Pakistani fintech operator partners with UAE group to provide financial solutions in Emirates

Omair Ansari (right), Co-Founder & CEO of Abhi Middle East Limited, and Mohammad Bitar, group deputy CEO of Al Ansari Financial Services, pose for picture in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on January 13, 2025. (Abhi)
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Updated 13 January 2025
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Pakistani fintech operator partners with UAE group to provide financial solutions in Emirates

  • Partnership to help customers in United Arab Emirates access earned wages prior to scheduled payroll date
  • Move “significant step” in providing flexible financial solutions to unbanked individuals, says Pakistani fintech 

KARACHI: An emerging fintech operator in the Middle East and Pakistan, Abhi, announced on Monday it has partnered with UAE’s Al Ansari Financial Services to provide financial solutions to banked and unbanked communities in the UAE. 

Abhi is a Pakistani fintech company that provides employers an opportunity to withdraw their earned salary any day through its Earned Wage Access (EWA) facility and other products. Founded in 2021, Abhi has been serving customers in Pakistan, UAE and Bangladesh through its credit-bridging products. 

Al Ansari Financial Services is a UAE-based financial services ecosystem that enables the mobility of money locally and globally. For almost 60 years, the group says it has enabled tourists, residents and businesses to transfer and exchange money and conduct payments effectively.

“In a move set to reshape the financial landscape, Al Ansari Financial Services one of the leading integrated financial services groups in the UAE announces its strategic partnership with Abhi Middle East Limited, the region’s largest embedded finance platform backed by Hub71 and Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), to broaden the spectrum of financial solutions available to consumers, ensuring a seamless service experience across the board,” Abhi said in a statement. 

The alliance will provide EWA and Send Now, Pay Later (SNPL) services to complement Al Ansari Financial Services’ existing portfolio from the second quarter of this year, Abhi said. The alliance will help address the varied needs of both unbanked and underbanked communities in the UAE, it added. 

The statement said that the solutions would be gradually introduced across multiple platforms to ensure easy and convenient access for customers, allowing for a smooth integration and enhanced user experience of the financial services.

“Abhi, a pioneer in earned wage access and technology-driven financial solutions, will be providing a technology platform and operational framework that will enable Al Ansari Financial Services’ customers to access their earned wages prior to the scheduled payroll date, in addition to allowing the unbanked and underbanked customers to remit funds internationally instantly while deferring payment,” Abhi said. 

It said Al Ansari will identify eligible customers for both services. 

“This partnership aligns with our ongoing mission to enhance financial accessibility and provide flexible solutions that cater to diverse financial needs,” Mohammad Bitar, group deputy CEO of Al Ansari Financial Services, said in a statement. 

Omair Ansari, co-founder and CEO of Abhi Middle East Limited, said the partnership is a “significant step” in providing unbanked individuals with flexible financial solutions. 

“Through the introduction of Earned Wage Access and Send Now, Pay Later in the UAE, we aim to address real-world financial challenges, offering tools that empower individuals to take control of their finances,” Ansari said. 


Pakistan PM invites UAE investment across tech and resource sectors at National Day event

Updated 08 December 2025
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Pakistan PM invites UAE investment across tech and resource sectors at National Day event

  • Shehbaz Sharif says the UAE remains a key economic partner and continues to lend ‘critical support’ to Pakistan
  • UAE envoy says both nations have potential for cooperation in renewable energy, AI and economic diversification

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to welcome investment from the United Arab Emirates across emerging technologies and resource sectors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday, as both countries marked the 54th National Day of the Gulf country in Islamabad.

Speaking at the ceremony attended by senior ministers, diplomats and business leaders, Sharif said the UAE remained a key economic partner for Pakistan and continued to lend “critical support” to the country’s stabilizing economy.

“Pakistan takes great pride in its strategic partnership with the UAE, which continues to deepen across every domain of life,” he said. “With Pakistan’s economy stabilizing, we stand ready to welcome Emirati investment in renewable energy, AI, fintech, agriculture and minerals.”

Sharif praised the UAE’s leadership and recalled his earliest memories of the Gulf nation as “a land that believed in possibilities long before they became realities,” saying the country’s progress under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan commanded “profound admiration.”

UAE Ambassador Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi said the Emirates was committed to strengthening ties with Pakistan in areas including the economy, energy and artificial intelligence.

He said the two countries shared a “deep-rooted friendship built on mutual respect, shared values and a common vision for regional peace and development.”

“We see tremendous potential for collaboration in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, sustainability and economic diversification,” the ambassador said, adding that the UAE aimed to broaden the scope of its economic relations with Pakistan.

The UAE hosts around 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the country’s largest overseas communities, who Sharif said contributed “tirelessly” to the Gulf state’s development.

Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also joined the UAE ambassador in a cake-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.