valU, MENA’s leading Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) lifestyle-enabling fintech platform, and PayTabs Egypt, an affiliate of EFG Hermes Holding and MEASA’s award-winning e-payment powerhouse, announced today that they have signed a partnership with TicketsMarche — Egypt’s leading provider of tickets and the gateway to the country’s entertainment industry — to allow customers to finance and pay for their ticket purchases through valU and PayTabs Egypt. The partnership will also give entertainment goers who use valU exclusive pre-access to some of the country’s biggest events in sport, art, theater, and comedy.
Commenting on the partnership, Walid Hassouna, CEO of valU, said, “We are incredibly excited to have TicketsMarche on-board our partner network and to be working alongside PayTabs Egypt to bring seamless and secure BNPL financing solutions to TicketsMarche’s customers. With tourism ramping up and COVID-19 restrictions lifting, the country’s entertainment industry is bustling with events that are bringing people together once again. Conversely, high inflation has blunted customer purchasing power, lining the partnership up perfectly with the needs of our clients and market realities as we work to bring innovative solutions that ease day-to-day financial burdens and empower customers to attain their desired lifestyles.”
Egypt boasts a strategic, diverse, and competitive entertainment sector that is. The country is regionally renowned as an entertainment and cultural hub, hosting a myriad of concerts, plays, and more, and bringing together celebrities from around the world. TicketsMarche has had a significant impact on the industry, having taken the traditional brick-and-mortar approach to ticket buying completely digital, and giving an even wider segment of society direct, seamless access to key events. Today, it supplies a wide array of entertainment houses, venue owners, and event organizers and planners with an easy and feasible way to sell and market their tickets.
Hany Soliman, PayTabs’ Regional Head for Africa and the GCC, also commented, “We are delighted to be building on our partnership with valU and contributing to the growth of Egypt’s entertainment sector. This collaboration with TicketsMarche marks yet another landmark partnership between PayTabs Egypt and valU, as we come together again to capitalize on the synergies inherent in our business models and offer end-to-end financial services to the market. The dependence on secure digital payments continues to grow in Egypt at a rapid pace, aiding us in our strategy to fuel financial inclusion and digital intermediation by accelerating the shift to a cashless society.”
Mohamed Sirag, CCO at TicketsMarche, said, “We could not be prouder of this partnership with two giants in the fintech space such as valU and PayTabs Egypt. This will not only enable us to expand our customer base but also unlock unique and flexible funding methods for our customers, particularly during these trying times. TicketsMarche continues to play a pivotal role in driving the regional entertainment scene, and this partnership will support us in taking that success one step further. We believe that together we will elevate customer experiences by streamlining purchasing processes and increasing accessibility to our products.”
valU, a subsidiary of EFG Hermes Holding and PayTabs Egypt, an affiliate of EFG Hermes Holding, have worked throughout the year to offer a comprehensive roster of bespoke financing solutions in numerous sectors. Most recently, the two signed agreements with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies platform notchnco; the MENA’s first X2C online-offline auctioning and e-commerce marketplace Mazadat; Egypt’s leading airline EgyptAir; and real estate company Inertia.
