London, 4th July 2025 – Representatives of Guavapay, the UK payments enabler, have undertaken a strategic trade visit to the Gulf Region, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).The delegation, led by The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Alastair King, aimed to deepen UK-Gulf business ties and spotlight Britain as a top destination for Emirati investment.
7/7/2025
During this visit, Guavapay was singled out by the Lord Mayor as a standout example of the
UK’s Fintech excellence, showcasing how British innovation in digital payments and financial
services is setting a global benchmark.
The visit reinforced and built upon the strong and growing relationship between the UK and
the Gulf region. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries continues to demonstrate the region’s strategic importance, with
the UAE alone accounting for £24.3 billion in bilateral trade with the UK in the four quarters
to the end of Q4 2024 - making it the UK’s largest trading partner in the Gulf and 19th
globally.
It also served as a valuable platform for the Guavapay Group to explore co-investment
opportunities and engage in high-level discussions focused on driving innovation, advancing
economic diversification, and promoting sustainable finance across the markets.
The Lord Mayor of London, Alastair King said: “The UK and Gulf Region share a
commitment to innovation, investment, and sustainable growth, which drives our dynamic
and growing trade relationship, particularly in the financial sector. The UK is a world leader in
financial services, particularly sustainable finance, and this trip signified a deepening of
London’s unique relationship with the Gulf. It was invaluable to have Guavapay represented
as a leading FinTech in the City of London to exemplify the continued strength and success
of the UK FinTech market.”
While visiting the Gulf Region the Lord Mayor emphasised how UK investment strategies
align with the Gulf’s “We the UAE 2031” Vision, supporting shared objectives across
sustainability, innovation, and economic diversification.
The visit yielded tangible outcomes, including the exploration of collaborative investment
initiatives in priority sectors including financial services and a discussion on resolving
regulatory barriers for UK financial and professional services firms seeking to establish or
expand in the Gulf Region.
Representing Guavapay, Elkhan Nasibov, Group Managing Director - Guavapay who
was also recently granted freedom of the City of London, commented, “It was an honour to
represent Guavapay as part of this distinguished delegation. I extend my sincere thanks The
Rt Hon. the Lord Mayor of London, Alastair King, and the City of London Corporation for the
opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues with Emirati investors, government officials,
and financial institutions.
During our visit, we had the privilege of meeting key industry stakeholders and Ministers
across Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It was a pleasure to showcase The Guavapay
Group’s ambitions for growth in these dynamic markets. The visit also provided valuable
opportunities to explore strategic partnerships and investment avenues that will support The
Guavapay Group’s ambitions for global expansion, with the continued support of City of
London Corporation.”
The visit came straight after the Lord Mayor launched the Mansion House Accord, an
industry-led initiative, where he convened over 17 of the UK’s biggest pension providers to
invest tens of billions of pounds into the UK’s economy. This presents huge opportunities for
Emirati investors, making it easier for them to co-invest in long-term, stable, high-potential
UK sectors with British providers taking the lead.
The trade envoy concluded May 30th, 2025, and included representatives from KPMG, The
Aberdeen group and Howden, the British embassy of Doha, British embassy of UAE and
British embassy of Abu Dhabi, as well as Guavapay and The City of London Corporation.
The delegation also secured commitments for Emirati participation in upcoming City of
London Corporation events such as the Net Zero Delivery Summit and Global Risk Summit.
