INFOGRAPHIC: Startup Funding in Africa and the Middle East—Week 38, 2025
Here are the venture funding activities we tracked in the Middle East and African region this week – including HALA, Kredete, Rihal, Spare, LDUN, Amaani, Oumla, Done.ma, Fintologya, Armoir, Zahib and Wadaie.
It feels like every week, the startup scene in Africa and the Middle East finds a new gear. And this past week? It was a funding sprint. From Saudi fintech giants pulling in nine-figure rounds to fresh Moroccan super app dreams getting off the ground, the region showed just how diverse, and ambitious, its innovation story has become.
Take Hala in Saudi Arabia, for example. The embedded finance leader raised a jaw-dropping $157 million Series B, one of the largest fintech rounds ever in the Middle East. Over in Nigeria, Kredete is tackling one of the hardest problems for African immigrants, access to credit. Their $22 million Series A, led by AfricInvest, signals strong belief in a problem that has real global resonance.
It wasn’t just about mega-rounds. Oman-based Rihal pulled in $7.5 million to push its enterprise SaaS play, while Riyadh’s Spare secured $5 million to strengthen its open banking infrastructure.
Even younger startups had their moment: LDUN closed a $4.8 million seed round under Saudi’s regulatory sandbox. Meanwhile, Amaani, a UAE-based beauty and wellness platform turned heads in the consumer space with a $3 million raise to launch its Arab beauty brand, AÏZA, a first for Peak XV’s Surge in the MENA region.
Oumla raised $2.4 million to expand its digital asset infrastructure, and Morocco’s Done.ma grabbed $2.1 million to chase the dream of a homegrown Super App.
The funding wave kept rolling. Bahrain’s Fintologya picked up $1 million for fintech infrastructure. In the UAE, Armoir landed $500,000 to reinvent luxury luggage. Saudi-based Zahib raised seed funding to modernize laundry logistics, while Wadaie closed its own seed round backed by notable regional investors.
What stands out most about these deals isn’t just the dollar amounts, but the breadth of ideas being backed. From financial inclusion in Nigeria to beauty brands in the Middle East, investors are betting on startups that solve local problems while eyeing global impact. If this week is any indication, the region’s entrepreneurial energy is nowhere near slowing down, and the world should be paying close attention.
