baraka Launches Commission-Free Mobile Investment App, Connecting Middle East Investors to US Markets

• Features include access to more than 5,000 US-listed securities, daily market news, and an investment academy
• More than 10,000 active waitlist subscribers ready to download the app
• Fourth UAE startup to receive backing from Y Combinator
• Additional USD 4 million raised, with investment from Global Founders Capital, FJ Labs, Raptor Group, Tribe Capital, Nuwa Capital, Venture Souq, and Class 5 Global

Dubai, UAE – 3 August 2021: baraka, the fintech startup on a mission to educate, enable and empower retail investors in the Middle East, announced the official launch of its commission-free mobile investment app after receiving regulatory authorisation from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in June 2021. 

The baraka app, which is now available to download for users across select GCC markets, provides free access to over 5,000 US-listed securities, including stocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and fractional shares with no minimum investment requirements.  In addition, the app features a simplified dashboard for investors to monitor and track their portfolio, a content hub that includes baraka’s daily market news, and an investment academy for users to build and test their knowledge.  For more savvy investors, baraka also offers the option of a paid tier that includes world class equity research from industry partner, Refinitiv.

Feras Jalbout, Founder & CEO of baraka, said: “Since we opened our waitlist in March, more than 10,000 users from across the Middle East have subscribed to be among the first to experience the baraka app.  This hasn’t just validated what we’re building, it’s shown us that there is a genuine need for a platform that offers regional retail investors insights and access to international markets.  The feedback we received during the beta testing phase has been invaluable in helping us fine-tune the platform to meet user needs, and we can’t wait for people to finally begin their investment journey now that the app is live.” 

Growing support for baraka’s proposition has garnered significant interest from the regional and international investment community.  The startup has become the fourth UAE company to be accepted into the highly sought-after Y Combinator accelerator programme, as part of its Summer 2021 cohort.  The leading Silicon Valley-headquartered startup incubator provides early-stage funding to select applicants from across the globe.

Following its initial USD 1 million pre-seed round, baraka has raised an additional USD 4 million with investment from Global Founders Capital, FJ Labs, Raptor Group, Tribe Capital, Nuwa Capital, VentureSouq, and Class 5 Global. The funds will be used to enhance product features and expand baraka’s user base across the wider Middle East and North Africa region.

The baraka app is available to all residents and citizens over the age of 18 in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait.  The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

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About baraka

baraka is a UAE-based fintech on a mission to connect young, urban millennials to regional and international investment opportunities through a vibrant and transparent ecosystem that educates, empowers, and enables. For first-time investors or those who want to take full control of their portfolio, baraka simplifies the investment landscape and puts the investor directly in the driver’s seat, so they get to choose which stocks and companies they want to put their money behind.

Established in July 2020, baraka has already successfully built a community of thousands of users, committed to proactively growing their wealth by mastering the markets using the many resources and tools available to them.  From a daily MENA and global market news snapshot delivered directly to your inbox to bite-sized explanations of complex industry terms, baraka arms investors with everything they need.

The recently launched baraka app, powered by DriveWealth’s API-driven, cloud-based brokerage platform, provides free access to over 5,000 US listed securities, including stocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and fractional shares with no minimum investment requirements.  In addition, the app features a simplified dashboard for investors to monitor and track their portfolio, a content hub that includes baraka’s daily market news, an investment academy for users to build and test their knowledge, and a dedicated filter to screen sharia-compliant stocks.  For more savvy investors, baraka also offers the option of a paid tier that includes world class equity research from industry partner, Refinitiv.

baraka is headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).

For more information and to stay up to date on latest news announcements, please visit: getbaraka.com.

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