Buna
Buna, operated by the Arab Regional Payments Clearing and Settlement Organization (ARPCSO) and fully owned by the Arab Monetary Fund, is a centralized cross-border multi-currency payment platform serving central banks and financial institutions across the Arab region and beyond.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Buna does
Buna is a centralized cross-border, multi-currency payment system operating as the financial-market infrastructure of the Arab Regional Payments Clearing and Settlement Organization (ARPCSO), an international entity fully owned by the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) and mandated by the Arab Council of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities Governors. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE at the AMF Building on Corniche Street, Buna serves Arab central banks, commercial banks, and other eligible financial institutions across the Arab region and beyond, enabling them to send and receive payments in Arab currencies and key international currencies in a safe, cost-effective, risk-controlled, and transparent manner. The platform supports participant onboarding through an eligibility-and-certification process and operates as the wholesale payment rail for participating institutions.
The platform's product surface comprises a core cross-border multi-currency payment platform, Buna IPS (Instant Payment System), Buna RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement), Buna PvP (Payment vs Payment) for simultaneous FX settlement, and Leg In/Out routing services. The underlying architecture is centralized and supports multi-currency processing and settlement with RTGS-style finality for high-value flows and instant-payment capabilities for lower-value flows. Integration is delivered through documented processes and a developer portal (devportal.buna.co) exposing APIs for participant integration. The system claims compliance with international standards for information security and AML/CFT requirements and pursues interlinking with foreign instant payment systems, including Pakistan's Raast and Africa's PAPSS, to position Buna as a regional hub rather than a single-corridor service.
Buna's revenue model combines transaction-fee revenue on cross-border, multi-currency payments with participant membership and participation fees. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise/B2G field sales targeting central banks and commercial banks, complemented by an annual Arab Payment Week industry event and recurring virtual workshops used to share participant experiences and announce milestones. As a supranational infrastructure entity rather than a venture-backed fintech, Buna has no disclosed funding rounds; it is wholly-owned by the AMF and currently lists 11-50 employees.
Buna firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Buna
- Legal name
- Arab Regional Payments Clearing and Settlement Organization
- Website
- https://buna.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Buna, operated by the Arab Regional Payments Clearing and Settlement Organization (ARPCSO) and fully owned by the Arab Monetary Fund, is a centralized cross-border multi-currency payment platform serving central banks and financial institutions across the Arab region and beyond.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Buna industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Remittance & Cross-Border Payment Rails (SWIFT, Local Clearing, RTP Connectivity) (FSAGAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Trade & Invoice Payments (Cross-Border B2B) (FSAMAIAL), Cross-Border A2A & Bank Transfer Networks (FSAMAIAF), Interbank Clearing (Domestic Clearing Systems) (FSABAJAB)
Keywords
Where Buna is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Abu Dhabi
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Buna business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cross-border Payment Processing: Buna generates revenue through transaction fees for processing cross-border, multi-currency payments. As a payment system operator owned by Arab Monetary Fund, the revenue model is based on transaction fees charged to participants for payment processing and settlement services.
- Participant Membership/Participation Fees: Financial institutions pay fees to join and participate in the Buna payment network, which includes onboarding, technical setup, and ongoing participation costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pricing not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Buna product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Buna is a centralized cross-border, multi-currency payment platform that enables central banks, commercial banks, and other financial institutions in the Arab region and beyond to send and receive payments in Arab currencies and key international currencies. It offers RTGS for high-value settlement, IPS for instant retail-grade payments, Payment vs Payment (PvP) for FX risk elimination, and Leg In/Out routing, all delivered as a single connection point for cross-border payment services.
Product overview
Buna operates as a unified cross-border multi-currency payment platform providing a centralized payment system for banks and financial institutions across the Arab region and beyond. The platform consists of interconnected services: the core cross-border multi-currency payment infrastructure enabling direct transactions in Arab and international currencies, complemented by Buna IPS (Instant Payment System) for real-time processing, Buna RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement) for high-value payments, PvP (Payment vs Payment) for guaranteed simultaneous settlement, and Leg In/Out services for cross-border transaction routing. The system is supported by Arab central banks, owned by the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), and operates from Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Buna Cross-Border Payment Platform Centralized cross-border multi-currency payment platform that enables banks and financial institutions to send and receive payments in Arab currencies as well as key international currencies in a safe, cost-effective, risk-controlled, and transparent environment.
- Buna RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement) Real-time gross settlement service for processing high-value cross-border payments with immediate finality, targeting participating financial institutions.
- Buna IPS (Instant Payment System) Instant Payment System providing fast, accessible, and cost-efficient cross-border multi-currency payment services with real-time processing for participating financial institutions.
- Buna PvP (Payment vs Payment) Payment vs Payment service ensuring guaranteed simultaneous transfer of both sides of a foreign exchange transaction to eliminate principal risk for participating institutions.
- Buna Leg In/Out Leg In/Out service for cross-border transaction routing and settlement across the Buna participant network, enabling participation through partner payment systems.
Companies that use Buna
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Buna technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Buna partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and supporting.
- State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)strategicThe State Bank of Pakistan signed key agreements for the interlinking between Buna and Pakistan's Raast instant payment system, including the inclusion of Pakistani Rupee (PKR) in Buna's supported currencies.
- Arab Monetary Fund (AMF)coreBuna is fully owned by the Arab Monetary Fund. AMF is the parent organization and executor of the mandate from the Arab Council of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities Governors to build a financial market infrastructure connecting financial institutions across the Arab region.
- Karandaaz PakistansupportingKarandaaz Pakistan is a party to the interlinking agreement between Buna and Pakistan's Raast system, supporting the technical integration.
- African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)strategicArab Monetary Fund signed a memorandum of understanding with African Export-Import Bank to support expansion of economic and financial ties between the Arab region and Africa through the interlinking of Buna with the African payment system (PAPSS).
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Buna competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SWIFT: Global interbank messaging and payments network that Buna effectively competes with or complements for cross-border corridors. SWIFT GPI is the dominant existing rail serving the same banks that Buna targets.
- Visa B2B Connect: Visa's bank-to-bank cross-border payment network targeting the same FI customer base as Buna. Represents a private-sector incumbent alternative that Buna must differentiate against.
- Mastercard Cross-Border Services: Mastercard's suite of cross-border B2B payment services for banks and corporates; competes with Buna for the same institutional customers across corridors.
- CHIPS (Clearing House Interbank Payments System): US private-sector large-value USD clearing system; comparable function (large-value interbank settlement) and similar governance model (industry-owned, privately operated).
Direct peers
- CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System): China's RMB cross-border interbank payment system; structurally comparable as a state-aligned regional/multilateral clearing infrastructure that has expanded globally. Closest analog to Buna in product design and policy backing.
- TARGET2 / T2 (Eurosystem): European large-value RTGS system operated by Eurosystem central banks; structurally the closest large-scale analog to Buna RTGS in terms of function (real-time gross settlement) and governance (central-bank owned).
- PAPSS (Pan-African Payment and Settlement System): African multilateral cross-border payment system operated by Afreximbank; structurally near-identical to Buna (central-bank-backed, multi-currency, regional clearing). Buna and PAPSS are already interlinked, making them natural complementary regional peers.
Emerging players
- Nium: Cross-border payments-as-a-service platform serving banks and fintechs with real-time multi-currency payouts; competing emerging player targeting similar FI customers but via a private, API-first model.
- Ripple (RippleNet / RLUSD): Blockchain-based cross-border payment network targeting banks and financial institutions; competes directly for cross-border bank volume with a more modern technology stack and aggressive commercial partnerships.
Regional players
- SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages, Russia): Russia's alternative to SWIFT messaging, developed as a state-backed cross-border financial messaging/clearing alternative. Comparable to Buna as a sanctioned/regional cross-border rail.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Buna social profiles
Digital presenceBuna financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Buna leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Buna funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Buna M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Buna
What does Buna do?
Buna is a centralized cross-border, multi-currency payment platform that enables central banks, commercial banks, and other financial institutions in the Arab region and beyond to send and receive payments in Arab currencies and key international currencies. It offers RTGS for high-value settlement, IPS for instant retail-grade payments, Payment vs Payment (PvP) for FX risk elimination, and Leg In/Out routing, all delivered as a single connection point for cross-border payment services.
Is Buna a public or private company?
Buna is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Buna founded?
Buna was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Buna based?
Buna is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Buna make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Cross-border Payment Processing is the primary driver. The others are participant Membership/Participation Fees.
Who are Buna's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SWIFT, Visa B2B Connect, Mastercard Cross-Border Services and CHIPS (Clearing House Interbank Payments System). Direct peers are CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System), TARGET2 / T2 (Eurosystem) and PAPSS (Pan-African Payment and Settlement System). Emerging players are Nium and Ripple (RippleNet / RLUSD). SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages, Russia) is listed as a regional player.
Does Buna have an API?
Yes. Buna exposes a public API. Developer documentation is at devportal.buna.co.
What industry is Buna in?
Buna's product category is Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAKAH, Remittance & Cross-Border Payment Rails (SWIFT, Local Clearing, RTP Connectivity), with a secondary code of FSAMAIAL, Trade & Invoice Payments (Cross-Border B2B). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6199.