Startups across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) secured $148.2 million in funding during June 2026, representing a 76% decline compared with May 2026 but a 190% year-on-year increase from June 2025.

The number of funding rounds rose to 41 deals in June, up from 33 transactions recorded in May.

Egypt Ranks Second in Regional Funding

The United Arab Emirates remained the region's leading startup funding destination, with 12 startups raising a combined $93.8 million.

Egypt ranked second, as eight Egyptian startups secured $41.4 million in funding during the month.

Saudi Arabia came third, with five startups raising a combined $5.7 million.

Meanwhile, Morocco returned to the regional funding landscape after being absent in May, driven by a $5 million funding round secured by proptech startup Agenz. In Oman, 10 startups collectively raised $1.3 million.

Enterprise AI Leads Investment Activity

Enterprise AI emerged as the best-funded sector during June, with two startups attracting a combined $76 million in investment.

Fintech ranked second for the second consecutive month, with 13 startups raising $43.5 million.

RegTech placed third, securing $15.2 million across three funding rounds, followed by PropTech, which attracted $7 million through three deals.

B2B Startups Continue to Dominate

Business-to-business (B2B) startups continued to capture the largest share of investment, raising $96.3 million across 27 funding rounds.

Consumer-focused (B2C) startups secured nearly $50 million through 11 deals.

Funding Gap Between Male and Female Founders Widens

The data also highlighted a widening funding gap between male and female founders during June 2026.

Women-led startups raised just $260,000 across two deals, while startups with mixed-gender founding teams secured $5.6 million.

Male-founded startups attracted the overwhelming majority of investment, raising $142.3 million through 37 funding rounds.