Backbase and Seven Join Forces to Drive Digital Banking Innovation in MEA

Backbase and Seven have partnered to deliver digital banking transformation solutions across the Middle East and Africa, combining Backbase's AI-native banking platform with Seven's regional implementation expertise.

The collaboration will leverage Backbase's Banking OS, an engagement banking platform that enables financial institutions to orchestrate personalised customer experiences across digital channels. Seven, a technology consultancy with deep experience in the MEA financial services market, provides the local delivery and integration capabilities needed to deploy the platform at regional banks.

The partnership addresses a persistent challenge for banking technology vendors operating in the Middle East and Africa: the gap between platform capability and local deployment. Banks in the region often require significant customisation, Arabic language support, and integration with local payment infrastructure that global technology providers cannot always deliver without local partners.

Backbase's platform is designed to sit as an engagement layer on top of existing core banking systems, enabling banks to modernise their digital customer experience without replacing their core infrastructure. This approach is particularly attractive to established banks that want to improve their digital channels while protecting their investment in existing core systems.

The MEA banking market represents a significant growth opportunity for digital banking platform providers. Banks across the Gulf, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa are investing heavily in digital capabilities, driven by young populations, high smartphone penetration, and regulatory encouragement of financial innovation.

Seven's regional presence across multiple MEA markets gives the partnership immediate reach across the target geography.