SC Ventures, Sanabil Studio Partner To Grow SME-Focused Fintech In Saudi Arabia

SC Ventures, Standard Chartered Bank’s innovation, venture-building, and investment arm, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sanabil Studio, the venture studio set up by Saudi Arabia’s Sanabil Investments, to form a strategic partnership aimed at developing and scaling high-impact fintech ventures tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia.

The agreement establishes a joint operating framework that blends Sanabil Studio’s venture-building track record within the Kingdom with SC Ventures’ international fintech experience. The partnership is designed to support the development of financial solutions that respond to the evolving needs of Saudi SMEs, while contributing to the country’s Vision 2030 objectives. As part of the MoU, the two organizations will collaborate on sourcing, incubating, and investing in early-stage fintech ventures, leveraging both local market insight and global operating expertise. 

In a statement, Gabriel Heredia, Country Lead at Saudi Arabia, SC Ventures, said, “Saudi Arabia represents a strategic growth market for SME-focused financial innovation. This partnership with Sanabil Studio brings together complementary strengths, combining SC Ventures’ global fintech expertise and network with Sanabil Studio’s established venture-building platform and deep local expertise. Together, we aim to support entrepreneurs developing scalable SME-focused solutions that contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives.” 

Muhanad Alashtr, Head of Venture Build, Sanabil Studio, added, “At Sanabil Studio, we focus on systematically ideating and building new ventures from Saudi Arabia with global ambition. This MoU enables us to leverage SC Ventures’ global fintech experience and network as we develop and validate companies designed to compete in regional and international markets.” 

The partnership between SC Ventures and Sanabil Studio will thus focus on startups tackling persistent challenges faced by SMEs in Saudi Arabia, including access to finance and working-capital solutions, embedded finance, and SME-banking infrastructure, and fintech solutions that enhance SME productivity, growth, and scalability. 

The collaboration will center on developing on three main areas: developing fintech ventures by leveraging local market knowledge alongside global expertise to uncover high-impact opportunities and create scalable business models, designing these startups from the outset with technology, operational frameworks, and business structures that enable both regional and international growth, and selectively co-investing in rigorously vetted ventures to ensure strategic alignment, effective capital deployment, and strong execution. 

Beyond venture creation, SC Ventures and Sanabil Studio also plan to engage with regulators, government stakeholders, and ecosystem partners to support pilot programs and encourage responsible innovation, with the goal of strengthening Saudi Arabia’s SME-focused fintech landscape.  

Pictured in the lead image is a scene from the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MoU). Courtesy of SC Ventures.