Dubai-based fintech Fuse has raised $6.6 million in a funding round led by Northzone to expand its real-time cross-border payment infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The investment round saw participation from Flourish Ventures, Alter Global, and prominent angel investors, including the founder of Flutterwave.
Founded by payments veterans George Davis (former TrueLayer and BVNK executive) and James Smith (ex-TrueLayer and BVNK engineering lead), Fuse addresses the complex challenges businesses face when expanding into MENA markets. The region’s fragmented regulatory landscape and banking systems have traditionally made cross-border payments costly and inefficient.
Fuse simplifies this process through a unified API that enables seamless payments across key markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The company’s technology leverages virtual IBAN solutions, in-house compliance systems, and proprietary tools to allow businesses to make real-time local and cross-border payments without establishing local accounts.
Already trusted by global brands such as Deel, Airbnb, and Etsy—with dLocal as a flagship client—Fuse is rapidly scaling its operations. CEO George Davis highlighted the company’s mission: “Before Fuse, infrastructure for complex financial services like virtual IBANs simply didn’t exist in the region. Now, we’re scaling to meet the immense demand in MENA while expanding into Europe and Asia to enhance payment corridors with Gulf countries.”
The funding will fuel Fuse’s expansion, reinforcing its position as a critical enabler of frictionless cross-border transactions in one of the world’s fastest-growing financial markets.