NAYLA Finance

What NAYLA Finance does

NAYLA Finance is a Saudi Arabian closed joint-stock company, licensed by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) under microfinance license 99/A Sh/202504, that provides Sharia-compliant working-capital financing of SAR 20,000 to SAR 100,000 to micro enterprises (annual revenues ≤ SAR 3 million, ≤ 5 full-time employees) and freelancers. Its target sectors include retail, food and beverage, beauty, e-commerce, logistics, and personal services, and the company positions itself as addressing the financing gap that sole proprietors face from traditional Saudi banks, which typically require collateral, guarantors, and extensive documentation. The product is delivered as a fully digital, self-serve platform accessed through portal.naylafinance.com, with a four-step journey (account creation in ~1 minute via mobile number and Absher OTP, online application in 2–5 minutes, automated review, and disbursement to the borrower's business account). Underwriting is run through a proprietary "tailored scoring system" that the company says evaluates micro-enterprise potential and cash-flow signals using a 12-month bank statement and SIMAH bureau data, rather than traditional credit history; digital contracting and e-signature complete the workflow, and repayments are collected via the SADAD system.

The revenue model is a transactional markup on disbursed financing: a 2–3% monthly profit margin (an illustrative APR of ~61.53% on a SAR 50,000 / 6-month example) plus a 3% administrative fee, with terms capped at six months and ticket sizes up to SAR 100,000. The company is funded by a $4 million round led by Sanabil Venture Studio in March 2025 and has paid-up capital of SAR 10 million; operations are 100% digital with no physical branches beyond a Riyadh head office, and the go-to-market motion is product-led growth through the website, portal, social media, and Vision 2030-aligned PR. The five-person board combines senior Saudi banking veterans (including a chairman who founded three Saudi banks and a director who previously managed a SAR 20B+ portfolio at Banque Saudi Fransi) with risk expertise drawn from GE Capital, Al Ahli Bank, Emkan, and Hala Finance, supported by the Sanabel Studio venture-building partnership.

Name

NAYLA Finance

Legal name

Nayla Finance Company (شركة نايلة للتمويل)

Website

https://naylafinance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NAYLA Finance is a SAMA-licensed Saudi digital microfinance company that provides Sharia-compliant financing of up to SAR 100,000 to micro enterprises and freelancers via a fully digital, automated platform with tailored credit scoring.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Microfinance Profit/Markup: Nayla generates revenue through profit margins (ربح) on financing provided to micro enterprises. The monthly profit margin ranges between 2% and 3%, with an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of approximately 61.53%. Administrative fees of 3% are charged on financing amounts. Loans range from SAR 20,000 to SAR 100,000 with repayment periods up to 6 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NAYLA Finance provides Sharia-compliant, fully digital microfinance to Saudi micro-enterprises and freelancers, offering financing from SAR 20,000 up to SAR 100,000 with repayment periods of up to 6 months, collected monthly via SADAD. The end-to-end digital journey — from mobile-number-based account opening and Absher OTP verification to automated credit review and e-signature — is supported by a proprietary tailored scoring model that assesses business potential rather than traditional credit history, with no guarantor or collateral required.

Product overview

NAYLA Finance operates as a single-platform digital microfinance company offering financing solutions exclusively for micro enterprises in Saudi Arabia. The core product is a digital microfinance platform that enables fast, Sharia-compliant financing up to 100,000 SAR with repayment periods up to 6 months. The platform is complemented by a customer portal for account management and an integrated credit calculator for payment estimation. All services are designed for sole proprietors and freelancers with annual revenues below 3 million SAR and fewer than 5 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NAYLA Digital Microfinance A digital microfinance platform providing Sharia-compliant financing from SAR 20,000 up to SAR 100,000 for Saudi micro-enterprises (annual revenues ≤ SAR 3 million, ≤ 5 employees) and freelancers, with repayment periods up to 6 months, a monthly profit margin of 2%–3%, and a 3% administrative fee. Customers apply online and funds are disbursed directly to their business bank accounts.
• NAYLA Customer Portal A web-based self-serve portal (portal.naylafinance.com) where customers create an account using their mobile number, complete Absher-based OTP authentication, submit online applications and supporting documentation (12 months of bank statements), track application and approval status, digitally sign financing contracts, and manage their ongoing NAYLA financing relationship.

Quantifiable outcome

• Financing disbursed within a few days of approval (vs. months with traditional banks)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lendo: Lendo is a Saudi Arabia-based P2P lending marketplace that connects SMEs with investors, providing Sharia-compliant working capital financing. It is the most direct peer to NAYLA given overlapping customer segment (Saudi SMEs/micro-businesses), digital platform model, and Sharia-compliant positioning.
• Emkan Finance: Emkan is a SAMA-licensed Saudi fintech providing Sharia-compliant BNPL and SME financing solutions. NAYLA's CRO previously worked at Emkan, underscoring the shared micro-enterprise underwriting playbook and competitive overlap.
• Hala Finance: Hala Finance is a Saudi fintech offering BNPL and small-business financing through digital rails. Its focus on underbanked Saudi SMEs and freelancers closely mirrors NAYLA's target customer and product-led growth motion.
• Beehive: Beehive is a UAE-based P2P lending platform providing Sharia-compliant financing to SMEs. It is a regional peer with comparable digital lending infrastructure, target segment (MENA SMEs), and underwriting approach.
• Funding Souq: Funding Souq is a MENA fintech lending marketplace that connects SMEs with capital providers across the GCC. It overlaps with NAYLA on digital SME lending, Sharia-compliant structures, and the small-ticket working-capital use case.

Emerging players

• Tamara: Tamara is a Saudi BNPL heavyweight now expanding into merchant and SME financing. While its core product is consumer BNPL, its push into seller financing and SMB solutions makes it an emerging competitive threat in NAYLA's orbit.
• Tabby: Tabby is a UAE-founded BNPL fintech with strong Saudi presence and is increasingly extending into merchant-side working capital products. Its digital-first DNA and Saudi user base make it a credible emerging competitor for NAYLA's SMB segment.

Others

• Lean Technologies: Lean Technologies is a Saudi open-banking API infrastructure provider enabling lenders to access bank data for credit decisions. It is an enabling/ecosystem peer that could power NAYLA's underwriting or compete indirectly via bank-led SME offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Al Rajhi Bank: Al Rajhi Bank is Saudi Arabia's largest bank and a major Sharia-compliant lender with established SME financing products. It is the dominant incumbent against which NAYLA competes for the same micro-enterprise financing demand.

Regional players

• Raqamyah: Raqamyah is a UAE-based digital marketplace lending platform focused on SME working capital. It is a regional peer with comparable digital SME lending model, though its primary geography is the UAE rather than Saudi Arabia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NaylaFinance

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NAYLA Finance