Cairo: Valu, Egypt’s leading universal financial technology powerhouse, announced today its strong results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, achieved through the successful execution of its transition into a fully integrated lifestyle financing platform. The company reported gross revenues of USD 28.7 million, a 40% year-over-year (Y-o-Y) increase, while net income surged 78% Y-o-Y to reach USD 4.17 million. Gross merchandise value (GMV) rose 31% Y-o-Y to USD 131.6 million, supported by a rising base of 924k activated customers and a 49% increase in transaction volumes to 2.53 million. Valu maintained a dominant 26.5% market share as of January 2026 and a disciplined Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio of 1.24%, underscoring its ability to drive profitable growth in a dynamic macroeconomic environment.

Operationally, Valu sustained robust momentum across all key indicators. Average daily GMV rose to USD 1.64 million, while average daily transactions reached 28k. Customer engagement continued to deepen, with transaction frequency per customer increasing to 8.1x in 1Q26, up from 6.5x in the same period last year. This growth is anchored by Valu’s established market leadership and a network of over 9,500 merchant partners, which provides a significant barrier to entry and a unique data edge. The company also continues to prioritize financial inclusion, with the unbanked segment reaching 366k customers and contributing USD 19.7 million in GMV during the quarter and performing over 432k transactions during the quarter alone.

The product ecosystem showed significant scalability and diversification across various high-velocity segments. The core "U" Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) product remains the backbone of the platform, with GMV increasing 25% Y-o-Y to USD 73.7 million. Simultaneously, the Prepaid Card has emerged as a vital driver of daily engagement, with spend surging 77% to USD 31.4 million and reaching 285,000 activated users. The Shift auto financing product demonstrated resilience with a 31% GMV increase to USD 22.7 million, while Ulter & Loans for premium financing rose 23% to USD 6.9 million. Additionally, the end-to-end marketplace, Shop’IT, reached a milestone with a total GMV since inception of USD 4.3 million.

Commenting on the performance, Walid Hassouna, CEO of Valu, said: "Our performance in 1Q26 reinforces the scalability of our model and our successful transition into a comprehensive lifestyle-enabling companion for our users. This quarter was marked by exceptional profitability, with our net profit margin expanding to 14.7% and net interest margin reaching 18.9%. We are not just growing; we are growing intelligently by leveraging our proprietary credit engine to maintain asset quality while expanding into high-velocity segments. With the soft opening of our operations in Jordan and the formal approval to establish our SME financing subsidiary, we are perfectly positioned to unlock new regional and B2B growth opportunities throughout the remainder of 2026".

To support these expansionary goals, Valu fortified its capital structure by securing authorized limits from 28 financial institutions and NBFIs totaling USD 400.8 million. The quarter was characterized by high-velocity capital recycling, as the company finalized its 21st securitization wave of USD 8.4 million and generated USD 32.1 million through multiple discounting and offloading batches. Collectively, these strategic transactions injected USD 39.7 million in liquidity into the business, signaling profound market confidence in the high quality of Valu’s underlying assets.

Throughout 1Q2026, Valu achieved several critical strategic milestones, with the company most recently reinforcing its fully digitized experience by unlocking instant large-ticket financing through its app, starting from USD 18.9k using a national ID only.

This aligns with the company’s regional expansion strategy, as Valu officially launched its operations in Jordan in May 2026 after completing all regulatory requirements and obtaining final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan. Through this launch, the company began offering its digital financing solutions in the Jordanian market as part of its broader plans for regional growth and expansion.

About Valu:

Valu (Legal name: U Consumer Finance S.A.E.) (EGX: VALU.CA) is the leading universal financial technology powerhouse offering customers and businesses convenient and comprehensive financial solutions. It is the first fintech company providing consumer finance to become a listed company on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), and this, alongside Amazon having a direct stake in the firm, represents Valu’s growth journey and dynamic business model.

Under its product universe, Valu pioneered Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) solutions in the MENA region through U, providing customizable financing plans for up to 60 months across more than 9,000 stores and online platforms – covering a diverse array of categories, including home appliances, electronics, home finishing, furniture, residential solar solutions, healthcare, education, travel, and fashion, among others. Valu also offers investment products, an instant cash redemption program, and a high-end financing program to facilitate the purchase of big-ticket items up to EGP 60 million in the luxury space, and its marketplace, through Valu Invest with the AZ Valu fund and EFG Hermes ONE, Sha2labaz, Ulter, and Shop'IT, respectively.

In addition, Valu offers business-to-business solutions through Valu Business. Valu introduced its prepaid card and co-branded credit card in collaboration with Visa, further expanding its range of payment options to provide customers with the most versatile, convenient, and comprehensive payment solutions, making Valu the ultimate choice for all clients’ payment needs. As an award-winning fintech player in the MENA region, Valu embraces a progressive business approach with an agile team committed to architecting innovative financial solutions to meet customers' evolving needs.

Most recently, Valu has launched its services in Jordan in May 2026 under a Specialized Finance license, after receiving final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ), offering consumers convenient financing solutions.

Learn more about us at www.valu.com.eg  

For further information, please contact:
Albatool Alfayez
Marketing Senior Manager – Valu Jordan
balfayez@valugroup.com

The Valu Public Relations Team
News-release@valu.com.eg

May El Gammal
Group Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
melgammal@valu.com.eg

Omar Salama
Head of Communications
osalama@valu.com.eg

Note on Forward-Looking Statements:

In this press release, Valu may make forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about management’s expectations, strategic objectives, growth opportunities, and business prospects. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent only Valu’s belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and are beyond management’s control and include, among others, financial market volatility; actions and initiatives taken by current and potential competitors; general economic conditions and the effect of current, pending, and future legislation, regulations and regulatory actions. Accordingly, the readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made.