Key Takeaways
- • Stride Ventures reports GCC venture capital funding grew 14% in 2025 to roughly $3.3 billion across 541 deals, with Saudi Arabia leading at $1.72 billion across 257 deals and the UAE at $1.5 billion across 231 deals.
- • Private debt (venture debt and growth credit) accounted for 56% of the GCC private growth capital market in 2025, or $4.1 billion of an approximately $7.4 billion total.
- • Fintech accounts for about 95% of GCC venture debt and growth credit deployment, representing $3.9 billion in cumulative deal value, according to the report.
- • GCC venture capital funding has grown roughly 2.5x since 2020, a 20% CAGR over five years, per the Stride Ventures study.
- • Growth in the region is supported by sovereign-backed capital, with the report noting parallel deployment of equity and credit from Series A through pre-IPO stages.
Summary
The venture capital ecosystem in the Gulf Cooperation Council grew 14% in 2025 to a market size of around $3.3 billion in total funding, according to a new report from Stride Ventures. The capital was deployed across 541 venture deals. Saudi Arabia led in both value and volume with $1.72 billion across 257 deals, while the UAE followed closely with $1.5 billion across 231 deals. Qatar recorded $59 million across 33 deals. Over the longer term, GCC venture funding has grown roughly 2.5 times since 2020, representing a 20% compound annual growth rate over five years.
The report highlights that early-stage activity remained robust in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2025, and the return of mega-rounds above $100 million signaled growing late-stage capital availability. Saudi Arabia alone recorded approximately $571 million in transactions exceeding $100 million. The largest transactions included Saudi Arabia's Tamara ($2.4 billion), Lendo ($740 million), and Deem ($400 million), and the UAE's CredibleX ($100 million) and Kitopi ($50 million). Fintech dominated the market, with activity also seen in agritech, proptech, SaaS, and logistics.
Stride Ventures found that startups and scaleups in the GCC turn to private debt, including venture debt and growth credit, more often than companies in other markets. In 2025, private debt accounted for 56% of the total private growth capital market, or $4.1 billion of approximately $7.4 billion. The authors attribute this to the rising use of non-dilutive capital to fund expansion, acquisitions, lending-book growth and platform scale. They link the trend to sovereign-backed capital, regulatory enablement, fintech expansion and policy-led scale-up acceleration. The report cites institutions including the Public Investment Fund, Jada Fund of Funds, Sanabil Investments, Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority as supporters of the region's growth capital ecosystem. For comparison, the private equity growth segment is estimated at $8 billion to $9 billion annually, according to prior Bain & Company research.
Fintech is the anchor of the private debt market, accounting for approximately 95% of venture debt and growth credit deployment, or $3.9 billion in cumulative deal value. Excluding BNPL, SME lending platforms are the largest fintech credit category, typically relying on warehouse funding or structured facilities, while consumer lending platforms are the second-largest segment. Stride Ventures, a global venture debt and growth credit platform with offices across the GCC and Asia, is known to have business relationships with ADGM Fund, PIF's Jada Fund of Funds and SAB Invest.
The report highlights that early-stage activity remained robust in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2025, and the return of mega-rounds above $100 million signaled growing late-stage capital availability. Saudi Arabia alone recorded approximately $571 million in transactions exceeding $100 million. The largest transactions included Saudi Arabia's Tamara ($2.4 billion), Lendo ($740 million), and Deem ($400 million), and the UAE's CredibleX ($100 million) and Kitopi ($50 million). Fintech dominated the market, with activity also seen in agritech, proptech, SaaS, and logistics.
Stride Ventures found that startups and scaleups in the GCC turn to private debt, including venture debt and growth credit, more often than companies in other markets. In 2025, private debt accounted for 56% of the total private growth capital market, or $4.1 billion of approximately $7.4 billion. The authors attribute this to the rising use of non-dilutive capital to fund expansion, acquisitions, lending-book growth and platform scale. They link the trend to sovereign-backed capital, regulatory enablement, fintech expansion and policy-led scale-up acceleration. The report cites institutions including the Public Investment Fund, Jada Fund of Funds, Sanabil Investments, Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority as supporters of the region's growth capital ecosystem. For comparison, the private equity growth segment is estimated at $8 billion to $9 billion annually, according to prior Bain & Company research.
Fintech is the anchor of the private debt market, accounting for approximately 95% of venture debt and growth credit deployment, or $3.9 billion in cumulative deal value. Excluding BNPL, SME lending platforms are the largest fintech credit category, typically relying on warehouse funding or structured facilities, while consumer lending platforms are the second-largest segment. Stride Ventures, a global venture debt and growth credit platform with offices across the GCC and Asia, is known to have business relationships with ADGM Fund, PIF's Jada Fund of Funds and SAB Invest.
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