Indian fintech firm Airpay has announced a major strategic shift, revealing plans to relocate its global headquarters to the UAE. As part of this expansion, the company has committed to a $100 million investment aimed at scaling its infrastructure, talent pool, and product development across the Gulf and African regions by 2027. This move was officially shared at the Banking Innovation and Technology (BIT’26) conference in Dubai, where founder Kunal Jhunjhunwala highlighted the importance of the India-UAE economic corridor. By leveraging its 14 years of experience in building financial systems in India, Airpay intends to tailor its diverse portfolio—which includes payment acquiring, credit, and wealth management—to meet the specific needs of local markets in the GCC and Africa.

The UAE's business-friendly environment, characterized by its strategic location and lack of income tax, makes it an ideal launchpad for Airpay's international ambitions. Unlike firms that simply export existing technology, Airpay focuses on developing local financial infrastructure and regulatory compliance in every region it enters. Currently operating in India, Tanzania, and Zambia, the company aims to bridge the gap between traditional financial institutions and underserved consumers. With a proven track record of serving over 314,000 merchants and processing billions of transactions, Airpay is now positioning itself as a vital player in the evolving financial ecosystem of the Middle East and Africa.