MENA startup funding surges to $1.1 billion in September 2026
Summary
MENA startup funding rebounded in September 2026, rising to $1.1 billion across 73 deals after a weak August. Large Saudi fintech rounds from Barq, Tabby, and Lendo drove most of the monthly total, and Saudi Arabia accounted for about 86% of all regional capital. Fintech dominated the market, while early-stage companies still led by deal count and capital raised. The article also shows that B2B startups continued to attract the most deals and that female-founded companies received only a very small share of funding.
Funding
Amount
$329.5M
Total raised
Date
September 1, 2026
Announcement date
Investors
Wamda Capital
Lead investors
Company
barq.sa
Funded company
AskAI Classifications
Sectors
Fintech, Banking and Payments
General FinTech
Payment Processing
Functions
Developer and IT Infrastructure
Development Platforms
Linked Companies
Paymob
$250M to $500M