SC Ventures and Sanabil Studio Sign MoU to Build SME-Focused FinTech Solutions in Saudi Arabia

SC Ventures, the innovation, venture-building, and investment arm of Standard Chartered Bank, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sanabil Studio to establish a strategic partnership focused on building and scaling high-impact fintech ventures serving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia.

The partnership brings together Sanabil Studio’s venture-building expertise and deep local market insight with SC Ventures’ global fintech experience and international network, aiming to develop innovative financial-services solutions that address critical SME challenges, including access to finance, working capital, digital payments, and modern SME banking infrastructure, in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Under the MoU, both parties will jointly identify, incubate, and co-invest in fintech ventures, leveraging complementary global and local perspectives to design scalable business models with regional and international expansion in mind.

The collaboration will also focus on understanding operational and financial challenges faced by SMEs, particularly those related to cash-flow management and operational value chains, while building technology-driven solutions that enhance productivity, growth, and scalability.

As part of the agreement, SC Ventures and Sanabil Studio will engage closely with regulators, government entities, and ecosystem partners to foster responsible innovation, support pilot initiatives, and contribute to the development of a sustainable SME-focused fintech ecosystem in the Kingdom.