Quick Breakdown
- Paribu acquires CoinMENA in Türkiye’s largest-ever $240M crypto deal.
- Move expands Paribu’s regulated presence into key MENA markets.
- CoinMENA’s licenses and user base strengthen Paribu’s regional dominance.
Turkish crypto giant Paribu has completed Türkiye’s largest-ever fintech acquisition, buying CoinMENA, the Middle East and North Africa’s biggest locally licensed crypto exchange, in an all-cash deal worth up to $240 million.
The transaction marks Türkiye’s first cross-border purchase of a digital asset platform and instantly positions Paribu among the few fully regulated operators with footprints in both Türkiye and the rapidly expanding MENA crypto markets.
A strategic expansion into a high-growth region
Founded in 2020, CoinMENA is dual-licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain and Dubai’s VARA, serving more than 1.5 million users across 45 countries and supporting over 50 cryptocurrencies with local-currency on-ramps. For Paribu, the acquisition delivers immediate access to two hard-to-secure virtual asset licenses in Bahrain and the UAE, complementing its regulatory approvals at home.
Industry analysts view the move as a classic consolidation play: established exchanges accelerating growth by acquiring fully licensed operators in markets with high crypto adoption and tightening compliance requirements.
Leadership calls it a transformative moment
Paribu CEO Yasin Oral said the acquisition represents a defining milestone for the company.
“This is not just the largest fintech transaction in Türkiye’s history – it’s the moment we become a regulated bridge between two of the most dynamic crypto-friendly regions on earth.”
CoinMENA co-founders Talal Tabbaa and Dina Sam’an praised the strategic fit, adding that combining CoinMENA’s regional experience with Paribu’s technology and capital will set “new standards for access and innovation” across Türkiye and MENA.
The deal caps a milestone-heavy year for Paribu, which launched Türkiye’s first institutional-grade custody platform (Paribu Custody) and secured approval from the Capital Markets Board to establish a brokerage arm.
In a related development, Mesh, a crypto interoperability project, entered into a strategic partnership with CoinMENA FZE to streamline crypto asset management for users across the Middle East, highlighting the region’s growing importance as a hub for regulated digital asset services.
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