UPFRONT and CredibleX Partner to Simplify SME Financing with Real-Time Data

Editorial Team

Last updated 27-01-2026

3 min

UPFRONT and CredibleX team up to improve SME financing through “clearer, real-time financial data”.

CredibleX clients will use UPFRONT to manage cashflow, payments, receivables and payables in one view.

Better structured data promises lenders a “cleaner picture” of SME performance and payment behaviour.

Founders say the focus is better financing decisions, not just faster approvals.

The deal follows UPFRONT’s $10m pre-seed round, backing its SME financial infrastructure play.

UPFRONT and CredibleX have struck a new partnership that could quietly change how small businesses across the region think about financing, and not in a flashy way either. The idea is simple, maybe even spot on: give SMEs clearer, real-time financial data, and lenders will make better decisions. Less guesswork, fewer spreadsheets, and hopefully fewer headaches all round.

Under the agreement, CredibleX customers will start using UPFRONT’s platform to manage receivables, payables, payments and cashflow in one structured setup. Instead of juggling bank statements, invoices and half-updated records, businesses get a single view of how money actually moves. For financiers, that same data offers a much cleaner picture of payment behaviour and cash health, which matters more than glossy pitch decks, if we’re honest.

Anas Qudah, founder and CEO of UPFRONT, said the focus is on improving how financing decisions are made, not just speeding them up. By structuring financial data at the operational level, he explained, lenders get better visibility into real business performance, while SMEs gain more control over cashflow and day-to-day planning. That confidence piece shouldn’t be underestimated. I’ve seen founders across MENA stall simply because they weren’t quite sure where their cash stood, and it’s a horrible limbo to be in.

Hassan Reda, co-founder and chief product officer at CredibleX, echoed that view, noting that the collaboration strengthens the data layer behind SME financing. With structured, real-time information flowing through UPFRONT’s system, financing decisions can be more transparent, and outcomes, in theory at least, more predictable. That said, execution will be everything. Data tools promise a lot, but only deliver if teams actually use them properly, you know?

What’s interesting here is that this partnership isn’t just about access to capital. It’s about standardising how financial data is captured and shared between businesses and lenders, which feels long overdue. Anyone who’s helped a startup prepare for financing in this region knows how fragmented things can get. It’s a bit of a faff, and not the good kind.

The announcement also follows UPFRONT’s $10 million pre-seed round secured in October 2025, a sizeable raise that signalled investor confidence in its approach to SME financial infrastructure. I reckon that funding gave the company room to think bigger about partnerships like this one, rather than just shipping features and hoping for the best.

CredibleX, for its part, operates as a licensed fintech lender under the FSRA at Abu Dhabi Global Market, offering working capital products ranging from revenue-backed financing to receivables and payables financing. Combine that with UPFRONT’s real-time B2B data, and you can see why both sides think the timing is right. Whether SMEs feel chuffed to bits or just cautiously optimistic will depend on how much smoother their day-to-day cash management actually becomes, but the direction of travel feels definately right.

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