News
Mubadala-Backed Tabby Raises $200 Million In Funds
The latest series D funding round gives the BNPL platform a value of $1.5 billion.
Backed by UAE investment company Mubadala, Dubai-based Buy Now Pay Later platform Tabby has raised $200 million in funding, making it part of an elite group of MENA companies known as “unicorns” due to their market value of $1 billion or more.
Tabby, now valued at a staggering $1.5 billion, joins fellow UAE startups like Careem, Kitopi, and Swvl, along with Saudi Arabia’s STC Pay and Egypt’s Fawry.
اليوم، نعلن أن تابي أصبحت أول شركة ملياريّة في قطاع التقنية المالية في المنطقة، بعد أن أغلقت جولة استثمارية Series D بقيمة 200 مليون دولار وبتقييم 1.5 مليار دولار. كل الشكر لمجتمع تابي من المتسوّقين والشركاء على دعمهم المستمر. pic.twitter.com/YnuJdembCy
— Tabby | تابي (@paywithtabby) November 1, 2023
US-based Wellington Management was in charge of the latest funding round, with Hong Kong’s Blue Pool Capital and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Capital also taking part, with additional investment also coming from Saudi Arabia’s STV, PayPal Ventures and Arbor Ventures.
Tabby manages more than $6 billion worth of yearly transactions, and the new funding will be used to further develop the company’s financial and shopping services for both consumers and retailers.
“With this investment, we can advance our mission across Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” said Hosam Arab, CEO and co-founder of Tabby.
Also Read: MENA Online Electronics Sales Grew By 7% In 2023
The BNPL business model, which allows shoppers to spread payments for online purchases over several interest-free installments, has boomed since the COVID-19 pandemic and is projected to hit $565.8 billion by 2026, representing a compound annual growth rate of nearly 26%.
Tabby is currently active in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE. In a January 2023 funding round, the company had already raised $58 million, valuing the BNPL provider at $660 million.
Meanwhile, plenty more BNPL providers are jostling for a share of the enormous MENA market, including the likes of Postpay, Cashew, Spotii, and Tamara. Only time will tell if Tabby’s rivals are also able to achieve coveted unicorn status, though the MENA region is expected to produce at least 45 billion-dollar startups by the end of the decade, led by Saudi Arabia.
News
NASA Forms New Partnership With Saudi Space Agency
The pair will collaborate on the Center for Space Futures, advancing space tech by bringing together public and private stakeholders.
Saudi Arabia’s space industry is on the brink of substantial expansion after generating $400 million in revenue in 2022, according to a report by the Saudi Communications, Space and Technology Commission.
Now, in a new venture with NASA, plans for a “Center for Space Futures” are set to further drive the Kingdom’s aspirations of becoming a leading player in space exploration and technology.
Capturing moments from the joint delegation visit with leaders from the Saudi and American Space Agencies @NASA to @PSU_RUH, along with scenes showcasing the audience's engagement. pic.twitter.com/oB1cFTiRNl
— وكالة الفضاء السعودية (@saudispace) May 14, 2024
The partnership between NASA and Saudi Arabia goes beyond economic advantages. The pair have already cooperated on preliminary work for the Artemis II lunar mission, which is slated for a September 2025 launch and aims to land astronauts near the moon’s South Pole.
Also Read: Plans Underway For Massive Middle East Autonomous Freight Network
During a visit to the capital, Riyadh, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized in a TV interview the broader objectives of the collaboration, which encompass “returning to the moon and then [to] Mars” while utilizing space exploration to glean important insights into climate change. The NASA spokesman also reiterated the space agency’s dedication to collaborating with Saudi Arabia on other future ventures.
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