MENA Fintech Funding Holds At $617 Million As Deal Activity Falls

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 17, 2026

MENA fintech raised $617 million across 57 transactions in H1 2026, matching H1 2022 funding but across 31 fewer deals. The gap points to a market increasingly shaped by larger transactions.

Fintech Deal Activity Falls To A Multi-Year Low

Transactions fell 50% year over year to 57, making H1 2026 the second-lowest first half for fintech deal activity in the period. Only H1 2023 recorded fewer deals, with 54.

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Funding declined by 9%, indicating that fewer companies secured capital while total investment remained relatively concentrated. Larger transactions therefore accounted for a greater share of overall funding.

Large Rounds Support Overall Funding

Deals above $100 million were the main driver of funding, while capital deployed through smaller rounds declined. This made the region’s overall performance more dependent on a limited number of large transactions.

The pattern has appeared in previous years, but its impact varies by period. H1 2024 recorded no $100 million-plus round, when funding reached its lowest level, while H1 2025 posted a stronger first half before slowing in the second.

Fintech Gains Share Of Mena Funding

Fintech accounted for $617 million of the $1.35 billion invested across Mena in H1 2026, increasing its share of regional funding.

The higher share reflects fintech funding falling less sharply than the broader Mena venture market, rather than sector-wide growth. Fintech funding itself declined 9% year over year.

H1 Funding Does Not Set The Full-Year Trend

First-half funding has historically represented between just over one-third and more than half of annual fintech investment. Annualizing the H1 figure therefore indicates the scale of activity but does not provide a full-year forecast.

The timing of large deals can also materially change the annual picture. The absence of a $100 million-plus round in H1 2024 illustrates how quickly headline funding can shift when a few transactions account for a significant share of investment.

At $617 million, H1 2026 shows the current scale of MENA fintech funding, while the second half will provide more evidence on whether activity is stabilizing. The continued decline in deal volume remains a key trend.

The full MAGNiTT report covers quarterly trends, transaction sizes, funding stages, geographies, sectors, investor activity and fintech exits.

The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

€50 Million Luxury Resort Planned For Ayia Napa

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 22, 2026

Ayia Napa could strengthen its position in the premium tourism market with a proposed €50 million mixed-use resort combining a hotel, serviced apartments, luxury bungalows and a beach club.

Aesara Investments Ltd has submitted an information form to the Department of Environment for a development to operate under the name Atlantica Wavemaster Hospitality. The project is planned for the Limnara area of Ayia Napa, along the coast south of Kryou Nerou Avenue, between the town centre and Cape Greco.

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Hotel, Apartments And Luxury Bungalows

The proposed resort will include a 324-room hotel with capacity for 648 guests, alongside a condo-hotel building containing 20 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Facilities are planned to include restaurants, bars, cafés, a spa with an indoor pool, a gym, shops, a multipurpose hall, a children’s club and a cinema.

A further 33 three-level luxury bungalows, each designed for two guests and featuring a private swimming pool, are planned for the southern part of the site. A beach club with a restaurant and an outdoor pool complex covering more than 6,300 square metres will also form part of the development.

The project includes 321 parking spaces, including 12 for people with disabilities, and 14,196 square metres of landscaped green space featuring local plant species.

Seasonal Hotel Operations And Year-Round Residences

The hotel is expected to operate from March to November, with peak occupancy during the summer season. The condo-hotel apartments, meanwhile, will be available for sale or long-term rental and intended for year-round residence. Owners and tenants will also have access to the resort’s facilities, including its pools, restaurants and fitness areas.

Construction is expected to take 24 months once the required permits are secured. At the busiest stage, the project could employ around 100 workers per day.

Environmental Restrictions Near Cape Greco

The site’s proximity to protected Natura 2000 areas has prompted strict environmental requirements. The Cape Greco Special Protection Area borders the site to the south, while a Special Area of Conservation lies approximately 50 metres away.

Conditions imposed by the Department of Environment include a maximum building height of five floors, or 18.5 metres, and restrictions on permanent structures near the coastline. The project must also use spider-web type glazing and low-intensity lighting to minimise disturbance to local birdlife.

According to the project’s consultants, the design has been prepared to comply with the environmental conditions and the final report on cumulative impacts for the Cape Greco Special Protection Area. The hotel and apartment building are positioned in the central and northern parts of the plot, away from the shoreline.

Within the designated no-build zone, located 40 metres from the boundary of the beach protection zone, only swimming pools are planned. The consultants state that these are not expected to affect protected species in the area.

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