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UAE startups raised $12.9 million across 10 companies in October, about a third of a regional total that fell 96% from September to $40 million, according to data from Wamda. MENA startups raised $1.1 billion in September.
The regional picture
The $40 million came from 32 startups, against 73 transactions in September, a fall of 56%. It is 95% below the $784.9 million raised in October 2025. Wamda puts the total for the first ten months of 2026 at about $3.4 billion.
A single deal carried the month. Saudi autotech startup Autobia’s $12 million Series A made autotech the top sector by value and accounted for 30% of all regional investment. Wamda says the region remains heavily reliant on a handful of large transactions and describes a more cautious investment environment. It adds that the region did not experience a complete withdrawal of startup investment.
Saudi Arabia led by country with $18.8 million across nine startups, 47% of the total. The UAE came second with $12.9 million across ten startups, about 32% by our calculation. Qatar followed with $5 million in one transaction, then Egypt with $1.7 million across six deals, Kuwait with $650,000, Jordan with $560,000 and Syria with $365,000.
Where fintech stood
Fintech raised nearly $10 million across five startups, about a quarter of the total by our calculation. It was the most active sector by number of deals. Adtech raised $5 million in a single transaction, which Wamda attributes to JustAd, a UAE startup.
Wamda’s reporting does not say how much of the $10 million in fintech funding went to UAE companies, so the share of UAE fintech in the month is not published. The sector’s weight is a marked fall from the third quarter, when fintech raised $1.03 billion, or 62% of the $1.65 billion raised in MENA, according to Wamda’s Q3 report.
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What the rest of the month looked like
Early-stage rounds made up $33.7 million across 24 transactions, over 84% of the capital. Debt was about $550,000 in one transaction, or 1.4% of the total. B2B startups raised $34.3 million, nearly 86%. Startups with only male founders raised about $39.8 million, 99.5% of the total, and female-founded or mixed-gender startups raised $200,000 across two companies.
FAQs
How much did MENA startups raise in October 2026?
About $40 million across 32 startups, according to Wamda, down 96% from September’s $1.1 billion and 95% from $784.9 million in October 2025.
How much did UAE startups raise in October?
$12.9 million across 10 startups, about 32% of the regional total.
How much of October’s funding went to fintech?
Nearly $10 million across five startups, about a quarter of the total, according to Wamda. Fintech was the most active sector by deal count.
Why did funding fall so much?
A single $1.1 billion month in September gave way to October without large rounds. Wamda attributes the fall to a more cautious investment environment and a reliance on a handful of large transactions, and says the region did not see a complete withdrawal of investment.
Editor’s Take: A month with one $12 million deal and a $40 million total shows how few large rounds closed. Wamda’s own headline says the megadeals dried up, and the 96% fall is measured against a September that was the opposite. For the UAE, the number to follow is the fintech share: Wamda gives the sector’s total but not the UAE’s part of it, and that split is what would show whether UAE fintech held up while the region’s funding fell.