Manal Saleh 

The financing, backed by Idrisi Ventures, Suhail Ventures and BLOMINVEST, marks Nayla as the first venture launched from Sanabil Studio to secure external institutional funding and will support the expansion of digital microfinance for Saudi businesses.

 

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, [DATE] - Sanabil Studio, the venture-building arm of Sanabil Investments, a company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), recently announced that Nayla Finance, a Saudi Central Bank (SAMA)-licensed fintech providing microfinancing solutions for micro businesses and entrepreneurs, has raised nearly 67 million SAR (US$18 million) in equity and debt financing to support its next phase of growth. This has been more than two and a half times the capital secured in its previous round.

 

The equity component was led by Idrisi Ventures, with participation from Suhail Ventures and other strategic investors, while Blominvest provided a debt facility to support the expansion of Nayla's lending portfolio. Founded in 2024 by Shaqran Alyahya and Khalid Naili in partnership with Sanabil Studio, Nayla is the first venture launched from the Studio to secure external institutional funding.

 

Nayla was built to address one of the most persistent constraints on Saudi Arabia's economy: access to finance for micro businesses. According to the 2024 International Monetary Fund, micro enterprises accounted for just 0.7 percent of Saudi banks' total credit portfolio, with small enterprises receiving only 2.5 percent. After identifying and validating this opportunity, Sanabil Studio partnered with Shaqran Alyahya and Khalid Naili to build and launch Nayla, investing in the company at its formation in 2024.

 

Since its formation, Nayla has progressed from an early-stage venture to a SAMA-licensed finance company. It received its microfinance license in April 2025, one of a fast-growing cohort that has since expanded to 77 licensed finance companies, and has since expanded its operations, culminating in this latest round of institutional financing.

 

The round lands amid strong momentum in the Kingdom's fintech sector. Saudi Arabia now counts 261 fintech companies, surpassing its 2025 target of 230, while SME lending has grown to over 9.4 percent of total bank financing, up from a 5.7 percent baseline, according to the Financial Sector Development Program's 2024 annual report. Nayla's achievement reflects growing investor confidence in ventures built to serve underbanked segments of the Saudi economy.

 

Built for Saudi Arabia's entrepreneurial ecosystem, Sanabil Studio partners with founders to turn validated market opportunities into scalable businesses, combining venture design, co-founder matching, strategic networks and early capital with founders' sector knowledge and ambition. Nayla's progression from a validated opportunity to a SAMA-licensed business backed by external institutional investors reflects this model in action.

 

"What excites us most about this milestone is not just the capital raised, but what it represents,” said spokesperson, Sanabil Studio. “In a short period of time, Shaqran and Khalid have transformed an idea into a licensed financial institution serving an underserved segment of the Saudi economy. Nayla is the first venture from Sanabil Studio to reach this milestone, and we believe it marks the beginning of many more ventures creating meaningful impact across the Kingdom.

 

"The successful closing of the Pre-Series A round is an important milestone for Nayla and reflects the progress our team has made since launch,” said Shaqran Alyahya, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Nayla. “Sanabil Studio backed us from the earliest stage, helping shape the opportunity while giving Khalid and me the ownership to build and lead the company. With this new institutional backing, our focus is on scaling Nayla responsibly and expanding access to financing for micro businesses across Saudi Arabia.”