E-commerce

Meta Hatch and an Instagram shopping agent are coming in 2026

Meta is building an AI agent called Hatch and a separate AI shopping tool for Instagram. Both are expected before Q4 2026 as Zuckerberg pushes his AI investments toward real revenue.

Taager opens China supply office to strengthen MENA seller infrastructure

Taager has opened its first supply office in China, moving beyond its marketplace model to become a vertically integrated infrastructure provider. The move targets the sourcing bottlenecks that hold back thousands of social sellers across the MENA region.

Gifting platform Udora closes $10 million round ahead of Saudi launch

Dubai-based gifting platform Udora has raised $10 million in a private round as it prepares to launch in Saudi Arabia in Q3 2026. The company, formerly known as Flowwow, already generates a third of its global GMV from the MENA region.

Maison Safqa raises $620K pre-seed to bring luxury overstock discreetly to GCC shoppers

Luxury brands have a dirty secret. When beautiful handbags and sneakers don't sell, they either sit in warehouses collecting dust or get burned. Literally burned. Burberry once destroyed £30 million worth of products just to protect its image. Three women in Riyadh—Lea Mehaweg, Georgia Mehaweg, and Estelle Nasr—think that's insane. Their startup, Maison Safqa, just raised $620,000 to build a private platform where luxury brands can quietly sell overstock at discounts. No fire. No cheap discount racks. Just smart, discreet selling. In less than a year, they've signed 50 brands and grown sales 20x. Luxury doesn't have to mean waste. They're proving it.

MENA Startups Burn Through 40% More Marketing Budget Than Global Peers

New research reveals MENA startups spend 40% more on customer acquisition than global peers while achieving lower conversion rates. The inefficiency has contributed to over 340 startup closures in 18 months.

$12.6M round positions Flextock to capture rising e-commerce demand

E-commerce enablement startup Flextock has raised $12.6 million to scale its merchant growth platform, expanding fulfillment, logistics, and embedded services across the MENA region.

UAE Fresh Commerce Startup QuicKart Raises 1.5 Million Dollars

Dubai-based QuicKart secures $1.5M seed funding led by Orbit Ventures to expand its farm-to-home fresh produce delivery across the UAE.

CADO enters Qatar to build unified GCC gifting infrastructure

UAE based premium gifting platform CADO has launched in Qatar, strengthening its GCC footprint and building a unified, cross-border corporate gifting infrastructure across the region.

Saudi logistics tech startup Routech Express bags $1M pre seed round

Saudi logistics tech startup Routech Express has secured $1 million in pre seed funding led by Q Fund, aiming to expand its digital shipping platform across the Kingdom and beyond amid rising e-commerce demand, while reflecting broader regional trends in early stage startup investments.

Saudi Trade Platform MUHIDE Closes Series A Backed by Asyad Group

MUHIDE has closed a Series A backed by Asyad Holding Group to build Saudi Arabia's first unified B2B trade ecosystem. The Riyadh-based platform digitises and governs commercial transactions to reduce risk and improve transparency.

EvolutionX leads $50M investment in Kitopi as UAE cloud kitchen scales regionally

Kitopi secures $50 million in growth capital led by EvolutionX to expand its cloud kitchen and F&B technology platform across the GCC, following profitability and accelerating franchising plans.

Yozo bags $1.7M to expand its AI revenue engine for e-commerce

UAE based startup Yozo secures $1.7 million in funding to develop an AI powered revenue optimization platform for e commerce merchants, targeting conversion, pricing, and customer intelligence.

Angel Investors back Qarah in multi million dollar financing round

Qarah app has closed a multi million dollar investment round led by angel investors to scale its digital platform, as consumer facing technology startups continue to attract early stage capital in the MENA region.

Juthor secures SAR 1.87M pre seed funding to power multi channel commerce

Saudi based Juthour company has closed a SAR 1.87 million pre seed funding round to expand its technology platform supporting retailers across online and offline sales channels.

Yamm raises seed round to scale post purchase automation in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s post purchase automation startup Yamm has closed a seed funding round co led by Vision Ventures and Arzan Venture Capital, with participation from 2Pi Ventures, Plus VC, and F6 Ventures, to accelerate its return and refund automation platform across e commerce markets.

Noon raises $500 million as investors look for the next Talabat

Revibe secures $17M to scale refurbished electronics marketplace

UAE-based refurbished electronics startup Revibe raises $17 million in Series A funding to scale its refurbished device marketplace across the Gulf and emerging markets, doubling down on quality controls, sustainability and cross-region expansion.

Ninja raises $250 Million, eyes Saudi Stock Exchange listing

Saudi quick commerce firm Ninja raises $250 million, hits US$1.5 billion valuation, expands dark store footprint to 100+ locations and plans a stock exchange listing by 2027, pioneering rapid delivery growth in Gulf retail.

Saudi Arabia’s noon, Jahez merge to take on rising competition from Keeta and HungerStation

Saudi Arabia’s noon and Jahez have agreed to merge their delivery platforms, integrating food and quick commerce services. The deal, disclosed on the Saudi Exchange, intensifies competition with HungerStation, Careem, Mrsool, and China’s Meituan-backed Keeta in the Kingdom’s $20 billion delivery market.