Venture capital funding in the MENA region rose 92% to USD 1.5 bn across 310 investments in 1H 2025, led by investments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to a Magnitt emerging venture market funding report (pdf) and press release (pdf). The figure marks the region’s strongest half-year performance since 2022 and represents 39% of total funding across emerging markets tracked by the platform.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE contributed 85% of total funding and 74% of total transaction count in the MENA region. Saudi Arabia ranked second among all EVM geographies, with USD 860 mn raised from 114 investments in 1H 2025, a 116% y-o-y increase. A couple of mega-transactions buoyed the figure for 1H, with Ninja raising a USD 250 mn funding round and Tabby raising a USD 160 mn Series E round.

The UAE saw some USD 447 mn investments (up 84% y-o-y) across 114 transactions (up 10% y-o-y) — its highest deployment since 1H 2020. The largest disclosed transaction was AppliedAI’s USD 55 mn series A round. Meanwhile, Egypt attracted USD 185 mn in investments in 1H 2025, marking a 90% y-o-y increase.

Quarterly performance: In 2Q 2025, Middle East funding rose 22% y-o-y to USD 741 mn across 117 investments. The region secured USD 1.4 bn across 258 investments in 1H 2025, doubling its performance compared to the same period in 2024. Despite a slight contraction in volume of investments, the quarter saw more Series A and B investments, reflecting a strong interest in mid-sized rounds on the back of new fund launches and a strong LP network.

PLUS- Some 42% of Series A and B rounds exceeded USD 20 mn, up from just 10% a year ago — reflecting a growing preference for ventures with proven traction and scalability.

Fintech was the standout sector in 1H 2025, with funding in the Middle East rising to USD 516 mn, representing 38% of total capital deployed in the region. E-commerce followed in second place in terms of funding in the Middle East with USD 321 mn and Enterprise Software with USD 105 mn. Across the broader MENA region, fintech attracted USD 596 mn in 1H 2025, tripling y-o-y.

Who were the top investors? Riyad Capital emerged as the most active investor by capital deployed, while UAE-based Plus.VC led in terms of the number of investments, according to a separate brief (pdf).

The Middle East bucked a wider slowdown among emerging venture markets, with total VC funding across EVMs dropping 7% y-o-y to USD 4 bn — the lowest half-year level since 2017. The decline was primarily due to a 32% drop in mega rounds and continued contraction in Southeast Asia, historically the largest EVM market.

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