Zeal Raises $10M to Expand Payment Terminal Technology

Egyptian fintech Zeal has officially raised $10M to expand its payment terminal technology, with current contracts covering more than four million card machines.

The company did not disclose the investors participating in this latest funding round.

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Zeal stated it has signed contracts with global payment acquirers to activate its software on more than four million card machines over the next 24 months. This new funding will support the rollout, deepen integrations across payment environments, and expand the tools available to merchants and payment providers.

Scaling Payment Terminal Technology

Zeal is focused on a specific gap in physical retail: turning standard payment transactions into actionable customer insights and loyalty opportunities. While online commerce easily connects purchases with loyalty programs and customer data, physical payments often conclude the moment a transaction is completed.

Zeal aims to bring those advanced capabilities directly into payment-terminal journeys. Its technology allows merchants to configure loyalty programs around stamps or points, capture phone numbers, or connect an existing loyalty engine.

The company distributes its software through payment acquirers and other partners rather than relying solely on direct merchant sales. This model provides the scalability needed to reach millions of terminals efficiently.

Merchant Analytics and Insights

The company also offers Merchant Health, a tool that gives merchants and payment providers visibility into transaction volumes, terminal activity, payment declines, and trading inactivity. The goal is to help teams identify changes in merchant activity and determine where follow-up may be required.

“A card payment should be the start of a more useful customer relationship,” said Omar Ebeid, co-founder and CEO of Zeal. “The hard part is connecting the fragmented infrastructure behind the counter.”

Ebeid confirmed that the existing contracts will support the company’s next two years of growth and activation. This expansion arrives as payment terminals increasingly support software and business applications alongside basic payment acceptance.

Overcoming Integration Challenges

For Zeal, the core challenge remains integrating its software across diverse terminal environments, payment applications, operating systems, and acquiring platforms. Its acquirer-led distribution model provides access to massive existing terminal networks.

The company expects to expand its reach further as it secures more acquirer relationships, with additional enterprise announcements expected soon. “A useful product at checkout depends on the infrastructure underneath it,” said Belal Mohamed, co-founder and CTO of Zeal.

Zeal was founded in 2019 by Ebeid and Mohamed. Its earlier backers include Saudi Arabia’s Raed Ventures, Pinnacle Capital, and CUR8 Capital. The company was also named Team of the Year at the UK FinTech Awards 2026.

The MENA Payment Shift

Zeal’s growth reflects a broader shift in MENA payments toward software-enabled terminals and value-added services. For acquirers, tools that combine payments, loyalty, and analytics create new ways to retain business customers.

For merchants, the model offers a way to add customer engagement without replacing their existing hardware. With contracts for four million card machines in place, Zeal’s next phase will focus on turning that footprint into live deployments across global markets.