Zamanat Launches $100M Tokenized Private Credit Fund for GCC SMEs

Zamanat, a worldwide Digital Shariah Assets market, has announced the launch of an exclusive private credit fund. In this respect, Zamanat has introduced the Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited to cope with the SME financing gap in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

As Zamanat disclosed in its official announcement, the development underscores the initial live instance of the platform’s compliant fund tokenization through ZIGChain. Hence, the fund attempts to facilitate professional users and merges blockchain-based settlement and issuance with a regulated investment framework.

Zamanat Aims to Fill SME Financing Gap in GCC Via Private Credit Fund

With Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited’s launch, Zamanat intends to let institutional users connect their capital to the established GCC firms looking for alternative growth financing sources. Medium- and small-sized enterprises are crucial across GCC economies; however, they continue to face difficulties while securing significant financing via traditional banking methods.

So, in this region, just 11% of all SMEs can access credit, underscoring a notable structural challenge posed to businesses focused on capital to broaden their activities. Specifically, this situation is prominent in the UAE, as SMEs contribute over half of the region’s gross domestic product.

Additionally, it also employs the majority of the workforce in the private sector. Irrespective of their economic significance, such businesses obtain even less than 10% of the total bank lending. This leaves a huge space for alternative private funding markets and financing providers. Keeping this in view, the Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited is set to invest in diverse private credit opportunities in the GCC region.

Leveraging ZIGChain Tokenization to Expand GCC-Based Private Credit

Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited is directing capital toward well-established regional entities whose funding needs remain underserved by conventional lending firms. This strategy goes in line with the wider economic diversification endeavors, taking into account the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia and the Centennial 2071 of the UAE, emphasizing private-sector advancement and more SME participation.

The new fund combines a DIFC fund model, blockchain-powered digital issuance, institutional administration, and a local private credit plan. According to Zamanat, the investment interests of the platform will be released as ZM1 Investment Tokens through the ZIGChain in a whitelisted and regulated environment.

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) is regulating the fund in the form of a closed-ended Exempt Fund under the category of credit funds. Zamanat’s CEO, Umair Tariq, said, “With a target size of up to USD 100 million and interests issued as Investment Tokens, it is our first live proof point for bringing GCC private credit into a regulated digital structure for Professional Clients.”