محمد يحي
The Middle East witnessed notable momentum in venture capital investments and acquisition deals between December 7 and 14, reflecting strong diversification across targeted sectors.
These included proptech, AI-powered regulatory compliance, gaming, digital fashion, digital assets, industrial automation, AI infrastructure, and fintech.
According to the weekly investment and M&A report issued by “entArabi”, the announced transactions during the week injected more than $1.21 billion into the market, driven by major deals in Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, alongside rising activity in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt.
This momentum underscores sustained investor confidence in scalable technology-driven business models across the region.
Weekly data highlights the clear dominance of artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and financial services, which captured the largest share of investments, supported by mega-deals in Qatar and Turkey.
This came alongside early—but steadily growing—activity in sectors such as gaming and proptech in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The data also indicates a continued investor shift toward sovereign-grade models and technologies aligned with local regulatory frameworks, particularly in compliance and financial regulation.
At the same time, interest is increasing in solutions that address structural gaps in financing and supply chains.
Investments and M&A by Country
| Country | Company / Deal | Transaction Type | Deal Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Brookfield × Qai | Joint venture (AI infrastructure) | $20 billion |
| Turkey | Baribo × CoinMENA | Majority acquisition | Up to $240 million |
| UAE | Zelo (IHC subsidiary) | Funding round | $715 million |
| UAE | Byit Capital | Investment round | $1.1 million |
| UAE | Qadi | Pre-seed round | Undisclosed |
| UAE | Bloom Network | ADGM license | — |
| Egypt | tpay | Government payments license | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Qwacks | Pre-seed round | $476,000 |
| Kuwait | Trendl (“Masaha” app) | Second Seed round | $1.5 million |
| International* | Mujin | Series D round | $233 million |
| Total disclosed | — | — | ~$21.19 billion |
Investments and M&A by Sector
| Sector | Companies / Deals | Investment Value |
|---|---|---|
| AI infrastructure | Brookfield × Qai | $20 billion |
| Digital assets & cryptocurrencies | Baribo × CoinMENA | Up to $240 million |
| Fintech & supply chain finance | Zelo | $715 million |
| Industrial automation & robotics | Mujin | $233 million |
| PropTech | Byit Capital | $1.1 million |
| Gaming | Qwacks | $476,000 |
| Digital fashion & retail | Trendl (Masaha) | $1.5 million |
| AI-powered regulatory compliance | Qadi | Undisclosed |
| Government digital payments | tpay | License (no funding) |
| Tokenization of real-world assets | Bloom Network | License (no funding) |
| Total disclosed | — | ~$21.19 billion |
