the first and largest regulated open banking platform in the MENA region, today announced the acquisition of London-based Vyne, a real-time account-to-account (A2A) payments platform for online businesses. This strategic acquisition, which has been approved by both the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), bolsters Tarabut’s ability to deliver faster, more accessible, and more interconnected financial services, both across the region and globally.
The deal closed officially on August 1st, positioning Tarabut to lead the way as new regulations for Payment Initiation Services in Saudi Arabia and Open Finance in the UAE come into effect. The integration of Vyne’s advanced technology into Tarabut’s operations will bring cutting-edge A2A payment capabilities to the Middle East, starting with Bahrain, where the first customer is expected to go live by the end of the year, and expanding to Saudi Arabia and the UAE as Open Banking regulations evolve. Vyne, established in 2019, has quickly become a leading player in the UK, processing billions of
dollars through an existing client and partner portfolio with hundreds of businesses in the retail,
financial services, and automotive sectors. Using Vyne technology, customers can move money
in real-time, paying directly from their bank account in seconds, bypassing expensive and slow
traditional methods. This integration will enable instant, bank account-linked payments, offering
unparalleled service to businesses in the retail, automotive, and SME sectors.
As the region braces for the new financial regulations, Tarabut is poised to lead with its
compliance-first approach and advanced technology offerings. Tarabut’s existing tech stack of
data and compliance products coupled with Vyne’s payment expertise opens new doors for
seamless, cardless, account-to-account payment and streamlined operational processes, such as
enhanced real-time reporting and reconciliation.
Abdulla Almoayed, CEO of Tarabut said: “We are excited to welcome Vyne into the Tarabut
family. This acquisition is a pivotal step in our long-term growth strategy, allowing us to bring
mature, tried and tested payment products to the region, and providing solutions for the everyday
issues that merchants and consumers face when taking or making payments. With Vyne’s
technology, we are well-positioned to capitalize on new opportunities for innovation, market
penetration, and sustainable growth. This is a significant milestone in Tarabut’s mission to
seamlessly connect financial ecosystems in the Middle East.”
Karl MacGregor, CEO and Co-Founder of Vyne, added: “The Middle East is experiencing
exponential growth and transformation in the financial services sector, and as regulations catch
up, our technology can simultaneously ensure compliance and convenience. Merchants and
consumers want speedy, secure, and convenient customised payment experiences. Open banking
solutions can deliver on this demand. We believe the future of payments is digital and they need

to be frictionless, contactless, and fair. Becoming part of the Tarabut family allows us to bring
our innovative payment solutions to one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.”
The acquisition not only strengthens Tarabut’s technological infrastructure but also extends its
operational footprint to the UK, solidifying its position as a global leader in Open Banking.
Existing customers will benefit from enhanced services, while new customers, will have access
to best-in-class A2A payment solutions as the regulations roll out across the region.
Tarabut’s acquisition of Vyne is the latest in a series of key investments designed to maintain
and expand on its market dominance in the MENA region. These moves include the company’s
$32 million Series A investment announcement in May 2023, and recent partnership
announcements with major banks across Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The TCW Group, a leading global asset management firm, today announced that it has continued its
global expansion with the opening of a new office in Dubai, UAE.
The new office, located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), will focus on
supporting and serving the investment needs of Sovereign and Institutional clients in the Middle
East. This new location represents TCW’s first office in the Middle East. Over time, the Firm
expects to expand its presence in the region.
“TCW has over four decades of experience serving Sovereign and Institutional clients in the
Middle East, and we see ongoing interest in our investment capabilities across TCW’s public and
private asset classes in the region,” said Katie Koch, TCW’s President and Chief Executive
Officer. “As TCW’s Middle East client relationships continue to grow and deepen, it is important
that we have a local presence to serve and partner with our clients to deliver best-in-class
investment solutions that meet their objectives.”
As part of the establishment of the DIFC office, Wael Younan will relocate from New York to
Dubai to lead and grow the new office. Mr. Younan together with Peter Moore co-head TCW’s
Sovereign Wealth Group. Mr. Moore remains based in Los Angeles and will continue to work
closely with Mr. Younan on the ongoing growth of TCW’s sovereign wealth relationships in the
Middle East and globally.

Alpaca, an API-focused brokerage that operates a
modern infrastructure for stocks, ETFs, and options trading and serves hundreds of financial
services businesses globally, and Citadel Securities, a leading global market maker, today
announced an extension of their strategic partnership in Japan to jointly leverage their expertise
in brokerage infrastructure, trade execution and clearing, and recordkeeping for U.S. Stocks and
Options trading. Alpaca has partnered with Citadel Securities for trade execution services since
2019, and today Alpaca’s infrastructure serves businesses from 30 different countries globally.
This initiative will provide Japanese brokers with access to world class trade execution, scalable
end-user recordkeeping systems, localized system integrations, and support solutions in one stop.
Through its local Japanese subsidiary, Alpaca has served financial institutions in Japan for the
past decade through its unique offerings of database technology and brokerage services and has
contributed to wealth technology innovation in Japan.
Citadel Securities opened its Tokyo office in 2022 to provide dedicated coverage to Japan’s
financial services industry, powered by consistent, competitive and reliable liquidity in all
market conditions and leading customer service.
“We’re excited to continue building on the strong and trusted foundation we have already
established in Japan,” said Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-founder and CEO, Alpaca. “This expanded
partnership brings together Alpaca’s experience and infrastructure that we have nurtured in Japan
with Citadel Securities’ leading global trade execution capabilities, creating a compelling value
proposition for Japanese investors and institutions.”
“This partnership further demonstrates Citadel Securities commitment to Japan and improving
the trading experience for Japanese investors of all size,” said Shinichiro Kato, Citadel Securities
Japan Representative Director.
“Our partnership with Alpaca enables Citadel Securities to seamlessly deliver our leading
execution platform to Japanese brokers, increasing access to and improving their clients’
experience trading U.S. securities,” said Joseph Mecane, Head of Execution Services at Citadel
Securities.
In addition to operating as a regulated brokerage company, Alpaca is well-known in the
developer community for offering APIs for developers and entrepreneurs to write trading
algorithms and build Fintech applications. Alpaca’s APIs are used by tens of thousands of
monthly active developers globally.