Latest news with #Qashio
Gulf Today
30-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Six automation tools powering smarter business in the Middle East
The Middle East's competitive growth-focused economy is pushing companies to streamline how they work. With pressure mounting across industries, 64% of businesses in the UAE alone plan to boost their automation spend in 2025, especially in finance, HR, and customer service. To support this shift, here are six tools helping organizations drive real efficiency gains across core business functions. 1. Spend management platforms Manual expense tracking often means scattered receipts, delayed reconciliations, and limited visibility into corporate spending, especially for high-volume or cross-border teams. These gaps risk compliance risks and profit leakage. Spend management platforms, like Qashio, solve this by enabling businesses to automate approvals, create smart corporate cards, and access real-time reporting, through direct integration with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This helps businesses gain tighter control over budgets and spend patterns. Travel businesses, for example, have used Qashio for Travel to dramatically cut fraud, FX losses, and operational delays. From SMEs to enterprises, companies benefit from custom cards, embedded tools, and B2B loyalty rewards with air miles and hotel points, helping even small teams manage finances like pros. 2. HR automation systems Manual HR tasks are time-consuming, error-prone, and costly. Mistakes can run companies thousands, even millions, every year. From applicant tracking systems (ATS) to automated onboarding and payroll processing, HR automation platforms streamline operations while reducing compliance risks from a centralized dashboard. Time-off, benefits, and tax documents are simpler to access and less prone to errors. This frees up HR teams to focus on bigger strategic initiatives like talent development and workplace culture. 3. Marketing automation tools Growing audiences and multiple touchpoints make manual marketing unsustainable. Marketing automation tools send targeted emails, schedule social posts, and score leads based on engagement. These platforms help craft tailored customer journeys by analyzing behavior across channels and delivering relevant messages at the right time. From drip campaigns to omnichannel messaging, the goal is better engagement and ultimately, higher conversions. More than just saving time, this empowers teams with deeper insights into user trends, enabling smarter decisions and better ROI. 4. Customer support automation As demand grows, manual support systems can cause delays, long queues, and overwhelmed agents, turning off customers fast. Automation fills the gap with tools like chatbots, smart ticketing systems, and auto-routing helping customers get answers faster, often without needing a human agent at all. A 2025 study reported that 90% of C-level execs believe over 80% of customer issues will soon be resolved autonomously. AI-powered platforms can suggest help articles, assign tickets to specific employees, and translate requests in real time, leaving human agents to focus on complex cases. This leads to better satisfaction scores, leaner support teams, and 24/7 availability without increasing headcount. 5. Project management software Without automation, managing distributed teams becomes chaotic—missed tasks, delays, and miscommunication. Project management tools streamline assignments, track deadlines, and provide real-time status updates. Managers can instantly see who's working on what, identify bottlenecks, and generate reports to keep stakeholders updated. Alerts and reminders keep everyone accountable, while centralised documentation ensures everyone stays informed. As businesses scale, this kind of structure helps teams stay agile without losing oversight. 6. Procurement and purchasing platforms Procurement often stalls due to scattered invoices, slow approvals, and poor spend visibility, causing overspending, delays, and strained vendor ties. Purchase requests, approvals, invoice processing, and vendor management can all be digitized and streamlined. These platforms often come with budget enforcement features, real-time analytics, and integration with ERP systems. Procurement teams benefit from faster, more accurate cycles and clearer data, spending less time chasing signatures and more on strategic sourcing. Stronger supplier tools also lead to more reliable, cost-effective vendor networks. Automation frees up teams to think bigger, act quicker, and focus on higher-value work, whether in finance, HR, marketing, or support. That's why 60% of Middle East CEOs say they'll need to evolve their businesses within the next decade to remain viable. With tools like these already delivering results, the shift is in motion.
Web Release
28-07-2025
- Business
- Web Release
Six automation tools powering smarter business in the Middle East
The Middle East's competitive growth-focused economy is pushing companies to streamline how they work. With pressure mounting across industries, 64% of businesses in the UAE alone plan to boost their automation spend in 2025, especially in finance, HR, and customer service. To support this shift, here are six tools helping organizations drive real efficiency gains across core business functions. Spend management platforms Manual expense tracking often means scattered receipts, delayed reconciliations, and limited visibility into corporate spending, especially for high-volume or cross-border teams. These gaps risk compliance risks and profit leakage. Spend management platforms, like Qashio , solve this by enabling businesses to automate approvals, create smart corporate cards, and access real-time reporting, through direct integration with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This helps businesses gain tighter control over budgets and spend patterns. Travel businesses, for example, have used Qashio for Travel to dramatically cut fraud, FX losses, and operational delays. From SMEs to enterprises, companies benefit from custom cards, embedded tools, and B2B loyalty rewards with air miles and hotel points, helping even small teams manage finances like pros. HR automation systems Manual HR tasks are time-consuming, error-prone, and costly. Mistakes can run companies thousands, even millions , every year. From applicant tracking systems (ATS) to automated onboarding and payroll processing, HR automation platforms streamline operations while reducing compliance risks from a centralized dashboard. Time-off, benefits, and tax documents are simpler to access and less prone to errors. This frees up HR teams to focus on bigger strategic initiatives like talent development and workplace culture. Marketing automation tools Growing audiences and multiple touchpoints make manual marketing unsustainable. Marketing automation tools send targeted emails, schedule social posts, and score leads based on engagement. These platforms help craft tailored customer journeys by analyzing behavior across channels and delivering relevant messages at the right time. From drip campaigns to omnichannel messaging, the goal is better engagement and ultimately, higher conversions. More than just saving time, this empowers teams with deeper insights into user trends, enabling smarter decisions and better ROI. Customer support automation As demand grows, manual support systems can cause delays, long queues, and overwhelmed agents, turning off customers fast. Automation fills the gap with tools like chatbots, smart ticketing systems, and auto-routing helping customers get answers faster, often without needing a human agent at all. A 2025 study reported that 90% of C-level execs believe over 80% of customer issues will soon be resolved autonomously. AI-powered platforms can suggest help articles, assign tickets to specific employees, and translate requests in real time, leaving human agents to focus on complex cases. This leads to better satisfaction scores, leaner support teams, and 24/7 availability without increasing headcount. Project management software Without automation, managing distributed teams becomes chaotic—missed tasks, delays, and miscommunication. Project management tools streamline assignments, track deadlines, and provide real-time status updates. Managers can instantly see who's working on what, identify bottlenecks, and generate reports to keep stakeholders updated. Alerts and reminders keep everyone accountable, while centralised documentation ensures everyone stays informed. As businesses scale, this kind of structure helps teams stay agile without losing oversight. Procurement and purchasing platforms Procurement often stalls due to scattered invoices, slow approvals, and poor spend visibility, causing overspending, delays, and strained vendor ties. Purchase requests, approvals, invoice processing, and vendor management can all be digitized and streamlined. These platforms often come with budget enforcement features, real-time analytics, and integration with ERP systems. Procurement teams benefit from faster, more accurate cycles and clearer data, spending less time chasing signatures and more on strategic sourcing. Stronger supplier tools also lead to more reliable, cost-effective vendor networks.
Gulf Today
14-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
In conversation with Armin Moradi, CEO and Co-Founder of Qashio on how Qashio is solving real CFO challenges
As the financial technology landscape in the Middle East evolves, homegrown businesses like Qashio are leading the charge. Gulf Today sat down with Armin Moradi, CEO and Co-Founder of Qashio, to discuss how the company is leveraging AI, building tailored solutions for key industries like travel, and helping finance teams stay compliant and agile in a fast-changing regulatory environment. 1. With increased interest in AI-driven financial tools, is Qashio exploring or integrating any AI technologies to enhance automation, insights, or user experience? Qashio has been at the forefront of innovation and was an early adopter of AI, using it to streamline manual processes like scanning receipts and automating transaction categorisation. We are now exploring additional AI applications cautiously, with a strong focus on compliance and data privacy. Since UAE regulations mandate local data storage, we partner exclusively with UAE-based AI providers. Fortunately, the UAE's heavy investment in AI has created world-class technologies we are evaluating, particularly for delivering deeper insights and enhancing user experience. Any AI-driven features we roll out will strictly adhere to local privacy and compliance standards. 2. What's driving Qashio's focus on the travel industry, and how does your platform cater to the specific financial needs and pain points of travel-related businesses? Travel is one of the UAE's largest industries, with the UAE receiving over 18.7 million visitors in 2024 alone. As a UAE-based company, we're committed to supporting businesses across all sectors. It was a natural step to design Qashio for Travel, a solution built specifically for the unique needs of the Travel industry. Travel companies can instantly create unlimited corporate cards, leverage multi-currency wallets to save on high FX fees, and integrate seamlessly with GDS platforms. This tailored approach helps streamline financial operations and supports travel agencies book the 5.4 million UAE residents who travelled last year. 3. How is Qashio differentiating its offering to stand out among regional and global players? Innovation is at the core of Qashio's DNA. We want to ensure we're offering our clients the most functionality and value for their business. We are the only spend management solution in the region with a corporate loyalty programme, enabling businesses to earn rewards on their spending, redeemable for air miles, hotel points, and retail benefits. Built by ex-CFOs, Qashio offers unmatched functionality tailored to real-world finance challenges, including WhatsApp-based receipt collection and hyper-segmented accounting abilities. To support our clients fully, we've assembled a UAE-based team of experts with experience at ERP giants like Oracle, Odoo, and SAP, ensuring hands-on, localised support for our clients. 4. How is Qashio supporting finance teams in navigating today's fast-changing regulatory and economic landscape across the GCC? Qashio is committed to helping UAE businesses thrive in the fast-changing regulatory and economic landscape. Our fully local team monitors shifts in GCC regulations and proactively advises clients on compliance requirements, ensuring they remain agile and informed. At the same time, we continuously refine our platform based on client feedback. Designed by finance professionals, for finance professionals, Qashio empowers teams to navigate complexity with automation, visibility, and control at their fingertips.
CairoScene
29-05-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
Dubai-based Fintech Qashio Secures $19.8M to Fuel Saudi Market Entry
Founded in 2021 by Armin Moradi, Qashio offers tailored corporate cards and embedded financial services for various businesses. May 29, 2025 Dubai-based B2B spend management platform Qashio has raised $19.8 million in a new funding round of equity and debt. The round was led by Silicon Valley firm Rocketship, with continued support from ABN Ventures, MITAA, Oneway VC, and new strategic backers such as Luxembourg's MoreThan Capital, undisclosed MENA banks, and regional family offices. Founded in 2021 by Armin Moradi, Qashio offers tailored corporate cards and embedded financial services for businesses in sectors like legal, consulting, government, and e-commerce. The company plans to use the funds to expand geographically, roll out its fintech loyalty program across MENA, and enhance regulatory compliance ahead of its Saudi Arabia launch. With operations in 22 markets including the UAE, Europe, and the UK, Qashio reports over 800% year-on-year revenue growth for three consecutive years and a recent quarterly profit of $1.2 million, according to Wamda. The funding comes amid a regional fintech boom, as MENA startups raised $1.5 billion in Q1 2025—driven largely by fintech firms capturing over $1 billion across 36 deals.
Wamda
28-05-2025
- Business
- Wamda
Qashio closes $19.8 million round to accelerate expansion into Saudi Arabia
UAE-based fintech Qashio has raised $19.8 million in a mix of equity and non-equity funding, led by existing investor Rocketship VC, with participation from MoreThan Capital, regional banks, and family offices. Founded in 2021 by Armin Moradi, Qashio offers a spend management platform that enables businesses to gain full visibility and control of their expenses. It claims to be the first fintech startup in the UAE to issue corporate employee cards. The company will use the capital to expand into Saudi Arabia and deepen its market-leading B2B loyalty programme across MENA. In 2022, Qashio closed a $10 million seed round. Press release: Qashio, the Dubai-headquartered B2B spend management platform with operations and clients in 22 countries, including the UAE, Europe, the UK, and soon Saudi Arabia, has raised $19.8 million in its latest funding round. The capital will support further geographic expansion and scale what is already the largest B2B fintech loyalty programme in the MENA region. Despite achieving profitability with over $1.2M in Q1 2025, the additional funds will enhance regulatory compliance ahead of the company's entry into Saudi Arabia and further extend its differentiated loyalty offering. Unlike typical cashback programmes, Qashio's impressive Tier 1 partner network includes Emirates, Air France, KLM, Avios (British Airways, Iberia, Finnair), US Airways, and top hotel groups such as Jumeirah One, Accor, and IHG Intercontinental Hotel Group—benefits often unavailable to businesses through other expense management platforms. Category-Defining Momentum with a Superior and Scalable Product Suite The fundraising round, which consists of both equity and non-equity financing, was led by existing investor Rocketship, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. 'We invested in Qashio because of their bold vision to modernise spend management in the Middle East, a region ripe for financial innovation. Their rapidly growing customer base positions them as a category-defining company in the GCC's digital transformation journey. We're proud to back a team that's not just solving a pain point but transforming how companies across the region operate and grow,' said Sailesh Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner at Rocketship. With over 800% YoY revenue growth for the third consecutive year, Qashio has proven its ability to scale with discipline. Several existing investors have reaffirmed their confidence by following on their previous commitments, such as ABN Ventures, MITAA, and Oneway VC. The round also welcomed new strategic investors, such as Luxembourg-based European fund MoreThan Capital, major regional banks in MENA, and regional family offices from each market. 'MoreThan Capital chose to invest in Qashio due to its exceptional growth trajectory since launching from beta in 2022, its seasoned founding team, and its superior product suite—which is both broader and more advanced than regional competitors. Qashio's relentless innovation aligns with our vision, and we see tremendous potential in their MENA expansion strategy as well as their international ambitions. Their unique value proposition positions them strongly for success in the MENA as well as the European market, and we're excited to support their journey with 'more than' capital," says Caroline Kracht, Managing Partner at MoreThan Capital. Supporting Finance Teams and SMEs with Industry-Focused Solutions Qashio has invested heavily in developing purpose-built products that support the financial health of its clients, from SMEs with five employees to global enterprises with strict compliance and security requirements; Qashio caters to them all. Its solutions are tailored to each industry, with custom offerings that reflect local and vertical-specific requirements. For firms with highly sensitive operations such as law practices, consulting firms, and government entities, as well as specialised sectors like travel, hospitality, retail, and high-volume e-commerce companies, Qashio offers customised corporate cards and embedded financial microservices to support operational efficiency. 'At Qashio we have learnt that change often comes with resistance. We are committed to helping the companies that place their trust in us move away from the manual finance processes that slow them down. That's why we built and continue to evolve our loyalty programme—to reward the right behaviour with incentives such as air miles and hotel points that are otherwise difficult to obtain. We also offer the lowest cross-border fees and the highest cashbacks delivered transparently without lockdown periods and clawbacks because every business drives behaviour in their own way,' says Armin Moradi, CEO and co-founder of Qashio.
