The new licences allow Tabby to offer financing of up to USD 13.3 thousand (SAR 50K) over 12 months, opening the door to higher-value purchases and business lending in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh-based fintech Tabby secured consumer finance and SME finance licences from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), expanding its regulated financial services in its largest market.

Why You Should Care

The move marks Tabby’s evolution beyond its core buy now, pay later (BNPL) offering, allowing it to compete in larger financing segments while supporting Saudi Arabia’s push to expand access to regulated digital financial services. 

For consumers, it means financing is no longer limited to everyday retail purchases. For merchants, it creates new opportunities to offer installment payments across higher-value sectors while giving businesses access to working capital.

The Details

Customers in Saudi Arabia can now finance purchases worth more than USD 532 (SAR 2K) through payment plans of up to 12 months, with financing limits reaching USD 13.3 thousand (SAR 50K). The longer-term financing is already available with selected merchants, including Noon, Fitness Time, Almanea, IKEA, Almosafer, Almatar, and flynas, with a wider rollout planned over the coming weeks.

Unlike traditional lending products, the financing is structured using a Shariah-compliant Murabaha model. The financing cost is fixed at the outset, meaning customers know the total amount they will repay, with no compounding charges or late fees. Tabby will continue offering its existing four interest-free installment option alongside the new financing products.

“Tabby already gives millions of people flexibility and control over their money. Now we can extend that to the bigger purchases in life, paying for a course, furnishing a home, booking a holiday. It answers clear demand from our customers and puts the same control in their hands,” said Hosam Arab, CEO and Co-Founder of Tabby. 

The expanded financing capability also enables Tabby to move into categories where purchases typically require larger amounts, including education, travel, used vehicles, and short-term rentals.

The new SME finance licence allows Tabby to extend working capital financing to merchants on its platform, giving businesses additional funding to support growth.

The latest approvals build on Tabby’s existing regulatory presence in Saudi Arabia. The company previously graduated from SAMA’s regulatory sandbox before receiving its BNPL licence in 2025. According to the company, obtaining consumer and SME finance licences requires meeting SAMA’s standards for compliance, security, and customer protection.

The Ripple

The licences position Tabby to compete more directly with traditional consumer finance providers rather than operating solely as a BNPL platform. They also broaden the company’s revenue opportunities by expanding into lending products for both consumers and businesses.

For retailers, particularly those selling higher-ticket products and services, the move could help increase purchasing power and improve conversion rates by making larger transactions more accessible through regulated financing options.

Saudi Arabia has become one of the region’s fastest-growing fintech markets, with regulators increasingly expanding the range of licensed digital financial services as part of Vision 2030. Tabby’s expanded offering aligns with that broader shift toward a more diversified consumer finance ecosystem.

What to Watch

With more than 25 million registered users and over 65,000 business partners across the GCC, Tabby now has the regulatory framework to expand beyond BNPL into broader consumer and business financing. 

The next phase will likely be defined by how quickly customers adopt longer-term financing products and whether the company expands these offerings into additional sectors and regional markets.