Halal Food Delivery Platform Zabihah Announces Merger with Fintech Startup River

Zabihah, the US-based halal discovery and delivery platform, has announced its merger with River, a rapidly growing US-based fintech infrastructure provider specialising in compliant, cross-border payments and global financial technology.

As part of the merger, Zabihah will transition into the consumer brand and user gateway to the halal economy, now powered by River’s payments infrastructure. This move aims to redefine Zabihah’s role in the digital halal landscape, expanding it beyond restaurant discovery into a comprehensive halal commerce and payments ecosystem.

Following the merger, Zabihah co-leader Arman Khwaja will join River as Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer, while Zabihah founder Shahed Amanullah will oversee Zabihah’s transformation into a leading halal payments platform within the River family.

Since its founding in 1998, Zabihah has grown from a handful of halal listings to a trusted community resource, thanks to user contributions and, more recently, the leadership of Arman Khwaja.

“River gives us the fintech backbone to supercharge our e-commerce and delivery strategy, with the ultimate goal of being a global halal wallet tying together global commerce. In turn, Zabihah will be creating channels for River to cement its place as a leader in seamless global digital transactions between 30 countries and growing,” said Shahed Amanullah, who founded Zabihah in 1998.

The combined entity is set to develop the world’s first full-spectrum halal commerce platform, covering everything from restaurant and retail discovery to e-commerce, delivery, and compliant international remittance.