Islambad: Pakistan‑founded fintech ABHI has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s NOX Group to provide its employees access to earnings before their regular payday, the company said on Thursday, expanding the startup’s footprint in the Kingdom as it builds its business across the Gulf.
Founded in 2021, ABHI offers earned wage access (EWA) along with payroll processing and integrated financial services. Since its launch, the firm has extended beyond Pakistan, relocating its global headquarters to Abu Dhabi and securing a market entry in Saudi Arabia through collaboration with Alraedah Digital Solutions.
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its fintech sector under Vision 2030, aiming to operate 525 active fintech firms by 2030, generate roughly 18,000 jobs, and boost sectoral GDP contribution to SAR 13 billion (about $3.47 billion).
Omair Ansari, ABHI’s co‑founder and chief executive, noted that “financial well‑being begins with greater control over earnings already received,” emphasizing the company’s view that employees deserve the ability to tap earned wages promptly rather than waiting for a single pay date.
Under this arrangement, NOX Group personnel will be able to retrieve a portion of their already‑earned compensation ahead of the usual monthly payout.
Earned wage access services differentiate themselves from conventional salary advances or consumer loans by permitting workers to draw against wages accumulated within a particular pay period, offering them a tool to cover temporary expenses or manage short‑term cash‑flow needs until the next payday.
Ansari stated, “Our collaboration with NOX Group reflects a shared dedication to creating a more supportive work environment—one in which financial flexibility is woven into daily operations.”
This partnership joins a series of recent Saudi collaborations announced by ABHI, underscoring the company’s ongoing expansion of its earned‑wage‑access business within the Kingdom.
Recent announcements also highlight ABHI’s agreements with other Saudi enterprises, such as the ride‑hailing platform Syarah, technology firm Squadio, QBS, and aviation specialist TAM Aerospace & Defense.
The NOX agreement marks the latest milestone among several Saudi initiatives that are laying the groundwork for ABHI’s deeper engagement in the region.
The shift outward signals another major phase in ABHI’s growth beyond Pakistan, as the pioneering fintech scales its impact regionally.
Earlier, ABHI secured a place in Y Combinator’s 2021 accelerator and raised $17 million in a 2022 financing round at a $90 million valuation. Subsequently, the company established a presence in the United Arab Emirates and moved its global headquarters to Abu Dhabi in 2024, supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
ABHI has also broadened its regulated financial‑services footprint in Pakistan through the acquisition—with TPL Corp—of FINCA Microfinance Bank, which was rebranded as ABHI Microfinance Bank.
