Digital marketplace TISAtech is recruiting UAE FinTechs looking to expand to the UK to help connect British investors with start-ups in the Emirates without getting on a plane during the Covid-19 pandemic.
TISAtech, which acts as a matchmaker for the FinTech sector, is a joint venture between Britain’s The Disruption House (TDH), a benchmarking and scorecard service for the financial sector, and The Investing and Savings Alliance (Tisa).
This is a new world and the new world requires new tools.
The platform, which went live in November last year, acts as a tech bridge to help corporates and FinTechs collaborate more easily during the crisis.
With six UAE FinTechs already profiled on the platform, including robo-advisory Sarwa, chief executive and co-founder of TDH Rupert Bull said TISAtech was looking to engage more start-ups in the Emirates and wider region.
“We are saying to UAE FinTechs, ‘here's a platform that can help you internationalise and access the UK market in a very short time and cost-effective manner’,” Mr Bull said.
The platform offers start-ups a chance to explore the UK market in a low-carbon manner.
“You don't have to hop on the plane, you can hop on the platform. Historically, companies considering the UK market would have gone to the airport, hopped on a plane and come to UK for meetings. That’s not possible at the moment but the platform still allows you do it," he said.
“This is a new world and the new world requires new tools. The fact we have this platform capability means that geography should no longer be a determinant of whether you can do business across borders.”
The joint venture between Tisa and TDH marries Tisa’s 220 corporate members with the 3,600 FinTechs TDH has assessed across the globe. This allows investors or start-up clients to judge the sustainability of a company, while FinTechs can access their next investor or mentor.
With most of the 3,600 FinTechs already on the platform based in the UK and the Americas, it is easy to understand why TISAtech decided to prioritise the UAE as a key market from the Middle East and North Africa.
Start-ups in the UAE attracted more than half of the $1 billion in venture capital raised in the region in 2020 and more than a quarter of the total Mena deals, Magnitt's 2021 Emerging Venture Markets report said.
With the UAE’s total share of funding rising 5 per cent to $579m, it means the Arab world's second-biggest economy received the largest share of the funds raised and ranked first in terms of the number of deals.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has encouraged investors to back high-growth industries, such as e-commerce and FinTech, which drew increased demand during the pandemic, the Magnitt report found.
To boost its engagement with the UAE’s FinTech sector, TISAtech this month appointed industry stalwart Fabian Vandenreydt as ambassador to the country.
Mr Vandenreydt said the platform offers options for both sides of the start-up space, with FinTechs able to look for financing and corporates able to hunt for disruptive ideas.
“It is still a very difficult process to put those two together so the marketplace is a great way to do that,” said Mr Vandenreydt, who is normally based in Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island but for pandemic reasons was speaking from his native Belgium.
“The big corporations are making sure they don’t miss the boat– they are looking for solutions that extend what they already have, or disrupt or renew the technology or processes they have. But the problem is, it's a big forest and not all the trees are in your own city ... so their issue is having access to a place that helps them scout and discover the right companies for their needs," he said.
The platform is not only about matching corporates with innovative FinTechs, it also curates the start-ups it profiles to ensure viability or due diligence processes are complete.
The work of finding out whether a FinTech is a good start-up or has the right credentials “is already done on the platform”, Mr Vandenreydt said.
“If you have a start-up in the UAE, or in other parts of the GCC, and you are mature enough to export … anything that helps them make the case to clients and investors abroad, such as in the UK, is a welcome addition.”
Mr Vandenreydt is looking to recruit post-Series A FinTechs to ensure the right companies, or those that are “fully functioning businesses in one geography”, are featured.
With 70 per cent of companies that raise at Series A never reaching Series B and 43 per cent that raise at Series B never reaching Series C, Mr Bull said, the platforms also helps its users understand the risks.
“For most businesses, your home market is not big enough to become a very valuable business, so you need to go overseas. But going overseas is very risky and that is what the platform has been designed for, to do risk,” Mr Bull said.
Pre-pandemic companies would have spent "tens of thousands of pounds with management consultants to find out whether the UK market is the right fit for them", Mr Bull said.
“Now you can get access to that same insight for a fraction of that.”
The entry-level cost for start-ups on the TISAtech platform is £3,000 per annum, which includes a TDH assessment and promotion on the platform.
The £4,000 silver package includes a meeting with an expert from your sector, while the £5,000 gold offer includes two meetings with interested parties, and the £6,000 platinum includes four meetings.
Mr Bull said the costs are similar to a business trip for two people flying to the UK for meetings once you factor in flights and accommodation.
However, that cost may be even higher with the UK’s new hotel quarantine rules for travellers from the UAE, which is on the red list.
With TDH assessing another 55 FinTechs in the UAE – including Now Money, a financial services platform for low-income migrant workers, and price comparison site Souqalmal.com – the UAE will soon have a greater presence on the TISAtech platform.
Ian Dillon, co-founder of Now Money, which recently raised $7m in a funding round led by UK venture investor Anthemis Exponential Ventures, said the benefit for raising its profile through the platform was "being able to be seen and hopefully introduced to traditional regulated financial institutions that could partner with us".
“In terms of raising our profile in the UK, Anthemis is probably the leading FinTech-focused venture capital firm in the world based out of London. They led our round this time and we have a couple of other investors from the UK as well,” Mr Dillon said.
“London has become a massive hub for FinTech, so there's a lot of expertise there so although we are in different geographies, there’s a lot of understanding that goes with the industry and that means it can actually be a really good place for us to find potential investors.”
TISAtech is also looking to recruit UAE investors with a large portfolio of start-ups on their books that want to sign to boost their visibility in the UK.
“There might be investors in Abu Dhabi, for example, that are working on exporting their UAE services to the world that would be interested in having a wholesale agreement with TISAtech to bring their portfolio companies on,” Mr Vandenreydt said.
With the recruitment drive focusing initially on the UAE before expanding to the wider GCC and Mena region, Mr Bull said the platform was also attractive to the Emirates from an inward investment perspective.
If the UAE not only helps people grow “brilliantly in the Emirates” but can also “help them grow fantastically, internationally, into a market that's well-aligned with them”, then that is hugely beneficial for the UAE’s burgeoning ecosystem, he said.
TISAtech is now drawing up a list of FinTechs, investors and government organisations in the Emirates as it looks to grow the UAE segment of its offering.
Ultimately, TISAtech hopes its platform saves the FinTech industry time.
“It takes a lot of time to set up meetings for a start-up and very often you go into a meeting and then you suddenly realise that the person in front of you is not the right person or has a different expectation," Mr Vandenreydt said.
“With this matchmaking system, the chance of having a great meeting is higher.”
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20Music%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20individual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2410.99%20(from%20%249.99)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20family%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2416.99%20(from%20%2414.99)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndividual%20annual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24109%20(from%20%2499)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20TV%2B%3Cbr%3EMonthly%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%246.99%20(from%20%244.99)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAnnual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2469%20(from%20%2449.99)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20One%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20individual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2416.95%20(from%20%2414.95)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20family%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2422.95%20(from%20%2419.95)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20premier%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2432.95%20(from%20%2429.95)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
INDIA%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3ERohit%20Sharma%20(capt)%2C%20Shubman%20Gill%2C%20Cheteshwar%20Pujara%2C%20Virat%20Kohli%2C%20Ajinkya%20Rahane%2C%20KL%20Rahul%2C%20KS%20Bharat%20(wk)%2C%20Ravichandran%20Ashwin%2C%20Ravindra%20Jadeja%2C%20Axar%20Patel%2C%20Shardul%20Thakur%2C%20Mohammed%20Shami%2C%20Mohammed%20Siraj%2C%20Umesh%20Yadav%2C%20Jaydev%20Unadkat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
