Lean Technologies, a leading financial infrastructure provider in the MENA region, has secured In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) under the country’s newly established Open Finance Framework.
This significant milestone positions Lean among the first companies authorized to offer regulated Open Finance services in the UAE, accelerating its journey toward full licensing. The approval reflects the growing demand for more transparent, faster, and personalized digital financial services in the region.
Open Finance empowers individuals and businesses to make payments, access credit, and manage financial data seamlessly through connected platforms. Lean’s infrastructure supports this evolution with real-time account-to-account payments, instant loan approvals, and smart financial tools that give users greater control over their data.
“Open Finance is more than a technology shift—it’s the backbone of a more connected, innovative economy,”
said Hisham Al-Falih, CEO and Co-Founder of Lean Technologies.
“By linking regulators, businesses, and users on a unified infrastructure, we are actively contributing to the UAE’s goal of building a world-class digital financial ecosystem.”
Since its launch, Lean has worked closely with regulators, banks, and fintech companies across the region to establish robust financial connectivity. The company has processed over US$2 billion in transactions and connected more than 1 million customer accounts to its systems.
Lean’s platform enables a wide range of use cases across payments, lending, and personal finance. With this regulatory green light, the company is set to expand its services and unlock greater access to digital finance across the UAE.
“This approval is not just about growing our capabilities—it’s about widening access,”
Al-Falih added.
“We’re empowering more users and businesses to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.”
Lean also plays a key role in the AlTareq initiative, a national program aimed at deploying Open Finance infrastructure across the UAE. The company’s systems meet international security standards, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2, and have consistently demonstrated high-performance API reliability at scale.
In 2022, Lean became the first third-party provider to receive a Financial Services Permission from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), and it joined the Saudi Central Bank’s regulatory sandbox the same year.
To date, Lean has raised over US$100 million from global investors, including General Catalyst and Bain Capital Ventures, and is actively expanding its regulated services across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
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