{"id":12778,"date":"2025-07-16T05:01:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T05:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fintechnews.ae\/?p=26887"},"modified":"2025-07-16T05:01:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T05:01:13","slug":"ihc-acquires-sme-financing-platform-efunder-rebrands-as-zelo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/ihc-acquires-sme-financing-platform-efunder-rebrands-as-zelo\/","title":{"rendered":"IHC Acquires SME Financing Platform eFunder, Rebrands as Zelo"},"content":{"rendered":"

International Holding Company (IHC)<\/a>, a global investment firm based in Abu Dhabi, has announced the completion of its acquisition of eFunder, a private financing platform in the UAE that focuses on SMEs.<\/p>\n

The platform has been rebranded as Zelo, signalling a new phase aimed at expanding its reach and improving access to capital for businesses across the region.<\/p>\n

Zelo is fully licensed and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) under Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since its launch in August 2020, it has provided receivables-based funding to address the persistent working capital challenges faced by SMEs in the region.<\/p>\n

The platform allows approved invoices to be converted into working capital within 24 to 48 hours through a digital-first process.<\/p>\n

The acquisition aligns with IHC\u2019s broader strategy to invest in technologies that support economic resilience and growth.<\/p>\n

It also comes in response to the estimated US$250 billion SME credit gap in the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n

In the UAE, SMEs represent more than 95% of registered businesses and contribute over half of the national gross domestic product, yet many face payment delays of up to 120 days for approved invoices.<\/p>\n

\"Syed
Syed Basar Shueb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\u201cSMEs are the backbone of a diversified and future-ready economy. Through our strategic acquisition of Zelo, we are proud to support a platform that solves one of the most fundamental barriers facing SMEs, access to timely working capital,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

said Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis rebrand signals a confident new chapter, one that is fully aligned with IHC\u2019s long-term vision of building smart, scalable solutions and dynamic value networks that deliver real and lasting economic impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Zelo aims to address these payment delays through a digital platform designed for efficiency.<\/p>\n

It offers an entirely online onboarding process, automated funding decisions, and fast access to liquidity.<\/p>\n

The platform\u2019s credit limits adjust in line with business performance, providing a flexible financing option.<\/p>\n

\"Dhanush
Dhanush Arjun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\u201cZelo exists to eliminate the wait. The wait for payments, the wait for growth, the wait for opportunity,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

said Dhanush Arjun, CEO of Zelo.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOur rebrand signals not just a new name, but a renewed commitment to SMEs in the UAE who deserve faster, smarter access to capital. With IHC\u2019s strategic backing, we are accelerating that future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The company continues to be led by eFunder\u2019s co-founders, Dhanush Arjun as CEO and Deepak Sekar as COO, supported by a team with experience in fintech, SME lending, and digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Since its inception, the platform has facilitated over 9,000 transactions and deployed more than US$200 million in funding.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Middle East, based on image by wirestock <\/a>via Freepik<\/em><\/p>\n

The post IHC Acquires SME Financing Platform eFunder, Rebrands as Zelo<\/a> appeared first on Fintechnews Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International Holding Company (IHC), a global investment firm based in Abu Dhabi, has announced the completion of its acquisition of eFunder, a private financing platform in the UAE that focuses on SMEs. The platform has been rebranded as Zelo, signalling a new phase aimed at expanding its reach and improving access to capital for businesses […]<\/p>\n

The post IHC Acquires SME Financing Platform eFunder, Rebrands as Zelo<\/a> appeared first on Fintechnews Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175,218,288,324],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abu-dhabi","category-abu-dhabi-global-market-adgm","category-international-holding-company-ihc","category-zelo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12779,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12778\/revisions\/12779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mena-fintech.org\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}