liwwa
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersAmman, Jordan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What liwwa does
liwwa is a Jordanian fintech founded in 2013 that operates a Sharia-compliant SME lending platform, originating Murabaha, working capital, point-of-sale, check discounting, invoice discounting, and merchant cash advance loans to small and medium enterprises. Its core technical asset is a proprietary credit scoring engine built on a Cox Proportional Hazard survival model, which combines machine learning with industry expertise to assess borrowers across three dimensions—borrower profile, business profile, and financial position—producing 0-10 credit scores translated into A-D risk grades, and supporting an automated accept/reject workflow for sub-JOD 25,000 loans. The company has used this platform to originate 2,646 loans to 1,010 businesses in Jordan, with cumulative direct lending exceeding $100 million and total underwriting of approximately $150 million.
The business model is anchored on transaction-based service fees ranging from 2.00% to 3.75% on successful borrower payments, depending on loan tenor, and the company has progressively shifted its funding base from retail investors toward bank and development finance institution (DFI) balance sheets. Following the closure of its retail investor marketplace in July 2023, 85%+ of new originations are financed through local bank partners (Capital Bank, Bank al Ethihad, Arab Bank, Jordan Kuwait Bank) and international DFIs (FMO, Proparco, Triodos, Triple Jump, DEG, DFC). liwwa has also commercialized its credit technology as Underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS) in partnership with Capital Bank of Jordan, and has expanded into Egypt via a holding company licensed under the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA).
liwwa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- liwwa
- Legal name
- liwwa, Inc.
- Website
- https://liwwa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
liwwa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- SME Lending (Peer-to-Peer)
- NAICS
- Credit Bureaus (561450), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Loan Brokers (6163), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Islamic SME & Commercial Banking (FSABAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Shariah-compliant Financing Products (Murabaha, Ijara, Tawarruq, Istisna, Salam) (FSABAGAH)
Keywords
Where liwwa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amman
- HQ country
- Jordan
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
liwwa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Loan Service Fees: liwwa generates revenue through a service fee charged on successful loan payments from borrowers. The fee is visible to investors for each loan. The fee structure varies by loan tenor: 2% for 6-month loans, 3.28% for 9-month loans, and 3.75% for 12-month loans. liwwa only receives its service fee when borrowers make their scheduled repayments, aligning incentives with investors.
- Underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS): liwwa provides Underwriting-as-a-Service to bank partners like Capital Bank of Jordan, enabling the company to earn fees by licensing its credit assessment technology and underwriting capabilities to traditional financial institutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 6-month Murabaha loan with 2% service fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 9-month Murabaha loan with 3.28% service fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 12-month Murabaha loan with 3.75% service fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
liwwa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
liwwa is a fintech lending platform that provides Sharia-compliant and conventional business loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan and Egypt. Its loan products include Murabaha financing, working capital loans, point-of-sale (POS) loans, check discounting, invoice discounting, and merchant cash advances, all underwritten using a proprietary survival-analysis credit model. The company also licenses its underwriting technology to banks via Underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS).
Product overview
liwwa operates a peer-to-peer SME lending marketplace with multiple loan products including Murabaha (Sharia-compliant), Working Capital, POS loans, Check Discounting, Invoice Discounting, and Merchant Cash Advance. The platform connects SME borrowers seeking capital with investors, offering credit assessment through a proprietary Cox Proportional Hazard Model. The platform closed to new retail investment in July 2023 but continues lending operations. liwwa also offers Underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS) as a modular add-on for partner financial institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Murabaha Loan Sharia-compliant loan product that finances fixed assets and trade finance for SMEs, using a cost-plus structure (fixed markup replaces interest). Reviewed by Ministry of Awqaf scholars in Jordan.
- Working Capital Loan Financing product that helps SMEs cover operating expenses such as payroll, rent, and operational costs to manage cash-flow gaps during slow business seasons.
- Point of Sale (POS) Loan Loan product based on a business's proven sales via point-of-sale (POS) machines, using card payment data to project future revenues for loan repayment.
- Check Discounting Provides instant cash for businesses by discounting checks received from customers for future payment dates, enabling businesses to maintain operations without waiting for customer payments.
- Invoice Discounting Provides businesses with cash today against invoices billed to customers for future dates, similar to check discounting but for invoiced transactions.
- Merchant Cash Advance Working capital financing based on a business's proven sales via point-of-sale machines, using credit/debit card payment data to project future revenues for loan repayment.
- Underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS) White-label underwriting platform that allows partner financial institutions to leverage liwwa's proprietary credit assessment technology and underwriting capabilities to support their own SME lending operations.
- liwwa Marketplace (P2P Investment Platform) Online peer-to-peer marketplace that connects SME borrowers seeking capital with individual and institutional investors; continues to service existing loans and investor portfolios.
Quantifiable outcome
- Median investor return of 13.2% with historical range of 9.18% - 16.12%
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use liwwa
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
liwwa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
liwwa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Capital Bank of Jordan (UaaS)coreStrategic partnership for Underwriting-as-a-Service, where liwwa provides its proprietary credit assessment technology and underwriting capabilities to Capital Bank, enabling the bank to enhance its SME lending operations
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
liwwa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Yomken: Egyptian crowdfunding and SME financing platform — emerging player in Egypt's alternative finance ecosystem with overlap on SME funding use cases.
- Lucky Credit: Egyptian fintech offering consumer and SME micro-lending via mobile — emerging player in the same Egyptian underbanked credit segment where liwwa is expanding.
- MoneyFellows: Egyptian fintech digitizing traditional money circles/rotating savings — emerging alternative finance platform in the same Egyptian market targeting similar underbanked demographics.
Direct peers
- Khazna: Egyptian fintech offering salary advances, micro-lending, and SME financing through a digital platform — directly comparable alternative lender serving underbanked segments with technology-driven underwriting.
- MNT-Halan: Egyptian fintech providing lending, payments, and financial services to underbanked SMEs and consumers — directly comparable alternative lending model targeting Egypt's underbanked SME segment where liwwa is expanding.
- valU: Egyptian BNPL and consumer/SME financing platform by EFG Finance — comparable Egyptian fintech offering technology-enabled credit products to underbanked consumers and merchants.
- Funding Souq (formerly Beehive): UAE-based peer-to-peer SME lending marketplace connecting businesses with investors — directly comparable P2P lending model in the same MENA region with similar Sharia-compatible offerings and focus on SME financing.
Broad incumbents
- Arab Bank: Major MENA bank with SME lending operations and a key financing partner of liwwa — broad incumbent that is simultaneously a partner and a competitor in Jordanian SME banking.
- Fawry: Egypt's largest electronic payments network serving SMEs and consumers — broad incumbent in Egyptian fintech with adjacent SME finance and bill payment services overlapping liwwa's Egyptian footprint.
- Commercial International Bank (CIB) Egypt: Largest private-sector bank in Egypt with active SME lending franchise — broad incumbent that competes with and could partner with liwwa in the Egyptian SME credit market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
liwwa social profiles
Digital presenceliwwa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
liwwa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
liwwa subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
liwwa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
liwwa 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 liwwa
What does liwwa do?
liwwa is a fintech lending platform that provides Sharia-compliant and conventional business loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan and Egypt. Its loan products include Murabaha financing, working capital loans, point-of-sale (POS) loans, check discounting, invoice discounting, and merchant cash advances, all underwritten using a proprietary survival-analysis credit model. The company also licenses its underwriting technology to banks via Underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS).
Is liwwa a public or private company?
liwwa is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was liwwa founded?
liwwa was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is liwwa based?
liwwa is headquartered in Amman, Jordan, in the Middle East region.
How does liwwa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Loan Service Fees are the primary driver. The others are underwriting-as-a-Service (UaaS).
Who are liwwa's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Yomken, Lucky Credit and MoneyFellows. Direct peers are Khazna, MNT-Halan, valU and Funding Souq (formerly Beehive). Broad incumbents are Arab Bank, Fawry and Commercial International Bank (CIB) Egypt.
Does liwwa have an API?
No public API is recorded for liwwa.
What industry is liwwa in?
liwwa's product category is SME Lending (Peer-to-Peer). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAGAB, Islamic SME & Commercial Banking, with a secondary code of FSABAGAH, Shariah-compliant Financing Products (Murabaha, Ijara, Tawarruq, Istisna, Salam). Its NAICS code is 561450 and its SIC code is 6163.