e& money opens a new era in financial access following Finance Company License

Dubai, 11th February 2026 – e& money today announced the beginning of a bold new era in its journey to reshape digital finance in the UAE, following the approval of a Finance Company license from the Central Bank of the UAE. This milestone marks more than an expansion of services. It signals a shift in ambition from enabling transactions to unlocking financial opportunity.

Over the past years, e& money has transformed how people pay, send, and spend. Today, more than 2 million customers rely on the app for everyday payments, international remittance, and card spending making it one of the UAE’s most inclusive digital payment ecosystems with the highest number of active users in the country. These strong foundations have built scale, trust, and deep data intelligence, positioning e& money to take its next decisive step.

With the Finance Company license, e& money is expanding beyond payments into lending — not as a standalone product, but as an integrated part of a connected financial experience. This move opens new possibilities for individuals who have long been underserved by traditional financial models, and brings credit into the same simple, digital-first environment customers already trust.

This evolution reinforces e& money’s long-term vision of financial inclusion and its ambition to be a true financial superapp — one that supports customers across their full financial journey, from everyday transactions to moments that enable growth, stability, and progress.

At the heart of this new chapter is a data and AI-driven approach to credit. By leveraging real transaction behavior, alternative data, and advanced analytics, e& money has developed an enhanced credit scoring model designed to responsibly extend access to credit to new segments of society, including individuals who may not have previously been eligible for loans.

Khalifa Al Shamsi, CEO of e& life and e& international, said: ““In a digitally advanced economy like the UAE, access to credit is still not a given. While the UAE has achieved near universal financial inclusion, gaps remain when it comes to conventional lending. With this next chapter, we are rethinking how credit is assessed and delivered, using data and technology to open doors for people who have long been overlooked.”

Under this new phase, e& money will progressively introduce a range of fit-for-purpose lending solutions, rolled out in stages. These will include buy-now-pay-later offerings, early wage access, credit cards, and other solutions — all designed with transparency, affordability, and strong customer protection at their core.

This expansion strengthens e& money’s role within the broader digital ecosystem of e& and reinforces its position as a catalyst for inclusive growth and digital transformation in the UAE. As e& money enters this new era, its focus remains clear: to make financial services simpler, fairer, and accessible — and to turn everyday financial activity into real opportunity for everyone.