SMEs are central to the UAE economy, yet access to credit remains one of their biggest challenges.
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Hassan Reda, Co-Founder & CPO of CredibleX, and Anand Nagaraj, Co-Founder & CEO of CredibleX, unpack why SME lending has remained difficult for banks and fintechs, and what needs to change to close the financing gap.
They explain how embedded lending can solve the distribution problem, why working-capital finance requires a different approach to traditional business loans, and how better underwriting, alternative capital and AI could reshape SME financing in the UAE.
🎙️ In this episode: Why banks still struggle to serve SMEs effectively How CredibleX embeds lending into platforms SMEs already use Why working-capital finance needs a different approach to traditional business loans Why payments data alone is not enough to underwrite larger SMEs How fintech lenders can build the balance sheet needed to scale Which players could win as competition in SME lending increases Where AI is creating practical value in lending and KYC How alternative capital could unlock the next phase of SME financing
⏱️ CHAPTERS
01:59 Why SME credit remains difficult to solve 07:52 How CredibleX approaches embedded SME lending 13:53 The three working-capital products CredibleX offers 17:25 Why payments data alone cannot solve SME lending 23:23 Building the balance sheet to scale lending 32:49 Who will win the race for SME lending? 36:26 Where AI is actually creating value in lending 48:19 The untapped future of SME financing
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