Citybiz caught up with Juan Pablo Ortega, Co-founder and CEO of Yuno, the world’s leading payment orchestrator, to discuss the company’s expansion into the Middle East. Juan Pablo shared his comments from the sidelines of Web Summit Qatar 2025, where he spoke about the future of payments this week.

Q: Why did Yuno decide to expand into the Middle East?

A: The Middle East has immense potential with a growing demand for innovative payment solutions. Yuno, which first launched in Latin America, is on a mission to make payments easy and scalable anywhere in the world. The Middle East, with its rapidly growing economy, emerged as a strategic priority. Home to the world’s fastest-growing real-time payments ecosystem and a surge in digital payment adoption, the region is a hotbed of opportunity. , Over 50% of transactions in the UAE and Saudi Arabia now occur via digital wallets, compared to only 35% in the U.S. The region’s ecommerce sector is also booming, with an estimated value of $1.888 trillion in 2024 and growth rates surpassing more developed economies.

However, this rapid growth has led to a more fragmented and complex payments landscape, creating significant challenges for businesses, particularly in cross-border transactions. This is where Yuno steps in. Our payment orchestration platform simplifies the process by integrating over 1,000 local and international payment methods, enabling customers to pay how they prefer while ensuring cost-efficient, fast, and secure transactions for businesses.

In essence, Yuno is an end-to-end payments solution on a mission to simplify and democratize payments for businesses worldwide. Expanding into the Middle East is a critical step in achieving this mission, allowing us to tap into a dynamic and rapidly evolving market. This move complements our ongoing global expansion across Asia, the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, solidifying Yuno as a truly global company. Backed by leading investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, and DST Global Partners, Yuno is well-positioned to drive innovation and growth in the payments industry worldwide.

Q: Why did you choose Qatar for your regional headquarters?

A: Qatar’s rise as a global fintech hub made it the ideal choice for Yuno’s regional headquarters. The country’s ambitious Qatar National Vision 2030 is driving its transformation into a modern, innovation-driven economy, with over $200 billion invested in advancing the digital economy and accelerating the adoption of cashless payments. This forward-thinking vision aligns perfectly with Yuno’s mission to revolutionize payments globally.

We’ve also been privileged to partner with Invest Qatar, the nation’s investment promotion agency, which has been instrumental in helping us forge strong, lasting connections with key regional stakeholders. Beyond its strategic location and robust infrastructure, Qatar’s commitment to nurturing local talent and fostering a thriving fintech ecosystem resonates deeply with Yuno’s values. By establishing our Middle East command center in Qatar, we’re not only positioning ourselves at the heart of a dynamic and rapidly growing market but also contributing to the region’s journey toward becoming a global leader in fintech innovation. Qatar is more than a location—it’s a strategic partner in our mission to redefine payments across the Middle East and beyond.

Q: What sets Yuno apart, including in the Middle East?

A: Unlike many other players in the industry, Yuno takes a provider-agnostic approach, ensuring our platform is not locked into any single payment provider. This unique flexibility empowers businesses to choose the providers that align perfectly with their unique requirements, enabling them to optimize for both cost efficiency and performance. By offering this level of adaptability, Yuno ensures that businesses can tailor their payment ecosystems to drive growth, enhance customer satisfaction, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

Yuno delivers unparalleled end-to-end payment orchestration, empowering businesses to seamlessly manage both incoming customer payments and outgoing disbursements to suppliers, shoppers, and third-party vendors—all through a single, unified platform. Beyond connecting businesses to over 1,000 global payment methods, Yuno enhances the payment experience with cutting-edge features like one-click checkout, designed to boost conversion rates and simplify transactions. This comprehensive solution not only streamlines operations but also drives efficiency, reduces complexity, and unlocks new growth opportunities for businesses worldwide. With Yuno, companies gain a powerful, all-in-one payments ecosystem that transforms how they transact, both today and in the future, including the use of smart routing, and advanced AI-driven anti-fraud tools.

Beyond helping businesses across the Middle East to quickly integrate both global and local payment methods to meet growing consumer demand, Yuno will also help them to improve the security and efficiency of their transactions. Fraud is a significant challenge in the region, with areas like the GCC experiencing fraud rates up to 20% higher than the global average. Yuno’s AI-enabled fraud detection technology helps merchants to mitigate risk and protect both their business and customers.

Additionally, cross-border payment decline rates in the Middle East remain alarmingly high, ranging between 15% and 20%. Yuno addresses this issue head-on with its smart routing technology, which automatically reroutes failed transactions through the next best available payment pathway. This not only reduces payment failures but also ensures smoother, more reliable transactions for businesses and their customers. With Yuno, businesses can unlock seamless, secure, and efficient payment experiences, driving growth and trust in a rapidly evolving market.

Q: Who are the clients that Yuno aims to serve in the Middle East?

A: Yuno is proud to serve a diverse range of businesses across multiple industries in the Middle East. This includes but is not limited to online marketplaces looking to efficiently disburse money to customers and vendors across borders, leisure and hospitality companies requiring seamless payments tailored to diverse customer needs, ridesharing apps and other consumer-facing apps looking to simplify their payments, airline companies aiming to modernize their payments infrastructure and other merchants accepting digital payments. We are also looking to expand our partnerships with local payments providers, fintechs and neobanks, addressing the growing demand for alternative payment solutions and use of embedded finance. Our platform is designed to automatically adapt to local regulations, including those set by institutions like Saudi Arabia’s SAMA and Qatar’s QCB, helping businesses minimize risk and operate with confidence across the Middle East.

Q: What does the future hold for Yuno?

A: Yuno is already powering global commerce for industry leaders like McDonald’s and Carrefour across 200 countries, delivering a comprehensive end-to-end payment solution powered by cutting-edge technology. As we continue to scale, our focus remains on expanding our global footprint and enabling businesses worldwide with seamless, locally tailored payment solutions. In the rapidly evolving payments landscape, the future is here—and for Yuno, it’s never been more promising. We’re not just keeping pace with innovation; we’re driving it, ensuring businesses can thrive in an increasingly connected world. The future of payments is now, and Yuno is leading the charge.