Finance | Page 8

Lamaa, a Riyadh-based fintech startup, has raised a seed investment in a round led by Raed Ventures and Saudi Aramco's entrepreneurship arm Wa'ed.

EFG Hermes' Investment Banking Division closed a record eight transactions to date worth US$ 3.5 billion.

National Fintech Adoption Survey by Saudi Central Bank and Capital Market Authority developed a clear understanding of how the fintech industry supports individuals and companies.

Impact investing has grown tremendously over the last decade, and in large part because investors aren't just looking at unrealistic returns, and add to that the positive environmental and social outcomes that are becoming increasingly more measurable.

If you are a fintech entrepreneur, and you're looking to get your story out there in front of global and regional investors, partners, and key stakeholders in the fintech ecosystem, this is your chance.

Elmenus has previously raised $1.5 million in a Series A and $8 million in a Series B round.

The benefits of listing include a reduced dependence on bank funding, a higher degree of diversification of investors, easier access to additional equity capital and debt finance, and a higher public profile and brand recognition.

A protracted period of unprecedented market instability did very little to dampen the appetites of those willing to hold their nerve, and stay focused on the long-term goal.

Souqalmal, a Dubai-based financial comparison aggregator, has launched MoneyDoctor, a financial education program that companies in the UAE can offer to their employees so that they may learn how to have better control over their finances.

It is marked as the first investment made in France by the venture capital firm.

Governments are not only increasing regulation of fintech companies, but they are also actively building new technologies that seemingly compete with them.

Investors found that being homegrown is one of StarzPlay's main advantages over the stiff competition in the region's SVOD space.

Co-founded by Padmini Gupta and Milind Singh, this fintech startup is on a mission to reimagine financial services provided to the immigrant population.

With an aim to expand through the Middle East and work with diverse regulators, the co-founders hope to further their vision of mass adoption of crypto assets in the region.

Former International Finance Corporation (IFC) head for MENA and Pakistan Issa Aghabi on co-founding Access Bridge Ventures (ABV), a MENA-focused early-stage venture capital fund.

"Having more meaningful time to think and rethink through an investment, especially in a changing and unprecedented global context, has proven to be really valuable."

Conscious investing creates a framework for viable investments that will advance social and environmental solutions and produce financial returns in the process.

Do not disregard the importance of cashflow to survive a crisis, and build a stable future, and be ready for the next unexpected challenge.

CSR, diversity, employee engagement, and retention -the non-financial and non-market related factors, the soft facts until recently were little more than a box-ticking exercise for investors– have taken on a renewed prominence in any VC's decision-making process.

Marcel Muenster, a Johns Hopkins-trained medical doctor, digital health entrepreneur, and early-stage investor, on changing the way the global investment community approaches the well-being of startup founders.

While a stronger currency might sound nice, from an economic standpoint, a general weakening in the dollar in the current economic climate is seen as more befitting.

Considering these three questions can help you decide whether you really need funding or whether bootstrapping would suit you better.

Impact is at the heart of the GCC's strategy, and sustainability is embedded in its values.

ADIO's investment to be channelled to fintech, tech-enabled business services, platforms and software startups in Abu Dhabi.

The acquisition of Payguru, which was founded in 2015 and has been the first mobile payment company to receive a license from the financial regulator, will expand Tpay Mobile's offering of alternative payment products and financial technologies and will contribute to further growth across geographies and business lines.

Improving financial inclusion for SMEs could boost annual economic growth by 1% per year, and also lead to a potential 16 million jobs by 2025 in the Middle East and Central Asia regions.