Egypt's Startup Charter is aimed at a currency question
Egypt's February 2026 charter aims to mobilise $1bn over five years for an ecosystem of 706 startups. Company formation is not the constraint it addresses.
Comprehensive coverage and updates on Technology Policy across the MENA tech ecosystem.
Egypt's February 2026 charter aims to mobilise $1bn over five years for an ecosystem of 706 startups. Company formation is not the constraint it addresses.
A crypto firm entering the UAE chooses between VARA, the DFSA and ADGM, with federal regulators above them. Regulatory competition has produced both responsiveness and specialisation.
Saudi Arabia's digital health market was estimated at $4.4bn in 2025 and is forecast to grow 22.6% a year to $18.3bn by 2032, with more than $1.5bn allocated to healthcare IT.
The UAE's framework provides an API Hub, a trust framework and shared infrastructure, and extends beyond banking to a wider set of financial products. CBD, FAB and ADIB are among the banks live.
The Saudi Central Bank began licensing open banking providers in March 2026 after the sandbox phase closed. The framework now covers both account information and payment initiation.
VARA was established in 2022 as the world's first dedicated virtual asset regulator. It now authorises seven categories of activity and more than twenty licensed entities.
Construction on NEOM's most visible sub-project was suspended in September 2025 pending a PIF strategic review. Reporting in June 2026 put the stoppage in place until at least 2030.
$23.54bn in 2026 rising to $46.39bn by 2031, with the UAE the fastest-growing market. Sovereign cloud and industrial systems are driving it more than conventional IT.
Fintech took 67% of Saudi venture funding and built Bahrain's ecosystem. In both cases the differentiator was a licensing route, not a product.
73rd globally, 10th regionally, 4th in the GCC, and 43.5% ecosystem growth. The rank is modest and the trajectory is not.