FOO and eNovate Launch Rize: Egypt’s First Student-Centric Finance App

Editorial Team

Last updated 11-11-2025

3 min

FOO and eNovate launched *Rize*, Egypt's first mobile app for university students.

Rize integrates digital ID, mobile wallet, and bill payments into one platform.

The app features gaming and financial tools, appealing to Gen Z's habits.

FOO and eNovate ensure secure payment systems and compliance within Egypt.

Rize aims to promote financial literacy and digital inclusion for Egypt's youth.

It’s not every day that a fintech partnership catches your eye, but this one did. FOO, a UAE-based SaaS provider best known for its slick digital transformation work, has teamed up with eNovate, a subsidiary of Egypt’s eFinance Investment Group, to launch *Rize* — the country’s first mobile app designed purely for university students. And believe it or not, it’s not just another digital wallet.

The app puts everything — from a student’s digital ID to a mobile wallet and bill payments — into one tidy mobile platform. Students can top up, pay, and even access their universities using a digital student card that doubles as an official ID. For those who’ve ever lost a plastic card mid-semester (we’ve all been there), that’s one less headache.

What’s clever is how Rize wraps essential financial tools around a lifestyle bent. There’s even an integrated gaming feature where users can buy in-game cards and content — a clear nod to Gen Z habits. I reckon it’s spot on, given how this age group blurs the line between digital fun and daily finance.

Behind the scenes, FOO handled the app’s architecture and user experience, while eNovate took charge of secure payment integration, leveraging Egypt’s national infrastructure. The app’s data sits on eFinance’s local cloud — keeping it fully compliant and homegrown. As someone who’s seen plenty of startups struggle with regulatory faff, that’s no small feat.

Ghady Rayess, FOO’s Managing Director, highlighted eNovate’s role as Egypt’s only government-certified card processor, saying the partnership guarantees the right blend of scalability and security. Nashwa Kamel, CEO of eNovate, sounded equally upbeat, noting how this marks a shift from mere card production to what she called “full digital banking experiences.” To me, that signals a bigger ambition brewing behind this project — something beyond student perks.

Rize will soon roll out a loyalty programme, letting users earn points and rewards for smart financial habits. It’s an effort to make financial literacy a bit more interactive — and frankly, in a world where banking terms often sound like another language, that’s refreshing.

This move also supports Egypt’s broader push for digital inclusion among its youth. It ties up rather nicely with the trend we’ve seen across MENA, where fintechs target younger users as the gateway to a cashless future. Here at Arageek, we’ve often seen how small shifts like this — a student wallet, a digital ID — set off ripple effects in the startup ecosystem.

On the flip side, maintaining engagement will be the real test. After all, students are a tough crowd. But if Rize keeps innovating while staying relevant on campus, it could well become the blueprint for other nations eyeing student-centric fintech solutions.

It’s early days yet, but I’m quite chuffed to bits seeing such collaboration emerge from the region. It reminds me why we at Arageek keep telling the stories of startups that dare to bridge tech and everyday life — sometimes, that’s where real progress begins.

(And yes, that single app could mean one less queue at the registrar… definately a win in my book.)

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