Key Takeaways
- • Zamanat launched a USD 100 million tokenized private credit fund on ZIGChain targeting GCC businesses underserved by traditional banking, with anchor commitment from Disrupt Group and a USD 40-50 million prospective loan pipeline under evaluation.
- • The fund addresses a USD 250 billion SME financing gap across the GCC by connecting wealthy individuals and family offices with regional lending opportunities through minimum USD 250,000 investor tickets for qualifying professional and accredited investors.
- • CEO Umair Tariq emphasized that tokenization improves investor access but does not mitigate underlying credit risk—underwriting, security analysis, and risk management standards remain identical to conventional private credit funds.
- • Zamanat's DIFC-based infrastructure operates on regulated fund tokenization, positioning it within a broader trend of blockchain-enabled private markets access alongside recent launches by Amwal Capital Partners (USD 150 million private credit fund, May 2025) and Mubadala Capital's tokenization partnership with Kaio (July 2026).
Summary
Zamanat, a Dubai International Financial Centre-based fintech platform, has launched Zamanat Fund CEIC Limited, a tokenized private credit fund targeting up to USD 100 million in capital. The fund aims to bridge a structural financing gap in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, where smaller businesses struggle to access credit despite significant capital availability among wealthy individuals and family offices seeking yield-generating regional assets.
The fund launched on September 10 with an anchor commitment from Disrupt Group and is currently evaluating a USD 40-50 million pipeline of prospective lending agreements. Capital has not yet been deployed; the USD 40-50 million figure represents loans under assessment rather than completed transactions. The fund targets professional and accredited investors with minimum ticket sizes of USD 250,000, democratizing access to GCC private credit through blockchain-based tokenization on ZIGChain.
Zamanat's leadership, led by CEO Umair Tariq, has been explicit about the limitations of tokenization as a risk-mitigation tool. Digitizing loan representation does not improve credit quality; traditional underwriting, security analysis, and risk management protocols remain fundamental to fund performance. This positioning reflects investor sophistication in the institutional private-credit space, where technological innovation is valued for accessibility rather than risk reduction.
The launch reflects accelerating interest in tokenized private markets infrastructure across the Middle East. Amwal Capital Partners introduced a USD 150 million private credit fund in May 2025 targeting Saudi Arabia and UAE transactions, while Mubadala Capital announced a tokenization partnership with Kaio in July 2026. Zamanat's effort to target the region's estimated USD 250 billion SME financing gap positions tokenization as a mechanism for capital efficiency rather than a substitute for traditional credit discipline.
The fund launched on September 10 with an anchor commitment from Disrupt Group and is currently evaluating a USD 40-50 million pipeline of prospective lending agreements. Capital has not yet been deployed; the USD 40-50 million figure represents loans under assessment rather than completed transactions. The fund targets professional and accredited investors with minimum ticket sizes of USD 250,000, democratizing access to GCC private credit through blockchain-based tokenization on ZIGChain.
Zamanat's leadership, led by CEO Umair Tariq, has been explicit about the limitations of tokenization as a risk-mitigation tool. Digitizing loan representation does not improve credit quality; traditional underwriting, security analysis, and risk management protocols remain fundamental to fund performance. This positioning reflects investor sophistication in the institutional private-credit space, where technological innovation is valued for accessibility rather than risk reduction.
The launch reflects accelerating interest in tokenized private markets infrastructure across the Middle East. Amwal Capital Partners introduced a USD 150 million private credit fund in May 2025 targeting Saudi Arabia and UAE transactions, while Mubadala Capital announced a tokenization partnership with Kaio in July 2026. Zamanat's effort to target the region's estimated USD 250 billion SME financing gap positions tokenization as a mechanism for capital efficiency rather than a substitute for traditional credit discipline.
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