# Hala

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/hala
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Hala — official](https://www.hala.com/)

## Overview

**Hala** is **Saudi Arabia's leading SME (small and medium enterprise) fintech**, founded **2019** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Saudi Arabia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SA)</sup>. **September 2025 — Hala secures $157 million Series B** led by **TPG (Rise Climate fund) + Sanabil (Saudi PIF wholly-owned investment company)** — among MENA's largest 2025 fintech rounds. Hala serves **140,000+ Saudi + UAE SMEs** processing **$8+ billion in annual transactions** — distinctive SME-focused fintech vs consumer-wallet rivals.

Hala provides **comprehensive SME financial infrastructure**: business banking + POS terminals + card issuance + invoicing + accounting + credit + insurance — Saudi Arabia's "Stripe-meets-Brex-for-MENA-SMEs."

## History

**2019 — Hala founded** in Saudi Arabia <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**2020-2024 — Mass SME adoption + UAE expansion** <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**September 2025 — $157 million Series B** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Led by TPG (Rise Climate fund) + Sanabil (Saudi PIF wholly-owned investment company); among MENA's largest 2025 fintech rounds.

**2025 — 140,000+ SMEs + $8B+ annual transactions baseline** <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Hala**.

**Headquarters**: **Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)**.

**Major investors (Series B Sep 2025)**: **TPG (via Rise Climate fund)** + **Sanabil** (Saudi PIF wholly-owned investment company).

**Sanabil context**: Sanabil is the Saudi Public Investment Fund's $3B annual private-markets investment program — Hala backing signals Saudi strategic priority.

**Regulator**: **SAMA (Saudi Central Bank)**.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | Hala mobile app (iOS + Android) + Hala POS terminals + Hala cards |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + card number + IBAN |
| **Saudi rails** | **[Mada](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mada)** (Saudi national debit) + **[SARIE](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/sarie)** (Saudi instant payments) |
| **SME products** | Business banking accounts + POS terminals + corporate cards + invoicing + accounting + SME credit + insurance |
| **License** | **SAMA-licensed** bank-grade SME fintech |

## Users & growth

**September 2025** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- **SMEs**: 140,000+ (Saudi + UAE)
- **Annual transactions**: $8+ billion
- **Series B**: $157 million (TPG + Sanabil)

## Use cases

SME business banking; POS terminal payments; corporate card issuance; invoicing + accounting; SME credit + lending; SME insurance; Saudi cross-border payments to UAE.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Hala** (independent Saudi SME fintech).

**Major investors**: **TPG (Rise Climate fund) + Sanabil (Saudi PIF)**.

**Regulator**: **SAMA**.

**Major Saudi SME-fintech competitors**: **Tabby (BNPL)** + **Tamara (BNPL)** (consumer-focused; not SME-overlapping); **Foodics** (Saudi restaurant POS); **Geidea** (Saudi POS); **Lean Technologies** (Saudi open banking); traditional Saudi banks SME divisions (Al Rajhi, SNB, Riyad Bank).

**Major adjacent MENA SME-fintech**: UAE Mamo, Tabby Business, Wio Bank (UAE SME).

## Fun facts

- **2019 founding** — Saudi SME-focused fintech.
- **September 2025 $157M Series B** — among MENA's largest 2025 fintech rounds; **TPG + Sanabil (Saudi PIF wholly-owned)** participation.
- **140,000+ Saudi + UAE SMEs + $8B+ annual transactions** — distinctive SME-focused scale.
- **Sanabil (Saudi PIF) backing** signals Saudi strategic priority for SME-fintech.
- **Saudi Arabia's "Stripe-meets-Brex-for-MENA-SMEs"** — comprehensive SME financial infrastructure (banking + POS + cards + invoicing + accounting + credit + insurance).
- **SAMA-licensed bank-grade SME fintech**.

## Comparison

| Feature | Hala | [Tabby](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/tabby) | [Tamara](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/tamara) | [STC Pay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/stc-pay) | Foodics (SA SME restaurant POS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Hala (Saudi independent SME fintech)** | Tabby (UAE BNPL) | Tamara (Saudi BNPL) | STC Bank (STC subsidiary) | Foodics |
| Type | **Saudi SME comprehensive financial infrastructure** | BNPL | BNPL | Saudi telco-bank wallet | SME restaurant POS |
| SMEs/users | **140K SMEs + $8B annual** | 15M+ users + 30K+ merchants | 20M+ users + 87K+ merchants | 12M+ consumers | Major restaurant chains |
| Customer focus | **SME (business)** | Consumer | Consumer | Consumer | SME restaurant vertical |
| Distinctive | **TPG + Sanabil $157M Series B Sep 2025; Saudi Stripe-for-SMEs** | MENA BNPL unicorn | Saudi BNPL unicorn + Goldman $2.4B facility | Saudi telco-bank consolidation | Restaurant POS dominance |

## Status

**Active, Saudi Arabia's leading SME fintech** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- **Hala** independent Saudi fintech since 2019.
- **140K+ SMEs + $8B+ annual transactions**.
- **September 2025 $157M Series B (TPG + Sanabil)**.
- **SAMA-licensed bank-grade SME fintech**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.hala.com/ "Hala — official"
[2]: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/halalah "Hala (Halalah) — Crunchbase"
[3]: https://www.reuters.com/technology/saudi-fintech-hala-raises-157-million-tpg-sanabil-2025-09-15/ "Hala $157M Series B TPG Sanabil — Reuters"
[4]: https://magnitt.com/news/hala-completes-157mn-series-b-led-tpg-sanabil-91234 "Hala $157M Series B — Magnitt"
[sa-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SA

- [1] [Hala — official][1]
- [2] [Hala (Halalah) — Crunchbase][2]
- [3] [Hala $157M Series B — Reuters][3]
- [4] [Hala $157M Series B — Magnitt][4]
- <sup>[Saudi Arabia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/SA)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/SA-saudi-arabia.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [hala.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/hala). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.