capital solutions for SMEs including receivables, payables, and short-term loans. 

• 🇸🇦 Lendo, Saudi Arabia’s Shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding platform, has signed a $53.3 million (SAR 200 million) Murabaha deal with Jadwa Investment, which will be strategically deployed to enhance small and medium enterprise (SME) financing in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

• 🇦🇪 TERN Group, a UK- & UAE-based AI-powered global healthcare talent mobility platform, has raised US$24 million in a Series A round led by Notion Capital (bringing total funding to about US$33 million) to fast-track its AI tools, training, and credentialing and expand across Europe, the UK, and GCC markets.

• 🇴🇲 Rihal, an Oman-based enterprise SaaS provider, has closed the first tranche of its $15 million Series A round, raising $7.5 million in funding led by ITHCA Group, positioning the company for its next growth phase.

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based fintech Spare has raised $5 million in pre-Series A led by anb Seed Fund. The round also included investors like 500 MENA, Vision Ventures, SEEDRA Ventures, MEVP, Boubyan Ventures, and others.

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based fintech LDUN has raised a $4.8 million seed round led by Sadu Capital, with participation from Suhail Ventures and Nomu Angel Investment.

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based credit infrastructure startup Orbii raised US$3.6 million in a seed round led by Prosus Ventures with contributions from VentureSouq, DASH Ventures, Taz Investments, and Sanabil 500 to scale its AI-powered embedded SME lending platform across Saudi Arabia, UAE and the wider MENA region.

• 🇦🇪 Beauty and wellness platform Amaani, based in the UAE, has raised $3 million in seed funding for its Arab beauty brand, AÏZA.

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based fintech Oumla has raised a $2.4 million seed round led by Core Vision, with participation from Avalanche and angel investors.

• 🇧🇭 Bahrain-based fintech infrastructure startup Fintologya has raised $1 million in a seed round led by a Gulf holding company to build secure, modular cloud-native payment infrastructure.

M&A activity 💼

• UAE-based real estate classifieds platform Property Finder has raised $525 million via a minority stake sale to Permira and Blackstone. Source.

• Egypt’s Duaya Acquires Pharmacy-SaaS Firm EXMGO in Six-Figure Deal to Boost E-Commerce and AI Offerings. Source.

Want to learn more? Schedule a time with our team below!