Ziina
| Ziina | |
|---|---|
 | |
Native name | زينة |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | January 2020 |
| Founders | Faisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan, Andrew Gold |
| Headquarters | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Services | Digital payments, peer-to-peer transfers, payment links, QR code payments, Tap to Pay |
| Website | www |
Ziina (زينة) 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
[edit]- January 2020: Founded by Faisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan, Talal 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]
- August 2022: Introduces "ZiiBoard", a keyboard for generating payment links on social media.[5]
- May 2023: Introduced its payment gateway, enabling SMEs to accept online card payments via website integrations.[6]
- September 2024: Raised US $22 million in Series A funding led by Altos Ventures.[7]
- April 2025: Launched Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, allowing merchants to accept contactless payments via smartphone.[8]
- 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.[9]
Products
[edit]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.[10]
- Payment links: Shareable links for use on social media and messaging platforms.[11]
- Payment gateway: Integrated checkout solutions for SMEs accepting cards online, supporting multiple currencies. [11]
- In‑person acceptance: Tap to Pay on iPhone, Tap to Pay on Android, as well QR code payments. [12]
- Multi‑currency settlement: Up to ten currencies supported on gateway transactions. [13]
- Ziina Business Card (upcoming): A payment card integrated with the wallet for expense tracking & supplier payouts.[14]
- Other products include Invoicing features, multi-user access, custom API integrations, oath sign-in, and embedded checkout
References
[edit]- ↑ Sharma, Alkesh (October 17, 2022). "Generation start-up: how UAE's Ziina is working to boost financial literacy in Middle East". The National. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ↑ Fernandez, Keith J (2021-07-04). "UAE gets a peer-to-peer payments app that lets you split bills with friends". The National. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- ↑ Paracha, Zubair Naeem (2020-05-19). "Dubai fintech Ziina raises $850,000 pre-seed, launches a social P2P payment app". MENAbytes. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ↑ 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". Forbes ME. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- ↑ Report, Gulf News (2022-08-10). "Dubai fintech Ziina tests 'payments keyboard' for businesses to get paid over messaging apps". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ↑ "Ziina Payment Gateway announcement". Ziina Official LinkedIn Page. May 2023.
- ↑ East, Forbes Middle. "UAE's Ziina Secures $22M In Funding To Shift From Payments To Full Financial Services". Forbes ME. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ↑ Staff, M. B. (2025-04-29). "Ziina launches Tap to Pay in UAE, letting businesses accept in-person payments on iPhone". MENAbytes. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ↑ Digital, Traffic. "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Provide innovative financial solutions". Government of Dubai Media Office. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ↑ Gibbon, Gavin (2020-05-19). "Payment by text: UAE fintech app Ziina simplifies money transfers". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- 1 2 Kene-Okafor, Tage (2024-09-03). "Ziina banks $22M as growth explodes for the UAE-based fintech for small businesses". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- ↑ Digital, Traffic. "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Provide innovative financial solutions". Government of Dubai Media Office. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ↑ Onyeagoro, Joyce (2025-07-03). "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Simplify Digital Payments for SMEs". TechAfrica News. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ↑ "Dubai-based paytech Ziina raises $22m Series A ahead of ZiiCard launch". FinTech Futures. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
