DUBAI, UAE — The venture debt funding grew 18 times between 2020 and 2021, highlighting a growing appetite for the funding tool to support startup growth, according to , according to a report by SHUAA Capital Company and MAGNiTT Platform.
The number of venture debt deals, as per the the “Venture Investments 2022” report, almost doubled between 2021 and 2022 as the ecosystem started regaining momentum following the pandemic.
The recovery of financial systems in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, notably in the Gulf countries, is evidenced by the rise of risky debt financing in the region, which in turn suggests a growing appetite among Arab investors to finance the expansion of developing firms, the report highlighted.
Debt financing from vendors is an option for early-stage businesses. Guarantees on the company’s shares are one example of how this type of financing can be utilized in conjunction with equity financing.
The “SHUAA Capital” and “MAGNiTT” research followed the growth of the risky debt financing scene in the Middle East and North Africa over five years, identifying the region’s top countries, target sectors, financing activities, and agreements.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan attracted a significant amount of venture debt capital from the entire Middle East and North Africa region.
Report data also showed that daring loan financing dropped by US$ 6 million in 2022 compared to the US$ 266 million overall funding in 2021, as the worldwide slump in bold investment had its toll.
Despite the challenging global macroeconomic conditions and the caution of bold initiatives under lingering uncertainties, US$ 260 million in aggressive debt was raised through 18 agreements in 2022. The average trade size last year was US$ 14.4 million, down from US$26.6 million in 2021.
Over the past two years, there has been a rise in the number of investors interested in funding risky debt, from 14 to 26. The rising interest of foreign investors in the MENA startup ecosystem is reflected in the rise of the share of international investors (from outside the area) from 20 percent in 2021 to 47 percent in 2022.
Fintech rules
A staggering 61 percent of all daring loan financing were invested in financial technology between 2018 and 2022, reflecting the rising tide of risky spending across the Middle East and North Africa.
Agriculture joined the top three industries after closing a US$ 50 million deal for “Pure Harvest for Smart Farms,” which Shuaa Capital and Shurooq Partners invested. Most acquisitions concentrated on financial technology, transportation, logistics, and e-commerce.
UAE, Saudi Arabia lead
The year 2022 witnessed the completion of the first mega venture debt financing deal in the Middle East and North Africa region; for the financial technology startup “TAPI” in the UAE; That deal alone accounted for 39 percent of the total volume of bold debt financing in 2022.
The value of the five most significant venture debt financing deals for Tabby, Tracker, Pure Harvest, and STARZPLAY was US$ 275 million, representing half of the volume of venture debt announced between 2018 and 2022 via 15 percent of the total deals. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked second in financing; It acquired 29 percent of the total funding between 2018 and 2022. During the past year, the Kingdom witnessed the implementation of bold investments, with a record value of 3.7 billion riyals (US$ 987 million), in Saudi startups, achieving a growth of 72 percent compared to 2021.