Startup Profile: Telr

Meet Telr: The fintech company that is helping businesses streamline payments online.

 

As more businesses than ever look to scale online, it’s no surprise that Telr has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the Middle East.

Designed to help companies accept digital payments and scale, Telr grew quickly before being acquired for $15 million in 2021 – just 7 years after it launched in 2014.

So, who are they, what do they offer and how did they become such a big name in the Middle Eastern startup system?

 

About Telr

 

Telr is a platform that allows businesses to accept payments online, on social media, through QR codes in-store and through messaging apps.

The platform currently supports over 120 currencies and gives businesses a choice of over 15 payment methods in over 30 languages.

The company’s mission is simple: help businesses build more secure and bespoke payment systems online.

 

 

How It All Began

 

Founded in 2014 by Elias Ghanem and Sirish Kumar, Telr was created to empower entrepreneurs and businesses, especially in underserved regions.

Both co-founders had strong fintech experience to build on. Ghanem from his leadership roles at PayPal and Payfort, and Kumar from working at huge tech firms like Nokia and Singtel.

After seeing how well Europe and North America were served by companies like Stripe, the co-founders saw a huge gap for online payment support across the MENA region and much of Asia.

They set out to fill that gap and built the product entirely in-house, allowing them to control every element of it.

 

 

Where Telr Operates

 

Telr has a strong presence in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as parts of India, Pakistan and wider Southeast Asia.

With over 120 currencies and 30 languages n the platform, it’s designed to serve a number of markets, particularly those that are currently underserved by other providers.

Telr’s ability to process payments in a customer’s preferred currency across a number of languages has helped it grow particularly in regions where e-commerce is booming, but payment solutions haven’t caught up.

Its suite of products also give businesses a lot of choice when it comes to how they accept payments, driving forward their businesses.

 

Key Products and Services

 

Telr’s online payment gateway is designed with a number of services, including:

 

Telr Growth

This core product is the payment gateway itself, helping businesses of all sizes take payments online.

With a real-time dashboard, multicurrency processing and easy cash flow tracking, it is designed to make online payments easier and more convenient.

 

Telr Secure

When it comes to payments, especially online, there’s nothing more important than security.

Telr Secure includes real-time monitoring to keep both businesses and customers safe. This helps businesses not only provide an easy payment experience, but a safe one too.

 

Telr Social

More and more, brands are selling on social media. Telr Social helps influencers and companies sell anywhere through a simple QR code or payment link.

This helps businesses sell more easily to customers on social media, in messaging apps or via chat messaging. With Telr social, businesses are able to meet their customers wherever they are.

 

Telr Buy Now Pay Later

The buy now pay later sector has boomed in recent years, as customers look for ways to finance big purchases. Telr buy now pay later allows customers to pay for items over 4 interest-free instalments.

This allows businesses to increase their sales, whilst decreasing the financial burden on consumers.

 

Telr Finance

When it comes to scaling online, growing a business can be expensive. Telr finance allows companies to unlock business loans that allow them to grow quickly.

With approvals in 48 hours and flexible revenue-based payback, Telr isn’t just helping businesses accept payments, it’s helping them find the funding they need to grow.

 

How Is Telr Different?

 

Telr stands out because unlike its competitors, its entire product suite was designed in-house. This allowed Telr to react quickly to feedback, offer customisable options to customers and evolve quickly.

With easy plugins and a fair pricing structure, it has helped more businesses across MENA and South Asia scale their online operations.

 

Awards

 

In 2023, it won the Global Banking & Finance Award and was named Payments Gateway of the Year.

Most recently, it was listed in the Middle East’s Fintech 50 for 2024, showcasing its impact in the region.

 

The Future of Telr

 

As businesses continue to scale online, Telr is well positioned to continue powering the digital economy.

By combining flexible payment options, good security and easy to integrate systems, it’s helping businesses all over the Middle East and South Asia continue to grow online.