RIYADH: Across the Middle East and North Africa, homegrown fintechs are addressing financial exclusion from two entirely different starting points, and two platforms illustrate that divide well: Valu in Egypt, and Arib in Saudi Arabia.
Valu is an Egyptian buy now, pay later and consumer finance platform that gives customers a revolving credit limit for purchases across retail, healthcare, education, and other categories.
Arib is a licensed Saudi digital financing broker that lets customers compare and access financing options from multiple banks and finance companies through a single online journey.
In Egypt, where a large share of adults have never held a bank account, platforms like Valu are building credit access from the ground up.
In Saudi Arabia, where consumers are already banked and digitally fluent, the challenge is helping them navigate an increasingly crowded field of financing options.
