How Ejari Is Rethinking the Way People Pay Rent - FINTECH.TV

Ejari CEO Yazeed Al‑Shamsi outlines plan to ease rent payments after personal experience

Ejari, a rent‑payment startup co‑founded by Yazeed Al‑Shamsi, is tackling the regional challenge of upfront annual rent by offering digital solutions that aim to spread payments and improve transparency for tenants and landlords. Al‑Shamsi joined Dalia Kamarr, Head of Investor and Startup Programs at Money20/20 Global, live from Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh to discuss why Ejari was created and how the product responds to a problem he encountered directly.

"I had to pay an entire year of rent upfront," Al‑Shamsi said, describing the origin of Ejari and the friction that inspired the company. That personal pain point, he explained, is the core reason the firm focuses on transforming how rent is negotiated, collected and documented.

Al‑Shamsi framed Ejari as a response to market practices where long upfront payments and opaque contracts put tenants at a disadvantage and expose landlords to administrative burdens. Speaking on the Money20/20 Middle East stage, he emphasized the dual aims of consumer protection and operational efficiency: digitize tenancy records, enable flexible payment options and create verifiable contracts that benefit both parties.

• Founder and leadership: Yazeed Al‑Shamsi, Co‑Founder and CEO of Ejari.
• Event and interlocutor: Conversation held with Dalia Kamarr, Head of Investor and Startup Programs at Money20/20 Global, during Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh.
• Core problem: Widespread requirement to pay annual rent upfront, motivating Ejari's founding.

During the session, Al‑Shamsi outlined several practical elements of Ejari’s approach. The product aims to digitize tenancy agreements so they are easier to verify and enforce, and to integrate payment gateways and escrow capabilities to allow pay‑over‑time options without exposing landlords to undue risk. He said the emphasis is on building trust: "We wanted to design something that protects the tenant while giving landlords confidence to accept alternative payment structures."

Ejari’s model is positioned at the intersection of fintech and proptech: it leverages payment rails familiar to financial services while embedding contractual and verification features typical of property platforms. The company’s pitch at the Riyadh event focused on demonstrating measurable benefits—lower barriers to entry for renters, faster leasing cycles for property owners, and clearer records for regulators and investors.

Al‑Shamsi and Kamarr also discussed the investor landscape and startup scaling in regional markets. Kamarr, who leads investor and startup programs globally for Money20/20, framed such founder narratives as central to attracting capital and partnerships at industry gatherings like the Riyadh conference.

Looking ahead, Ejari plans to refine its product to serve a broader mix of urban rental markets across the region. Executives signaled priorities that include integrating additional payment partners, expanding landlord onboarding, and advancing features that make tenancy agreements more portable and auditable. If the company can convert anecdotal pain points—such as the need to pay a year’s rent in advance—into scalable solutions, it could reshape standard leasing practices and unlock more flexible housing options for renters across the market.