Yuno, the world’s leading payment orchestration platform, and Invest Qatar, the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar, today announced a partnership that will accelerate Yuno’s expansion into the Middle East, with the establishment of a new regional headquarters in Qatar. This landmark move—unveiled at Web Summit Qatar 2025—aligns with Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy that aims to diversify the economy through the cultivation of innovative sectors such as FinTech and Yuno’s vision to drive global commerce forward by enabling secure, scalable, and seamless payment solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Invest Qatar will assist Yuno to establish its operations in Qatar, connect the company with key stakeholders and provide ongoing support to foster the growth and sustainability of its business in Qatar and the region. Driven by a shared commitment to nurture talent, the partnership provides a framework for the two organizations to collaborate on attracting high skilled talent, advancement of local talent through the exchange of knowledge and best practices and development of joint initiatives to foster innovation and growth of the local fintech ecosystem. 

Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, CEO, Invest Qatar, commented: “This partnership with Yuno exemplifies our dedication to creating a thriving FinTech ecosystem underpinned by high skilled talent, innovation and technological advancement. Through this collaboration, we are paving the way for advancements that will not only benefit our economy but also elevate Qatar’s standing as an emerging global business hub.”  

Juan Pablo Ortega, Co-founder and CEO of Yuno, commented: “Our expansion into the Middle East and the establishment of our regional headquarters in Qatar mark a key step in Yuno’s global growth strategy. The region’s vibrant and rapidly evolving payments ecosystem aligns perfectly with our mission to enable businesses to accept and make payments anywhere in the world—quickly, securely, and cost-effectively.”  

Julian Nuñez, Co-Founder and COO of Yuno, commented: “At Web Summit Qatar 2024, we had the opportunity to connect with key players in the industry and saw firsthand the growing need for smarter payment orchestration solutions. I’m proud of our team for developing, providing, and supporting top-notch, cutting-edge solutions to help businesses across a diverse range of industries to simplify their payment processes. Yuno is working to help organizations of all sizes to scale quickly and efficiently across the Middle East and the rest of the globe.”

A Pivotal Milestone at Web Summit Qatar 

The expansion was greatly supported by a key moment at Web Summit Qatar 2024, where Yuno’s CEO, Juan Pablo Ortega, took the stage and connected with influential founders and teams across the region. These relationships proved instrumental in shaping Yuno’s regional strategy, setting the foundation for accelerated growth of the company’s footprint in the Middle East.

Yuno was co-founded by Juan Pablo Ortega and Julian Nuñez, both early employees at Rappi—one of Latin America’s largest marketplaces and a globally recognized e-commerce trailblazer. During their time at Rappi, where Juan Pablo was a Co-founder and Julian was the Global Head of E-commerce, they witnessed firsthand the widespread challenges businesses face due to fragmented and complex payment systems. 

Revolutionizing Digital Payments 

Recognizing that existing solutions fell short, Juan Pablo and Julian teamed up and built Yuno to address a critical gap in the market. What began as a response to regional payment challenges quickly evolved into a global mission, as they identified similar problems in markets worldwide, including the Middle East. Today, Yuno is a leading force in payment orchestration, empowering businesses to streamline their payment processes on a global scale. 

The e-commerce sector in the Middle East is valued at $1.888 trillion in 2024 and expanding quickly. In the GCC in particular, the pace of e-commerce growth is surpassing that of the US and major European economies, fueled by a rapidly evolving digital payments ecosystem. As the world’s fastest-growing real-time payments market, the Middle East is experiencing a surge in mobile wallet adoption, mobile banking, and progressive government-backed payment systems. This increasing number of payment options and complex regulatory environments is creating challenges for businesses, sparking a need for a unified platform to streamline transactions—Yuno delivers exactly that. 

Yuno provides businesses with a frictionless, single-integration solution that grants access to 1,000+ payment methods worldwide. This includes options such as Apple Pay, PayPal, Google Pay, Visa, and Mada, and will soon also include additional popular regional payment methods like Qpay, Fawry, and KNET, as well as Buy Now, Pay Later services like Tamara and Tabby. 

Yuno’s platform also enhances the security and efficiency of transactions by connecting merchants to advanced fraud detection technology, alongside proprietary Smart Routing technology that optimizes transaction pathways to increase payment approval rates and boost revenue. Additionally, the platform is designed to adapt seamlessly to the region’s diverse regulatory environments, such as those of Saudi Arabia’s SAMA and Qatar’s QCB, helping businesses navigate cross-border complexities with ease. 

Global Expansion Strategy 

Qatar’s central location and advanced digital infrastructure make it the ideal strategic base and local command center for Yuno’s Middle East operations, providing seamless access to key regional markets. Its fintech-friendly ecosystem and ambition to become a regional fintech hub, supported by government-backed commitments to financial inclusion and regulatory modernization, aligns with Yuno’s long-term goals of enabling frictionless global commerce by streamlining payments for businesses worldwide.

Yuno’s expansion into the Middle East marks a key milestone in its ambitious global growth strategy, reinforcing its position as a leader in global payment orchestration. The company launched in Latin America in 2022 and has since scaled rapidly, expanding its services into Asia, Europe, and the United States in addition to this latest region in just three years.  Yuno’s growth is supported by prominent international investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global and DST Global Partners, with the company cumulatively raising $35  million in funding since its launch. 

As the company accelerates its presence in the Middle East, it remains committed to strengthening its payment network with deeper local integrations and forging strategic alliances with leading fintech innovators and financial institutions. It will also aim to leverage cutting-edge AI and machine learning to drive fraud prevention and maximize approval rates.  By delivering unparalleled flexibility and scalability in an increasingly complex payment landscape, Yuno is not just shaping the future of digital transactions—it is empowering businesses to thrive in a rapidly evolving global market.