#DFSA Crowdfunding Regulations

[corporate1mk-blog]

Primary aim of DFSA regulations to encourage growth of Financial Technology(FinTech) Industry by ensure clear governance & necessary protection for parties

[buypropertyeasy]

Top 3 Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms in the Middle East

Crowdfunding real estate is a growing trend in the Middle East. You can choose to buy, sell or lease property through a platform like RealEstate. Buying a home at auction is the main way to get financing in most countries. By modernizing your offerings with artificial intelligence and mobile interfaces, we can help you reach new buyers and increase value by bringing transparency, trust and simplicity to every deal. 

1.Smartcrowd

THE WHAT?

A licensed real estate crowdfunding platform called Smartcrowd enables users to increase their wealth by pooling their investments in rental homes.

Using the award-winning digital platform Smartcrowd, consumers can take benefit from all the advantages of direct real estate investments (i.e., by owning the properties) and lower their risk by spreading their wealth across a number of properties.

Real estate investing is made simple, hassle-free, and less dangerous for people thanks to Smartcrowd, which enables investments for as little as AED 500 (about $140).

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) regulates Smartcrowd, which is registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The DIFC’s financial services are governed by the DFSA.

2. Getstake

THE WHAT?

By developing a digital platform that enables real estate investing easy, transparent, and accessible to everyone.

They lower the entry barrier to AED 500, pinpoint the market’s most alluring assets, and give you all the information you need to make a wise investment choice.

Additionally, they handle the entire investment process for you, from acquiring the property to allocating rent and handling payments to carrying out the sale of each asset when it is time to exit.

With Stake, you can build your own diverse property portfolio in a matter of minutes, become a landlord, and then relax while earning a second income and the best-in-class total return on your investment.

3. Baytuki

THE WHAT?

By making small real estate investments, Baytuki, a crowdfunding platform, helps Emirati women of all ages and economic levels achieve financial security.

Baytuki manages and facilitates the processes of buying, managing, and selling real estate so you may go about your daily activities and let your money work for you.

They are here to support you on your path to financial freedom and to arm you with the knowledge you need to make wise investment choices that will bring you financial assets.

Baytuki is managed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and provided a license by the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) (DFSA).

DISCLOSURE:

None of these articles constitute financial advice. Articles are highly summarised to make it easy for the reader and save your time, so please DYOR further before putting your hard-earned money into any product mentioned.

Please note that the tech industry evolves rapidly and the info in this article is correct at the time of publishing. As Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant,” so if anything sounds old or off, please holler on the socials or comment here so everyone stays peeled.

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[rekhadvp-blog]

Primary aim of DFSA regulations to encourage growth of Financial Technology(FinTech) Industry by ensure clear governance & necessary protection for parties

[yourcrazycrack]

Top 40 Fintech influencers to follow in the Middle East

Over the last couple of years, several changes in technology have an impact on financial and banking services as well. Now everyone is aware of the term FinTech which means usage of technology in the financial sector. Definitely, fintech influencers had their piece of share in making fintech an enormous thing by sharing their ideas and influencing the world of techno-finance. Along with several other nations, the Middle East also have seen many influencers who helped in Fintech growth.

Here’s a list of top Fintech influencers in the Middle East region (not in a specific order)

1. Raja Al Mazrouei

Raja Al Mazrouei is the Executive Vice President of FinTech Hive at the Dubai International Financial Centre(DIFC). She works with an aim to make DIFC as the region’s best innovative destination for Fintech.

2. Arif Amiri

Arif Amiri is the Cheif Executing Officer at Dubai International Financial Center(DIFC). He manages the strategic and operational functions of the center. Currently, DIFC is working towards the fintech development which is a part Arif’s vision for DIFC.

3. Leigh Flounders

Leigh Flounders is the Senior Vice President Head of Digital Strategy and Engagement at Emirates NBD. He bagged several awards till date, amongst which The 2017 South By Southwest(SXSW) Conference FinTech & Payments pitch winner deserves a special mention.

4. Craig Moore

Craig Moore is the founder of Beehive which is the first peer-to-peer lending platform in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region. Beehive was launched in November 2014, it connects businesses seeking finance and investors. Till date, it has provided finance to more than 32 SMEs.

5. Kanchan Kumar

Kanchan Kumar is one of the founders of Remitr. Remitr is an end-to-end money transfer platform which was started with an aim to make global payments simple. In the year 2016, it was recognized as one of the most promising startups in the UAE region. 

6. Suvo Sarkar

Suvo Sarkar is the Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head in Retail banking & Wealth management at Emirates NBD. He contributes to the growth of revenue, profits and customer base for the bank by setting new standards for product innovation. He also publishes a column on the changing paradigms in the banking sector. He is considered as a Finovate speaker in the Middle East.

7. Abdul Fahad Al Jouf

Abdul Fahad Al Jouf is the founder of PayTabs. PayTabs is a payment gateway that provides businesses to transfer funds to each other without any complications. Realizing the difficulties faced by the SME merchants in the MENA region to get a payment gateway, Abdul developed PayTabs. It provides payment solutions to all kinds of business be it small and medium enterprises, large scale organizations, etc.

8. Mirna Sleiman

Mirna Sleiman is the CEO and founder of Fintech Galaxy which is a digital crowdsourcing platform. It connects fintech entrepreneurs and investors. Mirna is the former award-winning financial journalist. She even guided several banks and governments on their digital transformation projects.

9. Sridhar Iyer

Sridhar Iyer is the Head of Mashreq Neo and Banking. Mashreq Neo is the digital banking application that is working with an aim to make banking easy and swift for the customers. This definitely makes a good addition to the growth of fintech in the UAE region.

10. Moussa Beidas

Moussa Beidas is the founder of Bridg, a smartphone app. It is an app which uses Bluetooth to make online payments. It is the first app that works on flight mode as well. Bridg is definitely one of the best fintech innovations. It makes the payment process simple. 

11. Sagar Sanap

Sagar Sanap is the AVP- Digital Sales Lead in Citi Bank. Being expertise in the field of Product strategy, Digital marketing, and campaign management, he is making a good share in the field of fintech.

12. Sam Quawasmi

Sam Quawasmi is one of the founders of the first equity crowdfunding platform Eureeca. It provides equity-based crowdfunding opportunity for the businesses. In the year 2013, Sam Quawasmi and Chris Thomas(Founder of Eureeca) were awarded “Innovator of the Year” award by Gulf Business Industry Awards in the UAE. 

13. Peter Smith

Peter Smith is the managing director, policy and strategy at Dubai Financial Services Authority(DFSA). DFSA regulates the financial services conducted from Dubai International Financial Center(DIFC) which works with a vision to drive the future of finance.

14. Philip King

Philip King is the Global Head of Retail Banking at ADIB. Prior to ADIB, he worked in several other well-known banks. ADIB launched MoneySmart which is the first digital community in the Middle East region. It also added “ADIB Express” to their app in order to provide instant digital services to their customers.

15. Richard Teng

Richard Teng is the CEO of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi Global Market(ADGM). The first Fintech Regulatory Laboratory Framework in the MENA region was developed in ADGM under the supervision of Richard. He works in the development of Fintech ecosystem in Abu Dhabi region. 

16. Wai Lum Kwok

Wai Lum Kwok is the Executive Director of Capital Markets, Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi Global Market(ADGM). He is known for his efforts and supervision in the development of Fintech in ADGM.

17. Promoth Manghat

Promoth Manghat is the CEO of UAE Exchange. He leads the global operations team of UAE Exchange center. He supervises in expanding UAE Exchange all over the world besides the day-to-day operations of his team.

18. Jayesh Patel

Jayesh Patel is the head of Liv. account of Emirates NBD. Liv. account is the first digital banking account in the UAE region. This account was launched by taking millennials and digital lifestyle into consideration. Liv account is one of the best add-ons to Fintech growth in the UAE. 

19. Stelios Michaelides

Stelios Michaelides is the head of Digital Banking in Commercial Bank of Dubai(CBD). CBD Now is a digital banking product that was launched under the supervision of Stelios. It uses the latest technologies which promote in the safe and simplest way of banking for the customers.

20. Siddiq Farid

Siddiq Farid is the CEO and one of the founders of SmartCrowd. SmartCrowd is a real estate crowdfunding platform in the UAE. It is the only company that is regulated by the DFSA(Dubai Financial Services Authority) and the first company in UAE that supports digital real estate investments.

21. Tanvir Shah

Tanvir Shah is the Managing Director of The Partnerships Consulting. He supervises on banking, payments, fintech strategies, etc. in the MENA region. His works have been recognized by several popular publications like The Banker Middle East, Cards International, etc.

22. Lynnette Abad

Lynnette is the Director of Research and Data at PropertyFinder group. Having technology and real estate as her professional passions, she’s been working on PropTech for maximum time in her career. 

23. Mark Chahwan

Mark is one of the co-founders of Sarwa. Sarwa is an online financial advisor that helps customers in finding investment opportunities with good returns and low-risks. It was recognized as one of the top 20 fintech companies by Forbes and the first startup to have an innovation license by the Dubai International Financial Center.

24. Mike Cunningham

Mike has been spending most of his career in the FinTech sector. He works as an independent mentor at DIFC(Dubai International Financial Center) Fintech Hive. Besides that, he is the CEO of BankClearly a startup which invented a new way of banking.

25. Omar Soudodi

Omar Soudodi is the managing director at PayFort. PayFort is a payment gateway platform which provides a secured and safe payment facility for online shoppers. It has won several awards in the MENA region along with the Best Fintech Company in the year 2016 by The Entrepreneur. 

26. Usama Zafar

Usama Zafar is the Head of Digital & Direct Marketing in ADIB. He has 13+ years of work experience in well-acclaimed domestic and international companies. He is considered as a growth hacker with accomplishments of billion dollars in annual sales of the companies he worked.

27. Nameer Khan

Nameer Khan is not only a fintech influencer but also an insurtech. He is a founding board member of MENA Fintech Association which helps in shaping the future of financial services in the UAE.

28. Ola Doudin

Ola Doudin is the Cofounder and CEO of BitOasis which is digital asset exchange and wallet. It allows individuals to purchase, sell and trade digital assets. Along with the digital wallet and trading services, they also offer consulting services to the organizations.

29. Omar Rana

Omar Rana is the co-founder and director of strategy and finance in Finalytix. Finalytix provides financial advice and wealth management of a company. Omar is also a global fintech speaker who was invited to talk at various conferences.

30. Omeed Mehrinfar 

Plug and Play Tech is a platform that connects Startups and the world’s largest corporations. Omeed Mehrinfar is the regional director of such an innovative platform that helps the startups, investors, etc connect with each other. Plug and Play Tech work on the main objective to catalyze technological advancement.

31. Osama Al Rahma

Osama Al Rahma is the CEO of the Al Fardan Exchange. Al Fardan Exchange is a well-known exchange center in the UAE. Apart from the Al Fardan Exchange center, he is a board member of certain well-acclaimed companies like Foreign Exchange and Remittance group, 2 the point, who is responsible for the development of strategies. 

32. Tim Buckler

Tim Buckler is the Digital Sales Manager in Emirates Islamic Bank. With 9+ years of experience in the field of digital finance, his strategies mainly focus on developing overall e-commerce experiences. He helps in building the digital channel that eventually drives towards the customer and product gain.

33. Preeti Mundhra

Preeti Mundhra the Head of Marketing and Partnerships at the Liv. Digital Bank is one of the best fintech influencers in the UAE through Liv. account which is one of the best initiatives in the fintech space. 

34. Shaheen Alkhudhari

The founder and CEO of the well-known rent and property management platform, Ajar Online is Shaheen Alkhudhari. This platform helps homeowners manage their properties by offering a quick online rent collection facility. This makes the process of receiving or sending rent very easy.

35. Khalid Saad

Khalid Saad is the CEO of Bahrain Fintech Bay. Bahrain Fintech Bay is the first fintech hub in Bahrain and largest fintech hub in the MENA region. He is also the Executive Director of Fintech Consortium which helps in growth and acceleration of Fintech ecosystems.

36. Sonny Zulu

Sonny Zulu is the Managing Director and Head of Retail Banking at Standard Chartered Bank. He is known for delivering outstanding performance at work which helped in the growth of profits, revenue, etc.

37. Eric Modave

Eric Modave is the Chief Operating Office in Arab Bank who is in charge of all the IT operations, Enterprise Digital Innovation, data management, etc. for the bank. Prior to the Arab bank, he worked at top-noted banks in other regions.

38. Denit Varghese

Denit Varghese is the Senior Digital Planner at Carat. With long career experience in the field of digital marketing, his motto of looking at the long term success rather than short term returns makes him the best at the industry.

39. Bogdan Maranu

Bogdan Maranu is the Associate Media Director at Spark Foundry. It is a start-up that melds an innovative business approach with resources and capabilities. 

40. Omar Bin Brek 

Omar Bin Brek is the founder of the UAE Fintech Startup Foloosi. Foloosi facilitates consumer to business payments with advanced technical solutions. This is definitely a good add-on to fintech realm.

Other than these, there are several other influencers who are helping in the growth of Fintech in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region.

Source: https://www.mymoneysouq.com/financial-blog/top-40-fintech-influencers-to-follow-in-the-middle-east/

[richardananth]

Top Fintech influencers to follow in the Middle East

Over the last couple of years, several changes in technology have an impact on financial and banking services as well. Now everyone is aware of the term FinTech which means usage of technology in the financial sector. Definitely, fintech influencers had their piece of share in making fintech an enormous thing by sharing their ideas and influencing the world of techno-finance. Along with several other nations, the Middle East also have seen many influencers who helped in Fintech growth.

Here’s a list of top Fintech influencers in the Middle East region (not in a specific order)

1. Raja Al Mazrouei

Raja Al Mazrouei is the Executive Vice President of FinTech Hive at the Dubai International Financial Centre(DIFC). She works with an aim to make DIFC as the region’s best innovative destination for Fintech.

2. Arif Amiri

Arif Amiri is the Cheif Executing Officer at Dubai International Financial Center(DIFC). He manages the strategic and operational functions of the center. Currently, DIFC is working towards the fintech development which is a part Arif’s vision for DIFC.

3. Leigh Flounders

Leigh Flounders is the Senior Vice President Head of Digital Strategy and Engagement at Emirates NBD. He bagged several awards till date, amongst which The 2017 South By Southwest(SXSW) Conference FinTech & Payments pitch winner deserves a special mention.

4. Craig Moore

Craig Moore is the founder of Beehive which is the first peer-to-peer lending platform in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region. Beehive was launched in November 2014, it connects businesses seeking finance and investors. Till date, it has provided finance to more than 32 SMEs.

5. Kanchan Kumar

Kanchan Kumar is one of the founders of Remitr. Remitr is an end-to-end money transfer platform which was started with an aim to make global payments simple. In the year 2016, it was recognized as one of the most promising startups in the UAE region. 

6. Suvo Sarkar

Suvo Sarkar is the Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head in Retail banking & Wealth management at Emirates NBD. He contributes to the growth of revenue, profits and customer base for the bank by setting new standards for product innovation. He also publishes a column on the changing paradigms in the banking sector. He is considered as a Finovate speaker in the Middle East.

7. Abdul Fahad Al Jouf

Abdul Fahad Al Jouf is the founder of PayTabs. PayTabs is a payment gateway that provides businesses to transfer funds to each other without any complications. Realizing the difficulties faced by the SME merchants in the MENA region to get a payment gateway, Abdul developed PayTabs. It provides payment solutions to all kinds of business be it small and medium enterprises, large scale organizations, etc.

8. Mirna Sleiman

Mirna Sleiman is the CEO and founder of Fintech Galaxy which is a digital crowdsourcing platform. It connects fintech entrepreneurs and investors. Mirna is the former award-winning financial journalist. She even guided several banks and governments on their digital transformation projects.

9. Sridhar Iyer

Sridhar Iyer is the Head of Mashreq Neo and Banking. Mashreq Neo is the digital banking application that is working with an aim to make banking easy and swift for the customers. This definitely makes a good addition to the growth of fintech in the UAE region.

10. Moussa Beidas

Moussa Beidas is the founder of Bridg, a smartphone app. It is an app which uses Bluetooth to make online payments. It is the first app that works on flight mode as well. Bridg is definitely one of the best fintech innovations. It makes the payment process simple. 

11. Sagar Sanap

Sagar Sanap is the AVP- Digital Sales Lead in Citi Bank. Being expertise in the field of Product strategy, Digital marketing, and campaign management, he is making a good share in the field of fintech.

12. Sam Quawasmi

Sam Quawasmi is one of the founders of the first equity crowdfunding platform Eureeca. It provides equity-based crowdfunding opportunity for the businesses. In the year 2013, Sam Quawasmi and Chris Thomas(Founder of Eureeca) were awarded “Innovator of the Year” award by Gulf Business Industry Awards in the UAE. 

13. Peter Smith

Peter Smith is the managing director, policy and strategy at Dubai Financial Services Authority(DFSA). DFSA regulates the financial services conducted from Dubai International Financial Center(DIFC) which works with a vision to drive the future of finance.

14. Philip King

Philip King is the Global Head of Retail Banking at ADIB. Prior to ADIB, he worked in several other well-known banks. ADIB launched MoneySmart which is the first digital community in the Middle East region. It also added “ADIB Express” to their app in order to provide instant digital services to their customers.

15. Richard Teng

Richard Teng is the CEO of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi Global Market(ADGM). The first Fintech Regulatory Laboratory Framework in the MENA region was developed in ADGM under the supervision of Richard. He works in the development of Fintech ecosystem in Abu Dhabi region. 

16. Wai Lum Kwok

Wai Lum Kwok is the Executive Director of Capital Markets, Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi Global Market(ADGM). He is known for his efforts and supervision in the development of Fintech in ADGM.

17. Promoth Manghat

Promoth Manghat is the CEO of UAE Exchange. He leads the global operations team of UAE Exchange center. He supervises in expanding UAE Exchange all over the world besides the day-to-day operations of his team.

18. Jayesh Patel

Jayesh Patel is the head of Liv. account of Emirates NBD. Liv. account is the first digital banking account in the UAE region. This account was launched by taking millennials and digital lifestyle into consideration. Liv account is one of the best add-ons to Fintech growth in the UAE. 

19. Stelios Michaelides

Stelios Michaelides is the head of Digital Banking in Commercial Bank of Dubai(CBD). CBD Now is a digital banking product that was launched under the supervision of Stelios. It uses the latest technologies which promote in the safe and simplest way of banking for the customers.

20. Siddiq Farid

Siddiq Farid is the CEO and one of the founders of SmartCrowd. SmartCrowd is a real estate crowdfunding platform in the UAE. It is the only company that is regulated by the DFSA(Dubai Financial Services Authority) and the first company in UAE that supports digital real estate investments.

21. Tanvir Shah

Tanvir Shah is the Managing Director of The Partnerships Consulting. He supervises on banking, payments, fintech strategies, etc. in the MENA region. His works have been recognized by several popular publications like The Banker Middle East, Cards International, etc.

22. Lynnette Abad

Lynnette is the Director of Research and Data at PropertyFinder group. Having technology and real estate as her professional passions, she’s been working on PropTech for maximum time in her career. 

23. Mark Chahwan

Mark is one of the co-founders of Sarwa. Sarwa is an online financial advisor that helps customers in finding investment opportunities with good returns and low-risks. It was recognized as one of the top 20 fintech companies by Forbes and the first startup to have an innovation license by the Dubai International Financial Center.

24. Mike Cunningham

Mike has been spending most of his career in the FinTech sector. He works as an independent mentor at DIFC(Dubai International Financial Center) Fintech Hive. Besides that, he is the CEO of BankClearly a startup which invented a new way of banking.

25. Omar Soudodi

Omar Soudodi is the managing director at PayFort. PayFort is a payment gateway platform which provides a secured and safe payment facility for online shoppers. It has won several awards in the MENA region along with the Best Fintech Company in the year 2016 by The Entrepreneur. 

26. Usama Zafar

Usama Zafar is the Head of Digital & Direct Marketing in ADIB. He has 13+ years of work experience in well-acclaimed domestic and international companies. He is considered as a growth hacker with accomplishments of billion dollars in annual sales of the companies he worked.

27. Nameer Khan

Nameer Khan is not only a fintech influencer but also an insurtech. He is a founding board member of MENA Fintech Association which helps in shaping the future of financial services in the UAE.

28. Ola Doudin

Ola Doudin is the Cofounder and CEO of BitOasis which is digital asset exchange and wallet. It allows individuals to purchase, sell and trade digital assets. Along with the digital wallet and trading services, they also offer consulting services to the organizations.

29. Omar Rana

Omar Rana is the co-founder and director of strategy and finance in Finalytix. Finalytix provides financial advice and wealth management of a company. Omar is also a global fintech speaker who was invited to talk at various conferences.

30. Omeed Mehrinfar 

Plug and Play Tech is a platform that connects Startups and the world’s largest corporations. Omeed Mehrinfar is the regional director of such an innovative platform that helps the startups, investors, etc connect with each other. Plug and Play Tech work on the main objective to catalyze technological advancement.

31. Osama Al Rahma

Osama Al Rahma is the CEO of the Al Fardan Exchange. Al Fardan Exchange is a well-known exchange center in the UAE. Apart from the Al Fardan Exchange center, he is a board member of certain well-acclaimed companies like Foreign Exchange and Remittance group, 2 the point, who is responsible for the development of strategies. 

32. Tim Buckler

Tim Buckler is the Digital Sales Manager in Emirates Islamic Bank. With 9+ years of experience in the field of digital finance, his strategies mainly focus on developing overall e-commerce experiences. He helps in building the digital channel that eventually drives towards the customer and product gain.

33. Preeti Mundhra

Preeti Mundhra the Head of Marketing and Partnerships at the Liv. Digital Bank is one of the best fintech influencers in the UAE through Liv. account which is one of the best initiatives in the fintech space. 

34. Shaheen Alkhudhari

The founder and CEO of the well-known rent and property management platform, Ajar Online is Shaheen Alkhudhari. This platform helps homeowners manage their properties by offering a quick online rent collection facility. This makes the process of receiving or sending rent very easy.

35. Khalid Saad

Khalid Saad is the CEO of Bahrain Fintech Bay. Bahrain Fintech Bay is the first fintech hub in Bahrain and largest fintech hub in the MENA region. He is also the Executive Director of Fintech Consortium which helps in growth and acceleration of Fintech ecosystems.

36. Sonny Zulu

Sonny Zulu is the Managing Director and Head of Retail Banking at Standard Chartered Bank. He is known for delivering outstanding performance at work which helped in the growth of profits, revenue, etc.

37. Eric Modave

Eric Modave is the Chief Operating Office in Arab Bank who is in charge of all the IT operations, Enterprise Digital Innovation, data management, etc. for the bank. Prior to the Arab bank, he worked at top-noted banks in other regions.

38. Denit Varghese

Denit Varghese is the Senior Digital Planner at Carat. With long career experience in the field of digital marketing, his motto of looking at the long term success rather than short term returns makes him the best at the industry.

39. Bogdan Maranu

Bogdan Maranu is the Associate Media Director at Spark Foundry. It is a start-up that melds an innovative business approach with resources and capabilities. 

40. Omar Bin Brek 

Omar Bin Brek is the founder of the UAE Fintech Startup Foloosi. Foloosi facilitates consumer to business payments with advanced technical solutions. This is definitely a good add-on to fintech realm.

Other than these, there are several other influencers who are helping in the growth of Fintech in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region.

Source: https://www.mymoneysouq.com/financial-blog/top-40-fintech-influencers-to-follow-in-the-middle-east/

[aqazi99]

Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) issued regulations on Crowdfunding in 2017. It is a vital need for this market, houses small & medium enterprises

[lawyersinuae-blog]

Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) issued regulations on Crowdfunding in 2017. It is a vital need for this market, houses small & medium enterprises

[buypropertyeasy]

Top 9 Real Estate Crowdfunding Sites

SmartCrowd

WHO ARE THEY?

Simply said, SmartCrowd is a real estate crowdfunding platform

Users can earn rental profits by purchasing and owning shares in entire property units

They buy and own real estate under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework

They are the Middle East’s first and largest regulated crowdfunding property investment platform

ELIGIBILITY: Investors worldwide

MINIMUM INVESTMENT: AED 500 or USD 140

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

4% transaction fee (split as 1.5% during purchase + 2.5% during sale)

0.5% admin fee annual on whole portfolio amount

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: AED and GBP

REGULATED BY: Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”), United Arab Emirates

WHY THEM?

High monthly dividend yields in comparison to the competition (usually 5%–8% per annum)

The majority of listings are converted to vacation properties, boosting your dividend payouts

You can deposit via wire transfer or by simply linking your bank account to your portal

Building trust ��� the CEO and team are actively connected with the audience through webinars and seminars

Statistical and analytical data, as well as any legal deeds and papers within the platform, are easily available after login for both current portfolio and classifieds

WHY NOT THEM?

Credit/debit card deposits are not accepted

When compared to the competitors, it takes longer than expected to obtain deeds and contracts

Dividend payments are sometimes delayed

The compliance process is a little more time-consuming

TRIED THEM OUT? Invested, making dividends

Sign up for SmartCrowd to learn more

2. Stake

WHO ARE THEY?

Stake is a new real estate crowdfunding player in the UAE’s expanding property fintech ecosystem

They offer a highly competitive structure as well as incredible property listings with minimal minimums

Dividends are paid out monthly, and the real estate is purchased and owned through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) system

ELIGIBILITY:

Investors worldwide. Age 18+

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

AED 500 or USD 140

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

4% transaction fee (split as 1.5% during purchase + 2.5% during sale)

5% admin fee annual on the whole portfolio amount

15% of profit if the property is sold at a higher price than the total funding target (this is not a fee basically)

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: AED and USD

REGULATED BY:

Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”), United Arab Emirates

WHY THEM?

Property listings in high-profile areas (good for the hype and brags, not really for returns)

Excellent low minimum bargains are periodically made available (e.g. 1 AED minimums)

Simple onboarding yet stringent compliance

Possibility of depositing through card and wire transfer

WHY NOT THEM?

Dividend yields are lower than the rivals (usually 4%–6% per annum)

Minimums differ between properties

The platform is not very appealing or well-developed because users cannot quickly access the most relevant statistics, such as dividend yield, on the listings page itself

It is not possible to compare numerous listing opportunities with a right-click

TRIED THEM OUT? (Level 1–5 scale)

Level 5 — Invested, making returns/made a sale

Sign up for Stake to learn more

3. Fundrise

WHO ARE THEY?

Fundrise is an online real estate company that allows ordinary individuals to participate in private commercial and residential buildings by pooling their assets through an investment platform

Fundrise’s primary products are real estate investment trusts, or REITs, which invest in income-producing real estate by purchasing and managing properties or retaining mortgages

ELIGIBILITY:

Only available to U.S. citizens (or permanent residents) currently residing in the U.S. who are over the age of 18

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

$10 to $100,000, depending on the account level

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

0.15% Advisory fee; 0.85% Asset management fee

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: USD

REGULATED BY:

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc (FINRA)

WHY THEM?

There is no accreditation necessary

App with a high rating

You can redeem your shares at any time (possible fees and redemption not guaranteed)

WHY NOT THEM?

Nonqualified dividends

Sign up for Fundrise to learn more

4. Yieldstreet

WHO ARE THEY?

Yieldstreet makes alternative investments that were previously only available to a limited fraction of investors available to individual investors

Investors can produce passive income and expand their wealth by diversifying their portfolio with alternative assets from several asset types, including real estate

ELIGIBILITY:

Open to all investors, regardless of net worth or accreditation status.

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

$10,000

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

0% — 2.5% management fees; other fees apply

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: USD

REGULATED BY:

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

WHY THEM?

Real estate, commercial, marine, legal, and art investments are available so you can diversify within the real estate asset class

Individuals’ ability to invest in private structured credit arrangements

WHY NOT THEM?

Investing in highly illiquid assets

Most investments are only available to accredited investors

There are few options available

TRIED THEM OUT?

Not yet, as the minimums are too high.

Sign up for Yieldstreet to learn more

5. RealtyMogul

WHO ARE THEY?

More than 219,000 investors have joined RealtyMogul since its establishment in 2012 to have access to its REITs and private market products

The organization is known for its exceptional due diligence, as it personally vets every possible property and scrutinizes each purchase using proprietary procedures and models

Investors can pick between three goals: growth, diversity, and passive income

ELIGIBILITY:

Users who are eighteen (18) years of age or older

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

$1,000

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

1% to 1.5%

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: USD

REGULATED BY:

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

WHY THEM?

Excellent investment selection

Extensive research

Monthly REIT auto-investment starts at $250 per month

WHY NOT THEM?

Each investment comes with its own set of costs.

Investments that are difficult to sell or trade

Some lengthy hold times

Sign up for RealtyMogul to learn more

6. EquityMultiple

WHO ARE THEY?

EquityMultiple invests nearly completely in institutional commercial real estate and also provides equity, preferred stock, and senior loans

The company recently expanded its portfolio with tax-advantaged real estate investments (Opportunity Zone and 1031 exchange) and fund products

The frequency of distribution varies by the deal, but it is frequently monthly or quarterly

ELIGIBILITY:

Accredited investors only

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

$10,000

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

1% on equity investments; additional fees vary depending on the product

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: USD

REGULATED BY:

Securities and Exchange Commission.

WHY THEM?

Excellent investment selection

Various target hold times are available.

Simple to use platform

WHY NOT THEM?

Only accredited investors may participate.

The minimum investment is steep.

Options for redemption are limited.

Sign up for EquityMultiple to learn more

7. CrowdStreet

WHO ARE THEY?

Crowdstreet has attracted over 100,000 investors from around the United States

Its novel strategy provides direct access to a carefully vetted portfolio of institutional-quality real estate investments

Accredited investors might choose to invest in a single property or a fund

ELIGIBILITY:

Only U.S. citizens and green card holders. Can vary depending on offering, but generally $25,000

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

$25,000

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

0.50% to 2.5% for CrowdStreet funds; other fees vary by offering

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: USD

REGULATED BY:

Broker-dealer registered with FINRA and a member of SIPC

WHY THEM?

An easy-to-use platform with a helpful chatbot

Offerings of institutional calibre

Easily accessible investment information (once you sign up for a free account)

WHY NOT THEM?

Only accredited investors may participate

Minimum investment amounts are steep

There are no early withdrawals

Sign up for CrowdStreet to learn more

8. DiversyFund

WHO ARE THEY?

DiversyFund’s model is unique in the realm of real estate crowdfunding

DiversyFund acquires, develops, and manages a portfolio of properties, gathers cash flow, and distributes profits to its clients rather than acting as a broker who connects investors with projects

It does not charge any administration or broker fees, unlike some crowdfunding services

ELIGIBILITY:

Any US resident, unaccredited or accredited, over the age of 18 can currently invest.

MINIMUM INVESTMENT:

$500 depending on account level

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

2% to 8% developer fee

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY: USD

REGULATED BY:

U.S. Security and Exchange Commission and incorporated in the state of Delaware

WHY THEM?

Investors pay no management fees

One of the few platforms that have a mobile app

The minimum investment is low

WHY NOT THEM?

Investment options are limited

There are no early withdrawals

Payment will be made at the conclusion of the investment term.

Sign up for DiversyFund to learn more

9. Yielders

WHO ARE THEY?

Finance Technology Platform — We use cutting-edge web technologies to make our property investment options available to you

The FCA directly authorizes and regulates them

Equity Crowd Investing is based on ethical and Sharia-compliant concepts

Yielders aim to offer low-risk investing choices with comparably better returns

ELIGIBILITY:

Open to investors worldwide

MINIMUM INVESTMENT: £100

INVESTMENT COSTS/FEES:

Yielders charge a 2.5% structuring fee, a 10% management fee and a 15% profit share on exit

PRIMARY HANDLING CURRENCY:

Main currency GBP (£)

REGULATED BY: FCA

WHY THEM?

They have a mix of commercial and residential properties which helps you to diversify your investments

The investment calculator is quite helpful in determining returns per property invested into

WHY NOT THEM?

Client engagement and trust-building are low with lesser events and newsletters as compared to other sites

Paying methods for transferring funds to the platform are restrictive with maximum limits and fees while direct debit is available for the UK only

Sign up for Yielders to learn more

DISCLOSURE:

None of these articles constitutes financial advice. Articles are highly summarised to make it easy for the reader and save your time, so please DYOR further before putting your hard-earned money into any product mentioned.

Please note that the tech industry evolves rapidly and this article's information is correct at the time of publishing. As Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant”, so if anything sounds old or off please holler on the socials or comment here so everyone stays peeled.

Affiliate links may be included in these articles and signups through these links are highly appreciated. These links support better research and quality writing and help you find the right products with less hassle, so it’s a win-win :) Great care is taken to ensure the links are from authentic, non-spammy sources.

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[corporate1mk-blog]

Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) issued regulations on Crowdfunding in 2017. It is a vital need for this market, houses small & medium enterprises

[richardananth]

Top 40 Fintech influencers to follow in the Middle East

Over the last couple of years, several changes in technology have an impact on financial and banking services as well. Now everyone is aware of the term FinTech which means usage of technology in the financial sector. Definitely, fintech influencers had their piece of share in making fintech an enormous thing by sharing their ideas and influencing the world of techno-finance. Along with several other nations, the Middle East also have seen many influencers who helped in Fintech growth.

Here’s a list of top Fintech influencers in the Middle East region (not in a specific order)

1. Raja Al Mazrouei

Raja Al Mazrouei is the Executive Vice President of FinTech Hive at the Dubai International Financial Centre(DIFC). She works with an aim to make DIFC as the region’s best innovative destination for Fintech.

2. Arif Amiri

Arif Amiri is the Cheif Executing Officer at Dubai International Financial Center(DIFC). He manages the strategic and operational functions of the center. Currently, DIFC is working towards the fintech development which is a part Arif’s vision for DIFC.

3. Leigh Flounders

Leigh Flounders is the Senior Vice President Head of Digital Strategy and Engagement at Emirates NBD. He bagged several awards till date, amongst which The 2017 South By Southwest(SXSW) Conference FinTech & Payments pitch winner deserves a special mention.

4. Craig Moore

Craig Moore is the founder of Beehive which is the first peer-to-peer lending platform in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region. Beehive was launched in November 2014, it connects businesses seeking finance and investors. Till date, it has provided finance to more than 32 SMEs.

5. Kanchan Kumar

Kanchan Kumar is one of the founders of Remitr. Remitr is an end-to-end money transfer platform which was started with an aim to make global payments simple. In the year 2016, it was recognized as one of the most promising startups in the UAE region. 

6. Suvo Sarkar

Suvo Sarkar is the Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head in Retail banking & Wealth management at Emirates NBD. He contributes to the growth of revenue, profits and customer base for the bank by setting new standards for product innovation. He also publishes a column on the changing paradigms in the banking sector. He is considered as a Finovate speaker in the Middle East.

7. Abdul Fahad Al Jouf

Abdul Fahad Al Jouf is the founder of PayTabs. PayTabs is a payment gateway that provides businesses to transfer funds to each other without any complications. Realizing the difficulties faced by the SME merchants in the MENA region to get a payment gateway, Abdul developed PayTabs. It provides payment solutions to all kinds of business be it small and medium enterprises, large scale organizations, etc.

8. Mirna Sleiman

Mirna Sleiman is the CEO and founder of Fintech Galaxy which is a digital crowdsourcing platform. It connects fintech entrepreneurs and investors. Mirna is the former award-winning financial journalist. She even guided several banks and governments on their digital transformation projects.

9. Sridhar Iyer

Sridhar Iyer is the Head of Mashreq Neo and Banking. Mashreq Neo is the digital banking application that is working with an aim to make banking easy and swift for the customers. This definitely makes a good addition to the growth of fintech in the UAE region.

10. Moussa Beidas

Moussa Beidas is the founder of Bridg, a smartphone app. It is an app which uses Bluetooth to make online payments. It is the first app that works on flight mode as well. Bridg is definitely one of the best fintech innovations. It makes the payment process simple. 

11. Sagar Sanap

Sagar Sanap is the AVP- Digital Sales Lead in Citi Bank. Being expertise in the field of Product strategy, Digital marketing, and campaign management, he is making a good share in the field of fintech.

12. Sam Quawasmi

Sam Quawasmi is one of the founders of the first equity crowdfunding platform Eureeca. It provides equity-based crowdfunding opportunity for the businesses. In the year 2013, Sam Quawasmi and Chris Thomas(Founder of Eureeca) were awarded “Innovator of the Year” award by Gulf Business Industry Awards in the UAE. 

13. Peter Smith

Peter Smith is the managing director, policy and strategy at Dubai Financial Services Authority(DFSA). DFSA regulates the financial services conducted from Dubai International Financial Center(DIFC) which works with a vision to drive the future of finance.

14. Philip King

Philip King is the Global Head of Retail Banking at ADIB. Prior to ADIB, he worked in several other well-known banks. ADIB launched MoneySmart which is the first digital community in the Middle East region. It also added “ADIB Express” to their app in order to provide instant digital services to their customers.

15. Richard Teng

Richard Teng is the CEO of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi Global Market(ADGM). The first Fintech Regulatory Laboratory Framework in the MENA region was developed in ADGM under the supervision of Richard. He works in the development of Fintech ecosystem in Abu Dhabi region. 

16. Wai Lum Kwok

Wai Lum Kwok is the Executive Director of Capital Markets, Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi Global Market(ADGM). He is known for his efforts and supervision in the development of Fintech in ADGM.

17. Promoth Manghat

Promoth Manghat is the CEO of UAE Exchange. He leads the global operations team of UAE Exchange center. He supervises in expanding UAE Exchange all over the world besides the day-to-day operations of his team.

18. Jayesh Patel

Jayesh Patel is the head of Liv. account of Emirates NBD. Liv. account is the first digital banking account in the UAE region. This account was launched by taking millennials and digital lifestyle into consideration. Liv account is one of the best add-ons to Fintech growth in the UAE. 

19. Stelios Michaelides

Stelios Michaelides is the head of Digital Banking in Commercial Bank of Dubai(CBD). CBD Now is a digital banking product that was launched under the supervision of Stelios. It uses the latest technologies which promote in the safe and simplest way of banking for the customers.

20. Siddiq Farid

Siddiq Farid is the CEO and one of the founders of SmartCrowd. SmartCrowd is a real estate crowdfunding platform in the UAE. It is the only company that is regulated by the DFSA(Dubai Financial Services Authority) and the first company in UAE that supports digital real estate investments.

21. Tanvir Shah

Tanvir Shah is the Managing Director of The Partnerships Consulting. He supervises on banking, payments, fintech strategies, etc. in the MENA region. His works have been recognized by several popular publications like The Banker Middle East, Cards International, etc.

22. Lynnette Abad

Lynnette is the Director of Research and Data at PropertyFinder group. Having technology and real estate as her professional passions, she’s been working on PropTech for maximum time in her career. 

23. Mark Chahwan

Mark is one of the co-founders of Sarwa. Sarwa is an online financial advisor that helps customers in finding investment opportunities with good returns and low-risks. It was recognized as one of the top 20 fintech companies by Forbes and the first startup to have an innovation license by the Dubai International Financial Center.

24. Mike Cunningham

Mike has been spending most of his career in the FinTech sector. He works as an independent mentor at DIFC(Dubai International Financial Center) Fintech Hive. Besides that, he is the CEO of BankClearly a startup which invented a new way of banking.

25. Omar Soudodi

Omar Soudodi is the managing director at PayFort. PayFort is a payment gateway platform which provides a secured and safe payment facility for online shoppers. It has won several awards in the MENA region along with the Best Fintech Company in the year 2016 by The Entrepreneur. 

26. Usama Zafar

Usama Zafar is the Head of Digital & Direct Marketing in ADIB. He has 13+ years of work experience in well-acclaimed domestic and international companies. He is considered as a growth hacker with accomplishments of billion dollars in annual sales of the companies he worked.

27. Nameer Khan

Nameer Khan is not only a fintech influencer but also an insurtech. He is a founding board member of MENA Fintech Association which helps in shaping the future of financial services in the UAE.

28. Ola Doudin

Ola Doudin is the Cofounder and CEO of BitOasis which is digital asset exchange and wallet. It allows individuals to purchase, sell and trade digital assets. Along with the digital wallet and trading services, they also offer consulting services to the organizations.

29. Omar Rana

Omar Rana is the co-founder and director of strategy and finance in Finalytix. Finalytix provides financial advice and wealth management of a company. Omar is also a global fintech speaker who was invited to talk at various conferences.

30. Omeed Mehrinfar 

Plug and Play Tech is a platform that connects Startups and the world’s largest corporations. Omeed Mehrinfar is the regional director of such an innovative platform that helps the startups, investors, etc connect with each other. Plug and Play Tech work on the main objective to catalyze technological advancement.

31. Osama Al Rahma

Osama Al Rahma is the CEO of the Al Fardan Exchange. Al Fardan Exchange is a well-known exchange center in the UAE. Apart from the Al Fardan Exchange center, he is a board member of certain well-acclaimed companies like Foreign Exchange and Remittance group, 2 the point, who is responsible for the development of strategies. 

32. Tim Buckler

Tim Buckler is the Digital Sales Manager in Emirates Islamic Bank. With 9+ years of experience in the field of digital finance, his strategies mainly focus on developing overall e-commerce experiences. He helps in building the digital channel that eventually drives towards the customer and product gain.

33. Preeti Mundhra

Preeti Mundhra the Head of Marketing and Partnerships at the Liv. Digital Bank is one of the best fintech influencers in the UAE through Liv. account which is one of the best initiatives in the fintech space. 

34. Shaheen Alkhudhari

The founder and CEO of the well-known rent and property management platform, Ajar Online is Shaheen Alkhudhari. This platform helps homeowners manage their properties by offering a quick online rent collection facility. This makes the process of receiving or sending rent very easy.

35. Khalid Saad

Khalid Saad is the CEO of Bahrain Fintech Bay. Bahrain Fintech Bay is the first fintech hub in Bahrain and largest fintech hub in the MENA region. He is also the Executive Director of Fintech Consortium which helps in growth and acceleration of Fintech ecosystems.

36. Sonny Zulu

Sonny Zulu is the Managing Director and Head of Retail Banking at Standard Chartered Bank. He is known for delivering outstanding performance at work which helped in the growth of profits, revenue, etc.

37. Eric Modave

Eric Modave is the Chief Operating Office in Arab Bank who is in charge of all the IT operations, Enterprise Digital Innovation, data management, etc. for the bank. Prior to the Arab bank, he worked at top-noted banks in other regions.

38. Denit Varghese

Denit Varghese is the Senior Digital Planner at Carat. With long career experience in the field of digital marketing, his motto of looking at the long term success rather than short term returns makes him the best at the industry.

39. Bogdan Maranu

Bogdan Maranu is the Associate Media Director at Spark Foundry. It is a start-up that melds an innovative business approach with resources and capabilities. 

40. Omar Bin Brek 

Omar Bin Brek is the founder of the UAE Fintech Startup Foloosi. Foloosi facilitates consumer to business payments with advanced technical solutions. This is definitely a good add-on to fintech realm.

Other than these, there are several other influencers who are helping in the growth of Fintech in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region.

Source:

https://www.mymoneysouq.com/financial-blog/top-40-fintech-influencers-to-follow-in-the-middle-east/

[jhonmichelstuff-blog]

Primary aim of DFSA regulations to encourage growth of Financial Technology(FinTech) Industry by ensure clear governance & necessary protection for parties

[lawyersinuae-blog]

Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) issued regulations on Crowdfunding in 2017. It is a vital need for this market, houses small & medium enterprises