Local
500 Global '25Dubai, AE · 1,475 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Find your way into Local
533 people in our graph share verified history with the Local team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Joan Mirallesunlockedknows Abinesh Kanagaraj · together at Esade (overlapped)
×5knows the team · via The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
knows the team · via University of Cambridge
×4knows the team · via Cambridge Judge Business School
knows the team · via The University of Western Australia
Local is a UAE-based payments company offering QR code-based transactions. It targets merchants that serve customers in person and aims to complete a payment in roughly ten seconds.
Founders & leadership
AK
Abinesh KanagarajinFounder’s Associate2026–2026He brings over seven years of strategy and operations experience from roles at startups including Simpl, AskRia, and Accenture, alongside graduate degrees from Cambridge's Judge Business School (MBA) and ESADE (MSc Finance).
AF
Ali FarooqinCo-FounderHe has also founded Local Media Group, which operates regional online media outlets, and is a partner at RBW Group, which invests in fintech and media ventures across the GCC.
KM
Kareem Mokhtar
SA
Saad AhmadinFounder
Investors · 1
Frequently asked questions
- What does Local do?
- Local is a UAE-based payments company offering QR code-based transactions. It targets merchants that serve customers in person and aims to complete a payment in roughly ten seconds.
- Who founded Local?
- Local was founded by Abinesh Kanagaraj, Ali Farooq, Kareem Mokhtar, Saad Ahmad.
- Who are Local's investors?
- Local's investors include 500 Global.
- Where is Local headquartered?
- Local is headquartered in Dubai, AE.