Hosam Arab

<p>Hosam Arab is one of the Middle East's most prominent technology entrepreneurs and the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of <strong>Tabby</strong>, the leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform in the MENA region. Under his leadership, Tabby has become <strong>Saudi Arabia's first fintech unicorn</strong>, valued at $1.5 billion in its most recent funding round.</p><p>Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, Arab developed an early interest in technology and new business models that could transform the traditionally oil- and finance-dependent Middle Eastern economy. He pursued his higher education abroad, earning a <strong>Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University</strong> in Canada (1997–2002) before completing an <strong>MBA from Harvard Business School</strong> (2007–2009).</p><p>His early career included experience in private equity at <strong>Waha Capital</strong>, where he developed financial and investment expertise that would later inform his entrepreneurial ventures.</p><p>In 2011, Arab co-founded <strong>Namshi</strong>, an online fashion retailer that became one of the region's most successful e-commerce ventures and an early entrant after <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-emerald-600 underline hover:text-emerald-700" href="http://Souq.com">Souq.com</a>. He served as Co-Founder and Managing Director, then became CEO in February 2018, shortly after Emaar Malls took a 51% stake in the company. In early 2019, Emaar fully acquired Namshi in a deal worth <strong>$129.5 million</strong>, marking a milestone exit in MENA e-commerce. Arab resigned weeks after the full acquisition, telling staff it was "a natural time to move on."</p><p>His next venture was already taking shape. While running Namshi, an investor had introduced him to <strong>Daniil Barkalov</strong>, a Russian software engineer with experience at online retailer Lamoda and later as CEO of Revo Technology, a BNPL provider in Russia. After leaving Namshi, Arab reached out to Barkalov to discuss the Middle East's untapped BNPL opportunity — particularly as an alternative to cash-on-delivery, the dominant but inefficient payment method in regional e-commerce.</p><p>In <strong>September 2019</strong>, the two co-founded Tabby in Dubai, raising $2 million in seed funding. The company has since become the dominant BNPL provider in the GCC, with millions of active shoppers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Egypt, and partnerships with thousands of merchants. Tabby's most recent funding round valued the company at $1.5 billion, making it the <strong>first fintech unicorn in Saudi Arabia</strong>.</p><p>Beyond his operating role, Arab is an Advisory Board member of the <strong>Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy</strong> (since June 2021), a sought-after speaker at global fintech and retail forums, and a recognized voice on financial inclusion, e-commerce, and consumer fintech in emerging markets. His vision is to position Tabby not merely as a BNPL platform but as a comprehensive financial technology company for emerging markets, expanding into digital wallets, consumer credit, and merchant financing.</p>