Lean Technologies, a financial infrastructure provider in the MENA region, and Ziina, a UAE-based payments platform, have launched the country’s first live customer-initiated Open Finance payment under the Central Bank of the UAE’s (CBUAE) Open Finance framework.

Ziina, a licensed financial institution with Stored Value Facility (SVF) authorisation, is the first entity in the UAE to offer live Open Finance payments initiated by customers.

Users can make instant, account-to-account payments via regulated Open Finance APIs that connect directly to their bank accounts, offering a faster and more transparent alternative to manual transfers.

Lean provides the underlying infrastructure, including secure connectivity, compliant payment initiation and enterprise-grade resilience, while Ziina manages the customer experience, enabling payments that are predictable and reliable.

The launch marks the practical application of Open Finance in the UAE, showing that regulated API connectivity can support production-level payment flows.

The UAE’s Open Finance Regulation, alongside the national Open Finance platform Nebras and the Central Bank’s Al Tareq API framework, establishes a foundation for secure, consent-based services.

Faisal Toukan, Co-founder and CEO of Ziina, said:

“Delivering the UAE’s first customer-initiated Open Finance payment marks an important step for the country’s financial ecosystem. Enabling customers to complete a bank payment directly inside the Ziina app reflects how forward-thinking policy can shape everyday financial behaviour.”

Hisham Al-Falih, CEO of Lean Technologies, added:

“Seeing Open Finance payments live in the UAE is a meaningful moment for the market. Ziina has been an exceptional partner, and we are proud to enable the country’s first live Open Finance payment experience.”

Featured image credit: Ziina