# Foodics backs Funding Souq, SALIC moves grain, barq takes Beyon

> Three Saudi moves from 11 to 13 October: a restaurant-data lending tie-up, a grain consolidation and a fintech merger.

Saudi deal log, 13 Oct 2026. By Ali Asif. News and my own view, not investment advice.

## My take

All three come down to owning the relationship first. Funding Souq lends against Foodics till data, barq takes on Beyon Money's customers and licences, and SALIC puts sourcing, silos and distribution under one owner.

## What moved

1. **Funding Souq secures a strategic investment from Foodics** (Funding Souq, Venture): Investors: Foodics. The amount is not disclosed. What matters is the design: Funding Souq will lend to Foodics restaurant merchants and use their sales data to assess credit, in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. [Primary source](https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/companies-news/funding-souq-secures-strategic-investment-from-foodics-to-expand-embedded-financing-in-saudi-arabia-and-the-uae-1617055)
2. **SALIC transfers National Grain Co. to SABIL after taking the remaining 50%** (SALIC, Sovereign and funds): Investors: SALIC. SALIC bought the other half of National Grain Co. and moved it under its subsidiary SABIL, which already runs the strategic wheat reserve and silo network. Price not disclosed. [Primary source](https://www.world-grain.com/articles/23324-salic-transfers-national-grain-co-ownership-to-sabil)
3. **barq Group agrees to fold Beyon Money into its fintech platform** (barq Group, M&A): Investors: barq Group. Beyon Money's operations combine with barq and Beyon keeps an economic interest in barq. Final documents, regulatory approvals and closing conditions are still to come, and no value is given. [Primary source](https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/companies-news/barq-group-signs-landmark-deal-with-beyon-bringing-beyon-money-into-a-broader-hero-fintech-platform-1554488)

A quiet three days by headline size, and more useful for it. None of these deals will move an index, but together they show where Saudi capital is going this month: toward whoever already holds the merchant.

## Funding Souq and Foodics

No amount was disclosed, so I won't guess one. The structure is clear enough. Foodics already sees the daily sales of a large number of restaurants. Funding Souq is regulated and lends. Put the two together and the credit file writes itself from till data instead of bank statements. The release covers both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

## SALIC and SABIL

SALIC, owned by the Public Investment Fund, acquired the remaining 50% of National Grain Co. and handed it to SABIL, the subsidiary that now manages the strategic wheat reserve and the silo network. National Grain Co. keeps its own legal identity and its international sourcing business. The stated aim is one chain from sourcing to storage to distribution, in support of food security goals. Price was not disclosed.

## barq and Beyon Money

barq Group signed at FinTech Forward 2026 in Manama to bring Beyon Money into its platform, with Beyon keeping an economic interest in barq. It still needs final documentation and regulatory approvals. The barq side described Beyon Money's licences as a regulated base for new markets, which tells you what they are really buying.

## What I'd watch next

Whether Funding Souq publishes a first lending number from the Foodics merchants, and whether barq names a closing date.

## Sources

- https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/companies-news/funding-souq-secures-strategic-investment-from-foodics-to-expand-embedded-financing-in-saudi-arabia-and-the-uae-1617055
- https://www.world-grain.com/articles/23324-salic-transfers-national-grain-co-ownership-to-sabil
- https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/companies-news/barq-group-signs-landmark-deal-with-beyon-bringing-beyon-money-into-a-broader-hero-fintech-platform-1554488

Canonical: https://heyaliasif.com/deals/2026-10-13-foodics-funding-souq-salic-barq