Startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region managed to raise a total of $783 million in July, a surge of 1,411% compared to the previous month.
According to the specialized platform Wamda — which also noted that this amount is more than double that of last July — the third quarter of 2025 is opening with an investment pace rarely seen in the region.
Saudi Arabia remains firmly at the top of regional funding, with 16 deals totaling $396.5 million. The United Arab Emirates follows closely, attracting $359 million distributed among 22 startups.
Lower down the ranking, the month brought some surprises. Iraq climbed to third place thanks to a single $15 million deal for InstaBank, ousting Egypt from the top four. Morocco took fourth place, boosted by Ora Technologies’ $7.5 million raise.
Egypt — once a fixture in the top three — slipped to fifth place with $4 million raised by seven startups, a decline Wamda attributes to macroeconomic pressures and currency instability. Tunisia, for its part, recorded only a single transaction for $27,500.
By sector, deeptech dominated for the first time in several months, attracting $250.3 million spread across only four deals. E-commerce made a strong comeback with an almost equivalent total of $250 million. SaaS startups rounded out the top three, with $89 million raised through 12 deals. Fintech, meanwhile, fell to fourth place with $61 million invested in 11 transactions.
According to Wamda, this shift reflects growing appetite for innovative, IP-focused companies and high-growth consumer platforms — even as fintech funding shows a marked slowdown.
From a gender perspective, the gap remains stark. Male-founded startups raised $774.5 million across 43 deals, while female-led ones totaled only $3 million across eight deals.
Finally, it is worth noting that, seven months into 2025, the total volume of investment in the MENA region has already surpassed that of the entire year 2024.
