United Arab Emirates: Ziina, the UAE-based, YC-backed startup on a mission to bring financial freedom to every person in the Middle East, is coming to Jordan. Having launched their digital wallet in February 2022, and their proprietary payment keyboard, Ziiboard, just this month, the Jordanian expansion is the latest milestone in a rapid streak of innovation for the fintech company.
For co-founders Faisal and Sarah Toukan, Ziina’s first international foray represents a homecoming of sorts. Both founders grew up in Amman before continuing their higher studies in the United States. Their decision to move into Jordan before any other country in the Middle East came out of their desire to uplift and strengthen their homeland 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, making most of the population digital native. The Central Bank of Jordan has recognized this, citing microfinance, digital financial services and small and medium corporate finance among its core sectoral pillars. As a proud Jordanian, I am happy to introduce Ziina to my home country. Our team has worked tirelessly to develop a product that makes the payment process infinitely faster and more convenient, while prioritizing a delightful user experience. We are no doubt Ziina will make it much easier to get paid for every single Jordanian.”
Today, Ziina is one of the few MENA companies to have made it to Y-Combinator. The company raised USD 9 million in 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, which as well as employees and managers at PayPal, Instagram, Stripe, Revolut, Venmo, Brex, Checkout.com, Notion, Block, Airbnb and Deel.
Heralding a new age of digital consumer finance requires a strong team. The Jordanian siblings along with their Californian co-founder Andrew Gold have recruited a world-class team with experience from the likes of Apple, Uber, Coinbase, Careem, Yandex, Funding Circle, Bain & Co, Talabat and Oracle.
An outstanding feature of Ziina’s product is its design, having been recognized and awarded nine international UI/UX design awards, including the Red Dot Award. The interface allows users to easily send and receive payments to anyone with just a few taps. Ziina eliminates the need for tedious IBAN and quick code entry and makes the payment experience seamless and social, with GIFs, images, text and emojis.
Ziina believes access should not be a privilege, but a right. The company is focused on developing state-of-the-art tools that are delightful to use, empowering individuals to gain more control over their financial future. Ziina believes this financial prosperity should be in the palm of your hand; it is pioneering the future of personal finance.
Peer-to-peer payment services are on the rise globally as they eliminate the need to make physical cash payments. For Ziina, Jordan represents the next exciting chapter in the company’s mission towards economic freedom in the Middle East.
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About Ziina:
As the UAE’s first customer-centric financial platform, Ziina is on a mission to simplify finance for all. Send and receive payments with just a phone number – no IBAN or swift code required. Currently available in beta for UAE residents on iOS and Android, the app provides a seamless way for friends and family to share the cost of takeout or a grocery bill. The app has won nine international UI/UX design awards, including the Red Dot Award for the Finance app. As Ziina grows, we are committed to creating a new age of money in the Middle East and redefining how people use technology to transform their economies.
