Sakhi announced on 14 October 2026 that it has partnered with Lean Technologies to embed Lean Insights into its lending journey in Saudi Arabia. The move is designed to strengthen Sakhi’s underwriting process and support the company’s ambition to expand access to credit in the Kingdom. Through this integration, customers will be able to securely connect their bank accounts and share financial data with their consent.
Addressing Gaps in Traditional Credit Assessment
The partnership aims to reach customers whose earnings may be difficult to establish through conventional data sources. Freelancers and other non-traditional earners often face limited credit access because their income patterns do not fit standard assessment models. By using consented bank account data, Sakhi can build a more accurate and current view of an applicant’s financial standing.
How Lean Insights Strengthens Underwriting
Lean Insights allows customers to share their financial data securely and with explicit permission. Sakhi can use this data to evaluate income and financial circumstances more accurately than traditional credit checks typically allow. This supports a more informed underwriting process and enables lending decisions that reflect how people actually earn today.
Security and Customer Consent
Customer consent is central to the data sharing process enabled by Lean Insights. Users can connect their bank accounts and share financial information through secure channels, giving Sakhi permission to access only the data needed for credit assessment. This approach ensures that expanded credit access does not come at the expense of data privacy or customer control.
Supporting a Second Look Lending Journey
A key feature of the integration is Sakhi’s Second Look lending journey. Eligible applicants who do not initially meet income-related policies are given a second chance through a more complete financial view. Sakhi can then reassess these applications before making a final lending decision, subject to its existing and clearly defined lending criteria.
Leadership Perspectives
Yousef Almusaileem, CEO at Sakhi, said he had seen the success of Lean’s solutions in a previous role and wanted to bring that experience to Sakhi from day one. He explained that Lean Insights gives the company a clearer understanding of customers’ income and financial circumstances. That clarity helps Sakhi make more informed lending decisions and offer eligible applicants a second assessment as it works to expand access to credit.
Mehdi Tazi, COO at Lean Technologies, noted that expanding access to credit in Saudi Arabia starts with ensuring lending decisions reflect how people earn today. He said the partnership helps create a path to credit for more eligible borrowers, including those with income from multiple or non-traditional sources. According to Tazi, this is accomplished while maintaining the rigorous underwriting standards that responsible lending demands.
Strategic Importance for Saudi Arabia
The collaboration aligns with a broader push to make financial services more inclusive across Saudi Arabia. Open banking data can help lenders evaluate creditworthiness based on real financial behavior rather than limited or outdated records. This approach supports the continued growth of digital lending while preserving the risk controls that financial institutions require.
The partnership between Sakhi and Lean Technologies represents a practical step toward more inclusive credit access in Saudi Arabia. It combines secure data sharing with a structured second assessment process to support underserved earners such as freelancers. As open banking adoption accelerates in the region, these efforts could play a growing role in reshaping credit evaluation standards.