Telr and Kema Team Up to Revolutionise B2B Payments in the Middle East

Dubai’s Telr, the long-established payments gateway, has struck a deal with fintech newcomer Kema in what could prove a pivotal move for businesses trying to make sense of B2B payments. On paper, this isn’t just another partnership announcement—there’s a real attempt here to shake up how companies in the Middle East handle cash flow, invoicing, and cross-border payments.

Telr, founded back in 2014, already processes transactions in more than 120 currencies and 30 languages. With a firm regulatory footing thanks to its UAE Central Bank Retail Payment Services licence, the company has become a familiar name for e-commerce outfits that want everything from Visa and Mastercard to Apple Pay or even regional favourites like STC Pay. Kema, meanwhile, is very much the new kid on the block, launching in 2023 and targeting SMEs that get bogged down in slow collections and messy receivables.

By bringing the two platforms together, businesses using Kema will be able to send out invoices that come with embedded, consumer-style payment links powered by Telr. The idea is simple but powerful: turn every static invoice into a checkout page. According to Kema’s CEO Michael Ghandour, this model has already shifted more than $2.5 million in B2B card payments, with the company eyeing a plan to double that figure in the coming year. He also claims their system cuts late payments by 60% and spares finance teams countless hours of reminders and reconciliations. Sounds spot on, though of course, the proof will be in the pudding.

Khalil Alami, who heads Telr, spoke of the tie-up as a way of offering merchants both strong security and competitive rates, while neatly folding in compliance requirements. He pointed out that the blend of Telr’s deep payments infrastructure and Kema’s workflow automation should allow small businesses to scale their operations without getting tangled in financial admin. And believe it or not, Kema has also built plug-ins to nearly all the popular accounting suites—QuickBooks, Xero, Microsoft Dynamics, Odoo, and a few more—which could be a game changer for SMEs who can’t afford complex integrations.

From where I sit, it feels as though this partnership addresses one of the nagging issues we often hear about during Arageek’s chats with founders in the region: B2B payments are clunky, slow, and frankly, a bit of a faff. Tools that smooth that process, especially while remaining fully regulated, are desperately needed. That said, I reckon some sceptical CFOs won’t give up their tried-and-tested banking channels too easily, no matter how sleek the new systems appear.

Still, for entrepreneurs worrying about liquidity, this could act as a lifeline. My first thought when I saw this was of a small logistics startup I’d spoken with in Cairo last year—they were perpetually chasing late invoices and losing morale. Solutions like Kema’s, powered by Telr’s infrastructure, might have spared them a few headaches. If it works as advertised, SMEs across MENA may soon find their invoicing and payments a lot less…well, messy. Or at least a little less of a time-sink.

In short, while fintech tie-ups often sound glitzy, this one might actually have some teeth. It’s not just lofty talk about the “future of payments”—there are tangible tools that could move the needle. And for the region’s smaller businesses, that’s definately worth watching.

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