# UAE and Saudi Arabia account for almost 90% of $2.98 billion of startup capital raised in 2026 — retained record

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source: [news](https://highsignal.app/data/news) (news:semafor)  published 2026-10-13 12:50 ingested 2026-10-14 03:04

[original source ↗](https://www.semafor.com/article/10/13/2026/uae-and-saudi-arabia-account-for-almost-90-of-298-billion-of-startup-capital-in-2026)

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The UAE and Saudi Arabia accounted for almost 90% of the $2.98 billion that regional startups raised in the first nine months of the year, according to venture capital tracker MAGNiTT. The two countries were also responsible for every round of $100 million or more. Regional funding fell 7%, and the number of deals dropped by a third.
Take out the big rounds and the picture is bleak. Most of the money went to a handful of fintech and logistics companies that have already proven themselves. Early-stage deals have thinned out, which leaves fewer companies ready for growth rounds in 2027. Gulf money is filling the gap that other investors left: Investors from outside the region want to know they can get their money out, and right now that’s hard, with fewer startups being bought.
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document fetched 2026-10-14 03:04 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/10/13/2026/uae-and-saudi-arabia-account-for-almost-90-of-298-billion-of-startup-capital-in-2026