Mylist
Mylist is a Middle East online gift registry platform operating across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Bahrain, enabling consumers to create free wishlists for weddings, baby showers, and other occasions, with gift contributions redeemable as MyList Gift Cards across 400+ partner stores.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Mylist does
Mylist operates an online gift registry platform serving consumers across the Middle East, with operating presence in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Bahrain. Founded in 2012 by Julie Leblan after she experienced a personal gap in gift registry options for family abroad, the platform enables individuals to create free online wishlists for occasions including weddings, baby showers, birthdays, Eid, anniversaries, housewarming, and Christmas, and to share these registries with friends and family for cash contributions or direct gift purchases. The core technology comprises a multi-country e-commerce catalog (mylist.ae, mylist.com.eg, mylist.sa, mylist.qa), a gift tracker system that notifies registry owners of contributions and individual gift givers, group gifting functionality, and secure payment processing integrated with Citibank's payment gateway for local-currency card transactions and PayPal for USD invoicing.
The platform is anchored by the MyList Gift Card, issued in physical and e-gift card formats denominated in AED and EGP (in fixed denominations of AED 1, 10, 50, 100, 200, 500), valid for 12 months, and accepted at over 400 partner store locations operated by more than 100 retail and service partners across the region. Notable partner integrations include Galeries Lafayette Dubai Mall, Apple, Calvin Klein, Lego, Chicco, Tavola, ACE Hardware Middle East, and Ashraf Electronics, and gift cards are additionally distributed through the GiftiGlobal.com marketplace. Mylist also provides complimentary in-person personal shopping assistance at partner stores to help customers build registries from full store inventory.
The company is organized as MyList FZ LLC under the Fujairah Media Free Zone in the UAE, with regional offices in Dubai (headquarters), Riyadh, and New Cairo, and is led by founder Julie Leblan. Revenue is generated entirely on a transaction-fee basis: a 15% administration fee on discounted purchases at select partner stores, revenue from gift card issuance and breakage, exceptional fees on redemptions at non-partner stores (UAE only), and replacement fees for lost or stolen cards. The registry itself is offered free to list owners with no processing fees, no minimum amounts, and no caps on the number of items, positioning Mylist as a two-sided aggregator monetizing through partner-side economics rather than consumer fees.
Mylist firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mylist
- Legal name
- MyList FZ LLC
- Website
- https://mylist.ae
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mylist is a Middle East online gift registry platform operating across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Bahrain, enabling consumers to create free wishlists for weddings, baby showers, and other occasions, with gift contributions redeemable as MyList Gift Cards across 400+ partner stores.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mylist industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Gift Registry
- NAICS
- Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420), Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Retailers (4583)
- SIC
- Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Group Gifting & Registry Fulfillment (HSACANAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wedding Registry & Gift Management (HSACABAO), Multi-Merchant / Shopping Mall Gift Cards (FSAMANAC), Digital Goods & Gift Card Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Mylist is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dubai
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices3 records
Markets served
Mylist business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Partner Store Transaction Revenue: MyList earns revenue when beneficiaries make purchases at partner stores using their List Account balance. The platform debits the retail price of goods and services from the beneficiary's List Account. For discounted purchases at select partner stores, an administration fee of 15% of the discounted retail price is charged.
- MyList Gift Card Sales: The company issues MyList Gift Cards (both physical and e-Gift Card formats) in various denominations. Gift cards can be reloaded with additional funds. Cards are accepted at all partner stores and represent a key revenue mechanism.
- Non-Partner Store Exceptional Fees: For purchases made at non-partner stores (available only in UAE), an Exceptional Fee is charged which is debited from the List Account. This provides a revenue stream from exceptions to the partner network.
- Lost/Stolen Card Replacement Fees: Replacement cards may be issued subject to a fee when cards are lost or stolen, providing additional revenue for administrative services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Registry Platform |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Mylist product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MyList operates a free online gift registry platform that lets consumers in the GCC region create wishlists for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, Eid, anniversaries, housewarming, and other occasions, then share them with gift givers worldwide. Contributions are processed through Citibank and PayPal, and recipients redeem them either as direct purchases at 400+ partner stores or via MyList Gift Cards (physical or e-Gift) in denominations of AED 1, 10, 50, 100, 200, or 500.
Product overview
MyList operates as a unified online gift registry platform with two primary components: the core registry service enabling users to create and manage wishlists for any occasion (weddings, baby showers, birthdays, Eid, anniversaries, housewarming, Christmas), and the MyList Gift Card system (available as physical cards and e-gift cards) that serves as the redemption mechanism at over 400 partner stores. The platform includes complimentary personal shopping assistance and a group gifting feature. The entire ecosystem is offered free to list owners with no processing fees for cash contributions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MyList Gift Registry Platform Free online gift registry service for consumers in the GCC, enabling users to create unlimited wishlists for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, Eid, anniversaries, housewarming, Christmas, and other occasions, share them with friends and family worldwide, and receive cash or item contributions.
- MyList Gift Card Stored-value gift card in physical and e-Gift Card formats, denominated in AED 1, 10, 50, 100, 200, or 500 (and EGP equivalents), valid for 12 months and redeemable at over 400 partner stores across the UAE, KSA, Oman, Egypt, and Bahrain.
- Personal Shopping Assistance Complimentary in-store service where MyList Gift Advisors meet customers at partner stores across the GCC to help build their registry from the store's full inventory and onboard them onto the platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free service with no processing fees for cash contributions
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Mylist
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mylist technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Mylist partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Galeries Lafayette Dubai MallcoreGaleries Lafayette Dubai Mall, the biggest department store in Dubai located in The Dubai Mall, is a key partner. The upscale multi-brand store offers fashion, home decor, electronics, and beauty products through the MyList platform. In 2009, Galeries Lafayette became the biggest department store in Dubai's largest shopping mall, conveying a renowned international reputation for quality, creativity, and uniqueness.
- GiftiGlobal.comcoreGiftiGlobal.com serves as the Partner Gift Card Market Place for MyList Gift Cards. MyList Gift Cards are available for purchase on the GiftiGlobal.com marketplace, extending MyList's distribution reach beyond its own website.
- TavolacoreTavola is a premium kitchenware and home products retailer with a significant presence on the MyList platform, offering 31+ items across small appliances and kitchen categories.
- Calvin KleinmajorCalvin Klein is featured among Top Brands on MyList, offering premium fashion and lifestyle products including fragrances, apparel, and accessories for wedding and occasion gift registries.
- ApplemajorApple products including iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and Apple Watches are featured prominently across electronics and popular gifts categories on the platform.
- Ace HardwaremajorACE Hardware Middle East is a home improvement and lifestyle retailer partner with multiple product listings across home categories including small appliances, home decor, and furniture.
- MSF (Medicines Sans Frontiers)minorMyList has established a partnership with MSF (Medicines Sans Frontiers). If a List Account balance is equal to or below AED 150 at the term of the Agreement, MyList will donate the remaining balance to MSF on behalf of the Beneficiary.
- CitibankcoreCitibank provides the secure payment gateway for online transactions on the MyList platform. Credit and debit card payments are processed through Citibank's secure server in local currency.
- PayPalcorePayPal serves as an alternative payment processor for MyList transactions. PayPal payments are invoiced in US Dollars (USD) with a multi-currency converter available before purchasing.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Mylist competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Raise: Online gift card marketplace where users can buy, sell, and redeem gift cards from numerous retailers. Shares MyList's gift card aggregation model and multi-retailer redemption infrastructure, though Raise focuses on secondary market gift card resale.
- MyRegistry.com: Universal gift registry platform that allows users to add gifts from any store to a single registry. Highly comparable to MyList's core model of aggregating products from multiple partner retailers into one gift list, though it operates globally rather than regionally.
- Gift Card Granny: Gift card marketplace aggregating discounted gift cards from multiple retailers. Comparable to MyList's gift card marketplace function and partner ecosystem, though operating in the US market with a discount-focused value proposition.
- Zola: Leading online wedding registry and planning platform offering cash funds, group gifting, and universal registry capabilities. Comparable to MyList in its registry-plus-gift-card aggregation model and group gifting functionality, with a focus on weddings.
- Honeyfund: Popular cash gift registry platform for honeymoons and weddings, enabling group contributions. Mirrors MyList's group gifting and cash contribution features, though focused primarily on cash funds rather than multi-retailer redemption.
Broad incumbents
- The Knot: Large-scale wedding planning platform with a robust registry component and broad brand recognition. Operates as a broad incumbent in the wedding and gifting space with greater scale and resources than MyList, though it does not focus on MENA markets.
- Amazon Gift List: E-commerce giant offering universal gift lists and gift card functionality. Competes with MyList in the gift registry space with massive scale, brand recognition, and logistics infrastructure, though it does not aggregate non-Amazon partner stores.
Regional players
- GiftiGlobal: Gift card marketplace that partners with MyList for distribution of MyList Gift Cards. Operates in adjacent gift card marketplace space across MENA, making it a comparable platform for gift card aggregation, though without the full registry functionality.
- Mumzworld: Leading MENA-based online retailer for mother, baby, and child products. Comparable to MyList as a regional e-commerce platform serving the same demographic and addressing baby shower and family gifting occasions, though focused on a single product vertical.
- Babylon (formerly WeddingWire MENA): Wedding planning and vendor marketplace operating in the MENA region. Comparable to MyList as a regional events platform serving the same customer base (couples and event celebrants), though Babylon focuses on vendor discovery rather than gift registries.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mylist social profiles
Digital presenceMylist financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mylist leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mylist funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mylist 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 Mylist
What does Mylist do?
MyList operates a free online gift registry platform that lets consumers in the GCC region create wishlists for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, Eid, anniversaries, housewarming, and other occasions, then share them with gift givers worldwide. Contributions are processed through Citibank and PayPal, and recipients redeem them either as direct purchases at 400+ partner stores or via MyList Gift Cards (physical or e-Gift) in denominations of AED 1, 10, 50, 100, 200, or 500.
Is Mylist a public or private company?
Mylist is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mylist founded?
Mylist was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mylist based?
Mylist is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Mylist make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Partner Store Transaction Revenue is the primary driver. The others are myList Gift Card Sales, non-Partner Store Exceptional Fees and lost/Stolen Card Replacement Fees.
Who are Mylist's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Raise, MyRegistry.com, Gift Card Granny, Zola and Honeyfund. Broad incumbents are The Knot and Amazon Gift List. Regional players are GiftiGlobal, Mumzworld and Babylon (formerly WeddingWire MENA).
Does Mylist have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mylist.
What industry is Mylist in?
Mylist's product category is Online Gift Registry. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACANAL, Group Gifting & Registry Fulfillment, with a secondary code of HSACABAO, Wedding Registry & Gift Management. Its NAICS code is 459420 and its SIC code is 5940.