Bede Kuwait, a subsidiary of Zain Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with Ottu, a regional payment orchestration platform operating across the Middle East and North Africa, to support enterprise businesses in Kuwait as they transition toward unified and scalable payment operations.
The collaboration is designed to advance Kuwait’s broader digital transformation agenda while driving increased adoption of regulated digital wallets, including those issued by Bede and other providers.
Through the partnership, Bede’s wallet and payment gateway services will be made available across Ottu’s enterprise merchant network in Kuwait. The integration enables businesses across retail, hospitality, education and digital services to activate Bede Wallet and associated services through configuration, without requiring additional development work. This approach is expected to accelerate wallet acceptance across everyday consumer payment use cases.
Merchants already operating on Bede’s infrastructure will also gain access to Ottu’s centralised orchestration capabilities, designed to support enterprise-scale payment operations. The model enhances operational resilience, improves transaction visibility and enables greater efficiency through intelligent routing and failover mechanisms.
Ahmad Al Nafisi, General Manager of Bede Kuwait, said:
“This strategic partnership aligns with Kuwait’s ongoing efforts to modernize financial infrastructure, encourage cashless transactions, and expand the use of regulated digital payment methods across the economy. Bede aims to continually partner with leading digital solutions providers such as Ottu that equip customers with practical tools to grow. Our mission is to enable merchants and entrepreneurs to manage their businesses with ease and security, empowering them to expand within Kuwait and beyond.”
Talal Al Awadhi, Chief Executive Officer of Ottu, added:
“The evolution of Kuwait’s payment ecosystem requires infrastructure that supports scale, flexibility, and new digital payment behaviors. By combining orchestration with wallet and digital payments enablement, this partnership supports enterprises while contributing to the broader shift toward digital payments across the Kuwaiti economy.”
Bede entered the regional fintech market in 2024, delivering digital financial services and end-to-end payment solutions across Kuwait, Bahrain and Sudan. Its portfolio includes secure e-wallets for individuals and businesses, alongside advanced payment gateways that support multi-channel transactions. The company operates under official central bank licences in its respective markets, with a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance and security.
Ottu provides an independent orchestration layer that sits above payment gateways and wallets, allowing enterprises to connect with multiple payment service providers through a single integration. Its platform enables merchants to configure routing logic based on performance, cost and availability, while supporting automatic failover to maintain continuity in the event of service disruptions. Consolidated dashboards provide enhanced operational oversight for finance, technology and reporting teams.
The partnership reflects growing demand in Kuwait for scalable, interoperable payment infrastructure capable of supporting enterprise growth and the continued shift toward a unified digital payments ecosystem.
—————————————————————————————————
About Innovation Streets:
Welcome to InnovationStreets.com! Get the latest insights from the finance and technology industries. Discover industry updates on fintech innovations, regulatory developments, industry insights, events, and collaborations between banks, insurers, and fintechs. A platform for C-level executives to submit thought leadership content for their peers. Subscribe for updates!
