Dubai-based Zamanat has announced its sponsorship of Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited, a DIFC-domiciled tokenized private credit fund with a target size of up to USD 100 million. The vehicle is designed to tackle the estimated $250 billion structural financing gap for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). With only 11 percent of regional SMEs currently securing access to credit, the fund aims to direct capital toward homegrown companies whose financing requirements remain unmet by traditional lending channels.
Closing The Structural SME Credit Gap
SMEs are essential to economic development in the GCC but remain heavily underserved by conventional financing. In the UAE, for instance, SMEs account for more than half of the national GDP and employ the majority of the private-sector workforce, yet they receive less than 10 percent of total bank lending. By expanding access to alternative financing, Zamanat’s strategy supports national priorities such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE Centennial 2071. Umair Tariq, Founder and CEO of Zamanat, stated that the fund provides a credible pathway connecting robust businesses with institutional capital through a regulated digital structure.
Digital Infrastructure And Regulated Issuance
The new vehicle represents a live demonstration of moving regional private credit into digital markets. It is structured as a closed-ended Exempt Fund and classified as a Credit Fund, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). Fund interests will be issued as ZM1 Investment Tokens on ZIGChain, providing a blockchain-native ownership and settlement layer within a regulated, whitelisted environment. Tokenization expands the infrastructure for traditionally hard-to-access private-market assets without altering their underlying investment or credit profiles. This structure also allows qualifying investors who meet DFSA Professional Client criteria to participate alongside institutional funds.
Strategic Institutional Partnerships
While Zamanat sponsors the fund and provides its regional private credit and investment structuring expertise, all regulated fund-management activities remain the responsibility of Truleum Venture Partners Limited. Apex Group serves as the Fund Administrator, bringing institutional-grade controls to the operation. Zamanat is also backed by Disrupt.com, a MENA-based AI-native venture builder serving as the lead investor. The company is actively progressing a wider pipeline of Digital Shariah Assets across real estate, receivables, and private credit to build a comprehensive global market for compliant digital investments.
About Zamanat
Zamanat focuses on building the global market for Digital Shariah Assets by connecting asset originators with international capital. The firm integrates investment structuring, Shariah expertise, tokenization, and regulated partner routes to distribute assets through both traditional and digital channels. Zamanat sponsors and develops institutional investment products in collaboration with appropriately licensed partners, ensuring each offering adheres to specific legal and regulatory frameworks.
Source: Press Release
