{"id":4162,"date":"2026-10-16T05:34:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/?p=4162"},"modified":"2026-10-16T05:34:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:34:03","slug":"uae-bnpl-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/uae-bnpl-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"UAE BNPL Statistics: Trends, Growth &#038; Consumer Insights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Buy Now, Pay Later has stopped being a checkout add-on in the UAE and become one of the default ways people pay. The market was worth <strong>$4.25 billion<\/strong> in 2025 and is on track to nearly triple to $11.49 billion by 2031, with <strong>39% <\/strong>of online shoppers already using a BNPL option. Two providers, <strong>Tabby <\/strong>and <strong>Tamara<\/strong>, dominate that growth, but banks, payment gateways, and even B2B suppliers are now building instalment options of their own. Below is a full breakdown of who&#8217;s using BNPL in the UAE, how Tabby and Tamara compare financially, and where the market is headed next.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Top UAE BNPL Statistics At a Glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The market size of BNPL in the UAE was <strong>$4.25 billion<\/strong> in 2025 and is projected to hit <strong> $5.02 billion<\/strong> in 2026, and $11.49 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 18.03%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>39%<\/strong> of local online buyers adopted BNPL as a method of payment.<\/li>\n<li>Millennials used BNPL the most, constituting <strong>45.25%<\/strong> of the UAE BNPL market.<\/li>\n<li>Online shopping generated <strong>70.85%<\/strong> of the UAE BNPL market value.<\/li>\n<li>Dubai contributes to <strong>60%<\/strong> of the country\u2019s BNPL transaction volume.<\/li>\n<li>Consumer electronics were the category where customers used BNPL the most, capturing <strong>32.10%<\/strong> of market value.<\/li>\n<li>Official UAE credit reports began incorporating repayment metrics for Tabby and Tamara in <strong>July 2026.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Tabby and Tamara both have 25 million users as reported, but Tabby is winning slightly with <strong>SAR 206.4 million<\/strong> in net profit as compared to Tamara\u2019s <strong>SAR 193.3 million.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How Many People Use BNPL in the UAE?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This section covers how widely BNPL is used in the UAE, which age groups and communities drive it, and what shoppers buy with it. We&#8217;ll start with the overall adoption rate.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>BNPL Adoption Rate in the UAE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>BNPL adoption among UAE online shoppers reached <strong>39%<\/strong> in the 12 months to March 2025. Local players like Tabby, Tamara, and Spotii dominate the space. And BNPL has expanded into sectors such as healthcare and automtives. The expansion of e-commerce, diversification into new sectyions and entry of traditional financial institutions are reshaping how people use BNPL in the UAE. The Middle East is quickly getting used to BNPL services. Saudi Arabia was slightly ahead of the UAE, over the same period at 42%. There has also been an 80% rise in daily online shopping since 2020, because shoppers now seem to have new ways to pay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.checkout.com\/en-ae\/news\/checkout-com-and-tabby-partner-to-expand-bnpl-solutions-for-retailers-in-the-uae-and-saudi-arabia\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Checkout<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-090400317.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACP3kH7XcQb8xO0ziArxqVEpQ3CPv3FnFS3O5AzE75onvcb71UkaILKYEDYjkja29kSgHz-6bqNFlM3cJb8bT-hIhdONgQjT1UA7s_A3rNzEDFcpMnjdMa1OlzIgNdML_B-k6zj7eJLlOQJz8XS7VPAVhoDmgtyLK81miHPtcSHx\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Yahoo Finance<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>BNPL Users by Age and Generation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Millennials (aged 29-44) accounted for <strong>45.25%<\/strong> of the UAE BNPL market in 2025. Steady incomes and comfort with digital checkout mean they use BNPL for everything from groceries to travel. Gen Z, Gen X, and all other groups make up the remaining 54.75%.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4163\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-service-market-share-by-age-group.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-service-market-share-by-age-group.jpg 901w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-service-market-share-by-age-group-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-service-market-share-by-age-group-768x551.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-service-market-share-by-age-group-512x367.jpg 512w\" alt=\"uae buy now pay later service market share by age group\" width=\"901\" height=\"646\" \/><\/p>\n<p>However, Gen Z is the fastest-growing group, with usage forecast to rise at a <strong>21.05% CAGR <\/strong>through 2031. This is the quickest growth rate of any age group, and the growth may be tied to mobile-first apps, clear fee structures, and BNPL built into social commerce and influencer storefronts. As Gen Z (18-28) moves into higher-earning years, its share of the market is set to grow. Gen X uses BNPL mainly for specific high-value purchases, which keeps its volumes steady but slows its overall growth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mordorintelligence.com\/industry-reports\/uae-buy-now-pay-later-service-market\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Mordor Intelligence<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>BNPL Users by Nationality and Access to Credit<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Around <strong>88% <\/strong>of UAE residents are expatriates. Many expats, especially those in lower-paid roles like construction and cleaning, are shut out of traditional credit. Sharia-compliant installment structures, such as Murabaha and Ujrah, offer interest-free flexibility that fits Islamic principles. Sharia-compliant adoption among unbanked expats is the biggest growth driver in the UAE BNPL growth forecast, adding <strong>5.10% <\/strong>to the projected CAGR. It carries the largest impact of the five drivers, ahead of Gen Z and millennial e-commerce growth (4.20%) and bank app integrations (3.80%).<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-wrapper\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Driver<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>(\u223c) % Impact on CAGR Forecast<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Geographic Relevance<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Impact Timeline<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Sharia-compliant adoption among unbanked expatriates<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>+5.10%<\/td>\n<td>Dubai, Sharjah<\/td>\n<td>Medium term (2-4 years)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Accelerated e-commerce growth among Gen Z &amp; Millennials<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>+4.20%<\/td>\n<td>Dubai, Abu Dhabi<\/td>\n<td>Short term ( years)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Retail-bank BNPL API integrations<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>+3.80%<\/td>\n<td>National<\/td>\n<td>Medium term (2-4 years)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>POS financing demand from luxury retailers soaring with tourist inflows<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>+3.5%<\/td>\n<td>Dubai, Abu Dhabi<\/td>\n<td>Short term ( years)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Cross-border GCC shopping supported by VAT-free re-export hubs<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>+2.9%<\/td>\n<td>Dubai, with spillover to other emirates<\/td>\n<td>Medium term (2-4 years)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> Mordor Intelligence, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grantthornton.co.uk\/insights\/bnpl-in-the-uae-competing-complying-and-securing-growth\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Grant Thornton<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>BNPL Share of Ecommerce Checkout<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4164\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bnpl-share-of-ecommerce-checkout.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bnpl-share-of-ecommerce-checkout.jpg 901w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bnpl-share-of-ecommerce-checkout-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bnpl-share-of-ecommerce-checkout-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bnpl-share-of-ecommerce-checkout-512x390.jpg 512w\" alt=\"bnpl share of ecommerce checkout\" width=\"901\" height=\"686\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Most BNPL spending in the UAE happens online, but in-store is catching up. Online shopping made up <strong>70.85% <\/strong>of UAE BNPL market value in 2025. In-store BNPL is forecast to grow faster, at a 20.18% CAGR through 2031, helped by QR codes and virtual cards. <strong>Dubai generates roughly 60% of the country&#8217;s BNPL transaction volume. <\/strong>For comparison, BNPL made up 5% of global e-commerce value in 2024, about $342 billion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> Mordor Intelligence, <a href=\"https:\/\/fintechmagazine.com\/articles\/worldpay-digital-payments-overtake-cash-and-cards-globally\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">FinTech Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What UAE Shoppers Buy With BNPL<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Consumer electronics <\/strong>account for<strong> 32.10% <\/strong>of UAE BNPL market value. Electronics is the biggest category. High ticket prices and fast device replacement cycles suit short instalment plans, and brand tie-ups and trade-in programs keep volumes steady. Fashion and apparel comes next, driven by frequent, smaller purchases. <strong>Healthcare and wellness <\/strong>is the fastest-growing category, forecast to grow at a <strong>22.35% CAGR<\/strong> from 2026 to 2031, mostly on elective and cosmetic procedures. BNPL is also spreading into automotive, healthcare and private education.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>Mordor Intelligence, Grant Thornton<\/p>\n<h3><strong>BNPL Repayment and Credit Behavior: New Development<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Tabby and Tamara BNPL data<\/strong> started appearing in UAE credit reports in<strong> July 2026<\/strong>. The Etihad Credit Bureau (ECB) said the change covers both existing and new customers of the two providers, along with relevant historical transaction data. Lenders can now see how many instalment plans a person is carrying and whether they&#8217;re keeping up. Paying installments on time will help build a solid payment history and failure to make regular payments may impact the credit score.<\/p>\n<p>Total BNPL credit per borrower is capped at the <strong>lower of AED 20,000 <\/strong>or <strong>three months of verified net income. <\/strong>The cap comes from the Central Bank of the UAE&#8217;s Finance Companies Regulation, in force since December 2023. Total fees are limited to 30% of the original credit amount, and providers must check a borrower&#8217;s credit report before granting limits above AED 5,000. Providers need Restricted Licence Finance Company status or a partnership with a licensed bank or finance company. The <strong>defaults in consumer electronics BNPL payments<\/strong> is putting a damper on market growth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/gulfnews.com\/business\/banking\/uae-credit-reports-to-include-buy-now-pay-later-data-from-tabby-and-tamara-1.500621675\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Gulf News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uaeexperthub.com\/best-bnpl-apps-uae\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">UAE Experts HUB<\/a>, Mordor Intelligence, Grant Thornton<\/p>\n<h2><strong>UAE BNPL Market Size &amp; Growth Forecast<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4165\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-bnpl-market-size-growth-forecast.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-bnpl-market-size-growth-forecast.jpg 901w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-bnpl-market-size-growth-forecast-300x248.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-bnpl-market-size-growth-forecast-768x635.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/uae-bnpl-market-size-growth-forecast-512x423.jpg 512w\" alt=\"uae bnpl market size growth forecast\" width=\"901\" height=\"745\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The UAE BNPL market was valued at <strong>$4.25 billion<\/strong> in <strong>2025<\/strong> and is estimated to reach <strong>$5.02 billion<\/strong> in <strong>2026<\/strong>. This marks a period of rapid growth for the sector, driven by high e-commerce penetration, a young digital-native population, and a regulatory framework that has given the market credibility without slowing it down.<\/p>\n<p>The market is projected to reach <strong>$11.49 billion by 2031<\/strong>, growing at a CAGR of <strong>18.03% <\/strong>between 2026 and 2031. Fintech-bank partnerships, the rise of Sharia-compliant installment plans, and demand from luxury retail for frictionless high-value payments are all expected to keep pushing this forecast forward, across both online and in-store channels.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>Mordor Intelligence<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Stats About the Biggest BNPL Players in the UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A handful of providers dominate UAE BNPL, and the gap between the top two and everyone else is wide. Here&#8217;s how the biggest names compare on reach, funding and financial performance.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4166\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/biggest-bnpl-players-in-the-uae-tabby-vs-tamara.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/biggest-bnpl-players-in-the-uae-tabby-vs-tamara.jpg 901w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/biggest-bnpl-players-in-the-uae-tabby-vs-tamara-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/biggest-bnpl-players-in-the-uae-tabby-vs-tamara-768x436.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grabonuae.ae\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/biggest-bnpl-players-in-the-uae-tabby-vs-tamara-512x291.jpg 512w\" alt=\"biggest bnpl players in the uae tabby vs tamara\" width=\"901\" height=\"512\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tabby Statistics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Tabby is the<strong> largest BNPL provider in the UAE <\/strong>and the wider GCC. The company now serves <strong>25 million consumers <\/strong>and works with <strong>65,000 retailers <\/strong>across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, processing <strong>$18 billion<\/strong> in annualised sales volume. Its most recent funding round, a <strong>$233 million <\/strong>raise in September 2026, valued the company at <strong>$6.5 billion<\/strong>, up from a $4.5 billion valuation reported in October 2025 and $3.3 billion in a February 2025 Series E round, which is a steep climb in under two years.<\/p>\n<p>For the year ended 31 December 2025, Tabby reported fee and commission income of <strong>SAR 1.42 billion (about $377.6 million)<\/strong>, net profit of <strong>SAR 206.4 million (about $55.0 million)<\/strong>, and gross loans receivable of SAR 3.41 billion (about $909.1 million) on total assets of<strong> SAR 5.80 billion (about $1.55 billion).<\/strong> This was the company&#8217;s second consecutive profitable year, though its net debt of SAR 2.58 billion exceeded the Saudi Central Bank&#8217;s (SAMA) prescribed threshold of SAR 2.06 billion at year-end, and the company was in the process of securing SAMA approval to raise its permitted debt ceiling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/tabby.ai\/en-AE\/newsroom\/money-app\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tabby Newsroom<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/tabby.ai\/en-AE\/newsroom\/series-f\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> Tabby Series F announcement<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-cdn.tabby.sa\/static\/b1a4f610cb7ea53d6019962ae5014c40aca38a4d_c33199a9c8\/b1a4f610cb7ea53d6019962ae5014c40aca38a4d_c33199a9c8.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tabby Financing Company CJSC FY2025 Financial Statements <\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tamara Statistics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Tamara also counts <strong>25 million consumers <\/strong>across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC, with over <strong>130,000 partner merchants<\/strong> using the platform daily. The company became <strong>Saudi Arabia&#8217;s first fintech unicorn<\/strong> in December<strong> 2023<\/strong>, raising $340 million in a Series C round at a <strong>$1 billion valuation<\/strong>; that remains its most recent equity valuation, though it has since raised debt separately, including a $2.4 billion asset-backed facility in September 2025 to fund receivables rather than change its equity valuation.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of 2025, Tamara reported total revenue of<strong> SAR 1.35 billion (about $359.4 million) <\/strong>and a net profit of <strong>SAR 193.3 million (about $51.6 million) <\/strong>on total assets of <strong>SAR 4.99 billion<\/strong>. 2025 was its first profitable year, after a SAR 130.1 million loss in 2024. New loans originated during the year reached <strong>SAR 17.84 billion (about $4.76 billion)<\/strong>, against gross consumer receivables of <strong>SAR 4.18 billion (about $1.12 billion) <\/strong>at year-end.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/ye\/app\/tamara-own-your-dream\/id1533512531\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tamara App Store listing<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/files.tamara.co\/public\/financial-reports\/financial-statements-fy-2025-en.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> Tamara FY2025 Financial Statements<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fintechfutures.com\/bnpl-payments\/saudi-bnpl-fintech-tamara-lands-340m-series-c-funding-at-1bn-valuation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tamara Series C \/ unicorn announcement<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/tamara.co\/en-sa\/blog-post\/tamara-secures-up-to-2-4-billion-dollar-facility\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> Tamara $2.4B facility announcement<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tabby vs. Tamara: Users, Growth, and Valuation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"table-wrapper\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><strong>Tabby<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Tamara<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Consumers (GCC-wide)<\/td>\n<td>25 million<\/td>\n<td>25 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Merchant partners<\/td>\n<td>65,000<\/td>\n<td>130,000+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Markets<\/td>\n<td>Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait<\/td>\n<td>Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Annualised transaction volume<\/td>\n<td>$18 billion (GMV)<\/td>\n<td>$4.76 billion (new loans originated, FY2025)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Latest valuation<\/td>\n<td>$6.5 billion (Sept 2026)<\/td>\n<td>$1 billion (Dec 2023)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Saudi subsidiary revenue, FY2025<\/td>\n<td>SAR 1.42 billion<\/td>\n<td>SAR 1.35 billion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Saudi subsidiary net profit, FY2025<\/td>\n<td>SAR 206.4 million<\/td>\n<td>SAR 193.3 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Saudi subsidiary total assets, FY2025<\/td>\n<td>SAR 5.80 billion<\/td>\n<td>SAR 4.99 billion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The financials come from the publicly available data of Tabby\u2019s and Tamara\u2019s Saudi-regulated subsidiaries, Tabby Financing Company CJSC and Tamara Finance Company. The number of Tamara\u2019s users and retailers aren\u2019t publicly available on the website, the data is taken from their App Store description. Various sources quote lower numbers for Tamara as well.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Other Key BNPL Players in the UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Postpay <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Postpay <\/strong>is a Dubai-founded provider offering three-instalment, interest-free payments, with partnerships including Mastercard and Commercial Bank of Dubai and a more recent push into education-sector financing. Its funding has stayed modest next to Tabby and Tamara, around <strong>$10 million raised <\/strong>which raised their <strong>total capital to $35 million<\/strong>, last reported in 2022, making it a smaller, more narrowly focused player in the market.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Cashew<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Cashew,<\/strong> a Dubai-founded digital payments and buy-now-pay-later provider, has raised roughly <strong>$10 million<\/strong> in total funding to date, anchored by a strategic investment from Mashreq Bank. The platform&#8217;s operations are closely tied to Mashreq and its Neopay merchant network. Building on this relationship, Mashreq and Cashew rolled out an embedded-lending framework offering digital financing of up to <strong>AED 150,000<\/strong> with repayment tenures of up to <strong>48 months<\/strong>. This model strategically moves beyond low-ticket everyday e-commerce checkout to finance higher-value, essential categories such as automotive services, healthcare, education, and home improvement.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Spotii<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Spotii<\/strong>, once a standalone BNPL app was <strong>acquired by Australia&#8217;s Zip in 2021 for $16.3 million<\/strong>. Zip exited the UAE market in 2023, and NymCard, a MENA payments infrastructure company, acquired Spotii the same year to fold its technology into NymCard&#8217;s banking-as-a-service platform. Spotii today functions as BNPL infrastructure behind other providers&#8217; products rather than as an active consumer-facing app.<\/p>\n<p>Several UAE banks now offer their own instalment features rather than routing through a BNPL app. While Emirates NBD serves as an issuer partner for the <strong>Tabby Card<\/strong>, standalone BNPL services are not natively embedded inside its core mobile banking app. Meanwhile, First Abu Dhabi Bank launched <strong>SlicePay<\/strong> in November 2023 under its Dubai First trademark, a Mastercard Installments-powered card that splits purchases into four interest-free instalments. Additionally, <strong>RAKBANK <\/strong>offers an Easy Payment Plan letting cardholders convert purchases into 0% instalments over 3, 6, 9 or 12 months at participating merchants, managed through the RAKBANK app.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tracxn.com\/d\/companies\/postpay\/__cTX7fuk2b0tCs5QKOIHdFnpNK2HCy8ebNCcNzbEnVoQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tracxn PostPay<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tracxn.com\/d\/companies\/cashew-payments-technology\/__HTlSl_OcugaWYO4qFt_z3wmLA5wTf-IhNkJTvNcd12g\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tracxn Cashew<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.menabytes.com\/postpay-10-million\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">MENAbytes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/magnitt.com\/news\/spotii-acquired-by-zip-52683\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">MAGNiTT<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tabby.ai\/en-AE\/newsroom\/money-app\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Tabby Newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>UAE BNPL Trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Starting July 2026, Etihad Credit Bureau began adding <strong>Tabby and Tamara repayment data<\/strong> into <strong>UAE credit reports<\/strong>, giving lenders visibility into instalment commitments they previously couldn&#8217;t see. The change is likely to reshape behaviour on both sides: shoppers with a clean BNPL repayment record can now use it to strengthen their credit profile, while missed payments may result in stricter consequences.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Banks and finance companies are building instalment products of their own<\/strong> instead of ceding the space to fintech apps. In May 2026, UAE-regulated Deem Finance partnered with Kazakhstani fintech Yusr to launch embedded BNPL for automotive purchases. This makes sense for the banks because owning the instalment structure means capturing revenue and customer data that would otherwise go to a third-party provider.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BNPL is being used not just in consumer retail but in B2B as well<\/strong>. Dubai-based platform Comfi operates as a B2B embedded fintech platform that provides working capital and payment solutions to SMEs across the UAE and the MENA region. The company raised $65 million in Pre-series A funding round in April 2026. This shows that BNPL is expanding to B2B.<\/p>\n<p>Millions are being invested into BNPL platforms, Tabby with its $233 million Series F equity funding has grown in valuation. The investment is paying off because many retailers are adding <strong>BNPL options at checkout.<\/strong> Buyers can see Tabby, Tamara, and other BNPL options as payment options during checkout. BNPL is becoming a mainstream payment method.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sources:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gulfnews.com\/business\/banking\/uae-credit-reports-to-include-buy-now-pay-later-data-from-tabby-and-tamara-1.500621675\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Gulf News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/fintechnews.ae\/31754\/lending\/deem-finance-and-yusr-uae\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Fintech News<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/comfi.ai\/blog\/comfi-raises-us-65mln-pre-series-a-round\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">, Comfi<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>UAE BNPL has moved past its early growth-at-all-costs phase. The market is still expanding fast, on track to nearly triple by 2031 but the focus now is maturity: credit bureaus are adding BNPL into formal credit files, the Central Bank&#8217;s lending caps are firmly in place, and banks are building their own instalment products instead of ceding the space to fintechs. At the same time, growth is diversifying beyond consumer retail into B2B trade financing and embedding itself invisibly into payment gateways. Tabby and Tamara remain the two names to watch, but the next phase of UAE BNPL looks less like an app trend and more like a payment method quietly embedded into the buying process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Buy Now, Pay Later has stopped being a checkout add-on in the UAE and become one of the&hellip;","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-statistics","cs-entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UAE BNPL Statistics 2026 (Tabby, Tamara, Adoption)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore UAE BNPL statistics 2026, including Tabby, Tamara adoption rates, consumer trends, market growth &amp; 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