UK payments enabler Guavapay joins the Lord Mayor’s Delegation to the Gulf Region promoting City of London
Representatives of UK payments enabler Guavapay 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.
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 (pictured) 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, Guavapay Group Managing Director, 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.
