Paribu acquires CoinMENA, giving Turkey regulated foothold in MENA (up to $240M)
Turkey’s largest fintech crypto deal: Turkish exchange Paribu has acquired UAE- and Bahrain-regulated CoinMENA in a transaction valuing CoinMENA at up to $240 million. CoinMENA, founded in 2020 by Talal Tabbaa and Dina Sam’an, serves about 1.5 million users across 45 countries, supports 50+ cryptocurrencies and multiple local MENA currencies, and has raised nearly $20 million from investors including BECO, Arab Bank Switzerland and Circle. Paribu’s CEO Yasin Oral said the move expands Paribu’s licensed operations into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and marks Turkey’s first cross-border acquisition of a crypto brokerage, while CoinMENA founders expect combined regional expertise and Paribu’s technology to broaden product offerings. The deal follows a trend of regional expansion by Asian exchanges (e.g., CoinDCX’s BitOasis acquisition) leveraging UAE (VARA) and Bahrain (CBB) licenses. Market context: Chainalysis reports place Turkey among MENA’s largest crypto markets (nearly $200B transaction volume in 2025) and show rapid growth across Saudi and Qatar; MENA remains a significant, though moderately growing, crypto region. Key SEO keywords: Paribu acquisition, CoinMENA, MENA crypto, UAE VARA, Central Bank of Bahrain, Turkey crypto adoption.
Bullish
Market impact is likely bullish. Rationale: a regulated cross-border acquisition increases institutional credibility, regulatory compliance and potential liquidity across MENA and Türkiye. Paribu gains access to VARA and CBB licenses and CoinMENA’s 1.5M user base, which should expand trading volumes and fiat on-ramps for regional users—supportive for demand of major exchange-listed tokens and stablecoins. Similar precedent: CoinDCX’s BitOasis deal boosted regional liquidity and confidence in regulated platforms. Short-term effects: mild positive sentiment for regional crypto assets, increased trading volumes on platforms integrating CoinMENA. Possible temporary volatility around integration news and token listings. Long-term effects: stronger regulated infrastructure in MENA may attract institutional flows, increase fiat-to-crypto conversion, and support higher sustained volume—beneficial to liquid major tokens (BTC, ETH, stablecoins) and regional token listings. Risks remain: regulatory shifts, execution/integration risk, and macro factors (FX pressures in Türkiye) could moderate upside. Overall, the transaction reduces regulatory uncertainty by using licensed entities and should be net supportive for market activity.