Lean Technologies has gained in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE.
Lean is a financial infrastructure firm enabling payments and data for businesses. Founded in 2019, Lean reports supporting over 300 companies and has processed more than $2 billion in transaction volume through over one million connected accounts. The approval from the bank is said to be one of the first from the new Open Finance Framework.
Lean’s regulated infrastructure aims to allow users to benefit from instant account-to-account payments, faster loan approvals, and smarter financial tools, all designed around transparency, convenience, and control.
Hisham Al-Falih, CEO and co-founder of Lean, says Open Finance is more than a tech upgrade, but is foundational for a more innovative economy.
“By connecting customers, regulators, and businesses on a single, interoperable infrastructure, we’re directly supporting the UAE’s vision for a world-class digital financial system.”
The UAE’s Open Finance Framework is described as a core pillar of national strategies such as UAE Centennial 2071 and the National Digital Economy Strategy.
Lean is a contributor to the AlTareq initiative, supporting the nationwide rollout of Open Finance in partnership with regulators, banks, and Fintechs.
In 2022, Lean became the first third-party provider to receive a Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). That same year, it was also approved for the regulatory sandbox of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), positioning Lean as a trusted infrastructure partner across the Gulf.