Startup Investments Hit $23.86M in the Second Week of March 2026, Saudi Arabia Leads Fintech Sector - إنت عربي

Startup investments across the Middle East and Africa reached $23.86 million in the second week of March 2026 (March 8–15), with funding spread across five Arab startups in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Morocco, entArabi reported. The total for regional rounds came alongside $1.73 billion in international investments, led by a $1.04 billion raise for AMI Labs that involved the UAE-based venture capital firm Shorooq. Saudi Arabia dominated regional activity, with fintech and retail deals for Muhlah and Thunna totaling $23.36 million — 97.9% of the week’s regional tally.

"According to the weekly investment and acquisition report issued by entArabi, these investments were distributed across five Arab startups operating in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Morocco," the report stated.

Context and sector breakdown

The entArabi report provides a clear sectoral snapshot for the week. Retail captured the largest share of regional startup funding, accounting for 66.47% of the $23.86 million with $15.86 million going to Thunna. Fintech followed with 31.43%, represented by a $7.5 million investment in Muhlah. Logistics technology recorded the remaining 2.09% through a $500,000 round for Qatar-based ShipBee.

• Fintech: Muhlah — $7.5M
• Retail & Fragrance: Thunna — $15.86M
• Logistics Tech: ShipBee — $500K
• PropTech: Rewa — undisclosed
• Digital Infrastructure / Tech Solutions: Netcom Technologies — undisclosed
• Artificial Intelligence (international rounds): AMI Labs, Eridu, Nexthop AI — $1.73B total

By country, Saudi Arabia led with two funded companies — Muhlah and Thunna — totaling $23.36 million. The UAE recorded an undisclosed investment in PropTech firm Rewa, Qatar saw the $500,000 ShipBee round, Morocco listed Netcom Technologies with undisclosed terms, and three international AI-related rounds (AMI Labs, Eridu, Nexthop AI) made up $1.73 billion of activity tied to the region.

Notable international deal

The report highlighted that the regional activity was dwarfed by several international transactions linked to UAE investors. "This came in addition to international investments worth $1.73 billion, which were completed through several funding rounds involving the UAE-based venture capital firm Shorooq, particularly in AMI Labs, an artificial intelligence company that secured $1.04 billion in funding," entArabi noted. Those international rounds were reported separately from the $23.86 million in Arab startup funding for the week.

Outlook

The week’s numbers illustrate concentrated domestic activity — notably Saudi Arabia’s near-complete share of regional funding — alongside much larger global AI financings connected to UAE investors. Market watchers will be watching subsequent weekly reports for whether retail and fintech continue to attract the bulk of regional capital, and whether the pattern of large international AI rounds will translate into follow-on investments or partnerships for local startups such as Netcom Technologies, Rewa and ShipBee.