SAMA grants license to fintech firm Mobily Pay

Logo of The Saudi Central Bank

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) granted license to a new financial technology company specialized in electronic payments named Etihad Fintech Co. (Mobily Pay), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Etihad Etisalat Co. (Mobily), to provide e-wallet payment services in Saudi Arabia.

This brings the total number of payment companies licensed by the central bank to 17, in addition to eight companies that were granted an in-principle approval, SAMA said in a statement.

SAMA also started the licensing of debt-based crowdfunding by granting Lendo, which is a closed joint stock company with a capital of SAR 5 million, the license to conduct such financial activities within the Kingdom.

The decision came after a success trial ran through SAMA’s legislative experimental environment (Regulatory Sandbox) dedicated to innovative financial products and services within Saudi Arabia.

The central bank also completed the launch of licenses for the consumer microfinance activity by issuing a second license to FinZey, which is a closed joint stock company with a capital of SAR 20 million specialized in such financial activities.