Tabby has raised $233 million in equity funding at a $6.5 billion valuation, giving the Middle East fintech one of its biggest financing milestones as it moves beyond its origins in buy now, pay later into a broader financial services platform.
The round was led by Blue Pool Capital, with existing investors HSG, Wellington Management and Arbor Ventures also participating. The new capital will support Tabby’s expansion across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, particularly into credit, payments and money management products.
Founded in the UAE in 2019 by Hosam Arab and his co-founders, Tabby became the MENA region’s first fintech unicorn in 2023, when it crossed a $1.5 billion valuation. The company relocated its headquarters to Saudi Arabia that same year. Today, Tabby says it has been profitable since 2023, processes more than $18 billion in annualized transaction volume, serves approximately 25 million registered users and works with 70,000 business partners.
From a Checkout Button to a Financial Platform
Tabby’s story began with a relatively simple proposition: allow consumers to split purchases into payments over time.
But the company is now positioning itself as something much larger. Its latest financing comes as Tabby expands into financial products that cover more aspects of how consumers and businesses spend, borrow, save and move money.
“We began with a button at an online checkout to help people spread costs over time. Everything since, every product and every licence, has come back to the same idea: people deserve more from their money,” said Hosam Arab, CEO and co-founder of Tabby.
That evolution is particularly visible in Saudi Arabia, where Tabby has spent the past year expanding its regulatory capabilities.
New Licences Open the Door to More Financial Products
The company has secured consumer and SME financing licences from the Saudi Central Bank, allowing it to provide larger and longer-term financing to consumers as well as working-capital solutions for businesses.
Tabby has also expanded beyond financing through its acquisition of Tweeq, a SAMA-licensed digital wallet. The acquisition gives Tabby capabilities around accounts, cards and money transfers, moving the company further into everyday financial services.
In the UAE, Tabby obtained a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. The licence supports Tabby Cash, which the company describes as an alternative to a traditional debit account without account or card fees.
Customers using Tabby Cash can earn cashback on card purchases and make domestic and international money transfers.
Together, these developments point to a deliberate shift: rather than remaining a service used primarily when consumers are checking out, Tabby wants to become part of the broader financial relationship customers have with their money.
Building Across Two Major Markets
Tabby’s expansion comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is rapidly developing its fintech ecosystem.
The Kingdom’s National Fintech Strategy has helped drive a sharp increase in the number of fintech companies operating in the country, from 82 in 2022 to 281 as of August 2025, with a target of reaching 525 by 2030. Tabby is therefore entering a market where regulation, consumer adoption and digital financial infrastructure are developing simultaneously.
Its existing scale gives the company a significant starting point. Tabby’s technology is used by more than 70,000 global and regional brands, including Amazon, Apple, IKEA, Samsung, SHEIN, Jarir and noon. That merchant network, combined with millions of registered users and an established payments infrastructure, provides Tabby with a platform from which to introduce additional financial products.
$100M+ in Employee Liquidity
The latest financing also includes a liquidity option for Tabby’s employees. Since 2023, the company has conducted share tenders that have enabled current and former employees to sell more than $100 million worth of shares, allowing them to realize part of the value created as Tabby has grown.
The latest round adds another milestone to that trajectory, with the company now valued at $6.5 billion. For Blue Pool Capital, which has partnered with Tabby for three years, the company’s evolution from payments into broader financial services is central to its investment thesis. “Tabby has demonstrated an impressive ability to innovate for their customers, evolving beyond payments to become the trusted platform for millions of people managing, spending and growing their money across the region,” said Christopher Wu, Chief Investment Officer at Blue Pool Capital.
The Bigger Bet on Financial Super-Apps
Tabby’s next chapter is less about buy now, pay later and more about financial infrastructure for consumers and businesses. With consumer financing, SME financing, digital wallets, cards, money transfers and cash-management capabilities now coming together across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Tabby is building toward a model where multiple financial needs can sit within one platform.
The company has already demonstrated that consumers are willing to use its products at scale. The challenge now is converting that distribution into a broader financial relationship while maintaining the profitability and discipline that have defined its growth since 2023. At a $6.5 billion valuation, investors are betting that Tabby’s biggest opportunity may no longer be helping consumers split a purchase into installments. It may be becoming one of the region’s leading platforms for managing, spending and growing money.
