Tamara, a leading Saudi fintech and payments startup backed by Goldman Sachs, has raised $340 million in a new funding round led by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and the country's largest bank. This propels Tamara to a valuation of over $1 billion, granting it coveted "unicorn" status.

Saudi Fintech Unicorn Tamara Eyes IPO after $340 Million Funding Round

The funding round comes amidst a slowdown in Middle East venture capital deals this year. However, Tamara was able to attract prominent Saudi backers looking to grow the country's nascent fintech sector.

Tamara provides "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) services and partners with over 30,000 merchants. It intends to use the fresh capital to expand its product portfolio beyond BNPL, into areas like digital banking and payments .

"There's huge demand for companies like Tamara to IPO," the Co-Founder and CEO, Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, said during an interview with Bloomberg, hinting at a potential public listing within a few years.

Alsukhan's comment reflects a growing appetite for IPOs amongst Middle East tech startups. Saudi firms like e-commerce unicorn Tabby and flower delivery service Floward are also gearing up to go public as they scale up operations.

Investors Are Choosing Emerging Market IPOs

Tamara's unicorn milestone and IPO ambitions demonstrate the rapid growth of fintech in Saudi Arabia. With strong government backing, the country aims to nurture homegrown champions that can compete globally while transforming financial services.

In the last ten years, there has been a surge exceeding 30% in both the quantity and proceeds of IPOs in emerging markets, largely driven by their quicker economic expansion relative to developed countries. The recent EY Global IPO Trends report reveals that in 2023, these markets represented 77% of worldwide IPOs by number and 75% by value. Although IPO activities in Middle Eastern markets, notably in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have declined, they are still high compared to other countries.

Unwrapping the Hidden Cost of BNPL Holidays

The significance of the BNPL sector was particularly highlighted during the recent Thanksgiving holidays, and the upcoming Christmas season is likely to demonstrate its popularity further. On Cyber Monday, as Adobe Analytics reported, BNPL transactions surged 43% compared to the previous year. This method enabled larger purchases, but the increase in delayed payments is raising alarms about potential financial burdens for consumers, especially when payment deadlines approach.

The dependence on BNPL services could lead to financial difficulties as bills become payable, possibly resulting in debt accumulation that could be hard to manage. Research from the New York Federal Reserve points to a troubling trend: a significant portion of BNPL users are in a precarious financial state. The research indicates that the BNPL user base is broad, yet it disproportionately consists of individuals with lower credit scores and higher unmet credit needs.