Saudi fintech PayTabs has reportedly agreed to acquire Amazon Payment Services’ Middle East and North Africa operations in a deal worth more than $100 million, according to GCC Business News and ArabFounders, citing people familiar with the agreement. The reports say both parties have approved the transaction, but neither an exact price nor a detailed structure has been disclosed.
PayTabs Amazon Payment Services deal would expand regional scale
The reported acquisition would bring Amazon’s regional payments operation into PayTabs’ existing infrastructure. The combined business is expected to process more than SAR 150 billion ($40 billion) in transactions each year, if the agreement is completed.
PayTabs provides payment processing, transaction switching and payouts for merchants across the region. Amazon Payment Services says its platform operates in nine MENA countries and is used by more than 3,500 businesses, including companies in the UAE. Its official site lists online payment processing, local payment methods, payment links and instalments among its services.
That footprint would give PayTabs more merchant relationships and banking connections across markets with different currencies, regulators and payment preferences. It would also put the companies’ operational integration under scrutiny: payment systems sit between merchants, banks and customers, so a change in ownership cannot be treated like swapping the sign above a shop.
What the reported acquisition means for UAE businesses
Amazon Payment Services currently lists the UAE as one of its supported markets. The reports do not announce a change to the service, its pricing, checkout options or merchant contracts in the UAE, and PayTabs has not publicly detailed how the businesses would be combined.
For now, UAE merchants using Amazon Payment Services should expect the existing service to remain the reference point until the companies publish more information. Any changes to branding, support, contracts or payment methods would need to be confirmed by PayTabs or Amazon Payment Services rather than inferred from the reported deal.
The reported PayTabs Amazon Payment Services deal would be another consolidation move in MENA fintech, following years of investment in payment infrastructure and local regulatory access. Tbreak has previously covered Amazon Payment Services’ UnionPay integration and the region’s shift towards buy now, pay later services. The reported price is above $100 million; the larger figure attached to the story is the projected annual processing volume, not the value of the acquisition.
Has PayTabs completed the acquisition of Amazon Payment Services MENA?
The transaction has been reported as agreed and approved by both parties, but the exact purchase price, structure and completion details have not been publicly disclosed.
How large would the combined PayTabs business be?
The combined operation is expected to process more than SAR 150 billion, or about $40 billion, in transactions annually if the acquisition is completed.
Will Amazon Payment Services change for UAE merchants?
No changes to UAE pricing, contracts, branding or payment options have been announced. Merchants should wait for confirmed information from PayTabs or Amazon Payment Services.
