Saudi fintech lending to industrial projects jumps 130% in H1

Financing from Saudi fintech companies to industrial projects surged 130 percent in the first half of 2026, reaching a record SR541 million ($144 million), the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources reported. The figure rose from SR234 million in the same period last year as the ministry expanded partnerships with fintech lenders to broaden access to working capital, invoice financing and growth funding for manufacturers.

“These partnerships aim to address financing challenges faced by industrial establishments and connect them with flexible and innovative credit solutions that support production continuity,” the ministry said in a statement.

Details and drivers of the jump

The ministry said the increase reflects concerted efforts to provide more diversified financing solutions to support the growth and expansion of the Kingdom’s industrial sector under Saudi Vision 2030. The number of fintech firms partnering with the ministry rose to seven in the first half of 2026 from three in the same period of 2025. Partners named by the ministry include Tameed, Tarmeez Finance, Dinar, Forus, Yanal, Sukuk and Lendo.

Fintech financing to the industrial sector has been growing steadily: the ministry reported total fintech lending of SR774 million in 2025, up 36 percent from SR569 million in 2024 and SR317 million in 2023. The first-half 2026 total already represents about 70 percent of last year’s full-year fintech financing for industry, underscoring the rapid acceleration of alternative funding channels.

• 2023 fintech lending to industry: SR317 million
• 2024 fintech lending to industry: SR569 million
• 2025 fintech lending to industry: SR774 million
• H1 2025 fintech lending to industry: SR234 million
• H1 2026 fintech lending to industry: SR541 million

The ministry said the financing products offered by its fintech partners include working-capital facilities, invoice-financing solutions and funding explicitly targeted at expansion of industrial projects. To help match industrial borrowers with appropriate products, the ministry has shared its factory database with financing providers and organised workshops for entrepreneurs and industrial investors to raise awareness of fintech solutions and explain how to access them.

Outlook and regulatory context

Officials signalled plans to continue expanding the industrial lending portfolio, introduce new financial instruments aligned with sector needs, and increase both the number of fintech partners and the beneficiaries of these schemes. The ministry has previously indicated further measures to tailor financing to manufacturers’ cash-flow and capital requirements as part of broader industrial policy objectives.

Regulatory developments are also moving in parallel. The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced it is seeking public feedback on draft rules governing supply-chain finance and supply-chain finance intermediation, a framework intended to support sector growth and improve the efficiency of financial transactions with merchants. If finalised, those rules could broaden the range of institutional channels through which industrial firms access receivables-based and supply-chain financing, complementing the fintech-led expansion already visible in 2026.