UAE-based FinTech Ziina is coming to Jordan

By Leandra Monteiro

Ziina, the UAE-based, YC-backed start-up in the Middle East, is looking to expand into Jordan. Having launched their digital wallet in February 2022, and their proprietary payment keyboard, the Ziiboard, just this month, the Jordanian expansion is the latest milestone in a rapid succession of innovation for the FinTech company.

For co-founders Faisal and Sarah Toukan, Ziina’s first international foray represents a sort of homecoming. Both founders grew up in Amman before continuing their higher studies in the United States. Their decision to soon expand to Jordan before any other Middle Eastern country came out of their desire to uplift and strengthen their home country by expanding access to financial services.

Faisal Toukan, CEO and Co-Founder of Ziina said, “The median age in Jordan is around 23 years old, which makes most of the population digitally native. The Central Bank of Jordan has recognized this, naming microfinance, digital financial services, and small and medium-sized enterprise finance among its core sectoral pillars. As a proud Jordanian, I am delighted to introduce Ziina to my home country. Our team have worked tirelessly to develop a product that makes the payment process infinitely faster and more convenient, while also prioritising a delightful user experience. We have no doubt that Ziina will make getting paid much easier for every single Jordanian.”

Today, Ziina is one of the few MENA companies to make it to the Y-Combinator. The company successfully raised USD 9 million during a seed round from prominent investors, including Avenir Growth, Goodwater Capital, ANIM, Oman Technology Fund, Class 5 Global, Long Journey Ventures, Graph Ventures, Jabbar Internet Group, Wamda, and FJ Labs, as well as employees and execs at PayPal, Instagram, Stripe, Revolut, Venmo, Brex, Checkout.com, Notion, Block, Airbnb and Deel.