Telda

Telda is a fintech app based in Cairo, Egypt, founded in April 2021 by CEO Ahmed Sabbah (a co-founder of ride-hailing company Swvl) and CTO Youssef Sholqamy (a former Uber infrastructure engineer). It gives users a digital account and a Mastercard-branded prepaid card, issued in partnership with Mastercard and Bank of Cairo, without requiring a traditional bank account, letting people send and receive money, pay contactlessly, top up via Apple Pay, and track spending in the app. In June 2026 Telda and Mastercard added an integrated investment wallet that lets users open a brokerage account with just a national ID and trade from the same app. Telda raised a $5 million pre-seed round in 2021 led by Sequoia Capital, followed by a $20 million seed round in October 2022 led by Global Founders Capital with participation from Sequoia Capital and Block.