KSA-Based Ghanem Pockets US$7.1 Million From Al-Romaih Group

Ghanem, the Riyadh-based digital platform specializing in fractional real estate ownership, has raised US$7.1 million from KSA-based investment firm Al-Romaih Group as part of its plan to expand access to property investment in the Kingdom.  

The startup was founded by Saleh Al-Ghamdi and Amr Essam in Saudi Arabia in 2025 to offer transparent and flexible real estate investment options for individual and institutional investors. It operates under the Regulatory Sandbox of the Saudi Real Estate General Authority (REGA), which provides oversight and ensures alignment with governance requirements. 

Speaking with Inc. Arabia, Al-Ghamdi and Essam said that they built the company after spending years seeing how difficult it was for ordinary Saudis to enter the real estate market. “Ghanem was founded by a small team of fintech operators and real estate professionals who saw how difficult it was for individuals, especially young Saudis, to access real estate investment opportunities," they said. "Traditionally, the market required large capital, long processes, and very limited access to high-quality assets, unless you personally knew the right developers or brokers. We built Ghanem to change that.” 

The two entrepreneurs thus set out to build a platform that'd rethink investment in the real estate space. “Our mission is simple: make real estate investment accessible, transparent, and affordable for everyone in Saudi Arabia,” the duo said. “Through our digital platform, investors can participate in fractional ownership and usufruct rights opportunities that were previously available only to institutional buyers. We combine strong governance, compliance with REGA’s sandbox framework, and modern technology to open the door for a new class of real-estate investors.” 

The investment from Al-Romaih Group thus represents a strategic step that aligns with Ghanem's long-term plans to make investing in real estate assets more accessible. “Our partnership with Al-Romaih Group gives us far more than capital—it gives us long-term alignment with one of the most respected real estate investors in the Kingdom," Al-Ghamdi and Essam said. "Beyond funding, we gain deep real estate expertise and access to strong developers, operators, and asset pipelines.”

The co-founders also noted that the partnership bolsters Ghanem's credibility in the market, particularly with regulators, partners, and institutional stakeholders, and accelerates its access to high-quality investment opportunities across multiple asset classes. Meanwhile, the new funds will help Ghanem expand its user base and as well as its footprint in the Kingdom. “This round empowers us to scale faster, expand our product offerings, including fractional ownership, usufruct products, and futuristic investment models, and build the infrastructure required for nationwide adoption of fractional real estate," Al-Ghamdi and Essam said.

The funding comes at a time when the Saudi real estate market is being shaped by significant transformation across multiple asset classes. These changes, Al-Ghamdi and Essam point out, are making tools such as fractional investment even more relevant to young Saudis. “Saudi Arabia is going through a once-in-a-generation transformation in real estate driven by Vision 2030, population growth, and record-level development activity across residential, hospitality, and commercial sectors,” they noted, while pointing to three macro shifts that give them strong confidence in Ghanem’s model.

“Affordability challenges are rising, making fractional real estate a practical entry point for new investors," Al-Ghamdi and Essam point out. "Financial awareness is growing, and young Saudis are actively looking for alternative investment products aligned with their income and risk appetite. Regulation is catching up—REGA is opening the door for structured, compliant fractional models.” They also highlighted that, while the current development boom is creating “ a strong pipeline of assets," not everyone can participate—but fractional ownership as a tool to bridge that gap. "We see huge potential for fractional investment to become mainstream, similar to how retail investors entered public markets years ago," they pointed out.  

Reflecting on the journey of building Ghanem from the ground up, the co-founders noted that a key takeaway has been the importance of first building the foundation for an investment-focused platform. “One lesson I wish I knew earlier is you don’t just build technology, you build trust,” Al-Ghamdi shared. “In proptech, especially in investment products, credibility, governance, and regulatory alignment are more important than the code you ship. You must be patient, transparent, and resilient. You have to work closely with regulators, educate the market, and over-communicate your safeguards and processes. If you focus on trust and governance first, growth will follow naturally.”

Pictured in the lead image is the Ghanem team. Image courtesy Ghanem.