Pyypl
“Can a MENA-based, regulated, blockchain-powered wallet become the cross-border financial infrastructure layer for the 800M underbanked across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia?”
Founded2017
HQAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (ADGM)
IndustryFintech / Cross-border payments
The story
Pyypl launched in 2017 as a smartphone-first, non-bank digital wallet targeting the ~800M underbanked across MENA, Africa, and Central Asia, using blockchain in its core systems for compliance. The product evolved from consumer prepaid wallets and remittances toward a dual personal-and-business platform, adding micro-investment tooling in 2023 and securing Visa Principal Membership to offer BIN sponsorship and enterprise-grade payout infrastructure to other fintechs.
Last 12 months
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Product timeline
0
Announced Visa Principal Membership and Trademark Licence enabling direct card issuance and BIN sponsorship.· card
2017
Founded in the UAE as a blockchain-based non-bank digital financial services app for the MENA region.· pivot
2023
Rolled out social, micro-investment platform for African entrepreneurs and micro-SMEs.· lending
Regulated entities
4
regulatory licences held by Pyypl
Licence types, jurisdictions and registered entities are in the Embedded Finance Index report.
The stack
5 layers disclosed in Pyypl’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
Pyypl (self-operated wallet & payments)
Banking / BaaS
in the full report
Card issuing
in the full report
Lending
in the full report
FX & payouts
in the full report
Accounting gap: minor
5 more providers across 4 layers, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.