NEO PAY, CredibleX team up on data-led SME lending

By Vriti Gothi

NEO PAY has partnered with embedded finance lender CredibleX to expand access to working capital for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the United Arab Emirates.

The collaboration integrates CredibleX’s financing capabilities into NEO PAY’s payments infrastructure, enabling merchants to access credit based on transaction data generated through point-of-sale (POS) and eCommerce activity. By using real-time revenue insights from NEO PAY’s platform, the partners aim to streamline credit assessment processes and accelerate loan approvals.

The move reflects a broader shift in the region’s FinTech landscape, where payments providers are increasingly embedding lending services into merchant ecosystems. For SMEs, many of which face documentation gaps or limited collateral, data-driven underwriting models tied to cash flow offer an alternative to traditional bank financing.

Under the agreement, NEO PAY merchants will be able to apply for and receive financing through a fully digital process. Credit decisions will be informed by CredibleX’s proprietary scoring engine, with repayment structures aligned to individual merchants’ sales cycles and revenue performance.

Vibhor Mundhada, CEO of NEO PAY, said the partnership aims to merge payments and lending into a single ecosystem, enabling businesses to access capital more efficiently. “By merging payments and lending into one intelligent ecosystem, we are redefining how businesses access capital,” he said.

Ahmad Malik, Co-Founder of CredibleX, noted that integrating lending directly within a payments platform can simplify and speed up working capital access for SMEs. “By combining NEO PAY’s robust payment infrastructure with CredibleX’s lending platform, we’re redefining how businesses access working capital, making financing faster, smarter, and simpler,” he said.

Embedded finance models have gained traction in the Gulf region as regulators, including those in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), continue to support innovation in digital lending and alternative credit assessment frameworks. By leveraging merchant transaction data, providers can reduce underwriting friction while maintaining risk controls.

For NEO PAY, the partnership extends its merchant services beyond payments into capital provision, positioning the company within a growing segment of FinTechs seeking to capture a larger share of SME financial services. For CredibleX, the alliance provides access to an established merchant base and real-time payments data to support its lending operations.

As competition intensifies in the UAE’s SME financing market, the integration of payments and lending is increasingly viewed as a strategic lever for FinTech firms aiming to deliver faster, data-driven credit solutions.