Ziina

Ziina
Ziina
Native name	زينة
Type	Private
Industry	Financial services
Founded	January 2020; 6 years ago
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.com

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

January 2020: Founded by Faisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan, Talal Toukan, and Andrew Gold
May 2020: App launched, secured $850K pre-seed round led by Class 5 Global
June 2021: Raised $7.5M seed round led by Avenir Growth Capital
August 2022: Introduces "ZiiBoard", a keyboard for generating payment links on social media.
May 2023: Introduced its payment gateway, enabling SMEs to accept online card payments via website integrations.
September 2024: Raised US $22 million in Series A funding led by Altos Ventures.
April 2025: Launched Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, allowing merchants to accept contactless payments via smartphone.
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.

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.
Payment links: Shareable links for use on social media and messaging platforms.
Payment gateway: Integrated checkout solutions for SMEs accepting cards online, supporting multiple currencies.
In‑person acceptance: Tap to Pay on iPhone, Tap to Pay on Android, as well QR code payments.
Multi‑currency settlement: Up to ten currencies supported on gateway transactions.
Ziina Business Card (upcoming): A payment card integrated with the wallet for expense tracking & supplier payouts.
Other products include Invoicing features, multi-user access, custom API integrations, oath sign-in, and embedded checkout

References

↑ 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.

External links

Official website

[1] 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.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

[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". Forbes ME. Retrieved 2024-09-04.

[5] 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.

[6] "Ziina Payment Gateway announcement". Ziina Official LinkedIn Page. May 2023.

[7] East, Forbes Middle. "UAE's Ziina Secures $22M In Funding To Shift From Payments To Full Financial Services". Forbes ME. Retrieved 2025-07-17.

[:0-8] 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.

[9] Digital, Traffic. "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Provide innovative financial solutions". Government of Dubai Media Office. Retrieved 2025-07-17.

[10] Gibbon, Gavin (2020-05-19). "Payment by text: UAE fintech app Ziina simplifies money transfers". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2024-09-04.

[tc-11] 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.

[12] Digital, Traffic. "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Provide innovative financial solutions". Government of Dubai Media Office. Retrieved 2025-10-23.

[13] Onyeagoro, Joyce (2025-07-03). "Dubai CommerCity Partners with Ziina to Simplify Digital Payments for SMEs". TechAfrica News. Retrieved 2025-10-23.

[14] "Dubai-based paytech Ziina raises $22m Series A ahead of ZiiCard launch". FinTech Futures. Retrieved 2025-10-23.