Licensed business financing companies in the Kingdom for 2026

Before you apply for financing, there are two things to verify: that the provider is licensed by the Saudi Central Bank, and that you know exactly what you need: cash, or materials? The answer to that one question is enough to change the whole decision. In this article we explain the difference between finance companies and deferred purchase, then set out the full list of entities licensed to finance businesses as they appear in the Central Bank's register. For every financing option and its requirements, see the guide to business financing in Saudi Arabia.

A finance company gives you a cash amount that you repay later with a profit margin, while deferred purchase gives you the materials up front and you pay for them later. That is the core difference; the rest is detail, and here is what matters most:

It is often said: “I need cash to pay salaries and rent, not to buy materials on deferred terms.” Cash financing does meet that need, but there is another side to it:

What you would have paid the supplier stays in your account. Salary obligations, GOSI contributions and rent cannot wait, but materials can be bought on deferred terms. So when Aajil buys the steel and cement for your project, their cost stays in your account, available for whatever can only be paid in cash. You are not borrowing to pay salaries; you are keeping your liquidity safe by buying materials on deferred terms.

Pay after you collect your receivables. Nothing strains a contractor more than paying the supplier up front and then not receiving the progress payment until 60 or 90 days later. Deferred purchase closes that gap on the purchasing side, instead of loading you with a new financing obligation.

Buy when the price suits you, not when cash becomes available. Steel prices move from month to month. If you tie your purchase to cash availability, you buy at the time that suits the bank, not the time that suits the market.

Early repayment lowers the cost. With the “Aajil Flex” feature, the profit margin is waived for the months you repay early, whereas early repayment under most cash financing contracts does not reduce the cost.

Aajil pays the supplier the full value of the materials and handles the communication with them. You do not need to negotiate payment terms with every supplier or follow up on instalments with them; the supplier treats you as a customer paying in cash.

Keep your bank facilities for when you need them. If you use up your bank facilities buying materials, nothing is left to face an emergency. Deferred purchase takes care of the materials and keeps the facilities option for what cannot be bought on deferred terms.

Go to the licensed entities register on the Saudi Central Bank website, choose the “Finance” section, then search by company name; every licensed entity carries a licence number and a unified number. Note that a licence is limited to a specific activity: a company licensed for consumer finance is not necessarily licensed to finance businesses, which is why we list the licensed activity of each entity. If you cannot find the company's name in the register, do not deal with it, and report it through the unlicensed activities reporting page.

The Finance section of the register holds 91 entities as of this update. We limited the list to entities whose licence covers an activity aimed at businesses, namely: SME finance, production asset finance, finance lease, and debt-based crowdfunding. We excluded consumer finance, real estate finance and microfinance companies, finance aggregators, and finance lease contract registries. Banks have a separate register.

These platforms pool funders' money to finance your business. Their main products are invoice financing, purchase order financing, and short-term working capital financing.

These companies finance from their own capital, usually offer larger amounts over longer terms, and require more documents. Many of them also offer consumer finance to individuals, so make sure you ask specifically for the business finance product.

No. Aajil is not a finance company and not a crowdfunding platform, which is why it does not appear in the register above, and it does not provide loans or cash financing.

Aajil buys the building materials from the supplier you choose, then sells them to your business at a deferred price repaid in instalments over a term of two to twelve months. The transaction is therefore treated as a sale of goods at a known deferred price, not a financing transaction, and so it does not fall under the activities the Central Bank licenses finance companies for.

Note: “Ajil Financial Services Company” in the table is a separate, independently licensed finance company with no connection to Aajil.