Saudi fintech Lendo has partnered with Austria-based asset manager Quantic Financial Solutions on an institutional capital programme worth up to SAR750 million ($200 million) to expand working-capital financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Saudi Arabia.
Announced at Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh, the programme will see Quantic deploy the capital through Lendo, a Saudi Central Bank (SAMA)-supervised Shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding marketplace.
The partnership is expected to increase Lendo’s capacity to finance more SMEs while creating a channel for international institutional capital to participate in Saudi Arabia’s SME financing market.
Lendo said the programme would support its plans to introduce new financing solutions and address the country’s SME financing gap.
Its CEO and co-founder, Osama AlRaee, described the agreement as “a significant milestone for Lendo and a strong endorsement of our business model.”
What to know about the programme
At the centre of the partnership is a financing programme of up to SAR750 million, equivalent to approximately $200 million, dedicated specifically to providing working-capital financing to Saudi SMEs.
Under the agreement, Quantic will make the institutional capital available through Lendo, while Lendo will deploy the funds to eligible businesses seeking financing.
In practical terms, the programme is designed to give Saudi businesses greater access to the money they need to maintain and expand their daily operations, including purchasing inventory, meeting supplier obligations and fulfilling customer orders.
Lendo said the programme would allow it to “expand access to working capital financing for SMEs across the Kingdom,” while accelerating its growth plans and supporting the development of new financing solutions.
The announcement was made during Money20/20 Middle East, held in Riyadh from September 14 to 16, 2026.
The two companies: Quantic and Lendo
The agreement brings together two companies with different but complementary roles in the financing chain.
Lendo, founded in 2019 by Osama AlRaee and Mohammed Jawabri, operates a Shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding marketplace in Saudi Arabia under the supervision of SAMA.
Its platform connects institutional and retail investors with SMEs seeking working-capital and other forms of financing.
Quantic Financial Solutions GmbH, meanwhile, is an asset-management fund headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and a member of the C-Quadrat Investment Group.
The company focuses on institutional fund management and works with investors and distribution partners across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including on Shariah-compliant solutions.
Under the partnership, Quantic will oversee the disciplined deployment of its capital in line with Lendo’s financing strategy.
How the partnership could expand SME financing
The partnership is significant because it combines Lendo’s local financing infrastructure and regulatory position with Quantic’s institutional capital and fund-management expertise.
Instead of Lendo relying only on smaller pools of investment capital, the programme gives it access to a potentially much larger source of funding with which to serve businesses across Saudi Arabia.
Lendo said this combination of “SAMA-regulated origination” and “institutional-grade capital deployment” could give the Kingdom’s SME sector access to funding “at a scale the market has lacked.”
For SMEs, the practical implication is potentially greater availability of financing when they need cash to sustain operations or pursue growth opportunities.
AlRaee said the arrangement would give Lendo “the scale and structuring discipline to serve significantly more SMEs as demand across the Kingdom continues to grow.”
Bridging Saudi SMEs and international investors
Beyond providing financing to Saudi businesses, the programme is designed to create a longer-term connection between international investment capital and Saudi SME financing.
Quantic plans to structure Shariah-compliant investment products based on the assets generated through the financing programme, potentially allowing international investors to participate in the underlying SME-financing opportunity.
This means the partnership could extend beyond a straightforward investment by one foreign company into a Saudi fintech.
Instead, it creates a potential mechanism through which international institutional capital can repeatedly flow into Saudi businesses through a locally regulated financing platform.
Quantic’s founding partner, Dr Dietrich Matthes, said the company sees Lendo’s “track record, origination quality, and regulatory standing” as important factors in selecting it for a programme of this scale.
He added that the Shariah-compliant investment products created from the assets could be attractive to investors internationally.
Why this matters to Saudi Arabia’s fintech ecosystem
The partnership also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s wider efforts to develop its financial sector and strengthen SME financing under Vision 2030.
The Financial Sector Development Program has identified fintech development and improved access to finance as part of the Kingdom’s financial-sector ambitions, while debt-based crowdfunding provides another route through which businesses can access capital outside traditional banking channels.
Lendo said the programme would support the continued development of Saudi Arabia’s fintech ecosystem and help close the SME financing gap.
The deal also comes amid increasing international interest in Saudi Arabia’s financial-technology market, with Money20/20 Middle East bringing together fintech companies, investors, financial institutions and regulators.
Talking Point
The Lendo-Quantic partnership is ultimately about putting more institutional money behind Saudi Arabia’s small and medium-sized businesses.
Quantic brings the capital and institutional investment expertise, while Lendo provides the local platform, financing infrastructure and access to SMEs.
If the full SAR750 million programme is deployed, it could expand the amount of working capital available to businesses across the Kingdom while also giving international investors a structured route into Saudi SME financing.
For Lendo, the agreement represents an opportunity to scale its operations and develop new products; and for Quantic, it provides an avenue for deploying institutional capital in the Saudi market.
Most importantly, for SMEs, it creates another potential source of financing as the Kingdom continues to develop its fintech ecosystem under Vision 2030.
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