Incorporate
MISA investment licence, commercial registration, capital and a legal form that suits your target licence.
Licensed. Compliant.
Ready for Saudi Arabia.
We take fintechs, payment companies and investment platforms from incorporation to a SAMA or CMA licence, then build and test the compliance function that keeps it.
- SAMA
- Capital Market Authority
- MISA
- SAFIU
- SDAIA · PDPL
- Payments Law
- BNPL Rules
- Open Banking Framework
- FinTech Experimental Permit
- AML Law, 2026 amendments
Saudi Arabia had 371 fintechs by August 2026 and a licence for almost every model. We work out which one is yours, what SAMA or the CMA will ask for, and what has to be running on the day you go live.
How we work
Fintech count: SAMA Governor, Money20/20 Middle East, September 2026.
Help at every stage of the licence path
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IncorporationMISA investment licence, commercial registration and an entity structured for the licence you need.
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SAMA licensingPayment, e-money, BNPL, open banking and finance company applications, prepared to SAMA's format.
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CMA licensingFinTech Experimental Permit, Capital Market Institution licences, crowdfunding and robo-advisory.
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MLRO & compliance functionRecruit and prepare your Saudi CCO and AML Director, then build the AML programme they'll own.
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Ongoing complianceCo-sourced monitoring, regulatory reporting, PDPL and training under your appointed officers.
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Audit & independent reviewIndependent AML reviews, compliance health checks and FATF readiness before the regulator asks.
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Digital assets & GCCA straight answer on crypto in Saudi Arabia, and licensing in the UAE or Bahrain when that's the route.
From the first filing to the first inspection.
All servicesPrinciples behind every engagement
Licensing advice in a new market fails in predictable ways. These rules keep ours from failing in them.
Primary sources, every time
We work from SAMA's rulebook, CMA regulations and the Bureau of Experts' published laws, and we cite them in what we give you.
Honest about the perimeter
There is no VASP licence in Saudi Arabia today, and outsourced MLROs can't replace a SAMA licensee's Saudi AML Director. We say so up front.
Arabic and English, equally
Policies, manuals and regulator correspondence are prepared in both languages, so your board and your regulator read the same document.
Built for inspection day
We test each framework the way an examiner would, with sample files and real transactions, before it goes into the application.
One path, five stages
Most firms hire one adviser to incorporate, another to license and a third when the regulator writes. We run the whole path, so nothing falls between them.
License
Licence selection, business plan, policies and the SAMA or CMA application file, through to the approval in principle and the final licence.
Build
Recruitment and SAMA non-objection for your CCO and AML Director, an enterprise-wide risk assessment, and the AML/CFT programme.
Operate
Co-sourced compliance monitoring, regulatory returns, suspicious transaction reporting procedures, PDPL and staff training.
Assure
Independent AML reviews, compliance health checks, regulator inspection support and FATF evaluation readiness.
Why firms choose Saudi Compliance
Specialist depth across the full licence path, with a team on the ground in Riyadh.
Book a consultationOne firm, whole path
Incorporation, licensing, compliance build and review under one engagement lead.
Riyadh office
Advisers on the ground for regulator meetings and onboarding your Saudi officers.
Backed by ComplyFactor
Cross-border AML and licensing work for payment and digital-asset firms.
Bilingual by default
Every policy and manual is delivered in Arabic and English.
Plain answers
Including the ones that cost us work, like crypto and MLRO outsourcing.
Inspection-ready
Every control comes with evidence that it was tested.
What changes when one firm runs the path
Typical licensing shop
- Licence application treated as the finish line
- Policy templates translated from another market
- Compliance officers left for you to find
- No view of what an examiner will test
- Crypto questions answered with a sales pitch
Saudi Compliance
A team that stays from incorporation to inspection.
- Licence chosen for your model and growth plan
- Policies written to SAMA and CMA rules, in Arabic and English
- Saudi CCO and AML Director recruited and prepared for non-objection
- Independent review before the regulator's first visit
- Honest perimeter advice on digital assets
The market you're entering
- 371fintechs operating in Saudi Arabia by August 2026SAMA Governor, Sep 2026
- 525fintechs targeted by 2030 under Vision 2030Fintech Saudi
- 85%of retail payments were electronic in 2025SAMA
- 33licensed payment service providers, July 2026Press reports of SAMA data
Questions founders ask first
Is there a crypto or VASP licence in Saudi Arabia?
No. Saudi Arabia has no licensing regime for virtual asset service providers, and no onshore crypto exchange is licensed. We explain what is allowed, where the SAMA, CMA and REGA perimeters sit, and when a UAE or Bahrain licence is the realistic route. Read the full answer.
Can we outsource our MLRO?
Not at a SAMA licensee. SAMA requires the Chief Compliance Officer and the AML/CTF Director to be Saudi nationals, and payment and fintech companies need SAMA's written non-objection for both. We recruit and prepare those officers and support them afterwards. See how.
Do we need a Saudi company before we apply?
Usually, yes. Foreign applicants typically obtain a MISA investment licence and a commercial registration before the regulator application. The required legal form depends on the licence; BNPL providers, for example, must be joint stock companies.
How long does a SAMA licence take?
It depends on the category, the quality of the file and SAMA's questions. The process runs in stages, with an approval in principle before the final licence, so plan in months, not weeks. We give you a realistic timeline after scoping.
Do you work with CMA-regulated firms too?
Yes. We prepare FinTech Experimental Permit applications and Capital Market Institution licence files, and build CMA-aligned AML/CTF programmes.
Start with a 30-minute
licensing call
Tell us your model and where you are. We'll tell you which licence fits, what it takes and what we'd do first.
Book a consultation