FinTech Surge 2022, the MENA region’s leading finance and innovation event, is set to return to Dubai World Trade Centre from October 10-13 2022, where it will spark new disruption in the Middle East and North Africa’s burgeoning fintech sector.
An integral part of GITEX Global 2022, the world’s biggest tech and start-up event of the year which will feature over 5,000 tech and digital companies from 170 countries, the four-day event is poised to be the premier hub for fintech entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and regulators and will accelerate the growth of PayTech, WealthTech, InsureTech and RegTech in the MENA region.
FinTech Surge 2022’s expert-led conference tracks, including the Digital Finance Summit and the CX Forum, will explore the sector’s most pressing issues and potentially lucrative opportunities. FinTech Surge comes at an opportune time for the MENA region’s FinTech development; the UAE is currently home to 24% of all fintechs in the region, with fintechs accounting for 41% of the MENA region’s US$864 million start-up funding in the first quarter of 2021.
Here’s a rundown of the top innovators set to participate in FinTech Surge’s second edition.
Rasan
Saudi fintech firm Rasan has transformed the Kingdom’s Insurtech industry, serving more than 8 million users since its launch in 2016. Rasan launched the Kingdom’s first digital insurance disruption Tameeni, which transformed the retail customer buying experience by introducing real-time online motor policy issuance in a few clicks.
Following Tameeni’s success, Rasan launched the country’s first health insurance platform, Tameeni Health, Awalmazad, a salvage and repossessed motor car auction platform and Treza, a motor insurance platform for leasing companies.
Mastercard
One of the world’s best-known brands, Mastercard, FinTech Surge’s strategic partner, has evolved into a multi-faceted technology company with a wide range of competencies and capabilities that benefit retailers, travel companies, governments, fintechs and others.
Visitors to FinTech Surge can learn how Mastercard provides businesses with integrated consultancy services and solutions that generate new business, drive loyalty, protect digital systems, drive confidence and create new opportunities beyond payments.
Geidea
Now one of the leading fintechs in the region, Geidea is set to launch Geidea POS for Restaurants, a new flagship integrated point-of-sale solution catering to the food and bevarage sector in the UAE at FinTech Surge.
Available for full dining, cafes, quick service, food trucks and cloud kitchens, the ‘affordable, integrated’ POS solution helps run all aspects of a business, including restaurant operations, payment integrations, customer understanding and staff management. The fully integrated system is compatible with all Geidea’s Go Smart solutions or any other payment solutions.
Tap Payments
FinTech Surge 2022’s platinum sponsor, Tap Payments, will bring its expert leadership to the event, who will discuss global regulatory trends, highlight payment innovation in the region and explore the growth of fintech in Saudi Arabia.
“In the course of onboarding over 100,000 merchants, we have seen the MENA region turn into a flourishing ecosystem of early-stage start-ups and SMBs,” said Ali Abulhasan, Co-Founder and CEO of Tap Payments. “This is an incredible attribute to the government and local initiatives that keep drawing attention to the development of start-ups. Our goal is to continue to support start-ups and the innovation they bring to core markets and to create an ecosystem that helps them scale easily. I am always keen to participate in industry-leading events like FinTech Surge and be involved in competitive pitching activities like the Supernova challenge, which offers more opportunities to showcase innovative start-ups.”
BIO-IDZ
BIO-IDZ’s digital payment situation is tailor-made for innovative and imaginative contactless wearables. Its next-gen smart wearable tokenisation platform, #bpay, links a user’s credit and debit cards with everyday fashion-tech accessories that feature payment functionality. BIO-IDZ also has dual interface biometric cards that provide the user additional security.
startAD’s Corporate Sprint Accelerator
A market access accelerator for global start-ups that brings cutting-edge technology innovation to the UAE, startAD’s ninth Corporate Sprint Accelerator will host a pitch-day at FinTech Surge on October 11, where all 10 start-ups of the CSA9 cohort will be pitching and showcasing their solutions.
The CSA was launched in partnership with Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative and offers cutting-edge fintech start-ups a platform to put their ‘best foot forward’ in the GCC region by preparing them to benefit from the region’s regulatory framework, providing access to investment opportunities, opening doors to business deals and partnerships and building their network in the global financial services and start-up ecosystem.
Telr
Through one simple integration, Telr provides access to every payment method it offers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay, Apple Pay, PayPal, SADAD, Mada and STCPay.
With its one-stop-shop mindset, Telr provides comprehensive solutions for the e-commerce world, with a large selection of financial and business services including payment links, QR codes payments, digital invoicing, buy-now-pay-later service, a merchant financing programme and an easy-to-use tool for creating an online store in five minutes.
Refinitiv
One of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure, Refinitiv serves more than 40,000 institutions in approximately 190 countries, providing information, insights and technology that drive innovation and performance in global markets. Its 160-year Reuters heritage of integrity enables customers to make critical decisions with confidence, while a unique open platform, best-in-class data and cutting-edge technology bring greater opportunity to its customers.