Al Fardan Exchange Partners With Sheraa to Expand Financial Access for SMEs
Al Fardan Exchange has entered into a strategic partnership with the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) to expand financial access for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as the UAE continues to institutionalise its entrepreneurship ecosystem beyond early-stage funding.
The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2026, will see the UAE-based financial services provider work directly with Sheraa’s network of more than 500 startups and SMEs to better understand their operational financial requirements and develop tailored money transfer and financial solutions.
While positioned as a collaboration around payments and remittances, the partnership reflects a broader shift in how the country’s startup infrastructure is evolving. As the UAE strengthens its position as a global entrepreneurship hub — ranking first worldwide in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2024–2025 report — attention is increasingly turning from capital access alone to the operational systems that allow companies to scale sustainably.
Beyond Capital: The Operational Layer of Startups
Early-stage companies often face less visible constraints than funding headlines suggest. Cross-border payment flows, foreign supplier settlements, regulatory compliance, payroll disbursement and currency management can all become friction points as startups expand beyond domestic markets.
For founders operating in technology, e-commerce or services, financial infrastructure can determine how quickly they move from local proof of concept to regional scale. Delays in payments, limited access to compliant transfer channels or high transaction costs can materially affect cash flow and resilience.
“Startups and SMEs are a vital engine of economic growth and innovation in the UAE,” said Hasan Fardan Al Fardan, CEO of Al Fardan Exchange. “Access to trusted, compliant financial services remains a critical enabler of their success. Through our partnership with Sheraa, we aim to work closely with founders to better understand their operational realities and explore how meaningful financial access can support their growth, resilience, and cross-border ambitions.”
Al Fardan Exchange, established in 1971, operates more than 92 branches across the Emirates and maintains relationships with over 150 global correspondent banks and financial institutions. Traditionally known for remittance services, the company is increasingly positioning itself as a broader financial enabler within the SME and entrepreneurial segment.
Institutionalising the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
For Sheraa, the partnership aligns with a strategy that extends beyond mentorship and accelerator programmes toward building a more integrated ecosystem around founders.
H.E. Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi, CEO of Sheraa, said the collaboration is designed to strengthen operational efficiency and market access for SMEs. “Our collaboration with Al Fardan Exchange helps provide tailored financial solutions that enable startups and SMEs to operate more efficiently, expand into new markets, and contribute to the UAE’s diversified, innovation-led economy,” she said.
Sheraa, operating under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, has built a platform that connects founders to accelerators, mentorship networks and investors. The addition of structured financial partnerships indicates a maturation phase in the UAE’s startup landscape, where ecosystem builders are increasingly addressing systemic bottlenecks rather than focusing solely on capital deployment.
A Signal of Economic Strategy
The partnership also reflects a broader macroeconomic direction. The UAE’s diversification agenda hinges on the growth of SMEs and innovation-led enterprises as contributors to GDP and employment. Strengthening financial rails for these companies supports cross-border trade, foreign investment inflows and international expansion.
As startups in the UAE increasingly target regional markets in the GCC, South Asia and Africa, access to compliant, scalable financial channels becomes a strategic advantage. Partnerships between established financial institutions and entrepreneurship platforms can help reduce informal processes and improve transparency — both important in attracting institutional capital and global partnerships.
Although the MoU does not detail specific new products or fee structures, it signals a recognition that startup success is tied not only to venture funding but to reliable financial infrastructure embedded early in a company’s lifecycle.
In an ecosystem often measured by valuation milestones and funding rounds, this collaboration highlights a quieter but consequential reality: the long-term strength of the UAE’s innovation economy will depend as much on its financial plumbing as on its founders’ ideas.