Startups in Tunisia secured only $300,000 in funding across three transactions during the first half of 2026, highlighting the country’s limited share of venture capital flowing into the Middle East and North <a href="https://absafricatv.com/the-last-few-minutes-how-africa-let-the-world-cup-slip-away/” title=”The last few minutes! …how Africa let the World Cup slip away”>Africa (MENA) region.
According to data from startup platform Wamda, the MENA startup ecosystem raised $1.7 billion through 242 funding deals during the first six months of 2026.
The total represents an 18% decline from the $2.1 billion raised during the same period in 2025. However, the drop does not necessarily indicate a slowdown in the market. Rather, it reflects a period of adjustment marked by greater investor caution and more selective funding decisions.
The number of transactions declined even more sharply, falling 28% year-on-year. At the same time, the financing landscape shifted toward a model less reliant on debt.
Debt financing accounted for 29% of total capital raised in the first half of 2026, down from 44% a year earlier, while equity investments gained a larger share of overall startup financing.
Tunisia remains on margins of startup funding
The United Arab Emirates reinforced its position as the leading destination for startup investment in the MENA region during the first half of 2026, attracting $591 million through 37 deals.
It was followed by Saudi Arabia, which raised $102 million across 23 transactions, while Egypt ranked third with $72.6 million secured through 17 deals.
Other Gulf economies also attracted investment, albeit on a smaller scale. Bahrain raised $25.1 million, followed by Oman with $20.8 million and Qatar with $15.4 million.
In North Africa, Morocco emerged as the region’s second most attractive startup market after Egypt, raising $29.4 million through eight deals. Tunisia, by contrast, remained on the sidelines, recording just three funding rounds worth approximately $300,000 during the first half of 2026.
Fintech still one of most active sectors
The logistics sector attracted the largest volume of funding in the MENA region during the first half of 2026, raising $300 million through just two transactions.
Fintech ranked second, securing $278.6 million across 26 deals, while enterprise artificial intelligence completed the top three sectors, raising $67 million through two funding rounds.
Funding continued to be concentrated primarily on early-stage companies. Seed-stage startups attracted $211 million across 63 funding rounds, accounting for the majority of deals completed, although they represented only about one-quarter of total capital invested.
Overall, early-stage startups dominated activity, with 172 companies raising a combined $444 million.
At the other end of the spectrum, only 11 mature startups secured investment, raising a total of $224 million.
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