Episode 23 of the BIG5D Podcast features Tariq Sheikh, founder and CEO of Postpay, A Dubai-based buy now, pay later platform. This is a branch of eCommerce and fintech that allows consumers to pay for purchases in installments, often interest-free. The model is popular worldwide, in particular among younger consumers.
Postpay was formed in 2019 by Sheikh, a former management consultant, and his co-founder Dani Molina, who was previously co-founder and CTO of Spanish BNPL Aplazme.
Sheikh and Molina launched their product in 2020. Around the same time, several other companies did the same thing in the Gulf region. These include Shahry, Spotti, Tabby, and Tamara.
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“It happened very quickly. And we were all in the know, I guess. I knew that there would be at least two other players coming relatively soon,” Tariq said.
BNPL is now a highly competitive market in MENA. It reflects the global buy now pay later market, which is also hyper-competitive and lately has been attracting big-dollar M&A. The most notable deal to date was Square's acquisition of Australian-American BNPL Afterpay for $29 billion. We also just saw PayPal acquire Paidy in Japan, for about $3 billion.
In June, Afterpay and its investment arm, AP Ventures invested $10 million in Postpay.
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The BIG5D Podcast · Episode 23: Tariq Sheikh, CEO, Postpay