Mubadala-Backed Tabby Raises $200 Million In Funds

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.

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.