Funding News

Dubai-based premium protein business CarniStore has received a $12.25 million strategic investment from the Emirates Growth Fund. This funding will support the company's expansion plans within the region.

Dubai-based Islamic digital bank Mal secured a substantial $230 million seed funding round. This positions it as a significant player in the region's fintech landscape.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) granted an AED 7.2 million credit guarantee to Dubai's Fragrance Delivery Technologies (FDT). This supports FDT's advanced manufacturing expansion in the UAE.

Dubai hospitality tech startup estaie has raised a 7-figure pre-seed funding round. This investment supports its platform for extended-stay accommodations.

Brisk Gains Finance has acquired a Dubai-based perfume company and announced plans for a $50 million private equity fund to acquire and scale UAE SMEs towards public listings. This signals a new player focused on growth equity and M&A within the local market.

Singapore-based Future Wealth Investments has launched a $60 million debut venture fund targeting pre-seed to Series A startups across India, UAE, and Singapore. The fund focuses on key sectors like AI, consumer businesses, supply chain, and hardware innovation, providing a new capital source for UAE startups.

UAE startups collectively raised $376 million across 25 equity funding rounds by March 2026, highlighting sustained investor confidence in the region's burgeoning tech ecosystem. This data underscores the continued growth and maturity of the UAE's startup scene.

Blackstone has invested $250 million in Advanced Digital Gaming Technology (ADGT), a new payments infrastructure platform based in Abu Dhabi. This significant investment highlights continued private equity confidence in the UAE's digital economy.

Qureos, a startup focused on improving hiring efficiency, raised $5 million in seed funding. The capital will be used to reduce "time to hire" in recruitment processes.

Canadian AI health tech firm Rocket Doctor AI acquired UAE-based Alea Health Holdings. This acquisition marks a significant exit for a UAE entity and expands Rocket Doctor AI's presence in the region.

The Dubai Future District Fund provided growth capital to Immensa, a UAE-based deep-tech company. This investment aims to bolster the UAE's advanced manufacturing capabilities.

UAE-funded robotics startup XCath successfully completed the world's first-in-human telerobotic stroke procedure. This milestone follows a recent $30 million Series C funding round co-led by Crescent Enterprises.

Dubai-based crypto project Pepeto announced it has secured over $8.28 million in funding, highlighting investor interest in the region's burgeoning meme coin sector.

UAE-based blockchain infrastructure startup Utexo raised $7.5 million in a seed round, led by Tether, to develop enterprise-grade infrastructure for USDT payments on the Bitcoin network. This funding validates the growing demand for stablecoin solutions integrated directly with major blockchain networks.

Castro17 has activated a $500 million Actively Managed Certificate (AMC) on the SIX Swiss Stock Exchange, creating a new strategic capital markets channel for high-potential startups and businesses in the UAE. This initiative aims to connect promising regional ventures with institutional investors.

Abu Dhabi-based Presight, in collaboration with Shorooq Partners, has announced its first six investments from its $100 million AI Innovation Ecosystem fund. This move signals a significant boost for early-stage AI startups, providing crucial capital and strategic support to emerging technologies in the region.

UAE-based Utexo secures $7.5M from Tether and Franklin Templeton to enable sub-second USDT settlements on Bitcoin.

Saudi media group signs term sheet for JV managing digital ad assets across MENA/Turkey, plus minority stake in global Aleph operations.

UAE healthtech TruDoc secures $15M from prominent Emirati families to scale its virtual-first hospital-at-home care platform across the GCC.

Dubai proptech Stake raises $31M Series B led by Emirates NBD with Mubadala to expand into Saudi Arabia and the US.

UAE startup Yozo.ai closes $1.7M pre-seed to automate e-commerce retention marketing with AI agents across email, WhatsApp, and SMS.

Property Finder lands $170M from Mubadala and a sovereign fund, bringing total equity to nearly $700M as it builds a regional proptech OS.

Dubai-based skrooge.ai closes $1.85M seed to automate accounting and tax compliance for UAE's 70,000+ newly registered businesses.

Abu Dhabi fintech Mal secures $230M — the largest seed round in MENA history — to launch an AI-native Islamic digital bank.

Bloomberg: Middle East VC hit $3.8B across 688 deals in 2025, up 74%, as global investors pour capital into UAE and Saudi ecosystems.

UAE-based Lucid Capital raises $2.5M seed and secures $200M in institutional commitments for AI-driven algorithmic trading.

Dubai-based Zinit closes $8M seed at a $48M valuation for its AI-native procurement platform serving 100+ enterprise clients globally.

Dubai-based Revibe secures $17M led by Partech to expand its refurbished electronics marketplace across the GCC and South Africa.

Wio Bank CEO says the digital lender aims to double assets to Dh100B within 2-3 years, growing at 8-10x the industry rate.

Ziina raised $22M Series A led by Altos Ventures, evolving from a peer-to-peer payment app into a full financial ecosystem for consumers and SMEs.