Cairo, July 22, 2025 – Flend, Egypt’s first fully digital and Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA)-licensed SME financing platform, has successfully closed a seed funding round worth USD 3 million. The blended round includes both equity and debt investments and is set to accelerate the company's mission of delivering fast, fair, and flexible financing to small and medium enterprises across Egypt.

The equity portion of the funding round was led by Egypt Ventures, with participation from Camel Ventures, Sukna Ventures, Plus VC, Banque Misr, and several influential regional family offices including El Sewedy and Baalbaki. Strategic corporate bankers also contributed. On the debt side, Flend secured facilities from the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) and other local banking institutions.

Founded by a team with deep experience in banking, fintech, and development finance, Flend was established to overcome the systemic challenges that have historically limited SME access to capital in Egypt. Drawing from backgrounds in corporate banking, technology, and public policy, the founding team built a platform focused on replacing red tape with real-time decisions, enabling SMEs to access working capital efficiently.

The capital raised will be used to scale Flend’s embedded finance model by deepening partnerships with digital platforms that serve SMEs, expanding its workforce, and strengthening its proprietary technology infrastructure. The company aims to help bridge Egypt’s estimated USD 50 billion SME financing gap through tech-enabled lending.

“Our goal is to meet SMEs where they do business,” said Ahmed Zaki, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flend. “With this funding, we are embedding financing directly into the platforms powering Egypt’s economy. We are proud to be backed by visionary investors who share our commitment to transforming SME finance.”

In its first six months of operations, Flend has built a fully digital and FRA-regulated platform that has served over 15 sectors and partnered with more than 20 embedded platforms in logistics, payments, marketplaces, and e-commerce. By integrating directly into the value chains of SMEs, Flend has cut approval times by 95 percent. The company now aims to inject EGP 1 billion into Egypt’s SME ecosystem within its first year, with a strong focus on short-term working capital lending.

Abdelrahman Mansour, CEO of Egypt Ventures, stated, “We are excited to support Flend and its mission to close the SME financing gap. Their approach digital, embedded, and inclusive is key to unlocking economic value and creating scalable impact across sectors.”

In 2024, Flend became the first entity in Egypt to be licensed by the FRA as a Digital Non-Banking Financial Institution (Digital NBFI) focused on SME lending. This status enables Flend to issue loans entirely online using e-signatures and digitally binding contracts, putting it at the forefront of Egypt’s efforts to modernize financial services.

Plus VC’s Founder and Managing Partner, Hasan Haider, added, “Flend is solving a critical problem with a scalable solution. Their model makes lending accessible, data-driven, and aligned with how SMEs operate today.”

Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nehal Helmy noted, “FRA’s licensing is a milestone, but it is only the beginning. Our focus is to build the infrastructure for trustworthy, efficient SME financing in alignment with national growth goals.”