• Halan UAE exceeds 220,000 customers within its first year of operations
  • Open banking integration to strengthen MNT-Halan’s mission to accelerate financial inclusion in the GCC

Dubai, UAE – Halan UAE, part of MNT-Halan, Egypt & MENA’s first fintech unicorn, has partnered with Lean Technologies, the region’s leading financial infrastructure provider, to harness open banking technology and expand access to credit for individuals and small businesses across the GCC. The official signing ceremony took place at Money2020 in Riyadh, between Omar Ramadan, CEO, Halan GCC and Mehdi Tazi, COO, Lean Technologies.  

Despite rapid digitization, nearly 3.7 million people in the UAE remain unbanked or underbanked out of a population of 10 million. SMEs, which account for over 90% of businesses in the UAE, continue to face limited access to formal credit. By combining MNT-Halan’s innovative lending solutions with Lean’s open banking infrastructure, this partnership directly addresses one of the region’s most pressing financial inclusion challenges.

Mounir Nakhla, Founder and CEO of MNT-Halan, said the collaboration is designed to directly tackle these structural challenges: “This partnership marks a turning point for financial access in the GCC. By integrating Lean’s infrastructure with our AI-driven Neuron engine, we are building one of the region’s most advanced lending platforms for financial access. This is more than a product launch - it is a step towards realizing the UAE and the region’s visions for open finance and financial inclusion.”

Launched in December 2024, Halan UAE has rapidly grown to serve over 220,000 customers in under a year, driven by demand for its innovative financing solutions including Earned Wage Access, Car Loans, and Salary Lending services that provide previously underbanked customers with access to a fast and easy ways to bridge income gaps or finance their purchases. Several new products are also set to launch later this year.

Omar Ramadan, CEO of Halan GCC, emphasized the momentum: “Crossing 220,000 customers in under a year proves the demand for simpler, faster, and more inclusive financial solutions. With Lean’s support, we aim to reach millions more across the GCC, starting with the UAE, by unlocking access for those who have traditionally been left out of the financial system.”

The collaboration integrates Lean’s secure, regulator-approved access to bank data with MNT-Halan’s proprietary AI-powered credit scoring engine, Neuron. By analyzing customer income, expenses, balances, repayment, engagement with in-app tools and identity data, Neuron can more accurately assess applicants and extend financing to customers with little or no credit history. This combination establishes a new regional benchmark for using open banking and artificial intelligence together to deliver faster, more precise credit decisions at scale.

Hisham Al-Falih, Co-Founder and CEO of Lean Technologies, highlighted the national impact:

“Open banking is a cornerstone of both the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s fintech ambitions. Through this partnership with Halan, we are showing how secure data access can power innovation, expand SME competitiveness, and advance financial inclusion at scale across the region.”

The partnership directly aligns with the UAE’s Open Finance Strategy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals to foster a world-class fintech ecosystem, increase SME competitiveness, and advance financial inclusion. Lean was among the first companies to receive IPA under the Open Finance framework in the UAE, ensuring the highest standards of security and compliance.      

About MNT-Halan

MNT-Halan, Egypt and MENA’s first fintech unicorn, was founded in 2018 with a mission to improve lives by revolutionizing access to financial services through technology. MNT-Halan provides business and consumer loans, prepaid cards, e-wallets, investments, savings, and e-commerce services through the Halan app and a nationwide physical presence. Since inception, MNT-Halan has disbursed over USD 13 billion in loans and served more than 8 million customers globally. The Halan app serves over 2 million customers quarterly in Egypt alone, nearly doubling its user base annually, driven by the expansion of Halan’s services and the success of the Halan Card.

MNT-Halan in Egypt holds Microfinance, SME, Consumer Finance, and Nano Finance licenses, as well as a license for the Subscription and Redemption of Investment Certificates from the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA). It also holds the first independent Electronic Wallet license from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to disburse, collect, and transfer money digitally through mobile applications.

MNT-Halan operates in Turkey through Tam Finans, the country's leading commercial finance company with a factoring license issued by the BRSA, owns Halan Microfinance Bank, a licensed microfinance bank in Pakistan regulated by the SBP, and has launched its activities in the UAE offering financing solutions fully compliant with CBUAE regulations.

MNT-Halan has been widely recognized for its innovation and impact, including being named the Most Innovative Fintech Company in the Middle East and Africa by Global Finance Magazine, listed on the Financial Times’ Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies for three consecutive years, and featured on Forbes Middle East’s Fintech 50. It was also awarded the Business Gamechanger Award by 11:FS, producer of the leading global fintech podcast.

About Lean Technologies

Lean Technologies is the leading financial infrastructure provider in the MENA region, enabling businesses to access financial data and initiate payments through a single, secure platform. Founded in 2019, Lean supports over 350 companies and has processed more than $3.5 billion in transaction volume through over one million connected accounts.