UAE-Based RemotePass Nets US$17.4 Million Series B To Deepen Its Footprint In Europe And The US

Abu Dhabi-based global employment, payroll, and spend platform RemotePass has bagged US$17.4 million in Series B funding round led by London-based EBRD Venture Capital, the venture investment arm of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). 

The round also saw participation from California-based venture capital firm 500 Global, alongisde existing investors Dubai-based Oraseya Capital, Istanbul-based 212, Abu Dhabi-based Access Bridge Ventures, and Riyadh-based Khwarizmi Ventures. The new investment is set to support RemotePass’ expansion across Europe and the US, strengthen compliance coverage in its existing markets, and fund further development of its financial services and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. 

Founded in 2021 by Kamal Reggad and Karim Nadi in the UAE, RemotePass was originally incorporated in 2019 as a business travel platform before it pivoted to employment and payroll services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift was driven by the experience the entrepreneurs had managing a remote team and dealing with the challenges of hiring, paying, and supporting workers across borders, particularly in emerging markets. RemotePass' own operating model reflects the cross-border workforce dynamics it was built to support, with it now working with a distributed team across 27 countries to provide businesses with tools to manage international hiring, payroll, compliance, and workforce spending. 

Speaking to Inc. Arabia, Reggad, who is also the CEO of RemotePass, said that the company emerged from a need to bridge the operational gaps that often complicate international hiring and workforce management. "Our core mission is to connect emerging and developed markets through employment and payment infrastructure that actually works," he said. "There is extraordinary talent across the emerging markets, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and East Asia, and there are businesses in Europe, the US, Asia, and the Gulf that need that talent. The same applies vice versa. What's been missing is the infrastructure in between. RemotePass provides that: a global employment, payroll, and spend platform that handles employer of record (EOR), contractor management, payroll, and compliance across 150+ countries, combined with financial services like USD accounts, corporate cards, and value-based benefits like health and life insurance. In late 2025, we launched SpendCards, becoming the first global payroll platform to embed corporate expense cards for all worker types, and rolled out AI agents that automate compliance and operational workflows. Each of these features has been built by our team and gives companies a flawless platform experience." 

RemotePass' customer base now spans both regional and international organizations like Saudi Arabia-based buy now, pay later platform Tabby, UAE-based ride-hailing and delivery platform Careem, Switzerland-based consumer electronics company Logitech, India-based multinational conglomerate Tata Group, and US-based mobility and urban services platform InDrive. Plus, in terms of its offering, in addition to providing payment infrastructure across markets that remain underserved by many global providers, RemotePass is able to manage local labor and compliance requirements, while also offering Arabic and English language support. 

According to Reggad, RemotePass' progress over the past few years helped shape investor interest in its latest round. "Three things stood out for our investors," he said. "First, we reached profitability in early 2025 and have scaled to 800+ companies and 35,000+ workers while processing over $800 million in cross-border payroll—on a fraction of the capital that others in the category have raised. That capital efficiency matters at this pace of growth, especially in this funding environment. Second, we're building something structurally different; the convergence of employment, financial services, and AI into one platform. EBRD and 500 Global both saw that as a category shift, not just a product update. Third, our depth in both emerging and developed markets is a genuine competitive advantage. We built for the hardest markets first, and that foundation gives us an edge in every new market we enter."

As part of its next phase of growth, the company plans to deepen its footprint in the US and Europe, while continuing to invest in new products and services. Reggad told Inc. Arabia that this strategy builds on an existing customer base in those regions, while drawing on lessons learned from operating across a wide range of markets. "We already serve businesses in developed markets—over 50 percent of our recent customers are from developed markets such as the US, UK, and Europe. The intent is to use these funds to further our go-to-market efforts in these markets along with expanding our product lines to meet the unique needs of customers in these markets. Our experience in emerging markets is a real advantage. If you can run payroll, manage compliance, and process payments reliably in Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, Vietnam, Egypt, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia, you can do it anywhere. Bear in mind that our clients from GCC also hire extensively from developed markets to bridge skill shortage. We have deep operational knowledge of emerging and developed markets, which has forced us to build systems that are resilient, deeply localized to each region, and genuinely tested." 

As RemotePass thus prepares for its next chapter, Reggad also reflected on the lessons that have shaped its journey, and what his entrepreneurial peers in the region can learn from them. "In this environment, investors are looking for companies that can build real businesses, not just grow headcount," Reggad pointed out. "Proving your unit economics early gives you leverage in every conversation, whether it's fundraising, partnerships, or enterprise sales. And finally, don't underestimate the power of the regional story. Being from this part of the world is an advantage if you lean into it. EBRD, a major European institutional investor, led our Series B because they saw the value in a company that was built in an emerging market with genuine depth. The MENA origin isn't something to grow out of; it's rather something to scale from."

Pictured in the lead image is RemotePass co-founder and CEO Kamal Reggad. Image courtesy RemotePass.