Egypt's Thndr eyes Saudi Arabia for its next move

Published: 2026-06-08T11:11:25.000Z

One of Egypt's most recognizable fintech names is preparing to cross the Red Sea. Thndr, the digital investment platform, is gearing up to enter Saudi Arabia in early 2027 after securing preliminary approval to operate as a financial brokerage in the kingdom.

The groundwork at home helps explain the confidence. Thndr says total investments made by Egyptian users through its platform have reached around 50 billion Egyptian pounds, or roughly $960 million, a sizable figure in a country where retail investing was long seen as the preserve of the wealthy. Investment funds make up the bulk of that activity, accounting for close to 60 percent of the total with assets of about 30 billion pounds. The platform currently lets users put money into funds managed by a range of firms including Mubasher, CI Capital, Beltone, Azimut and ZALDI Capital, and it has been sharpening its pitch by scrapping its commission on fund investments altogether. That fee cut is part of a broader strategy rather than a one off. Removing the cost of investing in funds, rolling out a prepaid card initiative and now lining up a Saudi launch all point in the same direction, toward turning Thndr from an Egyptian success story into a regional digital investment platform. The thinking is that the habits and brand recognition built at home can travel, and that a younger generation across the region wants the same simple, low cost access to markets that the app offers in Egypt. Saudi Arabia is an obvious target for that ambition. The kingdom has been actively courting fintech companies and digital investment platforms as its capital market deepens and demand for accessible investment products grows. Getting in early, even at the preliminary approval stage, lets Thndr start navigating the regulatory and competitive landscape ahead of a formal launch. The wider regional context makes the timing sensible. Across the Middle East and North Africa, wealthtech and investment platforms are expected to be among the fastest growing fintech segments through 2027, driven by a young, mobile first population and government efforts to widen participation in financial markets. Saudi Arabia in particular has been pushing hard to expand its investor base under Vision 2030, while the UAE and others chase similar goals. For an Egyptian platform with regional designs, planting a flag in Riyadh is both a vote of confidence in the Gulf's growth and a test of whether a homegrown Arab fintech can scale beyond its borders.