Mastercard and CredibleX Empower UAE SMEs with New Card-Based Financing Initiative

It looks like the UAE’s small business scene is about to get a bit of a boost. CredibleX has teamed up with Mastercard in a new deal aimed squarely at helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the Emirates access working capital through card-based solutions. The idea’s simple enough: if small firms can get funding more easily, they can manage their operations and growth without the usual headaches of bank paperwork.

CredibleX, which offers embedded financing and falls under the Abu Dhabi Global Markets regulatory framework, already carries multiple licences (Categories 2, 3, and 4). The new collaboration allows the company to bring in an incremental payments system to make card use more attractive to MSMEs. This means their business clients can now use credit through these issued cards to cover things like supplier bills, staff wages, or day-to-day overheads — areas where cash flow tends to pinch the hardest.

J.K. Khalil, who serves as Executive Vice President and Division President for East Arabia at Mastercard, described small businesses as “the backbone of all economies” and underscored how the partnership aligns with Mastercard’s broader push for digital inclusion. He pointed out that working with CredibleX should open new routes to financing for these firms, helping them scale in a more sustainable way.

On the other side, CredibleX’s co‑founder and Chief Risk Officer, Ahmad Malik, said the collaboration reflects a belief that true inclusion “begins when we look beyond balance sheets” and focus on the actual human stories behind small business ventures. He’s not wrong; sometimes the difference between a local café surviving or shutting its doors comes down to whether someone takes a chance on a flexible line of credit.

This isn’t the first time these two have crossed paths, by the way. Earlier this year, CredibleX joined Mastercard’s Start Path programme for fintech startups — a global initiative designed to connect rising tech firms with mentorship and resources. Around the same time, it became the first platform in the MENA region to use Mastercard’s Small Business Credit Analytics score. So, this fresh MSME card scheme feels like a natural next step in what’s turning into quite a solid rapport.

The UAE government’s aim to expand its SME base to a million businesses by 2030 means moves like this one couldn’t be more timely. Small firms already contribute over 63% of the country’s non‑oil GDP, so even a modest lift in financial tools could ripple widely. From what I’ve seen in conversations around Arageek’s own startup community, entrepreneurs here are crying out for easier access to quick, responsible funding — and this could be one answer.

Still, I reckon it’ll take some time before card-based working capital truly catches on. Old habits die hard, and many business owners remain wary of managing credit through new fintech tools. That said, once it clicks — once they see how much smoother cash flow becomes — they’ll likely be chuffed to bits.

If nothing else, this partnership shows fintech in the region isn’t just about flashy apps or hype. It’s about getting money moving where it matters most — in the hands of those building the businesses that keep the economy ticking along. And honestly, that’s spot on for what the UAE’s evolving SME ecosystem needs right now… even if rolling it out turns out to be a bit of a faff at first.

(There, done and dusted — or should I say, most definatley done.)

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