Idrisi Ventures led the equity portion, with participation from Suhail Ventures and other strategic investors, while Blominvest led a separate debt facility.
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licenses Nayla to provide digital financing to the Kingdom’s micro businesses.
Founded in 2024 by Shaqran Alyahya, Co-Founder and CEO, and Khalid Naili, Co-Founder and Chief Risk Officer, the company began operations in 2025 and uses a proprietary credit engine built on alternative data to assess financing needs in a segment often overlooked by traditional lenders.
Nayla offers Sharia-compliant financing of up to SAR 200,000 (roughly US$53,650) to micro businesses and freelancers, on terms of up to 12 months.
Shaqran Alyahya
“This capital enables us to significantly expand access to financing for Saudi Arabia’s micro businesses, continue investing in our technology and proprietary credit engine, and strengthen our position as the leading digital financing platform serving this vital segment of the economy,” said Shaqran Alyahya, Co-Founder and CEO of Nayla.
Nayla plans to use the funding to expand into adjacent customer segments, further develop its credit intelligence platform, and deepen partnerships across the Kingdom’s SME ecosystem.
The round follows a US$4 million seed raise in 2024, also led by Sanabil Venture Studio by Stryber, the studio that built Nayla.
The company says this Pre-Series A marks the first time a venture launched by Sanabil Studio has closed an institutional funding round.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News UAE based on an image by wirestock via Magnific.
