UAE-Based Proptech Stake Closes US$31 Million Series B Led By MENAT Banking Group Emirates NBD

Stake, a UAE-based proptech platform, has raised US$31 million in an oversubscribed Series B round led by Emirates NBD, one of the MENAT's leading banks, bringing the total investment the startup has raised since inception to $58 million. 

The round also saw participation from the MENA Venture Capital Fund at Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company, Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), a MENA-focused venture capital firm, Property Finder, a UAE-based real estate marketplace, STV NICE, an arm of Saudi Technology Ventures, KSA-based Wa’ed Ventures, GFH Partners, a Bahrain-based financial group, and Ellington Properties, a Dubai-based real estate development company. 

Founded by Manar Mahmassani, Rami Tabbara, and Ricardo Brizido in the UAE in 2021, Stake is a digital real estate investment platform that enables users to invest in fractional property ownership and private real estate funds starting from AED500 ($136). Its curated real estate funds have found an audience of more than two million users from over 211 nationalities across 181 countries since its inception. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Tabbara, who also serves as Stake's co-CEO, told us that the diversity of backers that contributed to his enterprise's latest investment round is, in many ways, a reflection of how the sector is evolving. "I think what ultimately convinced such a diverse group of banks, developers, and venture investors to come together behind Stake wasn't just our traction—it was alignment," Tabbara said. "Each of them saw a different piece of the same long-term shift. Banks saw that real estate ownership is becoming digital and more accessible, and they want to be part of that infrastructure. Developers saw that distribution is changing. The next generation of buyers won't just walk into a sales office—they'll access opportunities digitally, fractionally, and globally. Venture investors saw something else: that real estate is one of the largest asset classes in the world, yet it remains one of the least modernized. Stake is building the rails to digitize and fractionalize it in a regulated, compliant way." 

Tabbara also highlighted that gaining the trust of investors is a testament to Stake's unique approach and proven track record. "What brought them together is that we're not just another proptech company," Tabbara said. "We're building financial infrastructure. We're regulated in multiple jurisdictions, we've distributed meaningful rental income back to investors, and we've proven there is real demand from everyday people who want access to income-generating property. At this stage, institutions are less interested in hype and more interested in durability. They saw that we've built responsibly, navigated regulation, and created a model that works at scale in both the UAE and Saudi. Ultimately, I think they aligned behind Stake because they believe this is not a trend—it's a structural shift in how real estate will be owned in this region. And they want to help shape that shift."

To explain the appeal of the solution that Stake is providing, Tabbara pointed to the inefficiencies and barriers that have made real estate slow to digitize compared to other asset classes. "For a long time, real estate didn’t digitize, because it didn’t need to," he noted. "It’s a high-value, relationship-driven asset class with strong incumbents. Transactions were large, infrequent, and often opaque, and that system worked for institutional players. What has changed isn't just technology. It's three things happening at once. First, investor behavior shifted. A new generation wants access, liquidity, and transparency. They don't want to wait 20 years to buy their first property—they want to start with smaller amounts and build over time. Affordability is a huge problem. Second, regulation matured. In markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, regulators have embraced innovation while maintaining strong oversight. That balance created a framework where platforms like ours can operate credibly and at scale. Third, macroeconomic conditions have changed. Higher interest rates, global volatility, and the search for stable yield pushed investors toward income-generating real assets—but with more flexibility and lower entry points.”

The convergence of those three forces, Tabbara argues, is what made this moment uniquely suited for Stake's offering, which is centered on modernizing real estate. "When you combine digital-native investors, supportive regulation, and a renewed focus on yield, the timing becomes less about 'why now?' and more about 'why wasn't this built earlier?'" Tabbara said.  "We’re at a point where technology, regulation, and investor mindset have finally converged. That’s what makes this moment different." 

Critically, Saudi Arabia has emerged as Stake’s key growth frontier, offering both a regulatory first-mover advantage and a surge of international capital. In Q4 2024, Stake became the first Capital Market Authority-regulated platform to open the Kingdom’s property market to global investors. Since then, it has successfully launched three real estate funds, attracting nearly 7,000 international investors and channeling over SAR416 million (US$111 million) into Saudi real estate. According to Tabbara, the opportunity in Saudi Arabia is not just the size of the market, but the rate at which it is changing. "The opportunity is clear," he said. "You have a young population, rising homeownership targets under Vision 2030, massive real estate development pipelines in Riyadh and other cities, and increasing financial sophistication. There's a genuine appetite for participating in the country's growth—not just consuming it. At the same time, Saudi investors are highly informed and increasingly digital-first. They’re comfortable with fintech, but they expect strong governance and clarity. That plays well to our model because we operate within a regulated framework and prioritize transparency." 

That appetite, however, comes with distinct expectations. Tabbara is candid about the fact that what worked in the UAE cannot simply be transplanted across the border. "Saudi Arabia is a distinct regulatory and cultural environment," he said. "You can't copy-paste a UAE model. You need local partnerships, local compliance infrastructure, and a deep understanding of how capital flows within the Kingdom. Liquidity expectations, investor behavior, and even communication styles are different. Trust is built differently." Still, for Tabbara, the very complexity of the Saudi market creates durable advantages for platforms willing to persevere. "The market is scaling rapidly, and there's room for platforms that combine technology with institutional-grade discipline," he said. "For us, Saudi Arabia isn't just geographic expansion. It's long-term alignment with one of the fastest-evolving real estate ecosystems in the world. Stake perfectly aligns with Vision 2030." 

Beyond the GCC, Stake is also expanding its international footprint, offering investors access to stable and high-growth markets. In October 2025, it entered the US industrial real estate sector, validating its cross-border model with growing demand for income-generating assets. Also in 2025, Stake launched StakeOne, digitizing access to full property ownership in Dubai, including developments by prominent real estate players like Emaar, Ellington Properties, and Dubai Holding, with streamlined structures and a pathway to ready-to-list properties. Plus, as part of its vision to digitize real estate investing, Stake is advancing regulated tokenization with Property Finder and has received in-principle approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). The initiative allows fractional, tradeable ownership of high-demand assets, boosting liquidity, transparency, and access beyond traditional institutional investors. 

Looking to the road ahead, Tabbara is clear that Stake's definition of success runs deeper than growth metrics. "Success is when owning real estate becomes as normal and accessible as owning a stock," he shared. "Today, most people still think of real estate as something you buy once in your lifetime, with debt, stress, and a large capital commitment. I hope in five years, people think of it as something you build gradually, intelligently, and digitally." Tabbara also noted that for him, success won't be just about scale—it’ll be built on three foundational principles that guide Stake’s mission. "Beyond growth metrics, success for us means three things," he said. "First, trust. That we are seen as the most credible and transparent platform for income-generating real estate in the region. Second, access. That a young professional in Riyadh or Dubai can start building a property portfolio with the same ease as opening a savings account. Third, infrastructure. That Stake becomes part of the financial plumbing of the region, not just an investment platform, but a platform that enables ownership, liquidity, and data-driven decision making through deep use of artificial intelligence (AI). If we do this right, we won't just scale a company. We'll help shift the mindset from 'buying property' to 'participating in property.'"

Meanwhile, for all of the success Tabbara has seen in the fundraising arena, he was also happy to share with other founders what he has learned through it all. "Raise when you have leverage, not when you have urgency," he said. "The best conversations happen when your business is growing, your runway is healthy, and you're not negotiating from pressure. Know your story inside out—not just the upside, the risks. Investors can sense when a founder is overselling. The strongest pitches are the ones that acknowledge the challenges and explain clearly how you plan to navigate them."

Tabbara also urged founders to think carefully about who sits on their cap table. "Money is a commodity," he declared. "The right partners are not. Think carefully about who you want on your board, who understands your market, and who can help in the next phase—not just this round." Tabbara also cautioned entrepreneurs to remember that fundraising shouldn't detract from the core work of building a business. "Fundraising is a full-time job layered on top of running your company," he said. "Protect your team from distraction and keep execution strong—momentum closes rounds. Capital amplifies what already exists. So, build something solid first—the funding follows.” 

Pictured in the lead image is Rami Tabbara, co-founder and co-CEO of Stake. Courtesy of Stake.