Saudi Arabia

37 Articles

Privacy and Technology Policies

Completion of the $111 Billion Paramount and Warner Merger After Overcoming Final Attempts to Block It

Paramount Skydance has completed its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, creating an entity that includes Paramount+, HBO Max, CBS, CNN, sports networks and extensive content libraries. The closing came after legal settlements and U.S. regulatory approvals, amid concerns about the deal’s effect on competition, news independence and an expected debt burden of approximately $80 billion.

2026-10-06

Artificial intelligence

Ai Everything Abu Dhabi Event Showcases 150 AI Startups

Abu Dhabi will host the Ai Everything Abu Dhabi event on October 6 and 7, bringing together more than 150 artificial intelligence startups, 400 technology companies, and investors managing assets exceeding $100 billion. Participants will showcase applications in software development, industrial safety, customer service, and sovereign artificial intelligence.

2026-10-06

Startups

Saudi company erad raises $22 million in Series A funding round

Saudi alternative financing platform erad has raised $22 million in a Series A round led by MEVP to develop new financing products and expand across the Gulf. The company provides Sharia-compliant financing to small and medium-sized enterprises, relying on data and artificial intelligence to make credit decisions.

2026-09-28

Startups

Egyptian Company Zeal Raises $10 Million to Activate Its Technology on 4 Million Payment Devices

Egyptian fintech company Zeal has raised $10 million in funding, bringing its total funding to $14 million. It plans to use the funds to activate contracts covering more than four million payment devices over 24 months. The company provides loyalty, customer-identification, and merchant-analytics tools through existing payment devices.

2026-09-26

Financial Technology

Lendo and Quantic Launch $200 Million Financing Program for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Lendo and Austria’s Quantic have announced an institutional capital program of up to 750 million riyals, allocated to finance working capital for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Kingdom. The agreement gives Lendo greater financing capacity, with the possibility of structuring Sharia-compliant investment products for international investors.

2026-09-18

Startups

Saudi Rize Secures $50 Million Murabaha Facility to Finance Rental Contracts

Saudi proptech company Rize has secured a SAR 187.5 million asset-backed Murabaha facility from Jadwa Investment to finance its residential rental contract portfolio, enabling it to separate contract financing from capital allocated to growth and expansion.

2026-09-17

Financial Technology

Tabby Raises $233 Million at a $6.5 Billion Valuation to Expand Financial Services

Fintech company Tabby has closed a $233 million Series F round, raising its valuation to $6.5 billion, with the transaction still subject to regulatory approvals, including approval from the Saudi Central Bank. The company will use the funding to expand its credit and money management services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE after moving beyond its buy now, pay later model.

2026-09-16

Startups

Tarabut Raises $50 Million to Strengthen Embedded Finance Infrastructure in Saudi Arabia

Bahrain-founded fintech infrastructure company Tarabut has secured $50 million in strategic funding with the participation of Riyad Bank and regional investors, in a deal still awaiting regulatory approvals, including approval from the Saudi Central Bank. The company will use the capital to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia and develop financing tools for small and medium-sized enterprises.

2026-09-16

Financial Technology

Tanami Raises Undisclosed Funding to Finance Expansion into Qatar

Bahrain-based private markets investment platform Tanami has closed a funding round with participation from tali ventures, Qatar Development Bank, and regional and international investors. The company will use the funding to expand into new markets, including Qatar, grow its investor base, and develop its digital platform.

2026-09-16

Startups

Saudi Arabia's BRKZ Raises $31 Million to Expand Its AI-Powered Construction Materials Procurement Platform

BRKZ secured $13 million in a Series B round and $18 million in debt growth financing to develop pricing, fulfillment, and embedded finance tools and expand cross-border sourcing. The company says its platform serves more than 1,500 construction companies and relies on data from millions of products and requests for quotations.

2026-09-15

Startups

Arcapita Invests in STV’s Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Fund

Saudi company STV’s Emerging Tech & AI Fund has received an investment from Arcapita, bringing the alternative investment manager into an institutional base that includes Google, quasi-sovereign entities, and endowment investors. The fund invests in artificial intelligence startups and has so far backed four companies, including Sawt, Clarity, Signit, and Stream.

2026-09-10

Technology Companies

Epson Establishes Its Regional Headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa in Riyadh

Seiko Epson Saudi Arabia has been selected as the regional headquarters for its operations in the Middle East and North Africa and has obtained the official license for the new headquarters in Riyadh’s Al Olaya district. From the Kingdom, the company will manage its commercial, marketing, and financial operations while continuing to coordinate with its headquarters in Dubai, expanding its partner network, and focusing on the education sector.

2026-09-09

Startups

Saudi Startup Gaia Raises $1.5 Million to Expand Enterprise AI Platform

Gaia, which specializes in sovereign AI for enterprises, has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed round led by Seedra Ventures. The company plans to use the funding to develop its platform and work with Saudi institutions to implement AI within their operations while keeping data within the enterprise environment.

2026-09-08

Artificial intelligence

Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Aramco Collaborate to Develop Industrial AI Applications

Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Aramco announced on September 7, 2026, that they had signed a basic cooperation agreement to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in the industrial sector. The collaboration focuses on integrating Sony’s sensing, vision, and edge AI technologies with Aramco’s data, operational expertise, and infrastructure.

2026-09-08

Startups

Velents Enters the Bahraini Market Through a Partnership with stc to Provide AI Agents for Enterprises

Saudi AI company Velents has entered into a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain to launch an exclusive suite of agentic AI solutions for enterprise customers in Bahrain. The partnership aims to provide local tools and infrastructure that help companies deploy digital agents while taking local regulatory and data requirements into account.

2026-09-07

Financial Technology

Sav Raises $3.5 Million to Fund Its Expansion from the UAE to Saudi Arabia

UAE fintech company Sav has raised $3.5 million in a pre-Series A round led by Phoenix Venture Partners, bringing its total funding to approximately $6 million. The company will direct most of the investment toward entering the Saudi market and developing its AI-based products and infrastructure across the Gulf.

2026-09-07

Financial Technology

Salla Acquires Saudi Payments Company Paylink to Expand Its Financial Services

Saudi e-commerce platform Salla has acquired Saudi Central Bank-licensed fintech company Paylink, aiming to integrate its payments infrastructure into the platform’s commerce ecosystem. The move will focus on accepting and managing payments through electronic and physical channels, with support for SoftPOS, international payments, and multiple currencies.

2026-09-04

Artificial intelligence

LEAP 2026 Announces Nearly $15 Billion in Investments and Agreements in AI and Digital Infrastructure

LEAP 2026 concluded in Riyadh with announcements, investments, and agreements totaling nearly $15 billion, focused primarily on artificial intelligence, data centers, and cloud services. Key commitments include the AWS cloud region in the Kingdom, the expansion of AWS’s partnership with HUMAIN, and programs to train and provide AI tools to millions of beneficiaries.

2026-09-03