Kingdom had four listings totaling $1.45 billion, accounting for 78% of IPO issuances last year
Updated 03 March 2021
Rashid Hassan
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia continued to lead the initial public offering (IPO) market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), representing 78 percent of MENA IPO issuances last year, according to the latest industry figures.
According to consultancy firm EY’s MENA IPO Eye Q4 2020 report, “Saudi Arabia continued to have the most active IPO market in the MENA region in terms of both issuances and proceeds. Tadawul was MENA’s top listing venue for the year with four listings totaling $1.45 billion, which represented 78 percent of the total amount raised by MENA IPO candidates in 2020.”
The fourth quarter of 2020 was the strongest for IPOs based on proceeds, primarily due to the listing of BinDawood Holding ($584 million), which was the second-largest listing of the year after Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Services Group Company ($701 million), which listed in the first quarter of 2020. Both listings were on Tadawul’s main market.
Saudi Arabia also saw several new initiatives that have an important bearing on future IPO activity in the country, including the introduction of direct listings on the Nomu parallel market, as well as the launch of their derivatives market.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, additional updates related to disclosures becoming mandatory in both English and Arabic, as well as increases in daily price fluctuation limits for new listings on the main market were announced.
Commenting on the findings, Abdulrahman Moulay Al-Bizioui, KSA country leader at EY, said: “The capital markets in Saudi Arabia have shown their resilience during 2020, both in terms of liquidity and regulations. The outlook for the Kingdom’s markets remains positive for 2021 and as Tadawul continues its growth and status in the international capital markets, it proves to be an important avenue for investors looking to deploy domestic capital and foreign direct investments.”
The Kingdom is expected to see more than ten listings in 2021. In addition, Tadawul, which is the region’s largest exchange, is preparing for its own IPO, which is expected to be finalized in 2022. This would make it the third publicly listed stock exchange in the region after the Dubai Financial Market and Boursa Kuwait.
Gregory Hughes, EY MENA IPO and transaction diligence leader, commented: “Although MENA IPO activity remained relatively quiet in 2020, several regulators across the region announced positive regulatory changes during the year that bode well for future and existing public companies. As we start 2021, there are reasons for renewed optimism, and we see a strong IPO pipeline in key MENA markets. We have also seen some interest in mergers with US-listed special-purpose acquisition companies in recent months following some limited activity in this area in the last two years from the region.”
According to the EY report, the MENA region saw nine IPOs raise proceeds of $1.86 billion, a fall of 40 percent in total issuances and 94 percent in total proceeds when compared with 2019. Out of the nine issuances, six were in the real estate sector, of which two were real estate investment trusts, with the remaining in the health care, consumer staples and insurance sectors.
Despite a subdued annual picture, in the fourth quarter of 2020, four MENA IPOs raised $925 million in total, compared to one in the third quarter and none in the second. There were four IPOs in the first quarter of 2020, raising $814 million.
Looking to the future, Matthew Benson, EY MENA strategy and transactions leader, said: “As 2021 begins, we believe that continued fiscal stimulus measures, an abundance of liquidity and growing confidence in COVID-19 vaccination programs will sustain positive IPO momentum.”
Globally, IPO numbers continued to pick up with 1,363 listings in 2020, a 19 percent rise compared with 2019. Additionally, proceeds increased 29 percent year-on-year to $268 billion, the highest proceeds since 2010’s record of $290.2 billion raised by 1,361 IPOs.
Startups across MENA secure fresh funding to scale chips, AI, mobility and proptech platforms
The company plans to use the funding to scale operations across Dubai and the wider UAE before expanding into other GCC markets
Updated 3 sec ago
Nour El-Shaeri
RIYADH: Startups across the Middle East and North Africa continue to attract investor backing, with companies spanning semiconductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and health technology all benefitting.
Rimal Semiconductors, a Saudi chip design startup, secured a bridge funding round from Keheilan Asset Management and an undisclosed regional investor as the company works to strengthen its position within the global semiconductor supply chain.
The funding will support Rimal’s strategy of building a fabless semiconductor business that designs chips while outsourcing manufacturing to international foundries, enabling the company to distribute production across multiple jurisdictions while retaining ownership of its intellectual property.
Rimal currently maintains manufacturing partnerships across Taiwan, Korea, and China, and is in discussions with US-based foundries as it seeks to diversify its production network.
The company positions its approach as a way to navigate the increasingly fragmented semiconductor industry, where geopolitical tensions between the US and China are reshaping global supply chains and restricting market access for many companies.
By maintaining Saudi ownership of its intellectual property while distributing manufacturing across multiple partners, Rimal aims to supply its chip designs to markets worldwide regardless of manufacturing location.
The startup is also finalizing a distribution agreement with a regional distributor operating across Turkiye, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as Tunisia and the UAE, supported by local engineering teams providing technical support in each market.
Rimal currently has six contracts in the pipeline, including one with a major Egyptian corporation, with projects spanning defense systems, power grid infrastructure, and data center technologies.
iQtech raises first investment round
iQtech LLC, a Qatar-based startup specializing in advanced medical simulation and cross-reality technologies, has closed its first investment round with backing from European assessment technology company Selexi and deep-tech collaborator Yuniro.
The funding marks a milestone for the startup, founded in 2025, as it transitions from its founding phase into a structured growth stage while accelerating development of its AI-powered medical training platform.
The investment will support the development of EsculapioVR, iQtech’s flagship platform that combines immersive virtual reality simulations with artificial intelligence-driven performance evaluation designed to enhance medical education and professional training outcomes.
Operating from Doha within the Qatar Science & Technology Park ecosystem, the startup positions itself at the intersection of healthtech and edutech.
Weego operates a mobility-as-a-service application that integrates multiple transportation options into a single platform. (Supplied)
The company aims to modernize professional training through high-fidelity simulation environments for health care professionals, as well as civil and military training programs.
With the new funding, iQtech plans to strengthen its technical infrastructure, accelerate platform development, and expand deployments across Qatar and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
Weego raises $1.1m
Weego, a Moroccan–Senegalese mobility startup, has raised $1.1 million in a funding round led by early-stage venture capital firm Azur Innovation Fund as the company seeks to expand its mobility-as-a-service platform across African markets.
Founded in 2020 by Saad Jittou and Mor Niane, the company operates a mobility-as-a-service application that integrates multiple transportation options into a single platform, allowing users to access and book public transit, ride-hailing services, and other transportation modes through one interface.
The company also provides enterprise mobility solutions through its WeegoLines service, which enables companies to organize and manage employee transportation. The service is designed to improve reliability and efficiency in staff mobility for corporate clients.
“Transportation remains one of the primary barriers to economic activity in many cities,” said Jittou, co-founder and CEO of Weego. “We are building the technological layer that helps make existing mobility infrastructure more efficient and accessible.”
With the new funding, Weego plans to expand into additional cities across Morocco, strengthen its enterprise mobility services, and further develop its multimodal platform.
The company is also preparing for broader regional expansion into other African markets, with longer-term ambitions to explore opportunities in Europe and the Middle East.
Skipr raises $2m seed round
Skipr, a startup developing infrastructure designed to enable trusted interaction between autonomous artificial intelligence systems, has closed a $2 million seed funding round at a $10 million valuation.
The funding will support the company’s expansion from Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global technology ecosystem, as it works to scale sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure for national and enterprise deployments.
Skipr focuses on enabling secure communication, coordination, and value exchange between AI systems operating across organizations, cloud environments, and geographic jurisdictions.
The company’s platform is designed to allow governments and enterprises to maintain sovereign control over their data and decision-making processes while deploying AI-powered services.
We are building the trust infrastructure nations and enterprises need to deploy AI safely, confidently, and at scale.
Andreas Hartl, CEO at Skipr Technologies
Skipr said it is already working with telecommunications operators, AI and cybersecurity laboratories, and data center partners to deploy autonomous digital services at national and enterprise scale.
“This funding accelerates our work on what we believe is a foundational layer for the AI era,” said Andreas Hartl, CEO at Skipr Technologies.
“As AI systems become autonomous and interconnected, secure AI-to-AI interoperability under sovereign control is no longer optional. We are building the trust infrastructure nations and enterprises need to deploy AI safely, confidently, and at scale,” he added.
Skipr operates as part of the Hub71+ Digital Assets specialist ecosystem, which brings together technology companies, regulators, and strategic partners focused on developing digital infrastructure.
Rewa launches UAE rent payment and rewards platform
UAE-based proptech startup Rewa has launched its digital rent payment and rewards application across the country following the close of a strategic seed funding round backed by Qatar Development Bank, Plug and Play, and Neocity Invest, as well as Startup Wise Guys, Second Century Ventures, and several Gulf Cooperation Council real estate executives.
Founded in 2024 by Ramzi Mneimneh and Najib Khanafer, Rewa enables tenants to pay rent through card or bank transfer while earning loyalty points that can be redeemed across more than 150 partners spanning travel, retail, and dining, as well as groceries and lifestyle services.
The platform also allows users to apply rewards toward future rent payments and utility bills. In addition to tenant services, Rewa provides tools for landlords through its Rewa Alliance platform, which streamlines rent collection through automated tracking, digital receipts, and workflows designed to align with UAE rental regulations.
The company plans to use the funding to scale operations across Dubai and the wider UAE before expanding into other GCC markets.
Ayar Labs raises $500 million
Ayar Labs, a US-based semiconductor startup focused on optical interconnect technology, has raised $500 million in a series E funding round led by Neuberger Berman.
The round included participation from institutional investors AKR Invest, Insight Partners, Sequoia Global Equities, and 1789 Capital.
Qatar Investment Authority joined the round as a Middle East-based institutional investor.
Additional strategic investors included Alchip Technologies and MediaTek, joining existing backers such as Advent Global Opportunities, Boardman Bay Capital Management, and IAG Capital Partners, as well as Light Street Capital, Playground Global, AMD Ventures, and NVIDIA.
Founded in 2015 by Mark Wade, Vladimir Stojanovic, Chen Sun, Rajeev Ram, and Milos Popovic, Ayar Labs develops optical interconnect technologies known as co-packaged optics, which replace traditional electrical connections used in chips and data centers.
The company’s technology is designed to improve data transfer speeds and energy efficiency in high-performance computing environments, including artificial intelligence infrastructure and large-scale data centers.
