← State of Embedded Finance 2026

Tarabut Gateway

Can a regulated open banking infrastructure player in MENA become the full-stack embedded finance OS for banks, lenders, and non-financial platforms across the Gulf?

Founded2018
HQManama, Bahrain (with offices in UAE and Saudi Arabia)
FoundersAbdulla Almoayed
Total raised$32M+
Latest roundSeries A, May 2023
IndustryInfrastructure / Open banking
The story

Founded in 2018 in Bahrain as MENA's first licensed open banking gateway (AISP/PISP), Tarabut Gateway built its initial moat as a regulated API aggregator connecting banks and fintechs. After raising a Series A with Visa in 2023, the company expanded from pure open-banking connectivity into an Embedded Finance platform, offering SME lending orchestration, BaaS APIs for banks and insurers, and AI-driven credit decisioning. By 2025, the company was pitching itself as the full-stack infrastructure layer enabling banks, lenders, and non-financial platforms to embed financing into everyday consumer and SME journeys across MENA.

Last 12 months
2025-02
2025-05
Product timeline
2018
Founded in Bahrain as the MENA region's first licensed AISP and PISP, building an open banking gateway.· pivot
2020
Expanded operations to the UAE with support from Hub71.· banking
2023
Raised $32M Series A with Visa as a strategic investor and announced open banking partnership with Visa for data-driven credit, analytics, and cross-border payments.· banking
2025
Launched Embedded Finance platform for SME lending, partnering with Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) on POS-based revenue-based financing and with MUHIDE for B2B trade-embedded finance in Saudi Arabia.· lending
2025
Rebranded/repositioned as 'Tarabut' (dropping 'Gateway'), positioning as MENA's leading embedded finance and AI-driven decisioning platform.· pivot
Regulated entities
AISP (Account Information Service Provider)
MENA (Bahrain CBB)
Tarabut Gateway
PISP (Payment Initiation Service Provider)
MENA (Bahrain CBB)
Tarabut Gateway
The stack
Lending
Embedded SME lending platformPOS-based revenue-based financing (with BisB)Auto financing (embedded)Mortgage financing (embedded)B2B trade financing (with MUHIDE)Data-driven credit decisioning APIs
Open banking
Tarabut Gateway (self-operated)
Accounting gap: none