Saudi investment firm Pinnacle Capital has launched a new venture capital fund targeting growth-stage technology companies in Saudi Arabia, combining primary investments with secondary transactions as the Kingdom’s startup ecosystem matures.
OpenAI has introduced Inference Residency in the UAE, allowing eligible ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, and API customers to process AI model inference on GPUs located within the country.
The move
Nigeria’s central bank has opened a regulatory testing window for virtual-asset businesses, offering local founders a clearer path to develop and test digital financial products under supervision.
Kenya has approved its first locally domiciled exchange-traded fund (ETF), creating a new way for investors to gain exposure to the country’s banking sector without buying individual bank shares.
Egyptian edtech company UMAMI E-Learning Solutions is investing more than $1 million in an AI-powered learning platform as demand grows for technology that connects education with workforce development.
SOOR, a Bahraini insurtech startup, has secured an undisclosed pre-Seed investment from Spring, a venture studio and ecosystem builder backed by Salica Investments and Bahrain’s Al Waha Fund of Funds.
African venture capital in Q2 2026 reflects divergence. Funding for African startups edged higher in the first half of 2026, reaching $1.44 billion compared with $1.42 billion a year earlier, according to TechCabal Insights.
