Company:Ziina

From HandWiki
Ziina
Native name
زينة
TypePrivate
IndustryFinancial services
FoundedJanuary 2020; 6 years ago (2020-01)
FoundersFaisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan, Andrew Gold
HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
ServicesDigital payments, peer-to-peer transfers, payment links, QR code payments, Tap to Pay
Websitewww.ziina.com

Ziina is a private fintech company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, founded in 2020. It offers digital payments services for consumers and businesses, including peer-to-peer transfers, payment links, QR and NFC (Tap to Pay) acceptance, and a payment gateway for SMEs. The company holds a Stored Value Facility (SVF) license issued by the Central Bank of the UAE.

History

  • January 2020: Founded by Faisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan, and Andrew Gold[1][2]
  • May 2020: App launched, secured $850K pre-seed round led by Class 5 Global[3]
  • June 2021: Raised $7.5M seed round led by Avenir Growth Capital[4]
  • March 2022: App Receives Red Dot Design Award, staying true to Ziina's Arabic name, which translates to "a thing of beauty"[5]
  • August 2022: Introduces "ZiiBoard", a keyboard for generating payment links on social media.[6]
  • December 2022: Appointed official payment partner for ComicCon Middle East.[7]
  • May 2023: Introduced its payment gateway, enabling SMEs to accept online card payments via website integrations.[8]
  • October 2023: Gateway capability expanded to accept up to 10 different currencies and Arabic version of the app added. [9]
  • August 2024: First venture-backed company in the UAE to become licensed by The Central Bank of the UAE [10][11]
  • September 2024: Raised US $22 million in Series A funding led by Altos Ventures.[12]
  • April 2025: Launched Tap to Pay feature for iPhone and Android, allowing merchants to accept contactless payments via smartphone.[13]
  • July 2025: Entered partnership with Dubai CommerCity free zone to offer SMEs services such as instant transfers, payment links, NFC Tap to Pay, multi-currency virtual IBANs, and a co‑branded bank card.[14]
  • October 2025: Partnered with Dubai's Meydan Freezone to become the payment provider of choice for member businesses.[15]

Products

Ziina is known for the following products and services available to businesses and consumers in the UAE:

  • Peer‑to‑peer wallet: Enables instant money transfers using mobile numbers, with no IBAN or SWIFT code necessary.[16]
  • Payment links: Shareable links for use on social media and messaging platforms.[17]
  • Payment gateway: Integrated checkout solutions for SMEs accepting cards online, supporting multiple currencies. [17]
  • In‑person acceptance: QR code and Tap to Pay support via mobile devices. [18]
  • Multi‑currency settlement: Up to ten currencies supported on gateway transactions. [19]
  • Ziina Card (upcoming): A payment card integrated with the wallet for expense tracking & supplier payouts.. Launch pending.[20]
  • Other products include Invoicing features, multi-user access, custom API integrations, oath sign-in, and embedded checkout

References

  1. ↑ Sharma, Alkesh (October 17, 2022). "Generation start-up: how UAE's Ziina is working to boost financial literacy in Middle East" (in en). https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/start-ups/2022/10/17/generation-start-up-how-uaes-ziina-is-working-to-boost-financial-literacy-in-middle-east/. 
  2. ↑ Fernandez, Keith J (2021-07-04). "UAE gets a peer-to-peer payments app that lets you split bills with friends". https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/uae-gets-a-peer-to-peer-payments-app-that-lets-you-split-bills-with-friends-1.1089925. 
  3. ↑ Paracha, Zubair Naeem (2020-05-19). "Dubai fintech Ziina raises $850,000 pre-seed, launches a social P2P payment app" (in en-US). https://www.menabytes.com/ziina-pre-seed/. 
  4. ↑ East, Forbes Middle (2021-06-08). "UAE-Based Fintech Startup Ziina Raises $7.5M In Seed Round—Here's Where It Plans To Use The Funds". https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/innovation/startups/uae-payment-app-ziina-raises-%2475m-in-seed-round. 
  5. ↑ Release, Press. "Home-grown app Ziina recognised by international Red Dot Design Award, ushering in new era of design excellence in technology" (in en). https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/companies-news/home-grown-app-ziina-recognised-by-international-red-dot-design-award-ushering-in-new-era-of-design-excellence-in-technology-ciwps508. 
  6. ↑ Report, Gulf News (2022-08-10). "Dubai fintech Ziina tests 'payments keyboard' for businesses to get paid over messaging apps" (in en). https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/dubai-fintech-ziina-tests-payments-keyboard-for-businesses-to-get-paid-over-messaging-apps-1.1660107610394. 
  7. ↑ "Middle East Film & Comic Con Official Facebook Page". December 13, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/mefcc/posts/pfbid026hFLEac4G8tTAJiDQoHp8aoXM79cgA2pv7RxKu5x3TGe39ZikzA6sBReQgbFJw6Ml?rdid=7yWdHqD8YO0MFz5S#. 
  8. ↑ "Ziina Payment Gateway announcement". May 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ziina_ziina-payment-gateway-activity-7059494649039663106-gBTO/. 
  9. ↑ ""Ziina in Arabic" announcement". Oct 26, 2023. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy22CqAJipS/. 
  10. ↑ Release, Press. "Ziina becomes first venture-backed start-up to secure UAE Central Bank SVF license" (in en). https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/companies-news/ziina-becomes-first-venture-backed-start-up-to-secure-uae-central-bank-svf-license-ovmyunso. 
  11. ↑ Times, The Fintech (2024-08-09). "Ziina Secures Stored Value Facility Licence From UAE Central Bank and Expands Range of Services" (in en-GB). https://thefintechtimes.com/ziina-secures-stored-value-facility-licence-from-uae-central-bank-and-expands-range-of-services/. 
  12. ↑ East, Forbes Middle. "UAE’s Ziina Secures $22M In Funding To Shift From Payments To Full Financial Services" (in en-US). https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/innovation/startups/uaes-ziina-secures-$22m-in-funding-to-shift-from-payments-to-full-financial-services. 
  13. ↑ Staff, M. B. (2025-04-29). "Ziina launches Tap to Pay in UAE, letting businesses accept in-person payments on iPhone" (in en-US). https://www.menabytes.com/ziina-tap-to-pay-iphone/. 
  14. ↑ Digital, Traffic. "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Provide innovative financial solutions" (in en). https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/july/02-07/dubai-commercity-partners. 
  15. ↑ "Meydan Free Zone x Ziina: Seamless Business Payments in Dubai" (in en). https://www.meydanfz.ae/blog/meydan-free-zone-ziina-uae-partnership. 
  16. ↑ Gibbon, Gavin (2020-05-19). "Payment by text: UAE fintech app Ziina simplifies money transfers". https://www.arabianbusiness.com/gcc/uae/446967-uae-fintech-app-ziina-offers-simplified-payment-transfers. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Kene-Okafor, Tage (2024-09-03). "Ziina banks $22M as growth explodes for the UAE-based fintech for small businesses". https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/02/ziina-banks-22m-as-growth-explodes-for-the-uae-based-fintech-for-small-businesses/. 
  18. ↑ Digital, Traffic. "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Provide innovative financial solutions" (in en). https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/july/02-07/dubai-commercity-partners. 
  19. ↑ Onyeagoro, Joyce (2025-07-03). "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Simplify Digital Payments for SMEs" (in en-US). https://techafricanews.com/2025/07/03/dubai-commercity-partners-with-ziina-to-simplify-digital-payments-for-smes/. 
  20. ↑ "Dubai-based paytech Ziina raises $22m Series A ahead of ZiiCard launch" (in en). https://www.fintechfutures.com/paytech/dubai-based-paytech-ziina-raises-22m-series-a-ahead-of-ziicard-launch. 



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