Comfi, a UAE-headquartered B2B embedded finance platform, has raised US$65 million in a Pre-Series A funding round to expand access to working capital for small and medium-sized enterprises across MENA. The round combines equity and debt financing, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s model and the growing demand for faster, more flexible business payment solutions. Founded in 2023, Comfi is positioning itself as a financial infrastructure provider for regional supply chains where delayed payments continue to pressure SME liquidity.
Funding Round and Investor Support
The equity portion of the round was led by Iliad Partners, with participation from Yango Ventures and Raw Ventures, both making their first investment in the region. The financing also includes a credit facility from Partners for Growth and a mezzanine facility structured by Shorooq, alongside participation from a prominent family office. This blend of institutional equity and structured credit is designed to give Comfi the balance-sheet capacity needed to scale its financing products while maintaining disciplined risk controls.
Addressing SME Working Capital Gaps
Comfi was founded by Sanjar Samiev, Alisher Akbarov, Amal Abdullaev, and Denis Gavrilin, whose backgrounds span fintech growth, operations, engineering, and financial services. The company targets a persistent challenge for SMEs: long B2B payment cycles that can stretch beyond 60 days and limit a business’s ability to buy inventory, hire talent, or pursue growth opportunities. Through its B2B Buy Now Pay Later solution, suppliers can offer customers payment terms of up to 90 days while receiving payment within 24 hours.
Technology and Risk Management
Comfi’s model combines embedded finance with AI-driven underwriting and proprietary risk assessment, allowing financing to be integrated directly into commercial transactions. The company says this approach reduces the friction typically associated with traditional lending while giving suppliers and buyers greater payment flexibility. Investors highlighted Comfi’s use of transaction data, execution discipline, and credit risk controls as key factors supporting its potential to become a scalable financing platform.
Market Traction and Growth Plans
Since launch, Comfi has processed more than 15,000 invoices, works with over 4,000 finance leaders, and serves more than 1,000 clients across the region. The company said the new capital will be used to strengthen underwriting and risk capabilities, broaden its product offering, and accelerate expansion in key MENA markets. As more SMEs seek alternatives to conventional working capital products, Comfi aims to become a trusted financing partner for businesses navigating delayed receivables and supply chain pressures.
Regional Significance
The announcement comes as governments and private investors across the GCC continue to focus on SME growth, digitisation, and financial inclusion as pillars of economic diversification. For many suppliers, delayed payments are not merely an administrative issue but a structural constraint that affects competitiveness, resilience, and long-term planning. By embedding short-term financing into B2B transactions, Comfi is addressing a core inefficiency in regional commerce while supporting the liquidity needs of businesses that drive employment and economic activity.
Comfi’s US$65 million Pre-Series A round marks a significant step for the company as it scales its embedded finance platform across MENA. With backing from regional and international investors, the startup is seeking to tackle one of the most entrenched challenges facing SMEs: access to timely working capital. If executed effectively, its model could play an important role in modernising B2B payments and strengthening the financial backbone of supply chains across the region.