Dubai-built payments platform Ziina has won the Dubai-it Award for companies in the field of business, with payment volume of more than $1.5 billion, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, said on Saturday.
Ziina serves 500,000 users and supports 290,000 business owners, Sheikh Hamdan, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, said in a post on X. He said the company had made accepting payments by phone simpler for thousands of businesses.
The platform was founded in Dubai by Faisal Toukan, Sarah Toukan and Talal Toukan, who named it after their mother.
The award comes days after Ziina said it had received a Retail Payment Services Category III license from the Central Bank of the UAE. The license covers merchant acquiring, payment aggregation and domestic transfers, including its payment links, QR payments, Tap to Pay and online checkout.
Ziina has held a stored value facility license since June 2024, which allowed it to launch its digital wallet. The central bank authorized it in August to offer international money transfers through digital channels under that license, the company said.
Ziina said this month that one in 10 UAE small and medium-sized businesses uses its platform.
Sheikh Hamdan launched the Dubai-it Award in June to recognize people, projects and companies that deliver results quickly. Earlier recipients this month include FIX Dessert Chocolatier, maker of the so-called Dubai chocolate, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum for his role in the emirate’s aviation sector.
