INFOGRAPHIC: Startup Funding in Africa and the Middle East — Week 6, 2025

Unlike the previous week where Africa led the charge in startup investment, this week spotlights the Middle East—especially its booming fintech sector.

Leading the charge is Lendo, a Saudi Arabia-based fintech, securing a massive $690 million warehouse facility from J.P. Morgan to support job creation in the Kingdom. Not far behind, Forus, a Saudi P2P lending platform for SMEs, landed a $60 million credit facility from Fasanara, further fueling SME financing in the region.

Meanwhile, Egyptian fintech Khazna raised $16 million in a pre-Series B round, setting its sights on Saudi expansion. Also jumping on the Saudi wave, Egyptian CNC machine manufacturer Simplex locked in $13 million to scale operations in the Kingdom.

On the AI front, UAE startup qeen.ai made headlines with a $10 million Seed round, marking one of the largest early-stage investments in MENA’s AI space. Not to be left out, UAE-based fintech Myne secured $2 million in a pre-seed round led by Scene Holding, aiming to expand its financial services.

Interestingly, the Middle East fintech sector dominated startup funding this week with large financing. However, a few small but notable startups made noteworthy funding moves including Visa-as-a-service platform VISARUN.AI which picked up $700,000 in a pre-seed round, while Tunisian fintech EasyBank secured $370,000 to enhance its digital banking services.

Over in North Africa, Moroccan eyewear startup LNKO landed an undisclosed investment from Beltone Venture Capital to drive its expansion across the continent.

Looking at the numbers, it’s clear that fintech continues to dominate the startup funding scene in the Middle East, while Africa remains an active player in attracting investment. As more capital flows into the region, it’ll be interesting to see how these startups scale and navigate their respective markets in the coming months.