Saudi digital payments company barq has closed a $329.5 million Series A at a valuation of $1.85 billion. Noon Investments, Sohar International Bank and M20 Fund took part in the round. barq plans to spend the money on new products, on running its operations more efficiently, and on moving into markets outside Saudi Arabia. Farooq now runs barq PK, the group's Pakistani arm, as Managing Director.
TiE Islamabad has announced a strategic partnership with Sehat Kahani under the Digitalization for Women's Economic Empowerment program, supported by UN Women Pakistan and KOICA.
Accelerate Prosperity has announced a tender for developing a bilingual Startup Investment Handbook and one year of advisory support for startups raising investment through the Astana International Financial Centre.
Starline Accelerator has opened admissions for a free 12-week program supporting IT startups and innovative teams across Central Asia, offering mentoring, MVP development resources, investment pitch deck preparation, and direct investment opportunities from AP Tajikistan and AP Astana investment fund.
Accelerate Prosperity and Silkroad Innovation Hub have opened applications for the Road to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026 program, offering early-stage startups from Kyrgyzstan and the Central Eurasia region a chance to pitch at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco with 100,000 dollars in investment funding for top finishers. Apply at road2battlefield.com by June 30.
Kyrgyz Venture Summit gathers founders, investors, and policymakers to discuss AI trends, venture capital flows, and startup growth across Central Eurasia.
MA7 Ventures founders Murat Abdrakhmanov and Yelzhan Kushekbayev delivered a keynote at the Kyrgyz Venture Summit on March 25, 2026, sharing data-backed insights on artificial intelligence investment trends, token economics, and the decline of traditional SaaS models.
Saudi digital payments company barq has closed a $329.5 million Series A at a valuation of $1.85 billion. Noon Investments, Sohar International Bank and M20 Fund took part in the round. barq plans to spend the money on new products, on running its operations more efficiently, and on moving into markets outside Saudi Arabia. Farooq now runs barq PK, the group's Pakistani arm, as Managing Director.
TiE Islamabad has announced a strategic partnership with Sehat Kahani under the Digitalization for Women's Economic Empowerment program, supported by UN Women Pakistan and KOICA.
Pathfinder CITADEL has formalized a collaboration with Eligient across LegalTech, startup enablement, and strategic innovation, aiming to create new opportunities across the ecosystem.
NICAT has unveiled its Hatch 08 cohort, featuring six founders building ventures spanning consumer platforms, sustainability, email verification, and workflow automation.