BKN301 Group, a London-based Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, has designated its Qatar office as the regional headquarters for its Middle East and North Africa operations. This positions the company to capitalize on the region's rapidly expanding digital payments landscape.

BKN301 Sets Up Qatar Hub

The move comes as Qatar's digital investment sector is poised to reach a transaction value of $477 million in 2025, with the country's digital payments user base expected to expand to 2.87 million by 2028.

“Our decision to establish the Qatar office as the regional headquarters of the MENA region reflects the nation’s rising position as a fintech innovation hub,” said Stiven Muccioli, Founder and CEO of BKN301.

“As the regional fintech sector offers significant opportunities for economic diversification, we reinforce our commitment to advancing Qatar’s vision to foster a robust digital economy,” he added.

The Qatar office, now fully operational under the leadership of Country Leader Jordan A. Fabbri, will serve as the central point for delivering BKN301's BaaS Orchestrator platform across the MENA region.

The platform connects multiple core banking systems, payment processors, and third-party services through a modular design. It reduces operational costs by up to 50% for core banking, card issuing, and payment processing services.

The company's expansion aligns with Qatar Central Bank's fintech initiatives and the country's National Vision 2030, which emphasizes economic diversification and technological advancement. The company made a similar move in 2023 when it opened a new office in Cairo, Egypt.

“Our BaaS Orchestrator platform will enable seamless integration of financial products for regional companies,” Fabbri noted. “With Qatar's digital payment usage continually growing, we are strategically positioning ourselves to take advantage of the region's rising demand for innovative financial services.”

Worldline Deepens BKN301 Alliance

In July, BKN301 announced the expansion of its partnership with Worldline, a publicly listed global payment services provider. The collaboration, initially established in 2022, focuses on BKN301 incorporating Worldline's Issuing and Acquiring technical processing solutions to strengthen its digital payment offerings across EMEA markets.

“Having an innovative and ever-changing client by our side will allow us to be more agile in the market,” Alessandro Baroni, Head of Financial Services at Worldline, added. “The continuous evolution of Worldline's value proposition will provide a steady stream of innovations and solutions that can help position the fintech as a major player in the world of digital payments .”

A central element of the partnership is a customizable solution for instant payment card issuance, facilitated through an online onboarding process. This feature enables BKN301 to deliver a secure and efficient card activation process for its customers.

Additionally, on the acquiring side, BKN301 will leverage Worldline's processing platforms, which handle more than 3.5 billion transactions annually for over 240,000 merchants across Europe.