Weyay Bank

What Weyay Bank does

Weyay Bank is Kuwait's first fully digital bank, launched in 2021 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). Operating exclusively through a mobile application on iOS and Android with no physical branches, Weyay enables end-to-end digital onboarding via selfie and Kuwait Mobile ID or Civil ID, removing traditional paperwork and branch visits. Its core product suite includes digital account opening, salary and allowance transfers, the country's first digital loans for salaried customers, a savings 'Saving Pot' feature, and a multi-tiered card portfolio spanning Jeel (children/youth), SELECT (premium), Weyay AURA (prepaid), Multicurrency, and Prepaid cards, each with associated rewards programs.

The bank's go-to-market is product-led growth, acquiring Kuwaiti youth, students, and salaried individuals through the mobile app, social media (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn), and strategic partnerships with universities (via the Private Universities Council) and telecom (stc Weyay store). Weyay monetizes through interest income on digital loans (priced under Central Bank of Kuwait guidelines), card-related fees and interchange, transaction-based fees on salary and allowance transfers, and rewards/loyalty partnership revenue. Backed by NBK's distribution, brand credibility, and regulatory license, Weyay has expanded into adjacent verticals including children's banking and consumer wellness content, and has extended its reach through NEXUS 2025 sponsorship and lifestyle partnerships such as the Nafas Wellness Center collaboration.

Name

Weyay Bank

Legal name

National Bank of Kuwait S.A.K.P.

Website

https://weyaybank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Weyay Bank is Kuwait's first fully digital bank and a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Bank of Kuwait, serving youth, students, salaried individuals, and children through a mobile-only platform offering accounts, digital loans, cards, and rewards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Banking

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (522180)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Retail Banking (Online & Mobile) (FSABAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings) (FSABAAAA), Student & Youth Banking (FSABAAAH)

Keywords

• Digital banking
• Mobile banking
• Consumer banking
• Prepaid cards
• Digital loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuwait

HQ country

Kuwait

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income on Digital Loans: Weyay offers digital loans to salaried customers in Kuwait. Interest rates follow Central Bank of Kuwait guidelines and reflect market conditions and risk. The bank is transparent about interest rates so customers know the exact cost of loans.
2. Card Fees and Services: Revenue generated from multicurrency cards, prepaid cards, and the Weyay AURA card, including SELECT rewards and Jeel card services.
3. Salary and Allowance Transfer Services: Processing fees and value-added services related to salary and allowance transfers for customers.
4. Rewards and Loyalty Program: Rewards program including Weyay Rewards, SELECT Rewards, and Jeel Rewards, potentially generating interchange and partnership revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Weyay Bank is Kuwait's first fully digital, branchless bank delivering retail banking services entirely through a mobile application. It offers digital accounts, prepaid and multicurrency cards (Jeel, SELECT, AURA, Multicurrency, Prepaid), digital personal loans, salary and allowance transfers, savings tools, and a rewards program for students, youth, and salaried individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jeel: Banking card and rewards program for children and youth.
• SELECT
• Weyay AURA
• Weyay Multicurrency

Products and services

• Weyay Digital Bank Account A branchless, mobile-first retail banking account opened entirely through the Weyay smartphone app, enabling digital signup, salary and allowance transfers, savings pots, and access to the full Weyay card and loan product range. Targeted at students, youth, and salaried individuals in Kuwait.
• Weyay Jeel Card

Quantifiable outcome

• First digital loans for salaried customers in Kuwait
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Secretariat General of the Private Universities Council (PUC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2026Weyay Bank announced a strategic partnership with the Secretariat General of the Private Universities Council (PUC) under the 'Create Your Future' campaign, aimed at helping students explore educational and career options aligned with job market demands. The partnership includes plans for events, workshops, and joint activities across various locations to guide students in making informed academic and professional decisions. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to expanding collaboration to empower young people throughout their academic journey.
• Nafas Wellness CenterminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 April 2026Weyay Bank partnered with Nafas Wellness Center in celebration of World Health Day to promote customer mental and physical well-being. The collaboration includes producing educational videos on breathing techniques and stress management distributed across Weyay's social media channels, as well as exclusive fitness discounts at partner gyms in Kuwait. The partnership targets customers of all ages, including children, and reflects Weyay's commitment to customer wellness beyond traditional banking services.
• National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2025National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and Weyay jointly announced their sponsorship of NEXUS 2025, an event designed to drive innovation and digital transformation in the Kuwaiti banking sector. The event brings together industry leaders and innovators to explore the future of banking. NBK is the parent company of Weyay Bank.
• stc (Kuwait)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWeyay Bank operates an stc Weyay store, a retail partnership with Kuwait's stc telecom company, providing an additional distribution channel for Weyay products and services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• N26: N26 is a globally scaled digital-only retail bank with paperless onboarding, app-based card management, and youth-targeted marketing — a close functional peer for Weyay's mobile-led, branchless operating model.
• Mashreq Neo: Mashreq Neo is the digital banking arm of UAE-based Mashreq Bank, offering a branchless, app-first account experience with rewards, multicurrency features, and youth-targeted marketing — analogous to Weyay within NBK.
• Zand (by Mbank & Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank): Zand is a UAE digital-only bank built on a banking license, offering digital accounts, payments, and SME/business banking through a fully mobile platform — a regional digital-bank peer with a similar regulated-bank foundation.
• stc Bank: Saudi Arabia's stc Bank is a digital-first bank co-created with a telecom (stc), directly parallel to Weyay's stc Weyay retail-partnership model in Kuwait. It targets youth/salaried customers via mobile app with digital onboarding and cards.
• Liv (by Emirates NBD): Liv is the GCC's most comparable digital-only retail bank, launched by Emirates NBD in 2017 to serve young, mobile-first customers with paperless onboarding, lifestyle rewards, and digital cards — closely mirroring Weyay's product-led, branchless model.

Broad incumbents

• Revolut: Revolut is the global benchmark for mobile-first, multi-product digital banking (accounts, multicurrency cards, rewards, lending) — a useful global functional analogue to Weyay's product architecture and growth ambition.
• Kuwait Finance House (KFH): KFH is Kuwait's largest Islamic bank and a broad incumbent across retail, corporate, and wealth; its scale, brand, and growing digital footprint make it the dominant in-market competitor to Weyay's youth/salaried positioning.

Regional players

• Boubyan Bank: Boubyan is one of Kuwait's leading Islamic retail banks and a primary domestic competitor; it has invested in digital channels and serves a similar youth/salaried customer base in the same Kuwaiti market.
• Gulf Bank (Kuwait): Gulf Bank is a major Kuwaiti retail incumbent actively expanding its digital offering; it competes for the same salaried and youth segments Weyay targets, and represents the in-market incumbent digital threat.

Emerging players

• YAP: YAP is a GCC-focused emerging digital banking platform offering app-based accounts, cards, and remittances — comparable in its mobile-first, paperless-onboarding approach aimed at younger underbanked customers in the region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/weyaybank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYNB36X4jTH56nAAq8tCetA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weyay-bank
• Instagraminstagram.com/weyaybank
• TikToktiktok.com/@weyaybank
• Facebookfacebook.com/Weyay-Bank-100075932084788

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Weyay Bank