# Faisal Toukan

> Faisal Toukan is the Jordanian co-founder and CEO of Dubai-based Ziina, a digital payments company serving individuals and businesses. His background spans enterprise sales, startups and venture capital; at Ziina he focuses on simplifying payments for the Arab world.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Ziina
- **Organizations:** Ziina, Oracle, Lumia Capital, Y Combinator
- **Nationality:** Jordanian
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, Boston College, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Co-founded Ziina and led it through Y Combinator Winter 2021., Ziina raised a $22 million Series A led by Altos Ventures in September 2024., Ziina received a UAE Central Bank Stored Value Facility licence in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **2015** — While working in Oracle sales in Boston, became interested in blockchain after a friend demonstrated an Ethereum transfer.
- **2016** — Received Oracle’s Q4FY16 Specialty BDC New Hire of the Quarter recognition in June.
- **2017** — Pursued a startup in Bengaluru, travelling between India and San Francisco.
- **2020** — Co-founded Ziina in Dubai; contemporary accounts identify Sarah Toukan and Andrew Gold as co-founders.
- **2021** — Ziina participated in Y Combinator’s Winter batch.
- **2024** — Ziina secured a UAE Central Bank Stored Value Facility licence and announced a $22 million Series A.
- **2026** — Ziina launched live Open Finance payments with Lean; Toukan published an essay on connected finance and AI in September.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Ziina and led it through Y Combinator Winter 2021.
- Ziina raised a $22 million Series A led by Altos Ventures in September 2024.
- Ziina received a UAE Central Bank Stored Value Facility licence in 2024.
- Ziina was ranked 37 in Forbes Middle East’s Fintech 50 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published “MENA’s Open Finance opportunity in the age of AI” on Wamda, dated 28 September.
- **2026-02** — Published the LinkedIn article “How Craft, Trust, and Ownership Shape Our Culture at Ziina,” dated 5 February.
- **2026-01** — Ziina and Lean announced live customer-initiated Open Finance payments in the UAE.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisal-toukan-64865064/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/FaisalToukan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/faisal-toukan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-12