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Real-time finance tools key to UAE SMEs’ growth, says expert
The UAE’s fintech ecosystem has moved beyond its early growth phase and into a period of maturity, says Pemo co-founder Ayham Gorani
- PUBLISHED: Tue 17 Feb 2026, 11:05 PM
As the UAE’s fintech sector enters a more mature phase in 2026, attention is shifting from rapid expansion to financial resilience, particularly for SMEs. With VAT, corporate tax and tighter compliance requirements adding pressure on small and medium-sized businesses, demand is rising for smarter, real-time financial management tools. Industry leaders say the next wave of fintech growth will be defined not by speed, but by how effectively platforms support SMEs in navigating an increasingly complex operating environment.
“The UAE’s fintech ecosystem has moved beyond its early growth phase and into a period of maturity,” said Ayham Gorani, Co-Founder of Pemo. “The last decade was about speed, launching quickly, scaling fast and proving that digital finance could work at scale. What we are seeing now is a shift toward durability. The focus is increasingly on building businesses that can operate sustainably under regulation, with real customer trust and strong governance.”
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Gorani added that the leaders in 2026 will not be the fastest movers, but the most resilient. “Compliance, operational discipline and long-term value creation are becoming core competitive advantages. There is also a clear opportunity around serving SMEs better. While enterprise finance has evolved rapidly, many small and medium businesses are still underserved. Closing that gap will define the next phase of growth.”
Highlighting the UAE’s supportive environment for startups, Gorani said: “Progressive regulation will continue to be one of the UAE’s strongest differentiators. The Central Bank’s work on open finance frameworks, combined with sandbox initiatives through ADGM and DIFC, is creating an environment where innovation and regulation evolve together rather than in opposition. Today, professionals are attracted by long-term residency reforms such as the Golden Visa, business-friendly regulatory frameworks, access to capital, digital-first government services, world-class infrastructure, safety and quality of life, as well as the opportunity to build regionally scalable ventures from a globally connected base.”
SMEs, he said, remain the backbone of the UAE economy but often face complexities that larger organisations can absorb more easily. “VAT, corporate income tax, reporting requirements and cash-flow visibility all place pressure on small teams. Technology platforms like Pemo play a critical role by removing friction from everyday financial operations. Spend management is not just about tracking expenses. It is about giving founders and finance teams real-time visibility, control and confidence in their numbers.”
Looking ahead, Gorani said AI and open data will further strengthen support for SMEs. “With customer permission, platforms can combine transaction data, accounting data and open finance inputs to provide smarter insights. This helps SMEs make better decisions, manage risk and ultimately build financial resilience in an increasingly complex environment.”
Reflecting on the inspiration behind Pemo, Gorani explained: “When we co-founded Pemo in 2022, the spark came from firsthand experience. We had built and operated businesses in the region and repeatedly saw the same pattern: founders and leadership teams were spending far too much time working in the business rather than on the business. Instead of focusing on growth, strategy and customers, they were firefighting operational inefficiencies.”
He added: “One of the most broken processes we experienced sat within finance teams. Managing expenses, reconciling transactions, chasing receipts and maintaining visibility over company spend was manual, fragmented and incredibly time consuming. It created friction between teams, slowed decision-making and distracted leadership from higher-value priorities. We started Pemo to solve that problem at its core. Our goal was simple but powerful: give businesses back time. By automating spend management, providing real-time visibility and removing the administrative burden from finance teams, we enable companies to operate with greater clarity and control. In fast-growing markets like the UAE, that reclaimed time becomes a strategic advantage.”
On why now was the right time to build Pemo, Gorani said: “Spend management sits at the intersection of finance, operations and compliance. In a region where many businesses are scaling quickly, having real-time control over spend is essential. The timing was right because regulatory frameworks have matured and SMEs are more digitally engaged than ever. At the same time, expectations from investors and regulators have increased. Businesses need tools that help them stay compliant, manage risk and operate efficiently from an early stage.”
He concluded with advice for founders: “After experiencing the inevitable highs and lows of building a company, one thing has become very clear to me: as a founder, you can ask 10 people for advice and you will receive 10 completely different answers on how to run your business. The reality is that no one has a clearer view of your company than you do. As a founder, you sit closest to the customer, the product, the market signals and the trade-offs. That perspective is your advantage. In moments of hesitation, clarity of thought matters more than consensus. Build your own conviction, refine it as you learn, and then let that guide your decisions.”
