What investment products does Malaa Technologies offer?

Malaa Technologies offers Shariah-compliant investment products including ETF portfolios, goal-based investing, and personal finance management tools — regulated by the CMA (Capital Market Authority) and integrated with Saudi bank accounts via SAMA's open banking framework. Ashraf Alhemiry, as Business Operations Manager, designs and runs the operational processes supporting these investment and wealth management products.

What is the future of fintech investment in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is driving massive growth in fintech investment. SAMA's open banking framework is enabling new investment platforms to reach millions of underserved Saudis. With a young, mobile-first population and government mandates to digitise finance, Saudi Arabia is becoming one of the most exciting fintech and investment markets in the world.

Investment Operations in Saudi Arabia | Ashraf Alhemiry

The investment opportunity in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is undergoing the most ambitious financial transformation in its history. Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom is building the regulatory infrastructure, digital rails, and fintech ecosystem to move millions of Saudis from cash-based, bank-dependent financial lives to truly digital, investment-driven ones.

At the centre of this shift is open banking — regulated by SAMA (Saudi Central Bank) — which allows licensed fintech platforms to securely connect users' bank accounts and offer integrated investment, savings, and wealth management products. The result is a generation of Saudis who can now invest, track their net worth, and manage their money entirely from their phones.

Malaa Technologies is Saudi Arabia's first open banking and investment platform — connecting users to all their bank accounts via SAMA's open banking framework, and offering CMA-regulated, Shariah-compliant investment products. As Business Operations Manager, I design and run the operational systems that make this possible.

1st

Open banking investment platform in KSA

SAMA
+
CMA

Open banking (SAMA) · Investment products (CMA)

10+

Years in fintech & investment operations

What investment operations actually involves

Behind every smooth investment experience is an operational infrastructure most people never see. Investment operations in fintech covers:

Settlement workflows — ensuring investment orders are executed, cleared, and reconciled accurately and on time
Funding flows — managing how money moves from bank accounts into investment products and back
Fund performance tracking — real-time monitoring of investment cashflows, returns, and NAV calculations
Transaction reconciliation — validating withdrawals, deposits, and net journals across multiple banking integrations
KPI design — building dashboards that give leadership visibility into NPS, fund performance, and operational health
Compliance & governance — building process frameworks that satisfy CMA requirements for investment products and SAMA requirements for open banking operations

Open banking as the foundation for investment

Open banking is not just about seeing your bank balance in one app. In Saudi Arabia, it is the technical and regulatory foundation that enables investment platforms to offer seamless, trusted, and compliant investment experiences.

When a user connects their bank account to an investment platform like Malaa, they unlock the ability to invest, track spending, set savings goals, and monitor their entire financial picture — all in real time. The operational work behind this involves constant coordination between engineering, compliance, product, and data teams to ensure every transaction is accurate, every flow is automated, and every integration with Saudi banks is stable.

The operational challenges of fintech investment in KSA

Building investment operations in Saudi Arabia comes with unique challenges that require deep local knowledge:

Dual regulatory compliance — investment products in Saudi Arabia are regulated by the CMA (Capital Market Authority), while the open banking connectivity layer is regulated by SAMA (Saudi Central Bank). Operating across both frameworks requires deep coordination between legal, product, and operations teams
Bank integration complexity — connecting to Saudi banks' open banking APIs requires continuous engineering coordination and operational validation
Shariah compliance — investment products must meet Islamic finance standards, adding an additional layer of product and operational governance
Data accuracy — transaction journal accuracy across withdrawals, funding, and net journals is critical for user trust and regulatory standing

Frequently asked questions

What is investment operations in fintech?

Investment operations in fintech refers to the end-to-end management of investment workflows — including settlement, funding flows, fund performance tracking, transaction reconciliation, and compliance monitoring. At Malaa Technologies in Saudi Arabia, I oversee all investment operations, ensuring seamless execution of CMA-regulated investment and wealth management products, while the open banking connectivity underpinning them operates under SAMA's framework.

How does open banking support investment in Saudi Arabia?

Open banking in Saudi Arabia, regulated by SAMA, allows investment platforms like Malaa to connect users' bank accounts and offer integrated investment products — from ETF portfolios to goal-based saving. This creates a unified financial experience where users can view, manage, and grow their money in one place.

What investment products are available on Saudi open banking platforms?

Saudi open banking investment platforms offer Shariah-compliant products including ETF portfolios, goal-based investing (for housing, education, retirement), automated rebalancing, and real-time performance tracking. Investment products are regulated by the CMA (Capital Market Authority). The open banking layer — connecting users' bank accounts to the platform — is regulated by SAMA (Saudi Central Bank).

What is the future of fintech and investment in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is driving massive growth in fintech investment. With a young, mobile-first population, government mandates to digitise finance, and SAMA's open banking framework maturing, Saudi Arabia is becoming one of the most exciting investment and fintech markets in the world. Platforms like Malaa are at the forefront of this transformation.

Who is Ashraf Alhemiry and what is his expertise?

Ashraf Alhemiry is a fintech and investment operations expert based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He serves as Business Operations Manager at Malaa Technologies — Saudi Arabia's first open banking and investment platform. With over 10 years of experience across fintech, eCommerce, and operations, he specialises in investment workflows, settlement operations, KPI design, and wealth management product operations in KSA.

Want to talk fintech or investment operations?

I'm always open to conversations about building in Saudi Arabia's fintech and investment ecosystem.

Send me an email → View my profile