NymCard Raises $33M to Expand BaaS in MENA

NymCard Raises $33M to Expand BaaS in MENA
NymCard Secures $33M to Expand Banking-as-a-Service in MENA

Hey FinTech Fanatic!

NymCard has secured $33 million in a Series B funding round led by QED Investors, bringing its total funding to over $68 million.

The UAE-based Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider works with financial institutions across MENA, offering the infrastructure to launch and manage virtual and plastic card programs. This partnership represents a significant step in the digital payments and mobile payments landscape, supporting embedded finance solutions for the region.

Since 2018, NymCard has supported more than 50 banks, FinTech companies, and retailers—including Xpence, Samsung, Zywa, and SAB, to name a few—offering card issuing, embedded lending, and money movement solutions.

“With the backing of our investors, we will continue pushing the boundaries of payments and embedded finance,” said Omar Onsi, CEO of NymCard. The investment will fuel the company’s expansion across more than 10 MENA markets, reinforcing its infrastructure to meet growing demand.

QED Investors’ partner Gbenga Ajayi highlighted NymCard’s role in bridging the FinTech gap: “By providing out-of-the-box card issuing and embedded finance solutions, NymCard is expanding financial access for startups and enterprises, driving SME growth, and strengthening MENA’s digital economy.”

Read more global FinTech industry updates below 👇 and I'll be back with more tomorrow!

Cheers,

Marcel


Stay ahead in FinTech! Subscribe to my Telegram channel for daily updates and real time breaking news. Get the essential insights you need and connect with FinTech enthusiasts now!

Join The Community of FinTech Fanatics Now!

🇬🇧 Revolut is launching an Employer of Record (EoR) service called GlobalHire in H2 2025. GlobalHire will enable employers to hire hassle-free from 160 countries with zero borders. Revolut will handle local compliance, tax, and regulations, similar to companies like Deel. This service expands the reach of Fintech solutions and simplifies global business banking.


FINTECH NEWS

 🇺🇸 Temenos to recruit 200 technology staff for new innovation hub in Florida. The hub will operate as a collaborative space, pairing Temenos staff with US banking clients to co-develop products spurred on by new technologies such as Generative AI and Blockchain in banking.

 🇺🇸 FinTechs and crypto companies seek bank charters for growth. They are seeking to become state or national banks to expand their business under the Trump administration, which they view as more industry-friendly, according to more than half a dozen industry executives. This reflects the growing role of crypto trading and online banking in reshaping traditional financial systems.

 🇲🇽 Microlender Tala lands $150 million debt facility to expand its Mexico business. The debt facility was issued with funds managed by U.S. investment firm Neuberger Berman, Tala said in a statement. This move highlights the growing importance of Fintech in supporting digital finance and inclusive payments systems. Keep reading.

 🌍 Qualco weighs IPO in expansion push. The group is considering an initial public offering as it looks to further expand its operations in Europe and the Middle East. Specializing in credit management, it offers support across the entire credit cycle for both banking and non-banking sectors, with a focus on open banking solutions.


PAYMENTS NEWS

 🇧🇷 DEUNA Presents Athia in Brazil: Transforming Data Chaos Into Commerce Growth. DEUNA, the unified platform to simplify global payments and power next-gen commerce, launches Athia, the first commerce-aware AI in payments transforming data chaos into real-time, actionable insights, in Brazil before in any other country in LATAM.

DEUNA Presents Athia in Brazil

🇲🇽 Pomelo integrates into Visa's Clearing House in Mexico. Pomelo will be able to receive the local processing and value-added services that Visa offers. This will enhance and extend Pomelo's offerings in the Mexican market and strengthen its commitment to providing innovative payment methods and mobile payments technology solutions to Mexican consumers, alongside Visa.

 🇮🇳 Singapore businesses can now accept UPI Payments via HitPay. The integration gives businesses access to over 450 million UPI users in India, offering a cost-effective alternative that can save merchants up to 50% on fees compared to traditional credit cards, driving digital payments growth.

 🇺🇸 Checkbook enables Direct Digital Wallet Transfers with PayPal and Venmo Integration. This significant advancement empowers businesses to send funds directly to their customers’ digital wallets and mobile banking apps, offering increased speed, convenience, and flexibility.

 🌍 Google lets kids use Google Wallet for in-store payments in select countries. Kids with Android phones can now tap to pay at stores using Google Wallet in the US, UK, Australia, Spain, and Poland. Parents and guardians in these countries can now allow their children to access digital payments on their Android devices with supervision, showcasing the rise of contactless payments.


DIGITAL BANKING NEWS

 🇺🇸 Verizon & Santander Bank partner to bring Openbank’s digital banking experience. The partnership brings together industry leaders in mobility and banking to provide a secure, seamless digital banking experience to Verizon customers with no fees, low minimum deposits, and 24/7 access to funds.

 🇿🇦 Tyme Bank hit 10.7 million customers in December 2024, a 7% increase in 3 months. The digital bank, which became Africa’s ninth unicorn with a $250 million Series D funding round in December that valued it at $1.5 billion, recorded a 10 million customer base in October 2024. This growth highlights the increasing role of neobanks in expanding digital finance in emerging markets.


BLOCKCHAIN/CRYPTO NEWS

🇨🇭 Swiss regulator grants first license for blockchain-based securities trading. The Financial Market Supervisory Authority granted its first license for a distributed ledger technology trading facility. According to the announcement, BX Digital AG will operate the newly approved platform, advancing Blockchain in banking and cryptocurrency adoption.

 🇺🇸 Bakkt suffers major setback as bank partners drop platform. The digital asset and payments platform suffered a significant blow when Bank of America (BofA) and Webull announced they would not be renewing their commercial agreements with the company, reflecting the challenges in crypto regulation.

 🇺🇸 Crypto.com hits $1.5b revenue with ongoing token controversy. The platform has over 140 million users and remains focused on growth through organic expansion and mergers and acquisitions, even amid potential market downturns. The company continues to navigate crypto regulation and evolving trends in crypto trading and stablecoins. Continue reading.

🇺🇸 Ripple’s Garlinghouse says SEC dropped landmark crypto regulation case. The case against the cryptocurrency company has ended, marking the latest in a series of enforcement actions that have been abandoned during the early weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration.


PARTNERSHIPS

🇬🇧 Epos Now partners with Lloyds Cardnet. This marks a significant milestone for both fintech companies, supporting business banking and entrepreneurship across the UK and beyond. The collaboration will deliver seamlessly integrated POS and payment solutions, providing adaptable payment methods to meet evolving customer needs.

🇺🇸 ICBA Payments and Mastercard to upgrade customer payment experiences for banking institutions. The alliance with Mastercard will help corporate banking leaders modernize their card payments programs through innovative features, enhancing customer experiences in digital payments and secure payments.

🇬🇧 Tuum and Sumsub partner to strengthen regtech, compliance, and fraud prevention. This collaboration empowers banks, neobanks, and fintech startups to streamline digital identity verification, meet evolving crypto regulation requirements, and enhance fraud prevention measures.

🇬🇧 Finastra unveils enhanced Lending Cloud Service supported by IBM. IBM is providing design and implementation for LCS, leveraging AI in banking with its generative AI platform, watsonx, to optimize operational efficiency. This enhances the fintech ecosystem by providing smarter banking solutions for business banking and lending.

🌍 dLocal partners with Belmoney to expand cross-border payments and remittance services. The collaboration enables Belmoney to use dLocal’s payment infrastructure, supporting over 900 local and alternative payment methods, including bank transfers, digital wallets, and card payments.

🇺🇸 Marqeta and AffiniPay revolutionizing business banking for law firms with MyCase Smart Spend. This innovative fintech solution streamlines expense management, offering digital banking trends that improve financial control for law firms.

🇦🇺 Bud Financial integrates AI in investing using DataStax AI and NVIDIA to drive real-time digital finance insights for ANZ. The integration enhances banking innovation through faster AI-powered financial data analysis.

🇬🇧 ekko and Optty partner to advance fintech sustainability in digital payments. This partnership enables financial institutions to incorporate carbon tracking in payment apps, promoting sustainable finance solutions in embedded finance. Read more.

🇪🇬 Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait-Egypt signs long-term partnership with Visa to expand digital payment solutions. This collaboration introduces innovative mobile banking and contactless payments, supporting Egypt's open finance and fintech adoption strategy.

🇺🇸 Affirm expands credit reporting with Experian, including all pay-over-time products. The move supports the future of finance by enhancing transparency in alternative banking, empowering consumers and lenders with data-driven insights to make informed financial decisions while strengthening credit histories


DONEDEAL FUNDING

🇲🇾 Wealth platform Versa raises RM30 million in Series A funding. The funds will accelerate fintech adoption among young Malaysians, supporting wealthtech and AI in investing to enable smarter investment decisions. Keep reading.

🇨🇿 Czech fintech Flowpay secures €30M to innovate SME lending in Europe. The funding boosts embedded finance solutions, helping businesses access alternative banking options with real-time digital finance services.

🇦🇪 QED Investors leads $33m investment in NymCard, enhancing MENA’s payments infrastructure. With this investment, NymCard is expanding its presence across 10+ MENA markets, advancing open banking, real-time payments, and fostering crypto-friendly banks, while enhancing financial services for fintech unicorns and fintech companies in the region.

🇺🇸 Stablecoin platform Utila secures $18 million in Series A funding. The investment will support blockchain in banking, tokenization, and DeFi projects, reinforcing CBDC adoption and crypto wallet integrations. Continue reading.

🇺🇸 Privy secures a new fintech funding round led by Ribbit Capital, bringing its total funding to over $40 million. This will enable developers to integrate crypto rails and digital asset solutions for seamless Web3 banking experiences.

🇺🇸 Crossmint secures $23.6M to simplify blockchain adoption for businesses and AI agents. The investment follows a year of rapid growth, with Crossmint’s subscription revenue surging by 1,100% in 2024. Its platform enables companies to integrate wallets, tokenization, payments, and onramps without deep crypto expertise.


M&A

🇦🇺 Swyftx acquires New Zealand’s Easy Crypto exchange. The move strengthens crypto trading capabilities and enhances banking disruption through strategic fintech acquisitions. Read more.


MOVERS AND SHAKERS

🇺🇸 Flywire promotes Mohit Kansal to Chief Payments Officer. The new payments chief will “help accelerate Flywire’s payments innovation strategy and drive technical alignment across Flywire’s verticals.” He will also oversee payment methods, payment gateways, and API integrations for real-time payments.


Want your message in front of 100.000+ FinTech fanatics, founders, investors, and operators?

Shoot me a message on LinkedIn or send me an e-mail.

Daily Fintech Updates